Huge problem with Sports Direct? Opinions?

WildmanUK

Hi,

Had a recent nightmare with Sports Direct.

Recently decided to take up running and went into the local Sports Direct looking for a pair of Asics trainers they had 1 pair on the shelf and was going to just leave it and look elsewhere I was out with my Father at the time, and he had gone back in to look at something else while I was on the phone outside.

He decided to ask a staff member if they had any other Asics in stock, the staff member told him at first that Asics have gone in with Karrimoor (I didnt know this at the time as I was outside) but my Father than came out and said about Karrimoor which I hadnt heard of at the time. I went in myself and spoke to the same staff member who then told me a totally different story, (I didnt know until after I had left the shop they had originally said about asics going in with Karrimoor which is a total lie).

The staff member then goes on to say to me that Ascis are on the decline and not the company they used to be, that they are putting less and less Gel in the trainers etc and that Karrimoor use more gel and are much better value for money etc. He then carries on with his selling speech for the Karrimoor trainers which I stupidly fall for hook line and sinker, and buy a pair for £80. On top of the fact he's spent most of the time lying in one way or another to get me to buy the trainers, they also only have a 10 not a 9 or 9.5 which is what I was after so then convinces me that a gel insole will reduce the trainer size and get more wear out of the shoes, they didnt feel 100% right with the gel insoles in but he says that if I kept them on for a while it will mold to my foot better so I go with this and buy them.

After getting home check out Karrimoor online to find back to back negative reviews of their trainers, also finding that Asics are not on the decline and still regarded as a top end running shoe. I also learn that Karrimoor is owned by Sports Direct which is clearly why they are pushing hard to sell them over the other brands. When I try to return them I get told I cant have a cash refund, I go on to say I have feel I have been miss-sold the item as the staff member had lied to me back to back and mentioned I was going to complain to trading standards. The floor manager rings the staff member who then denies he said Asics had gone in with Karrimoor, and that he said Asics sales were on the decline in Sports Direct as they didnt have as big a contract with them now (neither of which are true and I have witnesses that heard the staff member say it). The floor manager rings the area manager and they basically both back the staff member and say I can only have an instore credit (which cannot be used online).

The floor manager then tells me that the Sports Direct in the City Centre have a full range of Asics trainers in stock. So I head off to this store only be told they dont really stock many Asics trainers now and start to tell me about Karrimoor! At least the 2nd place were honest and said they dont really stock Asics rather than trying everything in the book to get me to buy the Karrimoor product.

I have now bought the trainers from else where and stuck with my instore credit note for Sport Direct.

Is there anything that can be done about this? Any place I can complain to etc that might actually get something done? Or am I best to write it off as a bad experience and use the Sports Direct voucher for other gear like Shorts etc that I will need?

Sorry for the long post but was a lot to fill in!

Thanks.

WildmanUK

ThumbRemote

If the staff member lied to you, this is an offence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. However it appears to be your word against theirs.

Unfortunately you've also accepted their offer of a credit note, so it's hard to see that they will now go back on that.

Probably best to spend the credit note on something you do want, then chalk it up to experience and never shop there again.

bluenoseam

Spend the credit note on trackies etc & realise very quickly that Sports Direct are not the most credible company in the UK, they're a warehouse masquerading as a retailer! Also yeah, the sales assistant was talking guff, probably because guess who own's the Karrimor brand - you guessed it, Sports Direct.

battleborn

Obviously a very good sales person.

WildmanUK

Yea was thinking as much pretty annoying when it ends up your word vs theirs and the manager is taking the staffs side so nothing much you can do.

In hindsight you could see everything about it was a setup.

They display where the Karrimor trainers were located had 1 pair of Asics at the top left which were overpriced compared to everything else then a full selection of Karrimor, so it was pretty clearly a setup where anyone going in asking for Asics would then be pointed towards the selection of Karrimor.

Im guessing the staff at Sports Direct are probably on commission and since Karrimor is a SD brand on more commission for selling a Karrimor product, which is why he tried every trick in the book to get the sale!

I was toying with the idea of contacting someone at Asics since the staff member was basically spreading false information about the company to put me off buying the Asics and buying SD own brand.

I can see why the high street store is dying out! Since you can send anything back with no reason with an online purchase, it would be a lot easier to have bought the 9.5 online then if it didnt fit right send it back and order another size, plus the variety online stockwise is much larger. I went into 2-3 more shops in the City Centre and none had the trainer in stock but they all had it online.

WildmanUK

chickywiggle

I always find in instances like this a quick email to the CEO tends to help..... my friend had a problem with Sports Direct - lied to by staff, promised not stuck to etc.... within 2 days of sending the email it had been resolved with great satisfaction.


MSE won't let me link so here's the addess you want: [EMAIL="Dave.Forsey@sportsdirect.com"]Dave.Forsey@sportsdirect.com[/EMAIL]

LimeLight

Didn't know Sports Direct sold Anything for 80 quid!

tasticz

My friend works in SD, he told me similar story to yours if people come looking for shoes try to divert them towards Karrimoor as its owned by SD & I think manager gets a small commision out of every sale or something or may be it was on shoe soles

George_Michael

battleborn wrote: »

Obviously a very good sales person.

Only if your definition of a good salesperson is someone who tells outright lies to potential customers in order to get a sale.

battleborn

George_Michael wrote: »

Only if your definition of a good salesperson is someone who tells outright lies to potential customers in order to get a sale.

No not at all, he sucked him in, which makes him a good sales person (not a good human being) this person could probably sell the hind legs off a donkey.:D

bod1467

battleborn wrote: »

sell the hind legs off a donkey.:D

Nothing like mixing your metaphors, eh?

The expressions are "TALK the hind legs off a donkey" and "SELL oil to the Arabs" (or similar, like "ship coal to Newcastle").