Cotswold Outdoor Reviews 

What a shambles and a far cry from the well respected company that Cotswold outdoors used to be.
The product I bought is faulty and totally within the warranty period. I supplied all the photos and information requested by customer services about the order, the fault and my account on 22May2026. After no response by 5th June, I reached out on Facebook and Instagram, only to be fobbed off with ‘customer support is unusually busy’.
Today I had another demand to supply all the information and photos again.
Zendesk is not efficient as a customer support tool. There is no continuity of care (1 person assigned per customer problem) or a conversation trail.

Lily was forthcoming, keen to help, well trained and hence knowledgeable about the product ( men’s hiking boots) and I had no hesitation in buying the shoes which clearly were the right fit for my odd left foot.

They charge for next day delivery but it doesn't turn up till three days late. Numerous emails sent without reply and they don't answer phone calls.Disgraceful way to go on.

They are crooks, do not buy from them, I was told I could get a refund but they gave me store credit, they then told me it could be extended and then they refused to honour it, I am now out by £100.....

I order items yesterday but inputted the wrong address. I've tried to phone customer services today to amend my address however no answer despite 20 phone calls. I've requested call backs which were never received. Absolutely useless and do not recommend. Customer services department is an absolute waste of time.

Unsure what Hiking boot to get, the 3d foot scan was brilliant in narrowing down the boot, Jake at the reading branch guided us through the options, very informative and knowledgeable, there was no rush no pressure. All done in our own time, we left with a new set of boots and complete confidence. Thank you.

My son and I visited Cotswold Outdoor in St Albans on Saturday 6th June 2026 to purchase a backpack for his upcoming travels, and we were fortunate to be helped by Grace.

Grace was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. She was friendly, knowledgeable, patient, and took the time to understand exactly what my son needed for his four-month trip around South-East Asia. She carefully explained the different backpack options, ensured the fit was correct, and shared lots of useful travel advice and tips that we hadn't even considered.

Nothing felt rushed, and Grace went above and beyond to make sure my son was comfortable and confident with his choice. Her excellent customer service turned what could have been a simple shopping trip into a really enjoyable experience for both of us.

Thank you, Grace, for all your help. You are a credit to the St Albans store, and we truly appreciated the time and care you gave us.

Visited the store in Reading. Great customer service. Super friendly and helpful without being too pushy. Had a choice of products I was interested in, at a range of prices. Also some good reductions in the sale where I got an impulse buy too!! All really good brands. Totally recommend this store.

I went into the Merry Hill store today to get some shoes for an upcoming holiday. Unfortunately, there was only 2 members of staff working and 1 of them had been booked for a shoe consultation. The remaining staff member wouldn't leave the front of shop. When I asked for some shoe sizes to try on, I was informed that they couldn't help until the consultantation was complete. When I asked how long it would take, I was told "it takes as long as it takes". In essence, they weren't selling shoes today due to poor resource allocation. What a complete joke!!

Make it very hard to return things when purchased online. Ended up buying from John Lewis. First purchase with Cotswold Outdoor and the last. Customer lost.

Customer service or the procedures are appalling. I’ve created an order for 7 items value over£500 on 30/04. Order was split into 2 deliveries, received 1 item but the rest of items returned to seller. Requested a refund and over a month later I have not received it.

One of the worst companies I've ever dealt with. Ordered shoes May 16th should have been delivered May 18th. Fast forward to June 5th, still no delivery. No fewer than six employees have told me that my delivery is in hand and will be shipped shortly. Social media team told me they can't help, have since requester 3 call backs as you can't ever reach anyone, and they are yet to reply.

Been using Cotswold for many years, always good. However, bought a pair of Ayacucho trousers for this spell of travelling (8 months) and after two weeks the thigh pocket zipper failed & needed replacing, then the right pocket zipper did same and now the left ankle 'tie-up' snapped the first time I tried it. Sorry Cotswold but they're destined for the bin as seems impossible to repair the elastic tie-up and it just drags on the ground to trip over.

Quality really needs attention. Not fit for purpose (at least THIS pair isn't)

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I had an outstanding experience at the Islington Cotswold Outdoor thanks to Shahida. From the moment I arrived, she was friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable and genuinely interested in helping me find the right product. She took the time to answer all of my questions, explain the options available and offer honest advice without any pressure.

What impressed me most was her professionalism, patience and expertise. Her guidance gave me the confidence to make my decision, and I can honestly say I would not have gone ahead with the purchase without her help. Although I ultimately completed the order online, the sale was a direct result of the excellent service and advice she provided in the Islington store.

Customer service of this quality is rare and deserves recognition. Shahida is a real credit to Cotswold Outdoor, and I hope she receives full recognition for her contribution to this sale. I would happily recommend both her and the Islington branch to anyone looking for expert advice and a genuinely positive shopping experience.

Ordered items online with promise of next day delivery but my heart sank after checkout when I realised the courier would be Evri.

Not surprisingly, the next day came and went with no delivery, as did the next and the next and the next….

Eventually, after two weeks and contacting customer services they agreed Evri had lost the package. I was then asked to complete a form with a wet signature and return it to them confirming I had not received the item despite them confirming the courier had lost it ?!? A totally unnecessary paperwork exercise and one I suspect designed to put people off claiming for lost items.

Eventually received items after being re-dispatched with another courier.

Cotswold, look at your feedback, you are providing poor service to customers. Stop using Evri, you are a massive corporate organisation, put customer satisfaction ahead of the few pennies you save by using Evri and pay a bit more to use a decent reliable courier, it isn’t complicated. Also, stop trying to deliberately put customer off claiming for lost items with pointless documentation when you have already confirmed the loss.

Poor service, profits over customers and disingenuous customer service.

Really poor customer service.
I contacted their customer services over a pricing issue on the 5th May. They didn't bother to get back to me until the 2nd June, almost a month later. And even then, they didn't even bother to try and help.
I wouldn't waste my energy on trying to purchase anything from them again.

Ordered insulated trousers for upcoming trip to a cold country with next day delivery. No delivery and no response to queries by email, phone, chat bot. I wish I had read these reviews before I ordered.

Will have to reclaim via credit card if they don’t arrive as no use after trip!!!

I bought walking boots in April 2025, and just 12 months later they’ve split in the same spot on both boots. I visited the Keswick store, and the staff were helpful—they explained the warranty process and said they’d send my boots for review.

That was almost five weeks ago, and I’ve had no updates despite multiple emails and chats. At this point, I’m worried my boots are gone for good. Helpful in-store staff, but the after-sales service has been extremely disappointing.

Visited Maidstone branch for walking trousers. Staff member (lady) was attentive, helpful and found me two options that fitted my requirements and I purchased a pair.
I have experienced poor service at another branch and cannot comment on online/ delivery issues, but staff at this branch have always been good.

DO NOT RECOMMEND to buy anything from them.
My story:
Ordered stuff on 22.05.2026 with next day delivery... never arrived
I gave them a "trust of a doubt" as 26.05 was a BANK HOLIDAY.
25.05 - No tracking N°
26.05 - No tracking N°
27.05 - Contaced with someone called ABBY, explained my issue - and she prommised me to be back ASAP.
29.05 - no email/callback from ABBY.
Tried with online customer support, someone named ARUN have sorted it out(ish) my missing order but...I have paid for next day delivery and I still didn't received my stuff. AVOID AVOID