Stinky trainers
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Watchdog has discovered a stinky issue with a range of football boots made by the biggest name in sportswear, Nike.
You might expect a pair of football boots to start smelling after you've had them for a while. But Watchdog has received complaints about Nike's Mercurial and Total 90s ranges that start to produce a very unpleasant odour after their first use.
Made popular by footballers such as Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, Nike's Total 90 and Mercurial ranges can cost anywhere up to and over £100.
Matt Vickers is the goalie for the Hatch Warren Saints under 13s in Basingstoke. He bought his Total 90 trainers for £50. They started smelling after the first time he wore them which was on a wet day.
We had to drive with the windows open
We weren't sure whether one of us hadn't had a bath, it was so bad. We had to drive with the windows open, it was really pungent" Matt's dad, Mark explained.
Matt says that a lot of the guys at training had been laughing at the smell. He has now lost faith in Nike because of the stink they've caused.
Matt Jones from Burton upon Trent was badgering his dad all summer to get him a new pair of Total 90s to kick off the season in. He noticed the smell after the first one or two games.
It smelt like cat wee
He says: "I got accused of keeping the cat in my bedroom because it smelt like cat wee."
When Matt's family finally worked out the smell was coming from the shoes, they took drastic action, banning the shoes from the house. Eventually they couldn't bear it any longer and they forked out another £40 for a new pair by a different brand.
We took Matt's pair of football trainers to Nike's flagship store to find out what the public thought of the smell. One person said: "They smell like they're old and someone has had their feet in them for years."
We've also discovered that the disgusting smell can start even in shoes that have never been worn. We wet a brand new pair of Total 90s and left them out to dry for four days. When we returned after four days the trainers smelt very strong.
This shouldn't happen. Other boots and trainers can be soaked right through the season and even put in the washing machine without smelling this bad.
To find out what's causing the smell, we took the boots to Kevin Guildford who is one of the UK's leading footwear specialists.
According to our expert, what's causing the smell is surprisingly not people's feet. It's the materials that are used in the footwear.
Nike has told one angry customer the problem started because they replaced some of the man-made lining just under the laces with a cotton canvas.
Kevin says that when the cotton canvas gets wet, it rots. The moisture can't escape because the man-made materials around the cotton don't allow it to breath.
Nike says that the quality of its products and customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance to them.
When Watchdog contacted Nike, the company told us:
"We have seen a very small number of cases where boots start to smell (distinctly beyond the normal smells from sweat, rain or prolonged usage after football). While this does not affect the performance of the product, we understand the inconvenience it causes in those isolated instances where it occurs.
"We are continuing to explore the exact cause so we can ensure that the problem doesn't occur moving forward. As with all our products we encourage people to ensure they appropriately clean and care for their boots. However, in the isolated instances where this problem has occurred, we recommend returning the product to the retailer where the footwear was purchased, be that a Nike store or another retailer, where a refund or replacement will be offered."
Nike also apologises for any inconvenience experienced by consumers.
Watchdog update: Read the latest response from Nike.
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~25~RS~)
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i so agree, my 6 year old sons nike 90 shoes stink from high heavens, i've washed them but no good, thought it was his feet! glad it is not. this shouldnt be happening
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I agree. I bought Nike's for my son in Florida this summer. They smelt after 2 wears. They had to be kept outside the front door, but you could smell them down the road even.
How do you get your money back if you bought them in the US?
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Hi I have two pairs of normal trainers and they have done the exact same thing. Yup you guessed it they smell of cats pee...
One of the pairs is fairly new! Not sure if i can find the reciept to get the refund now though.
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i wish this report had appeared earlier as i have recently disposed of the 2nd pair of my sons stinky trainers (smelling exactly like cats wee and accusing him of the cause.)
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thank you - we have been blaming our son and the cat for the stink - nike maybe fibbing a bit about it being the odd pair as we have had 6 pairs of these boots and they have all stunk to amazing levels - really you cannot believe the hum that they can give off to the point where they are kept in an outside shed !
we will be taking ours back to niketown this weekend!
must say [Company details removed by Moderator]ones don't smell much better!
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We also have spent over £100 on a pair of Nike football boots from the nike website and they stink the whole house out. I have had them in the washing machine, put them on the line to get fresh air, have sprayed them with foot deodorisers of all kinds and Oust Air freshener and they still stink. Any ideas of what to do? we only bought them in Sept 08.
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This also happened to my son's Nike boots. However, I don't think I have the original receipt. Can I still get a refund?
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While watching the item on Nike, my grandson rushed into the bathroom where his new boots and trainers were drying. The place was humming and now we know why. Needless to say these Nikes will be returned. The stinking footwear is now being aired outside.
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my daughter has 2 pairs of nikes. a pair of nike T90 for astro turf trainers and a pair of T90 laser footy boots. both of which absolutely stink. we have to keep them in the garage. i accidentally kept the trainers in my boot for a week, after which the smell was unbearable. it smelt like several cats had peed in my car. will i be able to return them to nike for replacements?
thank you
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Both my sons had Total 90 football boots and turfs, they both smelt like cat wee, I paid a fortune for them both and I have had to replace them. What a waste of money and materials.
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this is not a new problem - I paid £130 for Mercurial vapor II about 2/3 yrs ago and they had the same problem
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I am so glad i just watched your programme i bought my sonsboots about 3weeks ago, yesterday he played a football match and it was pooring with rain, this morning whilst cleaning the porch i thought i could smell cat pee, i found his boots and they stank if i had'nt watched the programme i would of thought it was just his smelly 14yr old feet, now i need to find the reciept wish me luck
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WE too have suffered the stinky boots situation. My daughter was blamed for leaving her boots outside and letting a cat wee in them! Now we Know it wasn't her. sorry!
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we have had the same smell with my daughters trainers, Nike make and football boots. We also blamed the cat then we told our daughter whos 10 years old it was her smelly feet.
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I was so pleased to see the item on Nike football boots. I bought my son some in sept and from the first wear they smelled appalling. I even put them in the washing machine which made no difference at all. Unfortunately I do not have the receipt anymore to take back to the shop but shall not buy them again. I hope Nike take this on board. Times are bad enough in sales not to shoot yourself in the foot!!
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My son has had several pairs of Nike Total 90's, all of which have stunk to high heaven. The poor boy has been blamed time after time.
I think it'll be a different brand from now on.
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my son has a pair of totalninety and they stick like cat wee but he has had them for 6mths can we still exchange them
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We've spent a fortune on total 90's for our eldest son. I've even blamed my neighbours cats for weeing in them. The smell is foul, my hubby kept throwing them out of the house! We ended up throwing several pairs away!
I'm glad watchdog ran this story as my hubby an son argue non stop over wether it's his feet or just the trainers! At least now we know an i WON'T be buying Nike again
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We have two pairs and have tried to get rid off the smell with shoe odour but with no luck. This is a poor show by Nike, let's just hope the shop is just as understanding.
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I originally emailed Nike consumer affairs about my son's boots on 15/01/08. They stank, now the trainers and boots he has for this season smell the same. I apologise to everyone who enters the house that it is not the dog but Sam's trainers.
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Just seen the item on Nike trainers. My son came in the other night and said it smelt like the cat had peed in the hall. I was most indignant and told him I thought the cause was his Nike football trainers. He was adamant that it wasn't. I can't wait to show him this item! Thanks for raising the issue. Unfortunately he has to wear Nike trainers as he has problems getting adult size 13 wide fitting!
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we have been leaving the porch open as the smell of 'cat wee' was so bad!!
We have two boys with stinky nike football boots. We wondered why our third son's boots did not smell of cat wee-but then they are a different brand!!
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It is extremely sad when children like my son are using their own birthday money to spend on trainers only for them to smell so dreadfully in such a short time.
We have banished them from the house but they only have to be in the car for two minutes and it reeks even if he is not wearing them!
Come on NIKE do something about this!
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I stopped buying Nike trainers and football boots for my son years ago as this is no way a new problem,they smell of cats wee and have done for years. I always know if one of his friends are wearing them without actually seeing their feet if they get in my car or come into my home.Whatever the product is that they have used, that or something similar has been used in the making of his skates as well, as they smell exactly the same.
I'm sure you will be inundated with responses on this subject.
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My son had Total 90's for his birthday in June. He wore them to training once in Septemeber and they started to smell. He wore them for a couple of games - the smell was awful and we too had to drive with the windows open. Eventually we conceeded defeat, threw the boots in the bin and bought another brand. I'd never buy them again.
