Puma vs. Skechers: Which One Is the Best?

If you are shopping for footwear, you are most likely to come across Puma and Skechers. These are two of the leading footwear brands globally. Since they have a similar footwear range, you may be wondering which brand to go with.

This article offers a detailed comparison of Skechers vs Puma. We also compare which company is better between Skechers and Puma according to customer ratings and reviews on PissedConsumer to help you decide which brand to choose.

Puma rating * – 1.9⭐⭐	Skechers rating * –  2.1⭐⭐
Puma reviews – 52	Skechers reviews – 1.4k
Puma resolved issues – 2	Puma resolved issues – 5
Puma successful calls – 0%/15	Skechers successful calls – 6%/1.1k

Overview of Puma vs Skechers

• Skechers is an American footwear company that is headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, while Puma is a German footwear company headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria.
• Skechers was founded in 1992 by Robert Greenberg. Puma was started in 1924 by two brothers Rudolf Dassler and Adolf Dassler. In 1948, they parted ways. Adolf Dassler went on to start Adidas and Rudolf maintained ownership of Puma.
• Both Skechers and Puma have grown to become multinational corporations with stores across the globe. Skechers has over 3,000 outlets in 170 countries, while Puma operates over 700 stores in 120 countries.

Puma and Skechers are compared in respect to:

1. Customer service
2. Customer experience
3. Quality of products and prices
4. Return policy

1. Puma vs Skechers Customer Service: How to Contact?

The Skechers and Puma customer support can be reached through different channels including email, phone, and social media.

Skechers customer service

Skechers customer service has a comprehensive help center where you can find answers to the most common question. This section provides responses to customer FAQs regarding orders, returns, products, in-store web orders, and terms and conditions among others. If you cannot find answers to your particular issue at the help center, you call the Skechers customer service line or reach out via email or social media.

On Skechers customer support page, it is stated that you can reach customer service representatives via email or phone. The primary Skechers phone number for customer service is 1-800-746-3411, it is open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 7 pm PST and between 9 am and 2 pm PST on Saturday. For inquiries about retailing their products, this is the Skechers phone number: 1-800-243-0443.

To send an email to the Skechers customer service, fill the contact form provided on their contact us page. You will be required to provide your personal information, your country, and contact information (email address and phone number). You should also provide information about the issue you are reaching about by choosing a relevant subject category and typing the details in the text box before submitting the form.

The company notes that they respond to emails within 24 to 48 hours. Emails received outside of normal business hours are responded to as soon as possible in the order that they came in.

As for social media, the Skechers customer service representatives are highly engaged on the company’s Facebook and Twitter (@SkechersUSA) pages. You can either send them a direct message, tweet or comment on their most recent post.

The Skechers headquarters address is:

Sketchers USA, Inc
228 Manhattan Beach Boulevard, CA 90266
USA

To quickly find a store near you, go to the Skechers store locator page and enter your zip code, city, or state, then choose your country from the drop-down menu provided. You will be provided with a list of Skechers stores near you and their exact location.

Puma customer service

Puma customer service is provided on various dedicated websites for different countries including the US, India, Europe, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, and Europe.

Us.puma.com has a detailed help center where customers can find answers to the most commonly asked question. It also provides Puma customer service numbers for US customers. The primary website provides different Puma phone numbers for European customers depending on the issue at hand and their location.

The Puma phone numbers include:

• Toll-free number in the US: 1-888-565-PUMA(7862)

The US Puma phone number is open between 7 am and midnight EST, all days of the week. The US website also has a live chat option for contacting customer service.

• Primary customer service in Europe: +49-9132-810
• Puma customer service in the UK : +44 (0) 203 - 32 65 481

The Puma customer support in Europe can be reached via phone during office hours between 8 am and 8 pm CET Monday through Friday. The rates charged for international calls vary depending on your provider while landline calls (Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Great Britain) are charged as per the local rates provided by your mobile network provider.

There are various Puma email addresses that you can use to reach their customer support:

• service@puma.com
• info@puma.com
• customerservice.us@puma.com

Puma customer support representatives are engaged on the company’s social media pages. They post regularly on their Twitter (@PUMA), Facebook, and Instagram pages and respond to customer questions that are raised on their feeds. You can also send them a direct message on either of their social media pages.

The Puma address is:

Puma Headquarters
PUMA SE
PUMA WAY 1
91074 Herzogenaurach, Germany

Similarly to Skechers, you can easily find a store near you by entering your region, country, or city on the search bar provided on the Puma store locator page. You will be provided with a list of Puma stores near you including their specific location, contact information, and operating hours.

2. Skechers and Puma Reviews: Which Is Better?

On Pissedconsumer.com, customers are generally dissatisfied with both Puma and Skechers shoes and quality of services. Puma has a 1.9/5 rating while Skechers is rated at 2.1/5. On Trustpilot, Skechers has a 1.5-star rating while Puma has 1.8 stars.

