GORAL Reviews 

242
TrustScore 4 out of 5

4.2

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Considering 56 reviews, reviewers had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently praise the exceptional craftsmanship, noting that the shoes are beautifully made with premium, long-lasting materials that look fantastic. Many consumers also highlight the helpful customer support and the engaging updates provided during the production process. Some reviewers were not happy with consistency, mentioning that sizing can feel a bit unpredictable and varies across different shoe styles. However, some people mentioned experiencing frustrating delivery delays, noting it took quite a long time to finally receive their items. A few other people also felt that certain surprise items did not entirely match their personal preferences.

What people talk about most

Product

Customers consistently note positive experiences with product, highlighting exceptional craftsmanship and... See more

Quality

Customers had positive experiences with quality, expressing deep appreciation for the outstanding materials... See more

Order

Reviewers share mixed feedback about order experiences, highlighting lengthy wait times and significant... See more

Service

Reviewers highlight ambiguous aspects of service, experiencing a wide split in satisfaction. Many customers... See more

Delivery service

People report ambiguous experiences with delivery service, reflecting a wide range of shipping timelines.... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Received my Smugs today, got the ones available through John Lewis with CF Stead leather, much cheaper than the horween leather ones on Gorals own site. Hard to imagine horween leather being worth £10... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

First pair of gorals, and I am not dissapointed. The sneakders are a bit uncomfortable at first but they do feel quite nice snug once broken in. I got the mystery box, but looking at an actual pair sm... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I recently purchased the Mellor ll Charles F. Stead Spitfire leather sneakers black sole from Goral Shoes, and I am extremely pleased. The craftsmanship and quality of the leather are exceptional, m... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I had high expectations and these sneakers exceded tiempo! These are absolutely fantastic, super comfortable. The only downside is that I would have loved to order a half size down but other than that... See more


Company details

  1. Shoe Factory
  2. Shoe Store

Written by the company

Goral is a Sheffield-based company that designs and handcrafts high-quality shoes and sneakers using premium materials. Our shoes are stylish, comfortable, and durable, suitable for any occasion. We're committed to exceptional customer service and building long-lasting relationships with our customers. Shop with us today to experience the difference high quality craftsmanship can make.


Contact info

4.2

Great

TrustScore 4 out of 5

242 reviews

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1-star

Asks customers to review

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Replied to 44% of negative reviews

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4.2

All reviews

(242)

56 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Dead silence for over a month + failure to inform about terrible shipping time

I ordered shoes from their "in stock" page, which is seems to be deliberately badly designed to mislead you into ordering shoes that are not actually in stock. Only after I had completed and paid the order, I was told they will start making the shoes soon, as opposed to them being in stock. The next day I received an email that they have started working on them and they should be ready in the next 15 days, and the order tracking status was changed to "clicking". It has been over a month and the status is still in "clicking", with no response to my email asking for updates. The most terrible shopping experience I have ever had.

19 June 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Easy buying experience

Easy buying experience. Build and delivery time for handmade shoes much quicker than anticipated.

Happy so far with the shoes themselves. Need breaking in.

22 May 2024
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Things can happen, but they went above and beyond

It's been quite a long journey with Goral. A lot of things happened, and while none of them were their fault, their customer service was excellent.

To start, I ordered a pair of Sharman Boots, but since I was doing it in the middle of the night and was debating which ones to buy, I ended up with the wrong ones in my checkout without noticing (I ordered a black pair instead of a dark brown pair).

I realized this about an hour later (mind you, that was somewhere around 10-11pm), sent a mail to their customer support asking if it is still possible to change that, received a mail about 20 minutes later - in the middle of the night - that this is no problem. Then things...connected. Usually the boots are made to order, so it takes a few weeks for them to ship, but a customer had just cancelled an order with exactly the pair I ordered, but in black...so they rerouted those to me, and I got a pair of boots about 38 hours after I ordered. Sadly, black boots.

I contacted their customer support again, and they sent me a return shipping label and arranged that the boots would be exchanged without me getting any additional charges (taxes, customs etc). Awesome. Sadly, they use UPS, and that is where the trouble started.