In addition he lost a stud in one boot and no shop stocked the studs and I was told to go to the nike site. I could not find them on the site so emailed the 'help desk'. I never received a reply and had to buy a whole new set of studs to solve the problem.
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We bought a pair of Nike boots from a reccomended sports shop. They fitted my son perfectly. From the first time he wore them, we noticed a terrible smell, which his father said smelled like cat wee. We were not surprised to see it mentioned in your program and we will be returning them to the shop in the morning. My son is terribly dissapointed as he really liked them.
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my son has two pairs of total ninetys 1 pair football boots and 1 pair of astros and both pairs smell very bad and that was after the first time of wearing them and that was on a dry days.
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My son has had two pairs of these nike stinky football boots they have to live in the garage because the smell is so bad !!!!
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My son has a pair of Nike T90 and F50 and they definitely stink of cats wee. The expensive boots that he used his birthday money and savings to buy now spend their life outside because the semll is unbearable. I also know other parents who have the same problem.
Nike this is not an isolated case!!
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I couldn't believe your report on the trainers! It was like you were singing my song. I am so glad to know that I am not the only person to suffer from the smell from Nike total 90's!!
My sons have been banned from the house for 6 months and I thought I was going mad. I have washed them with no improvement to the problem.
Hopefully I can now take them back to JJB and get a swap or a refund.thanks so much for bringing this into the open
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Both my sons have a pair of Nike Mercurial football boots, and they both have this horrible smell. I will be taking them back to where i bought them from and getting a replacement pair. Hopefully this wont happen again, as i have always bought Nike football boots.
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Finally I have proof thats it's not my feet but a fault in the boots.
The problem I find myself in now is that these total 90 white/red boots which I currently have fit perfectly and I find very comfortable to play in and now parents say I need to get a new pair - BUT FINDING A GOOD PAIR IS SO HARD!
Does anybody else have exactly the same pair as me
'total 90 shoot II red and white' ?
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Thank you, thank you, thank you, you don't know how much hassel I have had with a pair of smelly fotty boots....cat's wee! My son's has been quite put out that we have insisted he keeps his boots outside in the shed since the first time he wore them! They have made us physically reach! I have disinfected them, sprayed them..nothing worked....then today!!!! Watch dogs has come to my rescue, I'm off to take them back tomorrow!!!! Cat wee free house, my son will never buy Nike again!!!!
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Was more than interested to hear this story on the programme tonight.
My son owns a pair of Nike vapours (football boots), these too stink like cats pee and are confined to outside the house.
Would be interested to hear if others owning same boots having problem too.
Also interested to see if Nike are offering refund/ replacement on these also.
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I have purchased 4 pairs (2 boots and 2 astro-turf) of Nike since August and the reason being my son likes the fit of Nike but I keep giving him a row for getting them wet and all this time it has not been his fault!They absolutely stink. I have even tried washing them in the washing-machine,using catlitter as a deoduriser and [Personal details removed by Moderator]but they get worse and now I know the reason why thanks to Watchdog. What can you do if you have not kept the receipts? I still have all 4 pairs as they are brand new.
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the same thing happened to my sons after one wear..i would like to say sorry to my cat lua who got the blame.
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thank you watchdog!! you have solved the familys stinky boot mystery!! just wanted to note that we had the nike 90s and have had the same issue.... there must be thousands ...its one of the best selling boots! the point is that nike should trial / research their boots ..surely!!!?? we wont buy theirs again....
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Nike try to tell us this is in a very small number of cases that the awful smell wafts up from there boots. That is not so. It is an awful lot of cases, and as the programme demonstrated so well, it is after the boots get wet. Not just trainers, but football boots as well, and they pretty much all seem to smell of cat pee. You dry them out in the recommended fashion but it makes no difference, and if it is wet the first time they are worn, then the smell will come after the first time they are worn. I will certainly return my son's boots for an exchange to a pair that don't stink - providing Nike can provide some other boots that don't smell.
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This is the exact problem we had with our sons, but unfortunately we had chucked them out the smell was way too bad!
I em-mailed Nike about my dissapointment and they told me to get in touch with Nike Netherlands??? as I don't have the football boots any more I have no proof.
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we bought our son a pair of Nike Mecurial football boots for this season.He always keeps them in the out house, At first we did not connect the two together as it smelled like a cat had got in and marked its territory.Only when we started to clear the area did my wife realise the smell was coming from the football boots. This happened after only wearing them a couple of times. My grandson was also bought a pair of Nike football boots and after talking to my daughter and son in-law we realised they had the same problem, I am glad we caught the show tonight otherwise we would still have thought it was us.I dont think this as isolated as Nike think. Two Pairs of Nike boots on the way back to the shop !!!
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my son has got a pair of nike mercurials which have this problem, they were worn once on a wet day and have smelt terrible ever since, they are that bad that we too have banned them from the house as these made the whole house smell. they have got to be the worse boots he has ever had.
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My 12 year old grandson has worn Nike football boots for the past 4 years. He has had this problem with every pair must be at least five pairs. He has been accused of having smelly feet, but obviously this was not the problem. The smell reminds me of cats. AWFUL!!
If Ronaldo and Rooney wear these they must have a new pair for every match.
I think Nike should spend less on sponsorship and advertising and put the money towards manufacturing a product worthy of their name. Parents do not have the money to keep spending on these expensive football boots that their football heros wear, which are not fit for being put on sale in the shops.
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I have already binned 2 pairs of my sons nike trainers not thinking for a minute it was materials used in manufacturing. 2 days ago i bought the mercurial astro trainers and the football boots to put away for my sons xmas. My son wants what the professionals are wearing but i am afraid the £80 i have just spent will be refunded tomorrow as i have lost enough money to nike.
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my sons Nike boots also stink to the point that i had to throw them out and buy new ones(adidas)! What are the chances of a retailer taking these stinking items back into their own shop and who will still haver the receipt months afetr they bhave been used on a regular basis! JJB certainly wont take them back without proof of purchase especially if they're liable to stink the shop out. Lets get real!
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Stinky Trainers!!!
At last we have found out why my sons trainers constantly smell of very strong cat wee!!!
The second pair in four months.
George who plays for Oldham Athletic Football Club Under 9s has stunk us out for months.
We first though it was a cat that had got into our garage and weed on them!!
Wherever we go it is a talking point that George stinks!!!
I wont allow him to wear them in the house, and even lately when I went to pick my new car up he stunk the showroom out.
I am taking them back to JJB tomorrow
Thanks watchdog for tonights programme - we now know the truth behind the smell!!!!
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we purchased a pair of nike shoes for my sons football and must agree i thought it was our cats that had urinated in them because they stink.Nice to see that they can be replaced without any fuss hopefully
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Bought my 6 y.o a pair of the gold nike boots at the same time as his twin had a pair of adidas. After a match I cleaned both pairs and left them outside to dry. Once indoors an aroma of cat urine crept through the hallway and into the house. my wife accused me of leaving the boots outside for the neighbours cat to wee in! So in the dog house I tried everything to eliminate the smell to no avail. The adidas boots however are like the day they were bought. I took them back 2 months ago to the shop and complained but was told that as they were worn the shop would not accept them. Will now return with renewed vigor for my refund!
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i all so bought my son nike total 90 football boots, they also smell of cat wee. the shop they where bought from has now closed down. i lock them in the porch with an airfreshener in them (makes no difference)!
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i got a pair of total 90s a year ago nd after wearing them once they were smelling as descriced on the show.
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I am so pleased this was broadcast as I had to put my 14 year old son's Nike Football boots outside as the hallway stank of cats wee!!! after being worn once I could not have them in the house. I am so pleased I have not thrown them out as I was tempted! My son has bought another pair this time Adidas as we were put off.
Have stores been warned that these boots are about to be returned? Obviously we no longer have the receipt as proof of purchase though?
[Personal details removed by Moderator]
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My son bought a pair of Nike football boots with money he had saved himself. He wore his boots for training and after the second time he wore them they started smelling. The smell is exactly how others have described, like cat pee. I don't think he will be buying a pair of Nike football b oots again!!!!
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"isolated instances" we have 3 pairs of these in our house. Total 90 trainers for my 11 year old, the Total90 Yellow boots for my 8 year old and I also own an adult pair of Red Total90 boots. ALL of which suffer from the same issue of smelling like the cat uses them as a litter tray. I will take the advice and see if Nike will at least replace my sons .... well done Watchdog for bringing this issue to other people who have been blaming their kids smelly feet!!!
