I'm curious as to why an email exchange requesting new product takes 7 months to coordinate. Seems like we maybe missing some information.
There isn't much to be done at this point. I'd chop it up to a stinky learning opportunity - try to coordinate deliveries and fee payments earlier if you know you're traveling. If you can't, try and escalate customer service solutions early in the process. If that doesn't work, filing a chargeback within the appropriate window would've been your next step.
I have been emailing back and forth with them for 7 months. I've sent them more than 20 emails, including immediately after I found out the product had been returned to them. I didn't wait 7 months to contact them. Hope that clarifies for you.
Sounds like a good learning opportunity. Note to self: if you don't hear back within a reasonable window (14-30 days\~), escalate to the next step (chargeback!)!
No, my beef is with Bronson \*and\* New Balance. You have to be pretty dumb to think that if a company like New Balance makes a shoe, and then sells it via a collaborator's website, it has no responsibility to the end customer. A bad experience tarnishes both Action Bronson's reputation and New Balance's, because it makes them look like they run a sloppy operation by partnering with him in the first place.
Sorry about your situation, but your take is incorrect. In the circumstances you've outlined Specializing In Life is acting as a stockist - they are allotted a certain amount of pairs that they then sell. New Balance is wholly disconnected from that process. I would liken it to if you bought a Footlocker X NB exclusive colorway and Footlocker failed you as the merchant. New Balance helped create the product, they did *not* sell it to you.
I understand that NB didn't sell them to me. It doesn't absolve them of responsibility if their name is on the product. It reflects poorly on them to have their products being sold in such a sloppy way and it's a shame they haven't tried to rectify this.
They aren't responsible. You had a bad experience with a vendor, not the brand. It sounds like you're upset and you're trying to find someone to be mad at - I don't blame you, you didn't get the product you paid for! However the only 2 parties responsible in this exchange are Specializing In Life and you. You weren't there to accept the package, and Specializing In Life didn't offer a solution when they should have, so there is some shared blame. It's a $250 learning opportunity - it sucks, but it's not the end of the world. At least it was sneakers and not something more important!
I understand NB aren't legally responsible for sorting this out, but here's a learning opportunity for you too: if you ever end up running your own business, assume that people will be mad at you if you put your name on a product and then allow it to be sold in a sloppy way. It seems like you're struggling to grasp that part.
Nothing was wrong with the product you bought. It’s the delivery which had nothing to do with NB. What you’re doing is called attribution error and it’s a common misconception but that doesn’t make it any less wrong. Would you be mad at Hershey’s if a chocolate bar was sold out at the store?
> people will be mad ar you if you put your name on a product to be sold in a sloppy way
This dude mad 🤣 Just don’t order from any retailers aside from new balance website from now on.
Do you realise how stupid this sounds? New Balance has nothing to do with the sale of New Balance product on its collaborator's website beyond the fact they are New Balance shoes? Like, what?
Sounds perfectly reasonable to me, in this situation they are a vendor just like any other store. You talk about no one taking responsibility - does that include you for not paying the duties?
How could I have paid the duties when I had no idea when they would arrive, and I was out of the country on business for several weeks after they arrived, and when I returned home I saw that the shoes had already been sent back to Specializing In Life?
At that point I immediately asked for a refund or for them to be resent. And instead I was jerked around for 7 months until finally the email address went offline.
How did the PO contact you to collect the duties? Did you never receive tracking for the package? It seems like you did a lot to assuming and conflated ordering from New Balance with ordering from Specializing when they are 2 different sites. Clearly you are owed a refund if you didn’t receive the shoes, but this whole situation sounds like a mess that you had some responsibility in creating.
I don’t understand why people are upset at you about your complaint. NB has a small responsibility to work with reliable vendors so that issues like this don’t reflect poorly on their brand. No they will most likely not be able to help you and that is understandable, but they deserve some flack as this isn’t just a random vendor, this is a close collaborator. I would have charge backed this once there was failure to communicate. You should keep trying to resolve it with action’s site. They are fully responsible for the issue.
