Pro Compression Marathon Socks Review

Like many other running bloggers, I had the opportunity recently to try Pro Compression Marathon Socks.  And try them I did.  Like them, however, I did not.

Disclaimer: I was provided the product free in exchange for my review.  All views expressed regarding my experience with the product are my own, and I did not receive any additional compensation for this post.

Compression socks are not new to me: in sixth grade, I was diagnosed with vasovagal syncope (basically, I fainted a lot) and had to wear compression socks as part of my condition management.  The valves in my blood vessels all along my calves didn't properly close, so blood would trickle back down and cause me to black out; the compression socks kept my calves pressed in such a way that the valves would close properly and blood could circulate back to my heart.

Couch > floor.  Trust me.

Marathon Socks from Pro Compression operate on the same kind of principle.  They constrict your calves to facilitate bloodflow.  For many people, compression socks are an article of running clothing.  For me, I wanted them for recovery, as a wearable substitute for my favorite "legs up the wall" exercise.  So, that's when I wore them - after tough runs, when I wanted to increase my bloodflow to better recover from the effort.

What I hadn't realized was that the foot part of the sock ALSO has compression.  This did NOT work for me.  In fact, it was so tight it constantly made my toes go numb.  The sock seemed to fit (I had submitted my shoe size, which is bigger than my actual foot because I like the roominess, and they have sent me a sock size accordingly) and my calf had no problems with the compression, just my toes.  But the numbness was so bad and worrisome that I could never really wear the socks for more than maybe ten minutes at a time!  There was no way I'd have been able to run in them, even if I had wanted to try.

Accurate representation of how my toes felt.

So what's a gal to do?  Well, I appreciate the companies who take time and product to give me the opportunity to try something new, so I wanted to do my best to put Pro Compression in a positive light.  I emailed back to tell them what my experience had been, and to offer suggestions for how to move forward with a positive review.  My biggest suggestion was that I try the calf sleeves - just eliminate the part of the product that doesn't work for me!  I even offered to purchase the sleeves myself, if I could get a discount.  My review would have focused on the sleeves, which I felt confident would be exactly what I needed.

Here's the dark turn in the plot: the Pro Compression representative was atrocious in his "customer service."  First, he suggested I had received the wrong size - well, maybe, you picked the size for me so I'm not sure if it's the right one.  I told him the rest of the sock fit fine, and reiterated my desire to try just the calf sleeves.  His reply was, essentially, a too-bad-so-sad: "Maybe compression isn't for you, sorry it didn't work out."

I was stunned.

That's rough even for a paying customer who maybe DID buy the wrong size.  I, however, am trying this product to review it for readers who are looking for advice on their purchases.  I'm a trusted source for this kind of information, and people reading my blog actually DO spend their money on the products I recommend.  I couldn't believe how callous the response was, considering my media position.  What made it especially difficult to swallow was the fact that I reached out in an effort to stay positive about the company, despite having a poor experience with the product.  Apparently, my opinion was not important enough to the company to warrant any kind of customer service.

Let's not even talk about this extremely non-pink color.

Between the pain of the socks themselves, and the extremely disappointing response from the company in regards to my issues with the product, I have chosen not to further support this company.  As with many product reviews, I was given the opportunity to run a giveaway for the product in conjunction with my review, and while I LOVE being able to pass on any freebie opportunities, I would rather deny the giveaway than hand out products I do not support.

INSTEAD!  I would like to offer another giveaway of a product I DO support!  In fact, I love this one so much I became one of the company's first brand ambassadors!  You can read my original review about MESTRENGTH or you can visit the company website for more information - or you can skip right to the good stuff and enter to win!  I still use MESTRENGTH almost every day, and am 100% confident in putting my seal of approval on this product.  Give it a try!

a Rafflecopter giveaway