Sports Direct refund for store purchases

Nishikita

Hello everyone, I’m having issues with directing a faulty product to the right customer services. Pair of trainers bought directly from a Sports Direct store in December 2025. There have been a couple of holes appearing in the toe area of both shoes within 6 months. Attempted a refund (requesting store credit) via online customer services. Told that this was for online orders only. Went in person to a (different) store to the purchase and told as 28 days have passed since the purchase they are unable to assist.

Which avenue do I take from here? I’m obviously covered under 2015 consumer right’s law for faulty purchases but the online team are extremely unhelpful for store purchases, stating they “do not have access to the purchase history.”

Do I need to pursue this further via resolver etc or small claims court, or does someone have experience of the same issue and maybe advise on which course of action to take?

Kind regards and thanks in advance,

(Removed by Forum Team)

born_again

Sadly that look like toe nails causing holes.

Do you have the receipt?

BlueonBlue

 "I’m obviously covered under 2015 consumer right’s law for faulty purchases ! "

It looks like user wear and tear damage to me …you state 6 months use .

Id suggest with high use these days a pair of trainers are done for after 6 months or just about anyway ….they just dont seem to last long at all with high use.

Personally I doubt you will have any luck as the shoes were not faulty. Other than with your use….. you have worn holes through the upper big toe area from the inside.

Most likely with sharp uncut nails on your big toes…. and/or also whats likely …..the whole foot and big toe is moving excessively in the shoe ….possibly via incorrect lenght givern 80% will oversize

These days I try to get trainers…… that are not running shoes…..they must have a layer of toe protection that goes right around the whole toe and toe side area….. as I train/exercise outside winter summer on rough concrete and dirt grass etc

Alot of running shoes are not designed for any sideways forces at all and the cheaper ones have no support in the heal cup area which is real bad news…effectively they are a slippers design…… that looks like a running shoe so are rubbish .

Without stiff support in the heal cup area to hold the heel/foot the shoes are rubbish

Isthisforreal99

As someone who has similar issues with mesh trainers like these due to a prominent big toe and the way I walk I would not put it down to being a faulty product.

Aylesbury_Duck

If they're lightweight running shoes with a thin breathable mesh in the toe area, that looks like expected/reasonable wear. With the move towards lighter, more breathable running shoes, this is a more likely occurrence. I agree with others. It looks as if they're too small for you, as well. The hole in the right shoe, if caused by your big toenail, suggests your foot is right up against the end of the toe box.

Finally, six months is all very well, but what mileage have they done? 100 miles of gentle walking, or 300 miles of running?

Sports Direct have a bad reputation for knowledge of and respect for consumer rights, and while their grounds for refusal here are nonsense (the past 28 days bit), I think they're actually on pretty solid ground to refuse a refund here.

BlueonBlue

People rarely buy shoes to small vs people will far more often oversize….this is very common like 80% or even more.

What happens with oversizing…… is the foot will move in the shoe under load/use ….thats the biginning of the endgame in a endurance application or just high use.

Grumpy_chap

They really look like trainers that are just worn out.

It is not just the wear at the toe locations in both shoes but there seems to have been a lot of wear over all areas of the trainers, including inside where all marking seem to have faded out.

I note, also, the trainers are not being worn in the photo (obviously) but the laces are tied. So, have the trainers been worn as, effectively, slip ons? That will result in increased wear and may also end with the trainers fitting more loosely so more movement of the foot in the trainer resulting in more rapid wear.

Are they the Revolution 8 trainers?

Hello everyone, I’m having issues with directing a faulty product to the right customer services. Pair of trainers bought directly from a Sports Direct store in December 2025. There have been a couple of holes appearing in the toe area of both shoes within 6 months. Attempted a refund (requesting store credit) via online customer services. Told that this was for online orders only. Went in person to a (different) store to the purchase and told as 28 days have passed since the purchase they are unable to assist.

Which avenue do I take from here? I’m obviously covered under 2015 consumer right’s law for faulty purchases but the online team are extremely unhelpful for store purchases, stating they “do not have access to the purchase history.”

Do I need to pursue this further via resolver etc or small claims court, or does someone have experience of the same issue and maybe advise on which course of action to take?

Kind regards and thanks in advance,

Nishikita

Thanks everyone for your very informative responses. Yes they are Revolution 8s, and I purchased them as general trainers, as they had good ankle support to aid a dodgy knee! However I think you’re right, they are potentially one size too big.

Was just a bit surprised (cynical in me!) that the mesh toe area has gone after 6 months, as they aren’t being used everyday. This could be caused by having poor ankle posture for which have I’m using strong insoles now, so perhaps this has exacerbated the toes becoming in close contact with the mesh area.

As per your advice I think I’ll steer clear of a claim then, and maybe go for something with a stronger material in the toe area. (New Balance) seem to be holding up well!

Okell

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82027713#Comment_82027713

Just to say I've been running for over 50 years and I dread to think how much money I've spent on Brooks, NB, Nike, ASICS, Adidas and Puma since the running boom started in the 1970s.

In all that time I have never ever heard of anyone wearing through the upper in the toe area because the shoes were too big.

How would that even happen?

On the other hand, I know many runners who have done exactly that because their shoes were too small.

If your shoes are too small you're stuck with them and they will cause you problems.

You need to err on the large side and use lace-locking or heel-locking to secure your heel and keep the rest of your foot in place to stop it sliding forwards. (See how to lace a heel-lock here: How to Lace and Tie Running Shoes )

Looking at where the hole is in the toe box on your right foot shoe, there is no way that shoe is too big for you. It's too small.

Couple of other points from personal experience:

1 As somebody else has said, running shoes are designed for running and not as general purpose trainers. If you want general purpose trainers I'd look at at walking/approach shoes from somebody like Salomon or basketball or tennis shoes from Nike etc or some sort of cross-trainer. I once completely destroyed a new pair of very expensive Nike running shoes playing squash. Never again

2 If you've got dodgy knees don't assume good ankle support or good insoles will help. You'd be better off spending £100 seeing a podiatrist for a clinical gait anaysis, and perhaps even getting prescription orthotics. The orthotics will be £100+ but I assure you they will be good value and your knees, ankles and feet will love you for it.

3 I bought my last general (regular daily walking around) trainers instore from Sports direct a couple of months ago. A pair of ASICS Gel Venture 11. They're perfect and so cheap (as compared to my running shoes) as to be virtually disposable.

I tried three different brands/models of shoe before narrowing down to the Venture 11. I then tried three different sizes of those before deciding I had a pair that were big enough for me

(And yes - I know they're meant to be trail shoes but I'm happy with them for general wear)

TELLIT01

Purchased in December, assuming you are claiming now, it is more than 6 months since purchase so it's up to you to prove a manufacturing fault - at your expense.

Aylesbury_Duck

^^ I second this. For running, I've gone through seven pairs of Brooks Ghost shoes in the last few years, all have lasted 900km of road running and on none of them have I punctured the toe box, which suggests they're pretty robust. I tend to see wear on the material around my heel as they age, but I've minimised that with heel-lock lacing.

Take a look at the Brooks trail shoes. They may do the job, and as @Okell says, trail shoes can work well as walking shoes.

There is no substitute for proper gait analysis and trying lots of shoes. The reason I've had so many Ghosts is that I tried on about half a dozen makes/models of shoe in a running shop and the Ghost was the best. After that first pair served me so well, once they were on sale I bought four more pairs! You can often get last season's model of a shoe at 50-60% of the RRP.