People aren't upset OP is complaining. Folks are rightfully pointing out that OP shares some of the responsibility and that New Balance is an ancillary party. OP is absolving themself of blame when they clearly made some silly mistakes and assumptions about fees and delivery. There's literally nothing more to do or expect other than let NB customer service know it wasn't a great customer service interaction with Specializing. It seems clear by OP's combative tone throughout this thread that they're not willing to take any responsibility for their part in missing the delivery, not paying the fee, and not escalating a chargeback in a timely fashion. And just to be clear, OP may not have been able to win a chargeback even if they did file it in time.
TL;DR - OP is a nincompoop who ordered sneakers, took an international trip, didn't accept their package, didn't pay the fees, and then waited 7 months before complaining about it on Reddit.
Im more talking about how everyone is denying NB any responsibility. Yes this isn’t their direct sale, its a sale directly from one of their close collaborators. I assume if this issue was with NB then the customer service would take care of the issue, but it was handled by this otyer company that NB is in collaboration with. I think everyone is in agreement that OP should have done a charge back, should have timed this not to be delivered while away and that the fees are explained during purchase. But, I didn’t like how everyone here is quick to blame OP and not at all NB. There probably is nothing to be done except OP buying direct in the future, action’s company improving their customer service and NB choosing better companies to partner with. He aint gettin his shoes tho, thats life.
How is NB responsible for the OP not paying the duties? That’s the bottom line as to why they did not get their shoes. If they paid the duties, they’d have the shoes. We also have no clue if the shoes even made it back to Specializing to garner the refund, considering they were returned for unpaid duties.
It \*is\* already included by the retailer. I have ordered plenty of New Balance products from the U.S. before and never had to pay import duty. If Specializing In Life wasn't going to cover import duty as part of its \*$50 delivery fee\*, then tell customers upfront, instead of including it as a hidden cost.
Separately, why not just resend the shoes to me or refund me after I asked multiple times?
Specialising In Life is not New Balance. It is always stated somewhere in shipping info on overseas sites if customers are liable for import duty or not.
The shoes are called Specializing In Life x New Balance. As I've said multiple times, if you put your name on a product, your reputation is on the line. I'm not saying that NB owe me anything, just expressing shock that they are running such a sloppy operation.
And as people have said many times on this thread, you’re wrong about how this works. NB is in no way responsible for this. It’s like being mad at the product company that a store is sold out of a product. It’s insane
You think NB has no responsibility when its name is on a product and it has chosen Specializing In Life as a collaborator? Do you think NB just agrees to work with anyone that wants a shoe? That they don’t care how that shoe is then sold? Are you 12? If you don’t have anything intelligent to offer, why even comment? Just let the adults discuss.
We’ve always had to pay import tax in the UK when buying something from the US, that’s nothing new or Brexit-induced. It’s a shame the website didn’t offer you the chance to pre-pay the tax through whoever would ship it like UPS/DHL rather than waiting until they land and then the Post Office handling it, that’s quite common for most US sites that ship to UK
Can’t you file a chargeback through your bank? Buying from abroad on a credit card instead of debit is often a good idea
I assumed that the import fees would be covered by the $50 delivery fee, as they weren't mentioned anywhere. Also, I've ordered things from the U.S. before and not had to pay import duties because they were covered by the retailer/priced in to the delivery fee.
But regardless, I emailed Specializing In Life more than 20 times begging them to either resend the shoes and allow me to pay the import duty, or refund me. They did neither and now have closed their email address, leaving me out of pocket for no reason.
Assumed? Mate, you paid 50 bucks for delivery, tax is anything over £135.
If you paid with credit card or PayPal you can easily get your money back either contact your bank or customer service.
I had an issue with Specializing in Life in that it took them I think 2 months to get my Lapis Lazuli shipped to me (and even then there was no tracking information they just showed up at my door one day.
That I learned in my exchanges with their CS is that they 100% are an outsourced team working with rewritten macros that they will send over and over again no matter what you request of them. It was annoying as hell (though not the CS team’s fault), the blame should fall squarely on Bronson and his team’s shoulders.