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As I'm sure you already know by now it is not just the Nike trainers featured which stink but also the Adidas F10s - what a pong! Try sleeping in a touring caravan with a pair of them - impossible! And they were expensive too!
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On watching the programme tonight I sent my son immediately to get his boots to check if they were the same pair as being talked about - they are. He's only worn them a couple of times and each time they have been cleaned I have commented and moaned about the smell which reminds me of my husband's golf shoes that he had for absolutetly ages (banned to the garden shed in the end). I've been religiously cleaning them after a match but they just make the whole house smell. These will definitely be going back to the shop. Its a shame because they actually fit well. You would think that Nike would have thought about this a little bit more. I just hope that the shops are not going to insist on receipts and boxes and the such like.
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My son had total 90 trainers and mercurial football boots, both of which smelt of cats. I contacted Nike a couple of weeks ago by email and received an email back stating I should take them back to where I bought them. I took the trainers back to Sports Soccer on 13th Nov and got a refund and took the mercurials back to JJB this afternoon and received a refund.
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My son and I couldn't believe what we were hearing as we watched Watchdog tonight. I bought him a pair of yellow Nike football boots earlier this year and when we took his boots out ready for use in August we accused the cat of the awful smell that came from them. They have since been banned from the house and sit in the garage when not in use and with tumble drier sheets stuffed in them when they go to school.
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Im delighted that this smelly menace has finally been resolved. To begin with we were blaming our normally very clean cat for the rancid aromas being left around the house, until we discovered it was the total 90's, which we banned from all communal areas in the house, they were that bad off we went again to Sports Direct and bought another pair......which ended up just the same within days. We have spent around £70 on these malodouress shoes, it has been altogether a terribly smelly experience! Thank you watchdog, weve printed your advice and shall be returning the shoes to the store for a refund......thats if they dont walk there by themselves first! Mrs Mabon
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My son absolutly loved these trainers and got the boots at the same time.I got them at the begining of the new school tearm and after a week of wearing the shoes they were made to stay outside the boots were outside after using them twice I then went and bought him some new mercurial boots and the same happened again I did not realise there was a problem with them and thought it was my sons feet.This has put me off nike altogether. How do you take them back without a receipt I did not realise you could take boots back for smelling.
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Same problem with Total 90 football boots owned by my 7 year old son. Had this problem for years with my older son now 21. We have a cat who has been blamed, unfairly, it now seems. Also spent a fortune on odour eater type products which do not work. Does not do any favours for young kids' self confidence when they think their feet pong to high heaven!
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I brought my 9yr old son a pair of Nike T90's. After a couple of wears they smelled strongly of cat pee. We took them back to the shop I bought them from in Tamworth but the manager refused to change them saying there was nothing wriong with them and he accused us of washing, which made the glue melt causing the smell. Another assistant even said that they smelled because he was a boy and it was his hormones!!!
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Hi
I bought my son a pair of Nike football boots 2 months ago and he only wears them once a week for football.
The first time after he wore them they smelt really bad, i cant describe how bad the smell was, so since then we have to leave them in the garage. But since watching the show tonight, they are going back to the store where i bought them
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my son has a pair of total 90 that stink. I dont have receipt will i still get a refund
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MY SON AND ALL HIS FRIENDS HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH NIKE TRAINERS, WE JUST THOUGHT IT WAS BECAUSE THEY WERE PLAYING FOOTBALL ON WET GRASS. WHEN ASKING THE SPORTS SHOP FROM WHICH WE BOUGHT THEM, WE WERE TOLD THIS. HE HAS WORE THEM FOR SOME YEARS NOW AND THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THIS PROBLEM WITH NIKE T90'S AND SIMILAR TRAINERS
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My son bought Nike total 90 boots this season & he really likes them. I've been blaming smell in my kitchen on neighbourhood cats weeing on my door mat, turns out it's down to boots, they stink! I don't have the receipt so don't know if they would be replaced, but they will be in the garage from now on!!
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My son is on his 3rd pair of t90s I too blamed my son for having minging feet. His t90s are his school shoes his teacher has already comented on the smell. Why have Nike not done something about this. I do not have my receipt as they were bought in aug can I get a refund. Will never ever buy Nike again
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My poor son has been getting the blame for stinking the house out and his Nike Mercurial boots brought in Sept for the start of the new season are really to blame. Several cans of foot deoderant and many old wives tales and a visit to the doc's and i find out the true culprit. I must publically apologise to my son. I am sorry. YOUR MUM
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I bought my son a pair of Nike 90 football boots in September 2008, after the first wear, we also thought that a cat had peed on his boots when they had been left outside to dry. I have tried washing them but they still stink and have been banished to the garage. I don't have the receipt for these which I bought from JJB Sports, does this mean that they won't refund or exchange.
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This is not an isolated incident. I have bought 1 pair of trainers and 1 pair of football boots and both have the dreaded cat smell. My two nephews also have had the same problem. One lives in Scotalnd! How is this isolated Nike?
I don't have the receipt and won't be able to get a refund or exchange. I contacted Nike by email in USA and was told to ring them with serial number then they may suggest I send the items to USA and then they may consider a refund...Yeah - guess what I would rather just not buy Nike anymore!
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I bought 2 pais of Nike football boots, {one studded one moulded} for my son, we genuinely believed one of our 2 cats "tiddled" on his boot bag as this is what it smelled like. Can't believe it is nike's fault all the time.
Good news for the pussys as they are now out of the doghouse, bad news for nike as they can go whistle when it is time to but a new set.
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For the last year i have gone from blaming the fern tree outside my house to the cat up the road only to finally relise it was my 8yr olds nike football boots which he begged me for because ronaldo {i think thats his name anyway the one who plays for man utd]wears them.On his birthday sleepover 4 pals stayed all with nike trainers you could'nt breath in my porch.Sorry boys it wasnt your feet.How do we stand with getting them replaced without proof of purchase? As we have just brought another pair.Unhappy mum.
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our 10yr old son has a pair of nike vapours, we feel really bad he has worn his 6 times & we have washed them 4 times in the washing machine. we have told him that he needs to think about hygine and needs to start washing his feet more often, how bad do we feel now!!!!! so glad we saw watch dog as he is going to buy more boots on saturday, think we will stay away from these, for the sake of our noses and hygine rows !!!!! cant find the receipt hope they will chang them
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have been buying these T90s for at least 18 months and always thought the stink was my sons problem. No longer buy them and have switched to adidas F10s - no smell!
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Thank You Watch Dog! I have had the same problem with my son's Mercurial football boots, banned from the house and travel in the boot of the car in an air tight bag because of the revolting smell. Have been tempted on more than one occation to bin them but they were £40.I have been onto the retailer already, wrapped up and ready to go.
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We have just bought my son a new pair of Nike boots because the smell was soooo bad!!!!! I'm not sure where we stand as have had the smelly pair about 6months but they have always lived in the shed since they started smelling. Thanks for highlighting this problem!
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my son has a pair of trainers and football boots , as soon as he takes them off, i chuck them outside. the smell is terrible and poor boy he was getting the blame, causing so many arguments and countless washing of the trainers and his feet. will try taking back but cant see me getting a refund as haven't got a receipt.
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I bought my son the orange astro turf trainers way back in the summer and then the greeny/black coloured football boots a while after. They both stink but i had no idea there was a problem other than stinky trainer syndrome(a very bad case, which we dont usually have a problem with)I am continuosly putting shoe spray in them but it only slightly covers the stench. I always buy Nike as my son has wide feet and they seem the best fit for him. I dont really want to go with another brand. I'm going to take them back to the store this week and see if i can get a refund or exchange. I have printed off the watchdog story to arm myself with evidence in case they refuse or say i have had the shoes for too long!!
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My son always has Nike boots as he has wide feet and are great boots but I have never smelt anything as bad has his boots he has now they smell just like cats wee and stink the whole house out.Thank -God for watchdog investigating I will def be asking for refund.
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Reading the comments previous, will we still be able to get a refund without a receipt? Or do we have to contact Nike so they can refund us direct? Do you think stores that sell the shoes will have been notified that there is a problem and have been told to give a refund. No questions asked?? I dont have my receipt but bought both pairs in JJB
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I am so pleased to find out that my son does not have some sort of foot disease! Since he bought his Nike Mercurial football boots three months ago they have been banned from the house. The stench in the garage has been unbelievable, cat urine is the exact smell!
Unfortunately we do not have the receipt to take them back for a refund, but at least we now know it is the boots and not Matts feet, suppose we will have to apologise to him now!
