At Broad Street two years ago I bought a pair of Frank Shorter running shorts because he’s the GOAT. They have become my favorite pair of shorts.
My current stock of Eastbay’s are wearing down so I decided to order three pairs of the Frank Shorter shorts instead, big change!
I found this shitty little website – www.nationalrunningcenter.com – and they carry his brand. Great! I order three pairs.
I got the three pairs they absolutely stink. I shouldn’t say they stink, but they’re not at all what I’m looking for and they aren’t the same as the pair I have.
- They sag when I sweat
- The pockets on the back are too big and clunky and weigh down the shorts
- The material irritates my easily-irritable skin
So what do I do? Here are the three options:
Return Them
I pretty much never return anything. As someone who works directly with customers who return stuff, it sucks. I can swallow the $75 I spent on the off chance that this little website would be crushed if I asked to return these.
Review Them
I thought about giving these a 1 or 2 star review and saying how they’re not for the serious runner. But honestly, these are probably great for 90% of all runners. I’m in the minority because of how much I sweat and the fact that I don’t carry anything on my runs so I think pockets are useless.
Keep Them
I can wear these shitty shorts around the house as basic underwear so it’s not a complete waste and let nationalrunningcenter think they made a great sale to a great customer.
And keep them is what I’ve decided to do.
Is that wrong? Should I be demanding my $75 back since I’m an unsatisfied customer and the customer is always right? Should I be leaving a review so the next ‘elite’ runner who looks for those shorts isn’t disappointed when they order them and see how mediocre they are?
Maybe I’m setting up a world where all the products suck and no one says anything about it. But I just don’t feel right doing anything other than accepting responsibility for my purchase and making the best with what I got.
I guess that’s just the low-t beta cuck in me.
Most small companies have someone that will answer the phone and listen to you. That way you can give a “live” review”. If they listen, you can work with them, just like you must do often in your business.. If not, then return them and post your review. I had a similar experience with Epoch Sunglasses. I bought my first pair, and the lens was cracked. They sent me a new pair, and didn’t even want me to return the bad pair. Since then, I’ve bought several more.
Return them and get yo $$
I remember you were a big Eastbay guy, I remember freshman year I bought two pairs from Eastbay per your suggestion. They lasted hundreds of runs. I’ve been a big fan of BOA shorts, they are damn cheap and the material is surprisingly good and lightweight
I’m in the same boat as you as I can think of maybe 3 times in my life where I actually returned an item bought online. I just feel like a pain and often the lesson I’ve learned is more valuable than the time I spend shipping back the items as well as the reimbursement. My roommate John is the exact opposite. He probably returns 30-40% of things he orders online. He will return things from Amazon if the reviews misled him. Not the descriptions… USER-GENERATED REVIEWS. As someone who also dealt with eCommerce returns, I would be furious.
If I’m you I would keep 1 pair in your car as emergency running shorts (also doubles as boxers if you shit your pants). The other 2 I would wear around the house for core/pushups/blasting cucks on COD. Maybe after a few more washer/dryer cycles they’ll get better. Normally I would say donate them but I doubt there is a high demand for 3-inch splits at a homeless shelter. Maybe use them as a cum rag or something idk.
Hope all is well!