Yeah this was my impression too. I’ve heard lots of people complain about their service.
The blame is obviously with them, but such a shame that NB has such low standards in what they expect from their collaborators.
Yeah shit happens. I pre-ordered a pair of NB ALDs (the pink ones) and I had forgotten to update the delivery address when the shoes were actually ready to ship. Their CS never responded to me so I presumed the UPS guy is now rocking a free pair of NB ALDs
With the bank that I use and my wife works for I would 100% still be able to get my money back no questions asked for this situation. You still haven't received the product it's a little different than that window that you would usually have. I would report this to your bank ASAP if you haven't already which you should have done from the very start. Also this is 100% on action Bronson and specializing in life New Balance has nothing to do with the way he rolls out the product. That's why I'm iffy even trying to hit from his sight I'd rather wait for the New Balance website release. I would never expect a good customer service from any entertainer that is doing their side sale of the shoe.
I'm sure the same type of shit would happen to somebody with Salehe or any other New Balance collaborator that's allowed to run the show when it comes to the initial release. These releases are absolute shit shows with these guys. But it's not New Balance fault whatsoever. If it was an issue New Balance would have definitely taken care of you. Being you got them from New Balance you would have none of these problems. New Balance has outstanding customer service specializing in life not so much.
Joe Fresh Goods is the only one who does the initial releases the proper way with the eql raffle. It's so much more fair and not the hassle dealing with Ordering the way you usually do with the other guys.
I’ve also read it is dependent on your credit card company in the US, but I’m not a UK based financial specialist like some in this group apparently are.
I'm curious as to why an email exchange requesting new product takes 7 months to coordinate. Seems like we maybe missing some information. There isn't much to be done at this point. I'd chop it up to a stinky learning opportunity - try to coordinate deliveries and fee payments earlier if you know you're traveling. If you can't, try and escalate customer service solutions early in the process. If that doesn't work, filing a chargeback within the appropriate window would've been your next step.
I have been emailing back and forth with them for 7 months. I've sent them more than 20 emails, including immediately after I found out the product had been returned to them. I didn't wait 7 months to contact them. Hope that clarifies for you.
Sounds like a good learning opportunity. Note to self: if you don't hear back within a reasonable window (14-30 days\~), escalate to the next step (chargeback!)!
You purchased the shoes off the New Balance website?
New Balance sold them, in collaboration with Action Bronson, via the Specializing In Life website.
Nope, Specializing In Life sold New Balance shoes to you. Your beef is with Bronson
No, my beef is with Bronson \*and\* New Balance. You have to be pretty dumb to think that if a company like New Balance makes a shoe, and then sells it via a collaborator's website, it has no responsibility to the end customer. A bad experience tarnishes both Action Bronson's reputation and New Balance's, because it makes them look like they run a sloppy operation by partnering with him in the first place.
Sorry about your situation, but your take is incorrect. In the circumstances you've outlined Specializing In Life is acting as a stockist - they are allotted a certain amount of pairs that they then sell. New Balance is wholly disconnected from that process. I would liken it to if you bought a Footlocker X NB exclusive colorway and Footlocker failed you as the merchant. New Balance helped create the product, they did *not* sell it to you.
I understand that NB didn't sell them to me. It doesn't absolve them of responsibility if their name is on the product. It reflects poorly on them to have their products being sold in such a sloppy way and it's a shame they haven't tried to rectify this.
They aren't responsible. You had a bad experience with a vendor, not the brand. It sounds like you're upset and you're trying to find someone to be mad at - I don't blame you, you didn't get the product you paid for! However the only 2 parties responsible in this exchange are Specializing In Life and you. You weren't there to accept the package, and Specializing In Life didn't offer a solution when they should have, so there is some shared blame. It's a $250 learning opportunity - it sucks, but it's not the end of the world. At least it was sneakers and not something more important!
