Sports Direct 'refusing refunds' and 'threatening customers over lost parcels' – Daily Express

Sports Direct are allegedly threatening shoppers with court over missing or lost parcels. The retail giant has apparently sent legal letters to customers who have been given refunds through their banks and credit card chargebacks.  The Telegraph has reportedly seen letters sent to customers from Frasers Group, the umbrella company that owns Sports Direct, that refused a refund or replacement item. 
Customer details were passed on to a crime intelligence agency, which demanded them to pay hundreds of pounds more than the missing parcels were worth to avoid being taken to County Court. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, customers are entitled to a full refund or replacement from the retailer if a parcel containing their purchase has gone missing. Across the UK, shoppers have been warned about a surge of ‘porch pirates’ who are stealing packages left on doorsteps.
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Adele Peacock, an NHS worker in children’s mental health services, told The Telegraph she ordered clothes from Sports Direct worth £112.99 last year in November. However, the package was left in her garden and later vanished. 
She had requested the parcel to be given to a neighbour if she wasn’t in, but the delivery company admitted it had been left in an ‘unsafe location.’ The NHS worker said her retired neighbours would have been happy to take it in, but the courier just threw the parcel over her fence. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Adele was refused a refund by Sports Direct, so appealed to Santander instead. Her bank arranged a chargeback of the full £112.99 payment. Months later, she received a “notice of intended criminal and civil proceedings” from National Business Crime Solution (NBCS). 
It demanded she pay £437 by bank transfer immediately or face defending herself from a fraud allegation in the County Court, with letters and emails repeatedly being sent. She told the Telegraph: “The letters from the recovery company were really inflammatory. They accused me of fraud and demanded four times the cost of the parcel. They threatened court action. I told them again to take me to court.”NBCS is a non-profit organisation which specialises in tackling business crime. It refused a reply to the claims and collapsed into administration earlier this year, with the National Retail Crime Alliance taking on its outstanding cases.
Other shoppers, like Fiz Aslam from Birmingham and Nichola Green from Hampshire, reported similar experiences. Frasers Group, which owns numerous clothing and sports brands, declined to comment on the case. Online forums show customers complaining about the same issue as far back as 2022.
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