Sportsdirect online return faulty item?

cj2011

I ordered something off the Sportsdirect website and it has some glue marks that I'm not happy with. Unfortunately my local store doesn't have this item in stock. Can I return it to the store and get them to order a replacement for me? If I send it back in the post, I would need to pay for the postage and tracking and I shouldn't as the error was not at my end.
My options:
1. Return by post - would need to pay for P&P plus tracking.
2. I could return the item to the store for store credit and then place a fresh order of the same item from the website (using the store credit), but then I'd need to pay P&P again even though I paid it the first time around.
Is there a third option, i.e. return to store and get them to re-order the item that they don't have in stock so I don't need to pay P&P again? The item has a few cosmetic faults and I want a replacement without the faults so I shouldn't need to pay P&P again as the item should not have passed the factory quality checks. 

LadyDee

Have you contacted Sports Direct to explain that the shoes are faulty and request a returns label?  What do their Ts&Cs say about returning faulty goods, rather than change of mind returns?
Generally you can't return to the store if bought online.

mattyprice4004

As far as I know, Sports Direct keep both sales channels separate - so they'll need to be returned to them rather than to a store. 
I'd be asking them the questions, unfortunately no one here will be able to answer as accurately as they can.

Contact here: https://www.sportsdirect.com/CustomerServices/ContactUs/ContactForm

cj2011

LadyDee said:

Have you contacted Sports Direct to explain that the shoes are faulty and request a returns label?  What do their Ts&Cs say about returning faulty goods, rather than change of mind returns?
Generally you can't return to the store if bought online.

Yes, but their returns label only has the address on it and they ask me to buy postage and tracking at my own expense. What they're saying is that they might reimburse me later, if they decide the item was faulty before it was shipped to me. What do I do if there's some kind of mixup or they 'forget'/refuse to reimburse me for the postage costs (is there a way of escalating this and showing the photos again)? Other stores I've ordered from have had free returns and never asked me to pay for postage, regardless of whether the fault was major or minor (have also returned quite a few online orders to different chain stores, e.g. Debenhams, Millets, never had any issues with those). But this one apparently doesn't pay for return shipping in advance, because "they can't tell from the pictures if the fault was there from the beginning" and would need to inspect the item before they decide whether to reimburse me or not. That's the bit you find out after you place an order... (I had expected I might be taking a risk if the item needs to be exchanged due to not fitting, but hadn't anticipated that I would need to cover the postage if they send me factory rejects with glue marks etc.)   

cj2011

mattyprice4004 said:

As far as I know, Sports Direct keep both sales channels separate - so they'll need to be returned to them rather than to a store. 
I'd be asking them the questions, unfortunately no one here will be able to answer as accurately as they can.

Contact here: https://www.sportsdirect.com/CustomerServices/ContactUs/ContactForm

I was looking for independent advice, i.e. what I would do if they refuse to re-imburse me for the postage costs of returning a faulty item. Where would I escalate the matter to? If they satisfactorily replace the faulty item with a non-faulty one and reimburse my expenses of sending it back, that would be fine, but what if any part of this goes wrong and they disagree with my assessment (for example, "we didn't see any faults" because they're in a poorly lit warehouse and aren't looking properly)? Will there be anything I could do in that situation, if they refuse to admit their error? I do of course have photos showing the faults. 

George_Michael

It's not shown anywhere on their website but if you do a search on Google, you can find this address:

FREEPOST RRGJ-ZZSB-GLBX
Sports Direct
PO Box 9034
MANSFIELD
NG18 9DD

By all accounts, they give this out if you complain hard enough.
It might be worth sending them an e-mail asking for confirmation that this Freepost address is still valid.

Manxman_in_exile

"(I had expected I might be taking a risk if the item needs to be exchanged due to not fitting, but hadn't anticipated that I would need to cover the postage if they send me factory rejects with glue marks etc.)"

Are you saying they've sent you "seconds" or rejects when you thought you were buying a faultless item?

cj2011

Manxman_in_exile said:

"(I had expected I might be taking a risk if the item needs to be exchanged due to not fitting, but hadn't anticipated that I would need to cover the postage if they send me factory rejects with glue marks etc.)"

Are you saying they've sent you "seconds" or rejects when you thought you were buying a faultless item?

Yes, this is the problem. I can't imagine that this item would have passed a quality inspection at the factory, given that the item is such a well-known and popular brand (definitely not a cheapo brand). I wonder if SD even sometimes have the cheek to re-sell items that have already been returned by _other_ customers due to cosmetic faults, in the hope that the next customer is not going to bother to return them for the same reason that the first customer did. Sadly, this kind of lack of care about customer satisfaction is going to backfire eventually. I've had items arrive from Amazon with some minor faults but the difference is that they were quick to accept the return and replaced it to my satisfaction, without the hassle of me having to buy postage. Of course, occasionally faulty items can slip through, but how the customer service team deals with the issue makes all the difference.

jon81uk

Legally they should refund you the cost of any postage to send it back to them.
You have 30 days from when it was delivered to tell them its faulty.
Contact them, explain why they are faulty and that you would like to return the item. see if they offer pre-paid postage but get confirmation that under the consumer rights legislation they will refund you for the postage to return faulty goods.

cj2011

jon81uk said:

Legally they should refund you the cost of any postage to send it back to them.
You have 30 days from when it was delivered to tell them its faulty.
Contact them, explain why they are faulty and that you would like to return the item. see if they offer pre-paid postage but get confirmation that under the consumer rights legislation they will refund you for the postage to return faulty goods.

I have contacted them but they're saying they're not sure from the pictures if it's a manufacturing fault (yeah right, the glue stains somehow developed during the transit? they're trainers btw). So they're basically saying they may reimburse me depending on their judgment (so much for "the customer is always right"). Where could I escalate the matter to if they refuse to reimburse me, even though it IS evident from the picture that the cosmetic faults are there?

Manxman_in_exile

If the trainers are faulty but they won't refund postage, (even after you argue with them) I guess you'd have to sue them.  There is "nobody" to "complain to".  But would it be worth your time and effort to sue them?

What was the cost of the trainers and what did you want them for?  Some errant glue on the uppers of a specialist pair of trail running shoes costing c. £150 that you want for trail running, might not be considered a fault, whereas glue smears on a "fashion accessory" trainer costing half as much (or twice as much!) could be.

Can you post a photo?