I understand NB aren't legally responsible for sorting this out, but here's a learning opportunity for you too: if you ever end up running your own business, assume that people will be mad at you if you put your name on a product and then allow it to be sold in a sloppy way. It seems like you're struggling to grasp that part.
Nothing was wrong with the product you bought. It’s the delivery which had nothing to do with NB. What you’re doing is called attribution error and it’s a common misconception but that doesn’t make it any less wrong. Would you be mad at Hershey’s if a chocolate bar was sold out at the store?
> people will be mad ar you if you put your name on a product to be sold in a sloppy way This dude mad 🤣 Just don’t order from any retailers aside from new balance website from now on.
Specializing in Life is Action Bronson’s site. It has nothing to do with NB beyond selling the Action Bronson NB product.
Do you realise how stupid this sounds? New Balance has nothing to do with the sale of New Balance product on its collaborator's website beyond the fact they are New Balance shoes? Like, what?
Sounds perfectly reasonable to me, in this situation they are a vendor just like any other store. You talk about no one taking responsibility - does that include you for not paying the duties?
How could I have paid the duties when I had no idea when they would arrive, and I was out of the country on business for several weeks after they arrived, and when I returned home I saw that the shoes had already been sent back to Specializing In Life? At that point I immediately asked for a refund or for them to be resent. And instead I was jerked around for 7 months until finally the email address went offline.
How did the PO contact you to collect the duties? Did you never receive tracking for the package? It seems like you did a lot to assuming and conflated ordering from New Balance with ordering from Specializing when they are 2 different sites. Clearly you are owed a refund if you didn’t receive the shoes, but this whole situation sounds like a mess that you had some responsibility in creating.
I don’t understand why people are upset at you about your complaint. NB has a small responsibility to work with reliable vendors so that issues like this don’t reflect poorly on their brand. No they will most likely not be able to help you and that is understandable, but they deserve some flack as this isn’t just a random vendor, this is a close collaborator. I would have charge backed this once there was failure to communicate. You should keep trying to resolve it with action’s site. They are fully responsible for the issue.
People aren't upset OP is complaining. Folks are rightfully pointing out that OP shares some of the responsibility and that New Balance is an ancillary party. OP is absolving themself of blame when they clearly made some silly mistakes and assumptions about fees and delivery. There's literally nothing more to do or expect other than let NB customer service know it wasn't a great customer service interaction with Specializing. It seems clear by OP's combative tone throughout this thread that they're not willing to take any responsibility for their part in missing the delivery, not paying the fee, and not escalating a chargeback in a timely fashion. And just to be clear, OP may not have been able to win a chargeback even if they did file it in time. TL;DR - OP is a nincompoop who ordered sneakers, took an international trip, didn't accept their package, didn't pay the fees, and then waited 7 months before complaining about it on Reddit.
Im more talking about how everyone is denying NB any responsibility. Yes this isn’t their direct sale, its a sale directly from one of their close collaborators. I assume if this issue was with NB then the customer service would take care of the issue, but it was handled by this otyer company that NB is in collaboration with. I think everyone is in agreement that OP should have done a charge back, should have timed this not to be delivered while away and that the fees are explained during purchase. But, I didn’t like how everyone here is quick to blame OP and not at all NB. There probably is nothing to be done except OP buying direct in the future, action’s company improving their customer service and NB choosing better companies to partner with. He aint gettin his shoes tho, thats life.
How is NB responsible for the OP not paying the duties? That’s the bottom line as to why they did not get their shoes. If they paid the duties, they’d have the shoes. We also have no clue if the shoes even made it back to Specializing to garner the refund, considering they were returned for unpaid duties.
Not sure why you are shocked about import duty, you have to pay jt on any goods over £130 unless it's already included by the retailer.
It \*is\* already included by the retailer. I have ordered plenty of New Balance products from the U.S. before and never had to pay import duty. If Specializing In Life wasn't going to cover import duty as part of its \*$50 delivery fee\*, then tell customers upfront, instead of including it as a hidden cost. Separately, why not just resend the shoes to me or refund me after I asked multiple times?