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Couldn't believe it when this item came on. We've blamed my 11year old son for his smelly feet for ages and it now turns out to be his boots. He's only had them since September and they started smelling after the first wear. They are now banished to the garage and are filled with bicarbonate of soda (which does help but doesn't completely eliminate the smell)after every game. I do feel vidicated though as I never wanted him to have these boots and would of gladly paid for proper leather boots but at that age they want what their friends have.
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We,ve tried everything to stop these boots and trainers stinking - both my sons play footbal so thats 2 pairs of boots and 3 or 4 pairs of trainers - the house has stunk - his friends have had exactly the same - so when theve all been round its been like a cats home in here !!! nike should organise a recall as we dont have a receipt anymore
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My son always has Nike football boots as they're the ones he likes the best. They smell disgusting though just like cat wee. We have 2 cats so we started to think they were responsible but then realised it was the trainers. I thought it might be my son's feet but didn't think they could be that bad. The trainers are so smelly we can't have them in the house and either leave them outside or seal them in a carrier bag in a cupboard. Otherwise if we have visiters all they can smell when they enter our house is cat wee!! They also have to go in the boot of the car as they smell so bad.
I think that Nike ought to sort this out as they are very popular boots and are most definitely not the cheapest. These are not isolated cases as I know other people who have the same problem.
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regarding nike football boots, i am relieved that i am not the only one with this problem, ibought my son and grandson both nike football boots and trainers, and my goodness they stink. ihave washed,sprayed. one pair ibought also falling apart. we are not atall happy.
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i have a pair of nike football boots had them a few weeks, im very excited about joining a new football team. i brought the boots and after first trial they started to smell like cat wee, i have no longer got the Receipt for the boots but can i still replace the item?? can you get back in touch
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I bought my son a pair of these football boots and they smelt so bad they had to live outside, no amount of trainer spray or cleaning could get rid of the smell. They cost £60 and I ended up throwing them away and buying some more, he needs them to play in so he has to have some but having to buy a new pair so close to christmas is quite a hardship for me. I thought that by spending a bit more in the first place on a well known brand would be a good idea long term but its ended up costing me twice as much. I cant get a refund as I threw them away, its just not good enough.
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i have 3 sons who have nike trainers and have had to wash them a few times and even put tree oil in them to get rid of the smell, this caused arguments in my household as we thought it was our cat
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i have also had the same problem,i kept thinking that when i had left them in the garden a cat had wees in them .i have washed them several times brought odour spray and all this did not make a difference. his friends were making fun of his smelly feet.i am so relieved that it is the trainers and not my sons feet.will i still be able to return them i still have the reciept,but the sole is quite worn.
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My son's Total 90 football boots were brought new in September and have stank from day one!
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exactly the same problem as everyone else. my 10 year old sons t90 trainers smelt foul after a matter of days.my mum told him he smelt like a tom cat and i was cross because i thought he'd been careless with new trainers.they have been left out in the porch and banned from the house!i'm so pleased i caught the end of watchdog or would have gone and bought new ones.
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My husband got some Nike 90 over a year ago and they use to stink like cats wee i would call him and he would say are you sure that cat has not done it, so tonight when we where watching the programme he wanted me to apologize as it was the trainers Thank you watchdog LOL
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I purchased my son's nike football boots in America whilst on holiday. The boots are not allowed in the house they live in the shed and only come out for training and matches and then put straight back into a sealed bag and back into the shed. Where do i stand about getting a refund or replacement from Nike as i purchased them in America???? where ever they were purchased they still stink the same and still have the same defect!!!!
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i recently brought a pair of Nike Mercurial football boots after just one wear the started to smell rupusivley of cat wee when i went round my girlfriends house her mother had to keep them outside because they were stinking out her hallway! Until reading this i was blaming my cat belive he had gone for a toilet in one of them!!!!!!!
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We refer to them as the 'cat's pee trainers'. I had thought that my neighbours cat had sneaked into our house, gone into the shoe cupboard and somehow peed on my little boy's trainers (without peeing on anything else). Like so many others have said, they absolutely stink and have been banned from the house. He had only worn them a couple of times. It just didn't occur to me that the fault was with the trainers.
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My 14yr old son is now on his 6th pair of nike Total or Mercurial trainers and boots. I have dumped 4 pairs, because i just couldn't stand the stench! We couldn't understand why they smelt of extra strong cat wee, when we haven't even got a cat! I made my son tie them in a couple of carrier bags to mask the smell, but it didn't really help much. Not thinking it could possibly be something wrong with the boots, i blamed him for teenage feet, but couldn't understand why his school shoes were no where near as bad.Im so glad the stinky trainer and boot problem is not just ours.
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I watched the show last night and was so pleased to learn it was not my son's feet causing the smell. We too have placed blame on the stinky trainers on the cats. I have apologised! The shoes have been relegated to the far most corner of the garage. As we live in Luxembourg, will I be able to return the shoes to the point of purchase ie. Luxembourg Intersport?
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I bought my son a pair of Nike Mercurial Veloci from Sportsworld at the end of August. Within a week (a total of 2 wearings) my understairs cupboard stunk of cat pee.It took us 2 weeks to work out that the newest items in the cupboard were the culprits of the smell. The boots are relagated to the garage and have to be sealed in a plastic bag to stop the smell escaping. Is there a time limit imposed by Nike for returning these football boots for replacement or refund?
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I bought some Nike T90s at Sports Direct. They stink but teenage boys trainers do! Didn't ever occur to me that there could be a fault with the trainers so have not done anything about it until now. Sports Direct say "no proof of purchase, no refund" can they do this with faulty goods? If they can, am I able to get a refund from Nike direct?
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I was amazed to hear that Nike's comment had been that the issue of smelly trainers/boots was limited to a few instances. Every pai of mercurials and 90 trainers/boots I have bought for my 11 year old son over the last 6 months (and that will be at least 5 pairs) have reeked of cats wee after 1 or 2 outings. I have had to put a large plastic lidded box in the hall in which to store them.When Nike advised viewers to take smelly trainers back to the store where they were bought are they really expecting JJB (now shut) and Sportsworld to cough up? Do we need the receipts?
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Thank goodness its not just me! I purchsed a pair of Nike football boots for my son about 4 weeks ago and after the first wear they started to smell. They have now been banished from the house and i have had to purchase a new pair. I no longer have the reciept for them i was going to take them back to the shop straight away but i thought they might think me mad for just taking them back because of the smell . I will however now try taking them back as it has been highlighted on Watchdog i will of course also be armed with the watchdog story. Will any one else be trying to return them ?? If retailers will not take them back i would like to know what happens next as these cost £40 and its a lot of money to spend only to have to go out a few weeks later to buy another pair .
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Just to add to the many messages, my daughters astro trainers have been banned to the porch ever since she has had them. Only after vaxing all the carpets to try to get rid of the cat wee smell!!! Found that we have to pad them out with tumble drier sheets to try and disguise the smell.....without success unfortunately!!
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i purchased my son a pair of Nike T90 boots and a pair of Nike T90 trainers, the boots were purchased in August and the trainers in June.
Shortly after he started to wear them my wife started to complain of a smell, similar to cat wee. After seeing your program last night i went back to the shop were we had purchased them from, i even had the reciepts, they said that they did not think that they smelt bad enough and said that Nike had only admitted responsibility for a certain type of shoe in a certain batch, and the shoes that i had could not be exchanged or refunded, i was not happy!!!.
Can someone please help me, the shoes definetley smell of cat wee, the shop i was returning them to is:
GilesSports, Head Office address is SportsDirect.com Retail Ltd Unit A, Brook Park East, Shirebrook, Mansfield, NG20 8RY.
Have Nike actually confirmed which shoes are affected??, if so have they got it wrong and the problem is actually bigger than they are admitting.
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I was so pleased to see your programme on the Stinky Feet. We live in Geneva and bought a pair of Mercurials in the US last summer.My poor son who is 16 thought that we were "having a go" at him for the dreadful smell coming out of his room. We eventually traced it to the shoes and will try to get a refund here (good luck to us). I think the depth of this problem means Nikce should issue a global recall and refund.
Niffy in Geneva
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Any Nike boot and cat owning family probably blamed the cat and never took the boots back- us!
We considered having the incontinent cat put down, thinking that it had sat on our sons footie boot bag and lost control.
Thank goodness for the report last night - the cat is back in our good books. The problem for is that we have thrown the receipt away as they were bought a couple of months ago.
