Sports Direct - What should I expect?

paulrowlands76

Hi guys, I'm looking for a bit of advice here. Yesterday I had a nightmare shopping experience in Sports Direct, and I'm wondering what I should expect them to do about it? Below is the email I sent them explaining my experience:

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Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing with absolute disgust at the customer service I received in your Newbury store yesterday (15/09/2011). I work in Newbury and needed a new pair of football boots for a match on saturday, so I decided to visit your Newbury store after work.

I entered the store at 17.45 and went straight to the football boots section, where there was one member of staff serving another customer. I found a pair of Adidas Predator Soft Ground boots that I wanted to purchase so I needed to find out if they had them in Size 11.

I had a look around the shop floor and couldnt find a single member of staff apart from 1 serving on the till, and the guy helping the customer try on football boots. I continued looking for about 5 minutes before I gave up and went to the member of staff at the Football boots section who had spent the 5 minutes just watching the customer try the boots on. I asked this member of staff if he could check if they had any Size 11 adidas predator soft ground boots, to which he told me he was dealing with a customer, and he'd have a look next time he went out the back.

I then waited another 5 minutes, until he went out the back to get another pair of boots for the customer and came back, completely ignoring me. I felt very disappointed at this, as he could have looked if the boots were in stock and at least told me. He then continued to stand and watch this customer trying boots on, and continued to ignore me, despite the fact I was standing right next to him.

Eventually, another customer had turned up to look for boots, and asked another member of staff serving on the 1st floor till to check for his size. Whilst he was going out the back I asked him to check for Size 11 adidas predator soft ground boots, and he said he would have a look whilst he was there. He came back 5 minutes later, walked straight past me without saying a word, and brought a pair of boots to the other customer, who incidentally had turned up 10 minutes after me. This was the second time I had been completely ignored by two different members of staff.

The second customer then mentioned another pair of boots to the member of staff that had been serving on the till, and was told they weren't in stock. The first member of staff who was still serving the first customer then corrected him, and told him they were in stock, and proceeded to go and get them for him. Why could he leave his customer to get boots for someone that was already being dealt with by another member of staff when neither of them had even acknowledged my request, despit me asking twice and being the first to ask?

He came back with the boots, and gave them to the second customer, who then went with the second member of staff to buy them. The first member of staff went straight back to the first customer. Again, neither of them even acknowledged me, acting as if I was invisible, despite the fact I was waiting right by the door.

I then went to the member of staff serving at the till, and explained to him that the first member of staff was dealing with a customer, I'd been waiting a long time, and asked if he could check for my boots. He then went out back to have a look, came back, walked right past me and straight back to stand behind the till without saying a word. Again, completely ignoring me! I went over to the till, asked him if they had my boots, to which he said he couldn't see any, but didnt have time to look properly as he was busy, and to go back to the first member of staff.

I went back over to the first member of staff, who was still serving his customer, and he continued to ignore me as if I had never requested his assistance. At this point I found a female member of staff and asked her if I could have her assistance. She simply said she was busy with a customer (who had also turned up after me) and walked off. Having now waited for 45 minutes, I did not expect to be spoken to in this rude tone, and by this point I was absolutely furious.

The original member of staff had finally helped his customer to find a pair of boots, so took them to put behind the till. He then completely disappeared leaving me standing there waiting.

I went back over to the second member of staff who was just standing behind the till and explained again that I had received no service, I'd been waiting a long time, and I just needed to find out what soft ground boots they had in size 11. He then went to check, came back and told me that they had none! At this point I was irate, and walked out the store, an HOUR after I first entered!

I have worked in retail for many years in the past and completely understand that staff can be busy at certain times, and also understand that perhaps there are procedures that staff can't leave customers whilst they're trying on boots, presumably to prevent theft (even though the first member of staff did for another customer, just not for me). However, I would be absolutely ashamed of my staff if 3 different customers had been served before somebody who had turned up before them, if that customer repeatedly got ignored by different members of staff, if that customer had repeatedly been spoken to rudely by staff, and if that customer had been made to feel like a nuisance to the company. I would never expect to have to wait an HOUR, and persistently ask members of staff for help, just for a routine stock check.

