Something could be amiss at JD Sports.
That’s according to some social media users as well as a source who spoke to FN and described experiencing weeks of order delays and unreliable customer service from the Manchester, United Kingdom-based sportswear retailer since September.
“I ordered items on Sept. 29, got the email saying items due for delivery on or before Oct. 5 … Part of the order came directly from Nike and was delivered, the remaining was due from JD Sports warehouse,” explained a JD Sports customer based in the United Kingdom, who spoke with FN via email. “By Oct. 5 nothing had arrived, and when I follow up, online tracking shows as shipped … Since 1st Oct, I’m getting a daily apology SMS stating they are ‘working’ to get the order out — [But it’s] nothing more than SMS spam to make the situation worse.”
Amid the global health crisis, some order delays stemming from retailers’ supply chain challenges have become almost par for the course. However, with many government restrictions loosened in recent months — and retailers having more time since the initial sting of the pandemic to recalibrate their supply chain networks and logistics operations — it had seemed that some of those those setbacks were leveling off toward the end of the summer.
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However, a quick perusal of JD Sports’ Instagram page reveals scores of comments from users who complain that the company’s website and app have not been functioning properly and that orders are either not being shipped or are cancelled without warning. Per social media comments, some customers are also saying that they’ve have been waiting for more than 30 days to receive refunds.
“Honestly this company needs to shut down. Worst experience I’ve ever had,” one user wrote. “Literally they’ve got my money and I’ve got nothing.”
Another social media poster, @figura_aesthetics, wrote “I ordered two weeks ago, [still] no delivery, no response, no tracking , no@option to cancel … what’s going on…”
Meanwhile, Finish Line, which JD Sports acquired in 2018 in a deal worth $558 million, is also experiencing complaints over its app purportedly crashing as well as chatter about delays to the opening of its Times Square outpost, which a post of the company’s website now slates for Oct. 16.
When JD sports last reported financial results, it logged a 68% decline in profits to 41.5 million pounds, or $54.1 million at current exchange, for the six months ended Aug. 1. Revenues also fell nearly 6.5% to $2.54 billion pounds, or $3.31 billion. The company had attributed its reduced profitability to additional costs associated with a shift to online channels — and could very likely be experiencing ongoing challenges today. (For what it’s worth, experts are predicting that a second wave of significant supply chain issues are likely to crop up across retail ahead of and into the holiday season.)
As mandated by state and local governments, JD Sports and Finish Line stores temporarily shuttered in mid-March across the United Kingdom, as well as other parts of Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States. These locations started reopening in late April, with most stores having resumed business by the end of June.
JD Sports in September reinstated its guidance for the full year — calling for 2020 pretax profits of at least 265 million pounds, or $345.5 million.
“We are generally encouraged by our performance since the stores reopened and with our performance in the first few weeks of the second half,” executive chairman Peter Cowgill said in a statement at the time. “Retail footfall remains comparatively weak, and the recent strengthening of measures in many countries and the subsequent temporary closure of some stores reminds us that COVID-19 remains an ongoing challenge. Nonetheless, we remain absolutely confident in our strengths in consumer engagement, key brand relationships and globally consistent multichannel retail standards. These, combined with an agile operational infrastructure, provide us with a robust platform for further positive development.”
Representatives for JD Sports and Finish Line did not immediately respond to FN’s request for comment.