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I couldn't believe it when I saw Watchdog's article on the smelly Nike trainers. My son has 2 pairs of Nike trainers and as described both smell awful. Today I took them both back to JJB and they couldn't have been more helpful. I didn't have my receipt because one pair had been bought in April of this year. There were no questions asked. They replaced them with 2 pairs of lovely non-smelly trainers!! Thank you Watchdog, Nike and JJB.
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I bought my son some new football boots which cost £60 he wore them once and they absolutely stink. I bought some odour eaters thinking it was his feet which it wasn't and have even tried putting them in the washing machine. They now live in the garage. We had to buy him another pair to take to school for football as he was embarrassed at taking them because of the stench. This pair we got his Auntie to get from America and these have gone exactly the same the stink and he has only worn them once!!!!I don't have the recepit so I can't return them. I would like to know what NIKE are going to do about all these complaints.
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I tried to take two pairs back to sports world, but they would only refund one pair and the other pair only had a slight scent as they were three days old used once. As I commented earlier this is poor Nike, my sons feel really let down and probably not buy Nike again. Regards Sports World, unsatisfactory customer service in store. Very aggressive approach.
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i have to say that this issue of the 'smelly' trainers is not news to me!! for some YEARS now my three boys have suffered (as have all of us in the family) with the dreadful pong coming from certain trainers that they have owned. as boys who always wanted to keep up with the latest trends it did not deter us from buying nike trainers, or even less did it occur to us to complain! (although we knew it wasn't any of their feet causing the problem).the offending pairs were, of a night, banished to places where we didn't sleep! as the programme started to talk about the smell coming from the trainers, before it was even mentioned, i said to my partner that i bet the smell you were going to refer to was just like cats pee!! that what all they offensive pairs smelt like. maybe we should have complained years ago and perhaps the problem would have been eradicated by now. i can't believe that they dont let people wear/try out all the new proto-types before they go on general sale. maybe they should, in future!
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we have had exactly the same problem, we had put it down to playing fields and cats territory! what do we do if we dont have the receipt tho?
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I had exactly the same problem. In 2004 i had a pair of trainers, white ones but cannot remember the model number. I guessed i had left them in the garden over the summer. I washed mine in bleach in the washing machine, and hung them to dry. I threw them out in the end as when they were dry, then stank of cat pish. Go Nike !!!!!
Great story, i thought i was going mad !!!
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Took a pair of nike 90's back today and really had to fight to get an exchange the manager said they did not smell he has smelt worse but luckily the assistant manager agreed with me so manage to exchange them would not give me a refund
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My son is on to his 2nd pair of boots and within a day they started to smell. Like others I thought some cats had peed on them when I left them outside. Funnily enough one of the other parents knew it was the materials used which made them smell. Nike said they had no complaints, this is because no one knew it was their fault and I must thank you for bringing this to light as they will no doubt be inundated now!
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My son astros are the same but dont have the receipt so Sports direct where we bought them from wont do anything.Does anybody have any idea what we should do now
they are to 'stinky' to use.
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I have bought a number of Nike football boots for my son over a period. We unfortunately have disposed of some of them due to the smell - which at the time I was blaming on my son.
He currently has two pairs - one studded and one moulded. Both pairs are kept in the garage due to the stench!!!!
We can only find a receipt for one pair - however hope that Nike do the honourable thing and refund for both pairs...
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I bought my sons a while back from sportsdirect but they still have the cat pee problem, can i return them without a receipt
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i bought 2 pairs of the nike total 90`s in september, my kid`s only wore them once and the stench that came from them was disgusting. i don`t think i have my original receipts for them though, what are my rights?
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We were so relieved on watching your program to find out that it wasn't our grandson's feet in his Nike T90's that was causing the awful smell that overpowers the house whenever his boots were dring out ,even after the first time he played in them.
we shall now see whether JJB sports will refund or exchange without receipt as we purchased in August for beginning of season.
Thanks watchdog,but did Nike not test this change to their boots before placing on general retail sale ?
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I cannot believe it - at last an answer. My son is now into his 4th pair of Nike trainers. As he plays out in all weathers and thinks he's Ronaldo - I thought they were just damp and his feet rotten. Follwowing his 3rd pair in less than 6 months, again we continually critised and threatened him with throwing them out if he couldn't wash properly (thinking typical young lad) his last pair we bought July, we never thought it could be the shoes..... at weekend we actually banned the cat from the house and disinfected the hall, as thought she'd been spraying, makes puuuurrrffffect sense now -his trainers were in the hall cupboard!! can't take all 4 pairs back to shop as no receipt - Nike should refund directly or offer replacements to all parents who have spent all this money as they are not cheap.
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i AM SO GREATFUL TO YOU AS NOW I KNOW THAT IT IS NOT MY SONS FEET. HE HAS HAD A PAIR BEFORE AND IN THE END I HAD TO GET HIM ANOTHER PAIR, ANOTHER MAKE DUE TO THE STYLE. I DID NOT REALISE THAT IT WAS THE TRAINER THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. I HAVE JUST RECENTLY BOUGHT HIM ANOTHER PAIR WHICH IS NIKE AND THE SAME SMELL HAS OCCURRED. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN. I WILL BE GOING BACK TO THE SHOP THANKS TO YOU
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My son also has a pair of these extremely smelly trainers. We also accused him of shutting the cat(s) in his room. Although these trainers are not very old I cannot remember where we purchased them and certainly don't have the receipt. What can we do, can I contact Nike directly? I see no reason why we should be out of pocket for buying Nike trainers in good faith.
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My son has these trainers he got them 4 months ago and after watching your programme last night I now know why they smell so much, does anyone know if you can get a refund with no receipt???? and the fact that he has had them 4 months. Thank you
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Couldn't believe it when I saw this report, my son has a pair of trainers and football boots from Nike and they stink bigtime! They have been banished from the house and kept outside in a plastic box with lid. I tried everything to get rid of the smell, washing them, spraying them and even bought Odor-Eaters, needless to say nothing has worked!! Can't find the receipts anywhere, can they be returned without receipts?
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We watched with great interest last night on the item of stinky trainers. With immense relief to my football mad 8 year old son who thought he had a very bad case of foot odour, he has now realised it was not his FEET!!!
We have only ever had T90 football boots and trainers which have all smelt horrendous within days of their first outing.
Thankyou for highlighting this and saving us from a lifetime of stinky shoes....we won't be buying NIKE again.
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anyone else having problems trying to return smelly total 90s to jd sports?? they saying i need reciept but after 3 months we dont have this. Phoned nike h/q and theres a recorded message stating if you have a problem with these shoes, we have arranged with the shops to give a full refund! please help it catch 22!
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Yes we too have cat pee smelling football trainers, that have to live on the windowsills, I dont know how Nike are contacting shops but we actually live in Spain, and as yet our sports shop knows nothing (typical) and will not offer a refund or replacment as both set of boots are now a month old. I did ask if I could keep the boots at the shop and just collect them on match days but they declined. Does anyone know if I can contact Nike direct by email and some how do an exchange ?
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HAVING SUFFERED WITH THE SMELL OF MY 12YEAR OLD NIKE TOTAL 90S BOOTS FOR MONTHS I SAW THE ANSWER ON WATCH DOG LAST NIGHT WE HAD BLAMED EVERY THING FROM IS FEET TO THE CAT NEXTDOOR.SO WE TOOK THE BOOTS BACK TO JJB STORE IN LEEDS TODAY AND THE STAFF WERE FIRST CLASS THEY UNDERSTOOD THE COMPLAINT AND REPLACED THE BOOTS WITH NO QUESTIONS ASKED WELL DONE WATCH DOG AND JJB LEEDS.
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i have got two of these trainers one in turfs and one in boot they dont stink at all when i washed them they are nice and clean and dont smaell!
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Same as many others, bought son's pair of t90's a couple of months ago and have no proof of purchase, is ther any way I can still get an exchange, someone please advise as I visited the shop without evidence of purchase and was told 1: they were not aware of the article and 2:I needed some proof of purchase.
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Afew years ago, we bought our son Nike football trainers and football boots . After a few weeks of wear in wet conditions, the trainers and boots started to smell of cat wee. The smell was so awful, we threw them away even though they were relatively new.
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We bought these Nike football boots for my son at the beginning of September and the smell after wearing them once was horrendous. It was so bad that we had to buy a new pair of boots for him to take to school as the embarrassment of the smell was awful for him! It wouldn't be so bad if they were cheap but they weren't so I'm furious!!