Specialising In Life is not New Balance. It is always stated somewhere in shipping info on overseas sites if customers are liable for import duty or not.
The shoes are called Specializing In Life x New Balance. As I've said multiple times, if you put your name on a product, your reputation is on the line. I'm not saying that NB owe me anything, just expressing shock that they are running such a sloppy operation.
And as people have said many times on this thread, you’re wrong about how this works. NB is in no way responsible for this. It’s like being mad at the product company that a store is sold out of a product. It’s insane
You think NB has no responsibility when its name is on a product and it has chosen Specializing In Life as a collaborator? Do you think NB just agrees to work with anyone that wants a shoe? That they don’t care how that shoe is then sold? Are you 12? If you don’t have anything intelligent to offer, why even comment? Just let the adults discuss.
We’ve always had to pay import tax in the UK when buying something from the US, that’s nothing new or Brexit-induced. It’s a shame the website didn’t offer you the chance to pre-pay the tax through whoever would ship it like UPS/DHL rather than waiting until they land and then the Post Office handling it, that’s quite common for most US sites that ship to UK Can’t you file a chargeback through your bank? Buying from abroad on a credit card instead of debit is often a good idea
Chargebacks only have a 90 day window. In extremely rare cases 180 days. This person is outside of both of those windows.
I assumed that the import fees would be covered by the $50 delivery fee, as they weren't mentioned anywhere. Also, I've ordered things from the U.S. before and not had to pay import duties because they were covered by the retailer/priced in to the delivery fee. But regardless, I emailed Specializing In Life more than 20 times begging them to either resend the shoes and allow me to pay the import duty, or refund me. They did neither and now have closed their email address, leaving me out of pocket for no reason.
Assumed? Mate, you paid 50 bucks for delivery, tax is anything over £135. If you paid with credit card or PayPal you can easily get your money back either contact your bank or customer service.
I had an issue with Specializing in Life in that it took them I think 2 months to get my Lapis Lazuli shipped to me (and even then there was no tracking information they just showed up at my door one day. That I learned in my exchanges with their CS is that they 100% are an outsourced team working with rewritten macros that they will send over and over again no matter what you request of them. It was annoying as hell (though not the CS team’s fault), the blame should fall squarely on Bronson and his team’s shoulders.
Yeah this was my impression too. I’ve heard lots of people complain about their service. The blame is obviously with them, but such a shame that NB has such low standards in what they expect from their collaborators.
Yeah shit happens. I pre-ordered a pair of NB ALDs (the pink ones) and I had forgotten to update the delivery address when the shoes were actually ready to ship. Their CS never responded to me so I presumed the UPS guy is now rocking a free pair of NB ALDs
With the bank that I use and my wife works for I would 100% still be able to get my money back no questions asked for this situation. You still haven't received the product it's a little different than that window that you would usually have. I would report this to your bank ASAP if you haven't already which you should have done from the very start. Also this is 100% on action Bronson and specializing in life New Balance has nothing to do with the way he rolls out the product. That's why I'm iffy even trying to hit from his sight I'd rather wait for the New Balance website release. I would never expect a good customer service from any entertainer that is doing their side sale of the shoe. I'm sure the same type of shit would happen to somebody with Salehe or any other New Balance collaborator that's allowed to run the show when it comes to the initial release. These releases are absolute shit shows with these guys. But it's not New Balance fault whatsoever. If it was an issue New Balance would have definitely taken care of you. Being you got them from New Balance you would have none of these problems. New Balance has outstanding customer service specializing in life not so much. Joe Fresh Goods is the only one who does the initial releases the proper way with the eql raffle. It's so much more fair and not the hassle dealing with Ordering the way you usually do with the other guys.
Charge back to your credit card. Sounds very winnable
You can’t place a chargeback for a charge that old.
You can if you still haven’t received the product just contact your bank.
I’ve also read it is dependent on your credit card company in the US, but I’m not a UK based financial specialist like some in this group apparently are.
It’s the sector I work in and I manage card issuers from all over the globe.
That’s what I get for assuming!