I should also now make it clear that the shop wasn't even busy at any time I was in there. Far less busy in fact, than Sports Direct shops normally are. Perhaps your regular customers have also experienced the same level of service as me, and decided to go to your competitors instead.

I currently manage a retail focused website that receives a very large volume of traffic, and I will be making my absolute disgust at this shopping experience clear to the site's visitors, and will inform them of how quickly and thoroughly you deal with this complaint. As I had spent so long in your store, by the time I left it was too late to find another place to buy a pair of boots. As I live in Surrey, I will therefore need to go straight to Staines tonight after work, where I am currently planning to visit JJB sports to buy some boots, as I need them for tomorrow, at which point Sports Direct staff would probably only just get round to serving me. I have previously been a very loyal customer of Sports Direct but feel completely insulted and outraged at how I have been treated by your staff. This experience had lost you a previously regular customer (I would say valued customer, but after my experience yesterday, I don't believe you value my custom at all) and I expect a quick response explaining how you will be dealing with this complaint.

Yours Sincerely, outraged , and still without a pair of football boots!


Paul Rowlands

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So what response do you guys expect? And how far do I take it?

Thanks in advance

halibut2209

What response?

I doubt you'll get any. Your letter is far too rambling. It appears that you make no effort to complain at the time. And you've said you won't go there anymore.

What are you expecting from them?

How far do you take it? Take what? You've complained, albeit late. How much further do you think you can take it? You've already told them you won't go there again.

paulrowlands76

Thanks for the reply, I know it rambles a bit, but I was Ignored by so many different members of staff, and I was there for so long that it took a lot to say. I complained twice that I hadn't had any service.

I'm not sure what I expect them to say back, I think most companies would want to protect their reputation and keep a customer, but from what I've heard of sports direct, they don't really care about this.

NeilF3485

I got bored of reading that email after the first few paragraphs as I imagine they will too.

Need to be far more succinct with complaint letters not give a minute by minute account of the experience (unless every detail is relevant).

As Halibut says above, you've complained and said you won't be returning.

What do you actually expect them to do "we're so sorry, here is a pair of Adidas Predator soft ground boots in a size 11 to make up for your experience"?

At best you will get a standard email back apologising for the experience and promising it will be "investigated".

EDIT: also you get what you pay for, their business model is "stack 'em high, sell 'em cheap" - they are not renowned for customer service, just a very cheap product. "You pays your money, you takes your choice".

paulrowlands76

Thanks Neil, I wouldn't expect a free pair of boots, but some kind of explanation at least.

I would've been perfectly happy to pay my money and take my choice, as long as there was someone there to pay

halibut2209

Sounds like an example of what I call Toys R Us Syndrome.

Otherwise known as you pay peanuts, you get monkeys

NeilF3485

I do know what you mean, the customer service is always a joke in there, I guess I've just come to expect it now and learn to live with it! That being said I only buy certain things from there like golf balls etc. they are cheap, but do stock rubbish brands, dunlop, slazenger (i.e. the ones they own!)

paulrowlands76

Yer, they are ridiculously cheap, I guess somethings gotta give. Whenever I go in there the place is normally rammed. Normally though even though it takes a while to get served, the staff are OK, not rude or anything. Guess I musta gone in on an off day.

ThumbRemote

If you want good service, go somewhere else and pay more.
If you want to pay less, expect them to be cutting back on the quality of service.

Its a trade-off. Rarely do you get cheap prices and good service.

scheming_gypsy

Like everybody else I got bored of reading it; but from what I did read all I can make out is that you're complaining that nobody would serve you as they were serving other people? one of the customers went to find somebody on a different floor to help them, yet you didn't, and asked them to look for what you wanted as well.

Dizzy_Ditzy

i wouldnt have waited for an hour. 10 mins is my limit in that place