Sport It Firsy

greensmith69

Afternoon,

Hope you’ve all had an enjoyable festive period. 

I wondered if you might be able to assist me with a recent purchase I made via an online retailer please?

On the 22nd Oct 2024 I placed an order from the online retailer Sport It First for some Hunter Short Insulated Wellies. These cost me £61 and I believed this to be a reputable brand. 

On the 26th Dec 2024 I noticed two small tears/ splits in the right boot so contacted Sport It First via email. They responded within a couple of days stating that they do not offer the manufacturers guarantee and as it was outside of their 30 day returns policy couldn’t help. 

I replied via email advising that whilst I understood it was outside of their returns policy I believed that these were faulty as it was not reasonable to expect them to tear / split after two months and a handful of wears.   

I highlighted that under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 these items are not of satisfactory quality as described, are not fit for purpose and have not lasted a reasonable amount of time. 

I received a further email from Sport It First almost immediately after sending my latest email which stated again that as they are a reseller of branded goods and not the manufacturer's supplier, they do not offer the manufacture's warranty.

Again, I have responded reitering my rights under the Consumer Rights Act but am yet to receive any further communication. 

I have tried to find the Sport It First complaints procedure on the website but failed to find anything. I have asked for a copy of their complaints procedure but they have not provided this and have reiterated that they do not offer the manufactures warenty. 

I wondered what would be a reasonable amount of time I should wait before I can expect a response? Where do I stand if they chose not to respond. 

Its so disappointing that retailers are able to take people’s hard earned money, provide an item which is faulty and then claim it’s outside of their returns policy. Surely its not reasonable for wellies to split after only a handful of wears otherwise what would be the point of buying them? In hindsight I wish I had bought the £15 George Asda wellies!

Any advice or support you could offer me would really be greatly recieved in reaching a satisfactory resolution. 

Best wishes for the new year,

screech_78

What made you choose this company to make your purchase? Was it the price? 

Hunter insulated boots usually retail for well over £100 so £61 sounds very cheap. My guess is that they’re replicas and not the real deal.

Also very unlikely to be a UK based company so impossible to claim under consumer rights. 

DullGreyGuy

greensmith69 said:

Afternoon,

Hope you’ve all had an enjoyable festive period. 

I wondered if you might be able to assist me with a recent purchase I made via an online retailer please?

On the 22nd Oct 2024 I placed an order from the online retailer Sport It First for some Hunter Short Insulated Wellies. These cost me £61 and I believed this to be a reputable brand. 

On the 26th Dec 2024 I noticed two small tears/ splits in the right boot so contacted Sport It First via email. They responded within a couple of days stating that they do not offer the manufacturers guarantee and as it was outside of their 30 day returns policy couldn’t help. 

I replied via email advising that whilst I understood it was outside of their returns policy I believed that these were faulty as it was not reasonable to expect them to tear / split after two months and a handful of wears.   

I highlighted that under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 these items are not of satisfactory quality as described, are not fit for purpose and have not lasted a reasonable amount of time. 

I received a further email from Sport It First almost immediately after sending my latest email which stated again that as they are a reseller of branded goods and not the manufacturer's supplier, they do not offer the manufacture's warranty.

Again, I have responded reitering my rights under the Consumer Rights Act but am yet to receive any further communication. 

I have tried to find the Sport It First complaints procedure on the website but failed to find anything. I have asked for a copy of their complaints procedure but they have not provided this and have reiterated that they do not offer the manufactures warenty. 

I wondered what would be a reasonable amount of time I should wait before I can expect a response? Where do I stand if they chose not to respond. 

Its so disappointing that retailers are able to take people’s hard earned money, provide an item which is faulty and then claim it’s outside of their returns policy. Surely its not reasonable for wellies to split after only a handful of wears otherwise what would be the point of buying them? In hindsight I wish I had bought the £15 George Asda wellies!

Any advice or support you could offer me would really be greatly recieved in reaching a satisfactory resolution. 

Best wishes for the new year,

"Sport It First" are presumably https://sportitfirst.co.uk/ ?

A first look at their website it appears to be your usual off shore company pretending to be UK based as their terms are non compliant, they state they are bound by the legal jurisdiction of the UK which isnt a legal jurisdiction at all and most half decent companies would know that if they are truly UK based. You have a host of other warning signs like everything being heavily discounted.

I'm not 100% sure though, they do name a genuine company thats been trading for some time with a decent turnover. I'd be surprised if such a company would make the mistakes on their website but some people think paying for advise is money wasted. 

Some bits do tie up though, their stated telephone number is for the area that they state they operate from. Their returns address is associated with a related company to the one which allegedly run the site. It probably is a legitimate UK company but one that isnt operating as it should. Their TrustPilot is a long mix of people saying they are really happy and others saying they received cheap knockoffs. 