Both companies have similar complaints on PissedConsumer and other review websites. The most common Puma and Skechers complaints include:

• Poor customer service characterized by difficulty getting through to customer service
• Difficulty refunding or exchanging items
• Delivery of wrong items
• Failure to deliver ordered items
• Poor quality of shoes
• Fraudulent activities on customer accounts e.g. unauthorized orders and charges

For instance, in one Skechers review, the customer complained of poor customer service and order delivery issues as follows:

…read the reviews and find out how many people have not received their order or wrong order. No customer service to phone and they dont answer emails…

Similarly, in a Puma review, a customer complained of poor customer service:

I received absolutely horrible customer service today . I placed an order and I did not get free shipping…

3. Puma vs Skechers: What Are Quality and Prices?

Both companies offer a wide range of shoe categories at varying price points. While some people praise Puma and Skechers shoes for being high-quality, durable, and comfortable, there have been complaints about the quality of both companies’ shoes on PissedConsumer. The most common complaints include:

Puma complaints are in regard to:

• Slippery bottoms that cause falling or tripping incidents.
• Shoes coming apart after a few uses.
• Sharp drawstrings.

For instance, in one review below, a customer took a picture of their son’s Puma shoes that had come apart less than 6 months after buying them.

The Skechers reviews report the following issues:

• Interior design that causes foot-injury.
• Slippery bottoms that cause falling or tripping incidents.
• Shoes coming apart after a few uses.
• Shoes producing squeaking noise.

According to research done by RunRepeat, Skechers and Puma were ranked number one and 3 respectively for the most affordable running shoe brands. According to the report, the average price of Puma shoes is $98 while that of Skechers is $92. Both companies engage in aggressive marketing strategies including influencer marketing by top athletes and celebrities to accelerate their sales.

In terms of accessibility and convenience, both companies have thousands of stores worldwide and user-friendly websites where customers can buy footwear online.

4. Puma vs Skechers Return Policies: How to Return?

The Puma and Skechers return policy and procedures are quite similar. Both stipulate a 45-day return period for a full refund as long as the items are returned in their original packaging, in unused condition. Both companies also offer a 60-day extended holiday policy.

The procedure for both Puma and Skechers returns varies depending on whether yours is an in-store return or an online return.

Online returns

Skechers returns apply to products bought online via Skechers.com. Similarly, the Puma returns apply to items bought online on us.puma.com. Both companies offer free shipping for online returns as long as the items are returned within the stipulated timeline.

Notably, the Puma return policy exempts certain product categories including:

• Gift cards
• Bodywear
• Facemasks
• Customized products

Except, if the purpose of returning is manufacturing or material defects.

The Puma and Skechers return policy requires that you initiate the online return process on their respective websites. Once you have selected the item you want to return, you will be provided with a printable shipping label. Puma provides a FedEx shipping label while Skechers provides a UPS shipping label.

Skechers refunds for the item cost and tax but not the initial shipping cost. They also offer an option for exchange. Orders paid for through AfterPay are not refunded, rather they are issued a merchandise credit or an exchange to a store location.

On the other hand, Puma does not offer exchanges. To be able to exchange an item, you would have to return the initial order and then make a new order. Returned items paid for through debit card, credit card, or PayPal are refunded through the original payment method. If you had paid with a PUMA gift card, you will be issued a new E-gift card with the refunded amount.

The Puma return policy categorically notes that they are not responsible for returned items lost in transit and the free-returns offer does not apply to orders placed from an APO/FPO address. Such orders should be sent to the following PUMA return address:

PUMA Returns Department
19688 Van Ness Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501

In-store returns

For Puma or Skechers in-store return, you are required to provide the defective items and receipt. The Puma return policy stipulates that items paid through Afterpay are not eligible for in-store return.

When returning to a Puma store, you are also required to bring the packing slip and original payment method to facilitate refunds. If you paid through a credit card or debit card, the amount will be a credit to the particular card. Otherwise, if you paid through PayPal, Apple pay, or a PUMA Gift Card, you will be issued with PUMA Gift Card with the refunded amount.

Below are the phone numbers to call for further assistance with your returns:

• Puma phone number: 1-888-565-PUMA(7862)
• Skechers phone number: 1-800-243-0443

So, which is better: Puma or Skechers? That depends on what you are looking for. While Skechers has a wider range of casual, comfort shoes, Puma is more popular for sportswear. Different customers have had different experiences with the quality of the two brands of shoes.

On PissedConsumer, the companies have almost similar ratings. There are numerous complaints regarding customer service, delivery, shipping, and return policies. When buying a product, identify the particular type you want and check for its reviews.

Have you had any experience with either of the companies? Please leave a review on Pissedconsumer.com.

*The company ratings on the PissedConsumer website are calculated using a mathematical algorithm that evaluates the information in the company’s profile. The algorithm parameters are: users’ rating, the number of resolved issues, the number of company responses and more. The PissedConsumer algorithm is also subject to change in the future.