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my lad has total 90s to, and they stink!!we've been blaming his feet for months!!
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Like other viewers we have experienced the same problem with my son's Nike Total 90 Lasers. The trainers have been worn only twice and are have been outside for several months as we can't bear to have them in the house!
The poor cat was almost evicted before we realised that the smell was coming from the boots!
The boots were bought whilst on holiday in Florida. I'm keen to find out what action we should take to get them replaced
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I am so glad that my son's feet are not the problem here, as we have decided to leave his nike trainers and boots in the garage due to the disgusting stench! His trainers are only a few weeks old and worn only a handful of times but dont have the receipt now so not sure of my rights?
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We bought my son the mercurial vapor - and soon they started living up to their name!yep...catwee vapor.They were quickly banished to the garage. At least he keeps running on the pitch to escape the smell. Perhaps it explains Ronaldos footwork too. Will now to try and exchange but wont hold my breath!
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Glad to see i'm not the only one! My sons football boots have lived in the garage for the past 2 months. We have now replaced them.I did send Nike an email after my son had worn them twice but they never responded. Unfortunately we have since lost the receipt, but do feel they should be wrapped up and sent back to enable Nike to experience the foul stench for themselves.
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My son has both Astro Turf and soft ground boots by Nike, and the poor boy has had the blame for months about the stink ! Trouble is, he can't wear any other make, so where do I stand - will they keep replacing them after wearing them a few times ?
Don't think so !
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Another cat pee victim here. I bought my son a pair of Nike T90 football boots in September 2008. He wanted Adidas Predator but because he has wide feet I presuaded him to get the T90's. Soon after I noticed that they had begun to stink and I thought that it was because they had not dried properly. Since then I have been giving the boots a regular dose of Oder-Eaters. Unfortunately yesterday he left his boots in the car and this morning 'phew!!' the smell in the car was terrible. I searched for the cause and then recalled the watchdog programme and sure enough it was the boots and the smell could be described as cats pee, but I'm not an expert! The problem is that my son really likes his boots and does not want a different make. So what do I do now. I find it difficult to believe that Nike have only had a few complaints. I think that Nike should resolve the problem and recall all the T90's that they have sold and replace with non-smelling boots or refund customers money.
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I bought my 13 year old son
Nike T90 football boots 5 weeks ago. Since playing rugby in the rain, they produced a most offensive odour. Thank you Watchdog for highlighting this problem. I will be returning
the boots to Sportsdirect for an exchange.
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I had a problem with my sons trainers also smelling, I took these trainers back to the shop like suggest in programme however the shop manager would not refund or exchange the product as he had not been aware of the issue is there anything else I can do.
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I have 8 year old twin boys who are very keen footballers, between them they have 4 pairs of Nike football trainers,at great expense! All of these smell like cat pee! I will certainly not be buying Nike trainers in the future, inspite of the moaning that they want Ronaldo trainers!
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Yes, we had the same! My husband also had a pair and they stunk. I feel really bad now that I moaned about his smelly feet ! ;-)
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My son has a pair of Nike football boots and total 90 trainers.I was amazed and relieved to see the watchdog programme this week.I thought my son had a serious odour problem with his feet.I did think it somewhat strange that they stank of tom cat urine.He will not wear anything other than nike sports shoes.How do we go about getting them changed if we do not have the receipts anymore?
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My son also had boots with this 'cats smell' problem, I tried everything to get rid of smell and failed. We had to keep them in the garage the smell was so bad.
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My stepson,has some of these trainers,i have been nag,nag,naging him for months about them,is it still ok to take them back?
Iv given him such a hard time, i feel very sorry for him,maybe a new pear would make it up to him.
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Just thought id let everyone know that if you dont have receipt for your smellys then there is light at the end of the tunnel!. I contacted Nike H/Q on 01914016453. Eventually I spoke to a consumer advisor and they were very helpful.They also stated that to return your shoes to the shop you would have needed reciept.As we didnt have the reciept we gave the advisor our email and were given a reference number and told to return the trainers to the address given.(beware they ask for you to send special delivery and will not refund postage!)once they have recieved the shoes will be inspected by an external inspection team and if found to be faulty you should recieve a cheque within 7-10 days.we were lucky enough to deliver the shoes personally as i live very close to H/Q. Hope this info helps alot of peoples questions.
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Pretty disgusted about this. We've thrown out two pairs of my 10 yr old's trainers and we're onto his second pair of boots which we keep in the garage. I was blaming him too. Poor kid.
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I bought a pair of mercury trainers about a month ago. They got wet in the rain and now make my feet smell like a dirty mop.
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We purchased our daughters Nike footie boots in September and the poor cat has been blamed for the nasty smell. I have cleaned my conservatory many times thinking the cat has scented in it when all along it was my daughters football boots which are also stored in there. We are going to attempt to change them this weekend. many thanks watchdog for the info.
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i bought 2 pairs of the total 90 footwear , boots and turf trainers. i rang sports world only to be told if i had no reciept of purchase i was unable to return them . i didnt realise when i bought nike footwear they would smell of cat pee..i have now e.mailed the company to complain . hoping for sports world to refund or exchange the goods bought.
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Our 9 year old son has 2 pairs of Nikes.One pair trainers one pair football boots.They both stink.the trainers were banned from the house after he wore them twice ,the football boots were worn once before they were ousted .When we travel to football games in the car the smell is unbelieveable.We had to buy a new pair of trainers after 2 weeks of putting up with the Nikes.A complete waste of money we will not be buying Nike again.
Alan.
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My son's T90 boots smelt from day 1! Kept them in the garage, but the smell was so bad it came thru' into the house! After the programme took them back to JJB sports who were great, offered me an exchange for other goods even though I didn't have the receipt.
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both me and my friend brought our children nike total 90. with in a matter of a couple of days we too had very smelly trainers!! yes you guessed it of cats wee!!! we blamed the family cat( poor thing) now after watching watchdog we found out we werent alone SORRY CAT!!!
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My son has a pair of nike trainers and football boots. i have the receipt for the trainers, but they were bought 9 months ago. They are in good condition though, as he couldn't go anywhere in them as they smelt too bad!!! I have no receipt for the football boots, they also are in v. good condition. Has he had the trainers too long or will a refund/exchange still be given. What should i do about the boots?
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I bought my son a pair of NIKE vapours football boots in August.The other day his whole room stunck of wee. we found the trainers he had worn, and had to leave them outside and they still smell. I wonder if any one else has had any problems with these football boots.Also I would like to know if a refund is available for these.
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My son also had a pair of these trainers, he wore them twice and they stank of cat pee. My husband accused the cat next door as we had left them outside. He took them back to the shop and they exchanged them for another pair. These also started to smell after the first use. The smell is so bad the shoes have been kept outside as they make the whole room smell. We have since purchased a different pair as it was becoming unbearable.
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SORRY CAT!!!! It's not just Nike trainers though - I have had to dispose of another well known brand which did exactly the same thing - awful awful overpowering smell of cat pee. The trainers went through the wash but if anything the smell just got worse - they went out with the rubbish last week the day before Watchdog was on - if only I'd known. I wonder how many other brand names are affected by this?
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After watching watchdog I contacted Nike concerning trainers I purchased early this year with this smelly problem. They asked me to send the trainers back and they have agreed to give me a new pair. So it's worth contacting Nike direct rather than the shop where purchased. I was really impressed with their service
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My Girlfriend bought her daughter a pair of £150 Nike Mecurial II boots (nice bright orange colour to match her teams kit) They started to stink straight away after the first wear but we did not realise what it was. After blaming the cat and lots of cleaning products we found it was the boots. She loves the boots and she is the only one with them so I doubt she will swap them but I think Nikes Claim that it was a small amount of products affected in not correct (see the hundreds of posts above)
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I totally agree with all the comments i have read on the stinky trainers, i and my friend have purchased these trainers more than once. And all the time on blaming our cats,obviously the proplem is wider spread than nike are making out,
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My sons football boots cost over 100 pounds and this is not the first pair of nikes that stank either.
I have found the reciept for the football boots but cant even remember where he bought the astro turfs from,I was woundering if nike would offer his money back anyway.
my sons been getting the blame for not taking care of his boots, guess i better say sorry now
Sorry Son
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My Son bought Nike 90 Trainers in New York last year. They stank, I put them in the washing machine they stank even worse. I couldn't figure it out. I really thought it was my sons feet. He wore the trainers for Games at school and then changed into his black school trainers and when I picked him up from School my car stank, cos his socks had transferred the smell. His bedroom smelt digusting. It was a wet mauldy smell, as everyone says, like cats piss. The smell has worn off now though, so there is light at the end of the tunnel. If only we'd all known about each other a long time ago.