I sent the package on the 18th of April. It was in the UK on the 19th, and since then it has been sitting in a UPS warehouse because they could or would not forward it for some reason. They stated that they needed additional Information, but neither I nor Goral were ever contacted. UPS support just ignored any of my contact requests, but I was in contact every few days with the Support Team over at Goral. Both of the people I had contact with were amazing (Julia and Dominik), tried to get information from UPS, and were always quick to respond.
They were even willing to send my new pair of boots that was ready yesterday before they got the return ones back. That is not something that happens often.
We managed to get the return package delivered after I threatened UPS with my lawyer and I believe Goral kicked their UPS rep to do something, because about 2 hours after that the package suddenly moved after 3 weeks and was delivered today.

So yeah, while it was annoying, and UPS has another reason why I will not use them if I can avoid it (even if that means driving a package somewhere myself), Goral has won a loyal customer with their excellent customer support. They give you the feeling that they actually care, and that is worth a lot. Things can go wrong, but if you communicate frequently and keep me updated, I am a very patient customer. If you ghost me, well....I can shift gears too.
As for the boots, UPS says the new ones will arrive tomorrow. I doubt that, but I will get them soon, Got a chance to try out the black pair (same size), and they feel excellent. Usually boots always feel like they are breaking my toes or are 2 sizes too big, but those feel awesome. I always liked my old pair of docs, but 3 months until they break is just not worth it. The Gorals will last a lot longer, plus they are made in europe, which was another thing I care about (otherwise I would have gone for Redwing Moc Toes).

TL;DR: Stuff happen, they are giving it their all, and do have one of the best customer support teams I have interacted with in the last couple of years. Give them a try if you are looking for very well made leather sneakers or boots.

30 April 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Goral Sharman Boots. Well made.

I purchased the Goral Sharman boots (doc marten type). After I ordered and paid for the boots, I was told by email that I would be kept me updated during the build process. After four weeks, I heard nothing. I tried calling but no one answers the phone. I emailed regarding the status of boots and received an email the following week (5h week) that the boots would be dispatched the following week. The were actually sent to me later that week.

My comments to Goral are to keep customers informed if you state you will and answer your phones.

The boots themselves are excellently made. Worth the double price of the over DM’s. I normally take size 8 but often purchase size 8.5 as I find some footwear tight around my toes. Goral’s don’t do half sizes in these boots. Fortunately, their size 8’s are a perfect size for me. As an added bonus they included a pair of spare laces. There is a you tube video showing a guy who cuts these boots in half to show their construction.

I given full stars as the boots are great.

29 February 2024
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Mellor II - Maryam TPR Verde

I'm very happy with these shoes. The leather is gorgeous and the stitching perfect. There was a week or two of break-in with a little bit of heel slippage on one foot, but at this point they are quite comfortable. Arch support is moderate and the toe box is perfect - a relatively sleek profile but plenty of toe room.

I ordered these after years of buying leather walking shoes that were not re-soleable. After a year or two the uppers would mold to my feet and become very comfortable, but then I had to get rid of them because the tread and midsoles had broken down - a frustrating and seemingly senseless pattern. Well, with these Gorals I may have finally found the solution. Well done!

18 February 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

New customer for life

In the 80s and 90s i was a fan of Doc's. I purchased a pair a few years ago and was sadly let down. Then i came across a video of a man, whom i had watch before, taking about your brand. I decided to take a chance and purchase a pair. When i received the boots, they looked great in the box. Upon trying them on, i knew that i had found what i was looking for. The fit out of the box, the comfort, the look, all were well past any expectations i had. You have a new customer for life.

1 March 2024
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Good Shoes, not great service

Shoes are good, overall
Experience was okay. No electronic communications on order status, ETA’s were heavily underestimated. Customer service responded in a timely manner however, but their new estimates were misrepresented.

17 January 2024
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

In a word

In a word, quality. These shoes are great, I’ll be buying more, what more is there to say.

18 January 2024
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Don’t buy shoe laces

Don’t buy shoe laces, size very long, can’t use them and you pay about 20£ with delivery, they are about 2 m, expected something exquisite for this price but got …., and they are not like in photos , not even a small package to put them in, cheap brand with high prices, probably the shoes are same

22 January 2024
Unprompted review

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