Anyone who orders a shirt from the DFB fan shop for EM 2021 has a good chance of being disappointed.
Our editor experienced it first hand.
Munich - Do you have a current shirt for the German national soccer team?
Yes?
Very good.
I think it can be a new one every few years.
Sure, these things are now incredibly expensive.
But you can skip one or the other European Championship or World Cup and then jump up again at the next event.
Anyone who had such thoughts before the EM 2021 and wanted to get a DFB jersey was certainly not alone.
After all, both jerseys look really good, and internationally we are even envied for the black dress.
The problem: How do you even get to the jerseys?
Different providers offer different prices.
Often with a flock that does not match the original.
For this reason, many supporters turned to the DFB fan shop before the European Championship.
Because if you officially order the jersey from the German Football Association - nothing can go wrong.
Or?
But it can.
And how.
I speak from personal experience.
When researching this article, I quickly noticed: “I'm not alone.” Why is the DFB fan shop having such massive problems?
A search for clues.
EM 2021: DFB fan shop has massive problems with the jerseys
My trip starts on May 28th.
Order from the DFB fan shop, three jerseys: men's L, women's S and a child 152. Each with flock.
Why at the DFB fan shop?
Sure, it just seems trustworthy to order directly from the large organization.
There was also a decent discount promotion - so why not?
Processing and delivery time: “This item is usually dispatched within three working days.
Please allow three additional working days for the finishing of jerseys with name and back number and / or badge. "
Since the tournament doesn't start until June 11th and Germany won't play their first game until a few days later, I think I'm on the safe side.
And go shopping.
The days go by.
Italy wins the opening game (June 11th), the world of football is following the heart drama surrounding Christian Eriksen (June 12th), Austria will win a game at a European championship for the first time (June 13th), Germany loses against France (June 15) - and I'm still waiting for the shirts.
In the meantime I get suspicious, no wonder after waiting more than two weeks.
So I investigate.
What is the DFB fan shop all about?
DFB fan shop: long waiting times - support only speaks English
On sites like
trustpilot.com
or
erfahrungsscout.de
you immediately see the terrible reviews of other customers. Even today, on June 28th, I still notice reviews like “Cheekiness”, “Embarrassing, embarrassing, DFB fan shop”, “Catastrophe” or “Poor certificate”. Comments of this kind can also be found under some of the posts on the national team's social media channels. One can read again and again: jersey ordered and paid for weeks ago, no shipping confirmation received, no possibility of cancellation and: “The employees don't speak German.” Please ? How can that be? We're here at the DFB - the German Football Association. Why don't they speak German here?
The answer: The DFB fan shop, which sells jerseys for the German national team, is based in England.
In Greengate, Middleton, to be precise.
At the gates of Manchester.
I will then experience first hand how one operates from Manchester.
On June 16, the day after the German bankruptcy against France, I received an email.
But that doesn't mean reason to be happy - on the contrary.
EM 2021: cancel DFB jerseys?
A challenge
“We are currently experiencing delays in the delivery of shirt numbers, name flocks and Euro badges. As soon as the subsequent deliveries reach us, we will print your jersey immediately and deliver it. ”Oh dear. You could already guess something like that. We are right in the middle of the EM and delivery will probably take several days or weeks? You can give yourself the order right away. So are my thoughts on this - and suddenly I still see the possibility of a cancellation that I could not discover anywhere before. The email goes on to say: “However, if you want to receive your jersey as soon as possible, we can send it to you immediately, but WITHOUT flocking and WITHOUT the Euro badge. If you prefer, please reply directly to this email. "
No sooner said than done: I answer the mail, first ask whether all three jerseys are affected by the delays.
"All jerseys are affected by the problems," it said the day after.
"Can you please guess how you would like to proceed?" The answer to the question formulated in somewhat strange German: Please cancel all three jerseys and transfer the money back.
