Sportsdirect sub-standard MyID Personalisation

TeddyTW11

I am looking for some help and advice with a recent purchase from Sportsdirect.

 

My 7 year old son is football mad and loves wearing a football kit with his name and a number personalised on the back. In the past I have gone into my local Sportsdirect or ordered them directly from Nike but I noticed that Sportsdirect had a new season promotion that offered free MyID Personalisation with the order of any new kit.  

 

I ordered four Nike replica kits by click and collect to get the free MyID Personalisation. When I got home and opened the packages, not a single kit uses the official font or league numbering. As you can see from the photos comparing the new kits from Sportsdirect with the same ones from last year, they just look like cheap fakes and nothing like the real ones.

 

After contacting Sportsdirect customer service on Friday by email, I am still waiting for a reply. The only response I have received was from their @SportsDirect_CS Twitter account. The agent wrote,

 

“I can only apologise for any disappointment caused. However it does state on the website for this item. Please note: If you choose to use our MYiD service, the print used to personalise this item is not the official club or league print. I do apologise again”.

 

As you can see from the advertising it is really not clear on their site and I found it very misleading. If I had known I would have never ordered them in the first place.

 

Does anyone have any advice or suggestions on how I can return these for a refund or a replacement?

 

Many thanks in advance.

Aylesbury_Duck

TeddyTW11 said:

I am looking for some help and advice with a recent purchase from Sportsdirect.

 

My 7 year old son is football mad and loves wearing a football kit with his name and a number personalised on the back. In the past I have gone into my local Sportsdirect or ordered them directly from Nike but I noticed that Sportsdirect had a new season promotion that offered free MyID Personalisation with the order of any new kit.  

 

I ordered four Nike replica kits by click and collect to get the free MyID Personalisation. When I got home and opened the packages, not a single kit uses the official font or league numbering. As you can see from the photos comparing the new kits from Sportsdirect with the same ones from last year, they just look like cheap fakes and nothing like the real ones.

 

After contacting Sportsdirect customer service on Friday by email, I am still waiting for a reply. The only response I have received was from their @SportsDirect_CS Twitter account. The agent wrote,

 

“I can only apologise for any disappointment caused. However it does state on the website for this item. Please note: If you choose to use our MYiD service, the print used to personalise this item is not the official club or league print. I do apologise again”.

 

As you can see from the advertising it is really not clear on their site and I found it very misleading. If I had known I would have never ordered them in the first place.

 

Does anyone have any advice or suggestions on how I can return these for a refund or a replacement?

 

Many thanks in advance.

How is the advertising misleading?  As I see it, they make no promises that they use the official league or club's font.

Comparing to last year's is perhaps an unfair comparison. Firstly, I presume official designs change slightly every year (after all, this is the marketing strategy to make people buy new kits every season) and secondly, where did you buy last year's kits from?  SD or an official supplier?

Thirdly, will a seven year old even notice?  

TeddyTW11

I think if you advertise and promote the personalisation service for replica kits next to official league merchandise clearly displaying official league trademarks and the items you buy are from the official kit suppliers, then I find it misleading if in the small print deeper in the site it says, "Please note: If you choose to use our MYiD service, the print used to personalise this item is not the official club or league print”.

If they are not trying to mislead, then why not clearly display images of what the actual service does look like?

As for the comparison to last year, they actually don't change that much as they all use the official league branding and trademarks. The frustrating thing is that some were bought directly from Nike and the others were bought in-store at Sportsdirect last season.

7 year olds do notice and the person paying nearly £200 for official replica kits notices.

Aylesbury_Duck

TeddyTW11 said:

I think if you advertise and promote the personalisation service for replica kits next to official league merchandise clearly displaying official league trademarks and the items you buy are from the official kit suppliers, then I find it misleading if in the small print deeper in the site it says, "Please note: If you choose to use our MYiD service, the print used to personalise this item is not the official club or league print”.

If they are not trying to mislead, then why not clearly display images of what the actual service does look like?

As for the comparison to last year, they actually don't change that much as they all use the official league branding and trademarks. The frustrating thing is that some were bought directly from Nike and the others were bought in-store at Sportsdirect last season.

7 year olds do notice and the person paying nearly £200 for official replica kits notices.

If that's what it says, they've done nothing wrong.

It's Sports Direct.  How much cheaper were the kits than the proper kits bought from the official suppliers?

TeddyTW11

The prices are the same - only the customisation was free. My issue is that Sportsdirect use the official fonts and numbers for their promotional activity and then hide this text away below the fold in the small print. It is not clear at all.

Aylesbury_Duck

Does click and collect count as a distance sale if you paid online?  I think it might do (hopefully someone will clarify).  If so, you can use the distance selling part of the CCRs to return them within 14 days of receiving them.

JamoLew

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Thirdly, will a seven year old even notice?  

 A 7 year old would spot a stripe that was 1mm out when it comes to kits

Aylesbury_Duck

JamoLew said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Thirdly, will a seven year old even notice?  

 A 7 year old would spot a stripe that was 1mm out when it comes to kits

Blimey.  It's a marketeer's dream.

CardinalWolsey

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Does click and collect count as a distance sale if you paid online?  I think it might do (hopefully someone will clarify).  If so, you can use the distance selling part of the CCRs to return them within 14 days of receiving them.

Except they are customised to the specific requirements of the buyer. If it was just a shirt number or the name of a player at the club from a drop down, you would be fine - but having your own name and number printed would except them from that right to return under change of mind.
Not as described you could still have a case, but that's a MCOL rather than a straight return.

Aylesbury_Duck

CardinalWolsey said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Does click and collect count as a distance sale if you paid online?  I think it might do (hopefully someone will clarify).  If so, you can use the distance selling part of the CCRs to return them within 14 days of receiving them.

Except they are customised to the specific requirements of the buyer. If it was just a shirt number or the name of a player at the club from a drop down, you would be fine - but having your own name and number printed would except them from that right to return under change of mind.
Not as described you could still have a case, but that's a MCOL rather than a straight return.

Ah yes, they've gone for their own name haven't they.

jon81uk

Might be something for the advertising standards agency or trading standards given the images show the official letters and the product you receive doesn't match the image? I would certainly say it is misleading using those images, so could be worth asking citizens advice or trading standards directly.