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My son is now wearing his 2nd pair of Nike football boots. I have 2 cats and believed they had urinated in his boots as the smell was that bad.I put them in washing machine with bottle of fab conditioner to no avail. I bought him a new pair and could not understand how the cats just seemed to want to pee in his shoes as they smelt as bad. This was after wearing the boots once.They stay outside as the smell is so strong. After watching Watchdog I glad to know I wasn't the only one with these stinky boots. I do owe my 2 cats a huge apology.I don't have receipts for this pair or the first pair but will be emailing Nike and I will offer to post the boots to them to check the smell if they don't believe me.
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I don't have a receipt for the 2 stinky pair of boots and have tried to get contact details for Nike to inform them I am not happy. When I google them it just takes me to a store. Can anyone give me contact details to actually email my complaint
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I had Nike trainers a few years ago. They were fine until I stepped in a puddle. After that, you guessed it, they stunk of cat pee and I was forced to keep them in the shed and eventually throw them away. I have not bought Nike since!
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I work in an independent shop selling football boots (fortunately not the Nikes with the problem) and would just like to point out that the smell of damp and mud is NOT the same as cat pee as I have had customers trying this one on. If they smell of cat pee then I would be prepared to do something but please remember this is not an excuse to try and return any old and used boot!
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My son bought a pair of nike total 90 football boots from [Retailer's details removed by Moderator]and also a pair of the trainers from a local family run sports shop. After seeing the programme and also speaking to the head office of [retailer's details removed] my husband took the footwear back to both shops with both receipts. The local family run sports shop exchanged the trainers without any problem but [retailer's details removed] were another story.. They have refused to change the boots even though they clearly stink of the awful cats wee! My husband asked them to call their head office who advised us that there wouldn't be any problem changing them but they refused to do this for us. My son now has to stick with these stinky boots which I believe to be totally unfair.
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My son purchased a pair of Total 90's with his birthday money. He;s 10. Delighted with his purchase new trainers on his feet. Not 2 weeks later there's the most pungent smell in the house. Not nice believe me. As we dont have a cat we found the source and threw them out,and left them out, and in the bath my son was told to go. Thinking it was his feet..... Next day same story! Couldnt bear the smell walking outside the door you got the NASTY NIFF. In the washing machine they went, whilst leaving them to dry Hey Ho the nasty niff returned. So in the garage they went. After watching watchdog found the reciept and took them back to JB sports(Liverpool) only to find not a very helpful manager who told me it wasnt these trainers NIKE had problems with. BUT he would send them of for inspection anyway.Not a happy person i agreed to this and await my response.
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Today I tried to take a pair of stinky T90 boots back to the Sports Direct store in Grantham, where we bought them for our 10 year old son. The store Manager said that ours were not part of the faulty batch and refused to refund and said we would have to conatact Nike directly. We had our receipt from the original purchase in August of this year.
My wife had already previously tried to return the stinking boots a couple of weeks after purchase, but we couldn't find the receipt. The same store manager almost laughed at my wife when she told him about the terrible stink from these boots. Without the receipt, we didn't feel we could take it any further, but having seen the Watchdog program this week and having in the meantime found the receipt, I felt a renewed vigour to pursue our complaint.
It's proving a lot more difficult than I thought to get a refund on what is obviously a defective product. I would welcome any help anyone could give.
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After reading this I have just emailed the internet site that we purchased a pair of nike mercurial football boots from as we have exactly the same problem.
Im not hopeful as we purchased the boots in March this year however they were £120.00 pounds( son used his savings) and still have plenty of wear as they have only being used for aproximately 10 games.
Two weeks ago my son played a league game in the pouring rain and guess what?- the boots absolutely stink of cat wee.
I tried washing them which of course has made the problem worse.
I suspect Nike have had this porblem for some time as I remember one of his friends some years ago having the same problem.
Also I spoke to another mum about this yesterday who told me that she d been given a pair of nike boots that had been worn a couple of times by another child .
She thought she would wash them before her son wore them and has had to throw them away as they now stink.
I think Nike should accept that this is a huge problem and that it is not simply "a few isolated cases".Nike are a recognised leader of sport equipment. Peer pressure for teengae boys demands that Nike ( and possibly Adidas) are a must therefopre nike are making huge profits out of these kids( and their poor parents)
Im really annoyed as christmas is approaching and we are probably going to have to find the money for a new pair of boots. My son is a size 11 ( despite being only 14) so these things dont come cheaply!
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we have suffered for years and i mean years, blamed the cat, then bought new pairs, same problem and just put it down to our sons having very smelly feet and put up with the awful stench, but have over the years bought other well known brands and did have the same cat wee problem but not as bad as nike footwear. SORRY CAT AND SORRY SONS for blaming you. Just wish i had returned that very first pair 10 years ago.
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I am so glad my poor son is not to blame for his stinky trainers, now i feel bad for the amount of times i accused him of not washing his feet.
I bought his total 90s from a leading catalogue company 6 months ago and have just emailed them for advice on what to do as i cannot afford to throw away £45.
I have been putting up with the smell all this time, because i couldnt afford to replace them, and blaming him.
I tried odour eaters,essensial oils,washing them and using a leading fabric freshener to no avail, i dont suppose nike will refund the cost of those too.(joke)
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I also bought 2 pairs of the Total 90 trainers one for my son and the other for my daughter back in Aug, well after 1 use they stank to high heaven. My conclusion was they must have got wet and as they are made from plastic this probably was the norm, they were then put in the garage as I could'nt stand them being in the house. I even bought deodorizer insoles for them and wash one pair 3 times to my dismay this didn't change a thing, I could even smell them when the children had them on I was so embarrassed. I had mentioned this to two shops and all they did was laugh and say oh well, after the trainers appeared on watchdog I returned one pair back to the retailer and got them exchanged but was initially told I had to show proof of purchase this I could not do as I had destroyed the receipt in my mind who keeps receipts for ever, evenually I found a kind member of staff who was happy to exchange them, I am taking the second pair back this week.
I would like to know why manufacturer's don't make many leather pairs of simular trainers, when replacing these smelly one's we only had a choice of two pairs of astro trainer's in leather to choose from this is unbelievable, my children get fed up with me saying you need leather ones really but with fashion as it is I feel I have to back down and allow them to have what they like.
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My son purchased nike trainers on line, my god do they stink, no comeback as they were bought on line and he does not have the receipt
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My 14 year old son has a pair of Total 90's that he has worn for alot of matches, when a foul smell started to wift out of his kit bag we couldnt figure out how the shoes could smell like cat pee. This was a long while before the Watchdog report on the shoes, so it never occured to me that it would be a wide spread problem and i just thought it must be something hed done like leaving them in the bag while damp, even after the show i wouldnt consider taking them back as they have been worn alot even though they are not old and i cant see the store doing anything about it so my question is where's the compensation as there not cheap boots is anyone going to get there money back or a new pair ,if you'd want some that is.
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my husbands got nike TN and his after a few wears started to smell of cat pee i told him to keep his shoes near the back door i cant blame any cat as i havent got one.
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My sons trainers also have this smell, but they are not Nike, they are [Company details removed by Moderator]. We dont even have a cat, so the smell really confused me. Could it be the same problem as the Nike trainers????
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I have just watched the report in smelly trainers. I have also had the same problem but with [Company details removed by Moderator] trainers, after talking to some freinds about it they have also had the same problem with this brand.
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we had the same problem with my son's nike trainers we had them outside to air, my son's room stank of cat pee but we could not get rid of the smell. My mum suggested sprinkling the inside of the trainers with bicarbonate of soda and to my surprise this worked!!
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I have just took back two pairs of nike mercurial and two pairs of nike total 90 trainers as they all smell of cat wee. JJB St Helens only agreed that one of the four pairs had the awful smell to them and refused to exchange the other three pair. No less than three JJB staff said the other three pairs had no smell to them even though a number of other customers agreed that they all smelt of cat wee. I had also taken 10 other pairs of nike footwear to the shop which had no smell to them and did some blind tests with customers and they were all able to distinguish between the four pairs of nike footwear which smelt of cat wee and the other 10 pairs which didn't but the JJB staff STILL refused to give an exchange or refund!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Turned onto watchdog, i thought it was just my kids feet, but none of their other footwear smells. I have tried washing them and drying them on the radiator, stunk the house out, even after only 2 wears the trainers are digusting. I shall take them back and see if they will replace them
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WE'LL I BOUGHT A PAIR OF NIKE MERCURIAL AND THEY STINK AND THEY ALSO HURT MY FEET THEY GIVE ME PAINS UP MY ANCLE! I THINK FOR £45 I SHOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE NONE STINKING BOOTS AND A PAIR THAT DONT HURT MY FEET!