In the first instance I would attempt to return them and ensure that you get proof posting. I assume you paid by card, once a reasonable time has passed and if a refund isnt forth coming then look to do a chargeback. Just be aware of the 110 day time limit on a chargeback, its from the date of receipt of the goods. 

eskbanker

greensmith69 said:

I have tried to find the Sport It First complaints procedure on the website but failed to find anything. I have asked for a copy of their complaints procedure but they have not provided this...

There's no obligation for retailers to have a complaints procedure, unlike companies operating in regulated sectors.

pinkshoes

DullGreyGuy said:

"Sport It First" are presumably https://sportitfirst.co.uk/ ?

A first look at their website it appears to be your usual off shore company pretending to be UK based as their terms are non compliant, they state they are bound by the legal jurisdiction of the UK which isnt a legal jurisdiction at all and most half decent companies would know that if they are truly UK based. You have a host of other warning signs like everything being heavily discounted.

I'm not 100% sure though, they do name a genuine company thats been trading for some time with a decent turnover. I'd be surprised if such a company would make the mistakes on their website but some people think paying for advise is money wasted. 

Some bits do tie up though, their stated telephone number is for the area that they state they operate from. Their returns address is associated with a related company to the one which allegedly run the site. It probably is a legitimate UK company but one that isnt operating as it should. Their TrustPilot is a long mix of people saying they are really happy and others saying they received cheap knockoffs. 

In the first instance I would attempt to return them and ensure that you get proof posting. I assume you paid by card, once a reasonable time has passed and if a refund isnt forth coming then look to do a chargeback. Just be aware of the 110 day time limit on a chargeback, its from the date of receipt of the goods. 

Yes, at least it has a landline number and an address, although the no sign of Sport it First on Google Maps, but there is a "Waltham Cross Sports" with the same postcode and address, but according to Companies House, this was dissolved 14 years ago. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/05864348

DullGreyGuy

pinkshoes said:

DullGreyGuy said:

"Sport It First" are presumably https://sportitfirst.co.uk/ ?

A first look at their website it appears to be your usual off shore company pretending to be UK based as their terms are non compliant, they state they are bound by the legal jurisdiction of the UK which isnt a legal jurisdiction at all and most half decent companies would know that if they are truly UK based. You have a host of other warning signs like everything being heavily discounted.

I'm not 100% sure though, they do name a genuine company thats been trading for some time with a decent turnover. I'd be surprised if such a company would make the mistakes on their website but some people think paying for advise is money wasted. 

Some bits do tie up though, their stated telephone number is for the area that they state they operate from. Their returns address is associated with a related company to the one which allegedly run the site. It probably is a legitimate UK company but one that isnt operating as it should. Their TrustPilot is a long mix of people saying they are really happy and others saying they received cheap knockoffs. 

In the first instance I would attempt to return them and ensure that you get proof posting. I assume you paid by card, once a reasonable time has passed and if a refund isnt forth coming then look to do a chargeback. Just be aware of the 110 day time limit on a chargeback, its from the date of receipt of the goods. 

Yes, at least it has a landline number and an address, although the no sign of Sport it First on Google Maps, but there is a "Waltham Cross Sports" with the same postcode and address, but according to Companies House, this was dissolved 14 years ago. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/05864348

Elsehwhere they state they are:

ELITE SUPERSTORES LIMITED

Company number 02589673

Looking at their accounts they mention they are part of the Ponders End Investment Group, though that doesn't tie up with who's stated as the owner but that person is the majority owner of both companies, and other sources tie the that company to the address. Ponder's own returns do list Elite Superstores as a subsidiary. Ponders End however is tied to their return address. 

Its a bit of an odd one, you'd expect a group with a £33m turnover not to have such a bad site 

born_again

Unfortunately as we are a reseller of branded goods and not the manufacturer's supplier, we do not offer the manufacture's warranty.
Is a even more odd statement.

Sounds like either grey imports or the usual back door produce from main factory.

Also sell on ebay

Business name: Elitesuperstores Ltd

(Removed by Forum Team)

Grumpy_chap

The OP is correct that their rights are with the retailer.

However, does the manufacturer (Hunter) offer a warranty and has the OP attempted to claim on that warranty?
It might be worth making an enquiry in this line.
The worst outcome would be that the manufacturer states the boots are not their product - but that would prove a "not as described" claim and make chargeback viable.

daveyjp

Appears to use the same web page design and template of many other drop shipping, unknown selling entity websites.

born_again

Grumpy_chap said:

The OP is correct that their rights are with the retailer.

However, does the manufacturer (Hunter) offer a warranty and has the OP attempted to claim on that warranty?
It might be worth making an enquiry in this line.
The worst outcome would be that the manufacturer states the boots are not their product - but that would prove a "not as described" claim and make chargeback viable.

Unfortunately as we are a reseller of branded goods and not the manufacturer's supplier, we do not offer the manufacture's warranty.