Whether you order the jerseys without flock and then return them directly to England or cancel them immediately if the order is already being paid attention by an employee - the second variant seems much more logical.
Or?
Actually yes.
But the cancellation email and all other written messages to the official customer service address will no longer be responded to from North West England.
In the video: This is how the German EM jerseys developed
EM 2021: Confusion about DFB jerseys - fan shop is not located in Germany, but in England
I want to know then.
It is now June 18th.
This morning I will dial a number with a German area code 30 times.
Contact to customer service is called on the DFB fan shop website.
Around noon I finally find a buyer.
The woman on the other end of the line is friendly.
But not from Germany.
I ask her: “Do you speak German?” She is already laughing, answers in English that she hardly speaks German.
So the conversation is in English.
I make it clear to her that three weeks after ordering I don't want the jerseys anymore and that I want the money back. I've already let another fan shop employee know that by email - in German and English, by the way. After all, it is not foreseeable whether the delivery will come the next day or the next month. The EM may already be over when the DFB jerseys land at the customer - they should understand that. “Yes,” she replies. You can understand. But the decision is not in their hands. You pass on the cancellation request, but cannot guarantee that the delivery can still be stopped.
How can that be?
Just two days earlier, another employee had written that there were problems with the flock and even asked how to proceed.
Then I canceled by email - and now should the order still be on its way?
DFB jerseys are ordered in Germany, processed in England and then sent to Germany
More days pass, further cancellation requests are sent.
The last one on June 22nd around 4 p.m.
An hour later, I finally got another message from the DFB fan shop: “Your order is on the way.” Now, at the latest, my collar is bursting.
I dial the German number again, which eventually leads me to Manchester.
The first contact immediately hangs up when he hears my angry voice.
On the second attempt, I manage to be put through to a lady who speaks good German.
She understands, assures me that I can cancel the order (even if the jerseys have been printed) and even confirms this to me by email.
Four days later, it is now June 26th, the three jerseys arrive.
Sent from England, unpacked in Germany.
I open the delivery, see the three jerseys (all with the original flock), stuff the return slip and the e-mail of the last lady I will ever have contacted by phone at the DFB fan shop into the bag, seal it and send it they immediately back to Manchester.
It is currently unclear whether I will get the 200 euros refunded.
DFB reacts to jersey dilemma: "Excuse us in all your form"
In the meantime, I've got the jerseys for my nephew, my girlfriend and myself elsewhere: from the sports shop in town.
No online shop, no return slip - looking for real shopping with a parking space, advice from a competent employee, cash payments and the joy of finally having something in hand.
The jersey dilemma remains an issue.
I asked the DFB for a statement and asked: “Why is there only a few German speakers at the DFB fan shop?
Why is the DFB outsourcing its fan shop to England at all?
And why was it hardly possible to submit a reliable cancellation despite the apparent chaos? "
The friendly DFB employee ensures that he will ask the responsible authorities.
Two days later he sends the official statement from Frankfurt:
"
The DFB has been working with the sports merchandising company Fanatics since 2019 to further expand its product range.
For this purpose, our merchandising activities have been brought together at the European Fanatics headquarters in Manchester.
As a result of Brexit, supply and shipping chains have been affected extraordinarily, which is why delivery delays can unfortunately continue to occur, especially due to customs clearance. Together with our partner Fanatics, we are continuously working to improve this situation for our end customers, so that they receive their jerseys as quickly as possible and any delivery delays are made clear to the fans when buying on the DFB fan shop.
We understand the frustration of customers who did not receive the items they ordered on time, we apologize in all ways for the delivery delays and the inconvenience caused by them. If our customers want to cancel their order, we will always try to comply with this request as long as the order has not yet been processed, flocked or dispatched in the warehouse.
If a cancellation is no longer possible for procedural reasons, customers naturally have the option of returning their goods within 90 days of receipt. "
I then asked that sports merchandising company Fanatics for an official statement on the subject.
To stay in context: I haven't received a response yet.
(akl)
