A dad has finally received the Newcastle United shirt he bought for his daughter more than two months after ordering it - and an apology from kit supplier Castore.
Derrick Costello spent £70 on a personalised strip from the NUFC Store for his daughter, Ellie-May Costello, ahead of her 11th birthday in November.
He ordered the top on September 30 and forked out £65 for the top and £5 for delivery to his home in Grimsby. However, Derrick said the shirt, produced by sportswear brand Castore, never arrived.
The Newcastle United fan, who is originally from North Shields, said he emailed the club store every week for nine weeks asking for an update on his order but stressed he did not receive a reply. Derrick, who works at Young's fish factory in Grimsby, said he "felt robbed" of his hard-earned cash and feared he would never get the top or his money back.
However, after contacting Chronicle Live to raise awareness of the issue, he has now received the top, a £25 gift card, a bucket hat and an apology from Castore. Derrick said he received an email from Castore on November 28, the day after the story went online, and the parcel arrived on Sunday, December 4.
Derrick said: "My daughter is made up about it. She loves it and put the top on straight away.
"We were not expecting it to come so it was brilliant. It is not personalised but I am not going to cry about that after waiting all this time and nearly losing my money.
"I was not after any free stuff - all I wanted was my girl's shirt. She was buzzing with it."
Castore's head of concierge apologised to Derrick in an email and claimed that his order had been lost in transit.
They said Derrick could visit the NUFC store in person to get the shirt personalised for free. However, Derrick said he would not be able to do so without making a trip to Newcastle as he lives more than 150 miles away.
The email from Castore said: "I would like to apologise for the frustrations you have experienced with both the shipping process and the response from our CS [customer service] rep. We pride ourselves on giving 100% every day to ensure our customer's needs are being met.
"I know we have let you down on this occasion and for that, we are truly sorry."
READ NEXT:
- Dad who forked out £120 for Newcastle shirts that didn't turn up until nearly six weeks later 'refused' refund
- Football fans left 'frustrated' and out of pocket after ordering Newcastle United shirts which they say didn't arrive
- Wallsend Boys Club launch petition against plans to build hundreds of homes next to site that 'could put youngsters in danger'
- South Shields grandmother who fulfilled childhood dream of being NHS radiographer retires after more than 50 years
- Hadrian's Tower bar 3SIXTY to reopen after lift issues left Newcastle diners furious