NOW ITS COSST ME £100 FOR PAIR THAT ARE GOOD AND DONT HURT ME!!
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my 10 yr old orange ones stink i took him to doctors as i thought it was his feet im so glad its not ....
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HEYY NIKES ARE THE WORST BOOTS THEY STINK
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i just caught the story .i had no idea my 15 year old has 2 pairs and they absolutley reek. we dont have a cat ,i thought it was of the fields iv washd them sprayed them but nothing worked.i just hope the new pair for christmas dont do the same. and i will be returning the other pairs asap.
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I agree but I think that it is not restricted to just one brand I have 2 teenage sons and over the years they worn Nike and [Brand removed by Moderator] trainers and football boots. Currently my 15 year old son wears [Brand removed by moderator] football boots and they stink of cats pee. If he leaves them in the hallway the whole house will smell like a cattery within hours. we have resorted to keeping them in the garage between matches and on school days he has to spend 5 minutes spraying them with hygiene spray before he can put them in his bag. God help the teachers that have to put up with 25 lockers smelling of cats pee.
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My husband and I had a round trip of 36 miles on Sunday past to return 2 pairs of total 90's to our Sports Direct retailer in Galashiels, Scottish Borders, we had no receipts but figured we wouldnt need them as this was not stated in last weeks programme, just as the Blog before me, the manager in this Sports Direct store said they werent the correct 'boot' type, and we didnt have proof of purchase. My husband pointed out that he could assure him they were the correct trainers if he wanted to smell them....of which he declined, so, we got knowhere. I came home and emailed Nikes head office. I am delighted with this evenings show and the statement from Nike. I cant wait to go back to Sports Direct Galashiels again and prove them wrong. Good luck with returning your smelly trainers.
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Thank god this has been recognised as a problem. I have emailed Nike twice and JJB asking about this "smell" two months ago when we first had the Mercurial football boots. They said they were Not aware of any problems!!!
Thank you watchdog. I will be taking my sons £40 boots back.
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We thought it was just us! Our sons football boots have been relegated to the garden shed because of the smell and he complains because they are damp. We had tried everything to get rid of the odour. Thank you Nike for owning up.
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I brought a pair of Nike R9 mercurial vapors before june 07 I think. I had the same problem. I took them to the Nike store ages ago and they basically told me to get lost intimating I had some wierd medical condition. I've still got the vapors but cant use them coz I live in an apartment and the smell is overwhelming.
How am I gonna get mine replaced?
Funny thing is that mine dont smell after football but only when I get them home and clean them in water
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My wife, Christine, had problems with a stinky pair of Nike trainers back in 1988. She blamed it an a neighbours cat at first but it soon became obvious what it was. She took them back to the retailer who stated that it was the adhesive used in the manufacture of the shoes and nothing could be done about it. As he was involved in the design and manufacture of one of the best known fell running shoes at that time (which were named after him), we believed him
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My son adam is a huge rugby fan and has always insisted on wearing nike toggs and trainers. This is the third pair of stinky trainers/ toggs. which smell like a tom cat has left his "calling card" allthough it is reasuring that this is indeed a design fault and not some awfull kind of oot rot!! Adam seems reluctant to take his lucky toggs back. Well hope the sales people can offer a nice replacedment or other wise they will continuse to stink the car out on a Sundayafter training, may be I should invent a boot rack for the car cause MAN THEY STINK!
At least they are not looking at me anymore signed molly the moggy.
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This is not a new problem with Nike this has been happening for years now with their trainers. Thanks goodness someone has actually spoken out about it, maybe now they will look seriously. I have three children and they rarely buy anything other than Nike. They have a responsibility to their customers. They really need to do some researh to see what is causing the problem.
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when i brought my new nike total 90 football boots summerterm last year i had a very big shock after 2 games lessons my new boots were smelling like cat wee i was wondering what it was i thourght the cat might of been weeing under my bed it turns out that it was my football boots making the horendus pong but before that my cat was getting chucked out every night i fell rather sorry for my cat and am very annoyed that these boots did not go under inspections and tests seeing whether they were tough enough to withold water because you can not expect to buy a non waterproof pair of football boots!!!! thankyou for bringing this case up watchdog
yours thankfully
[Personal details removed by Moderator]
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I recently returned a stinky pair of soccer boots to jjb sports in darlington even though i took with me a copy of your e-mail and a bank statment because I paid by Visa card in april of this and paid £34.99 but because I did not have the original receipt I was only intitled to what the actual price was in the store which was £24.99 so I had to pay an extra £10 towards the new pair even though I had been informed by a floor manager I would only get the current price which he had stated but after selecting another pair to the value of £34.99 when I went to pay for the new boots it came up with £24.99 for the ones I was exchanging now according to your programme tonight I did not need tne receipt but I did have a bank statment which they would not except it now appears because these stinky boots Im out of pocket to the tune of £44.99 for a pair of boots costing £24.99 being returned I was even told these boots were a disconnued line I thought that it was nike who was recalling these and not the retailer to be fair if I had known what the out come was I would have just kept the boots. I forgot to mention the boots were for my grandson
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oh my god! just seen trainer report, have a new kitten poor things been blamed for peeing in my daughters boots! i've even bleached them and they still stink! will be taking them back!
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Thank you so much Watchdog!! My son always tends to choose NIKE trainers and i was starting to think after all these years he had a real problem! He has got into the habit of kicking off his boots in the garage as he daren't bring them into the house! I'm relieved to know that i haven't got a smelly teenager after all and i think he is relieved also. This Saturday we will be returning his boots and choosing a diferent brand! Thank you once again
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this is not the first time this problem has occured.
some 15/20 years ago my son had the same problem with his trainers .
this was cause by the reaction between the adhesive use to glue the soles in place and the sweat from his feet
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Well done watchdog for bringing this out,just one more person who thought it was a case of next door cat got to the washing line,and even into our house,saved a few red faces and upset neighbours,,wife even used my best aftershave to kill the stink.but would also like to add-has anyone also found the build of the shoe poor,just used once aweek they have split down one side and look poor put together,granted they are about one year old ,but not abused.
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I have a pair of nike trainers and i would like to know where the nearest place to return them.My nearest shopping centre is exeter devon.
Thank you
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My son has had total 90 trainers which have stunk alarming for the last few years. I normally throw them away and buy another pair after a few months. The pair of total 90 football boots I bought last october are so disgusting they have been put in the shed, or double bagged in a box under the stairs. Cat wee is the smell but I no longer have a cat! I have my receipt and are going to attempt to take them back even though it was a year ago, because he has only worn them a dozen times at the most.
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i too bought my 9 yr old son 2 pairs of NIKE football boots 1 pair Total 90s and the other was a green pair worn by C.Ronaldo. the 1st time he wore the 90s he had washed them after use to stop them becoming mouldy, they gave of the stench of cat pee, 3 weeks later i bought him another pair of boots and they did the same thing. i managed to take the total 90s back a couple of days ago without a receipt and had no problems, but when i tryed to take the other pair back without a receipt to the shop yesterday, where i bought them both they would not give me a refund or exchange for them.
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My son has had 2 pairs of Nike total 90 trainers that smelt. I have washed them etc to remove the smell unsuccesfuly. I just happened to hear the report last night on the tv and bagged my sons smelly trainers up, this morning he went to the shop he bought them from and they refused to do anything without a receipt, it was mentioned last night that a receipt wasnt needed. Anyway he is now going to print off a bank statement in the hope that that will prove he purchased them from the shop. If not he will be stuck as he does not have the receipt anymore. Has everyone had this problem?? What is the solution??
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I am glad its not just my son football boots . i thought it was his feet .just hope i can change them for a different pair as i cant afford to by new ones this close to christmas , they are only 6 weeks old
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Just taken my sons smelly football boots back, manager said they do not stink enough.
I shall be e-mailing Nike
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I went to where i purchased my sons trainers aprox 5 months ago and was refused a exchange or refund as I did not have my receipt. Although Nike agreed that stockists would refund!!!! Really.
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Within a few days of my 9 year old wearing his Nike 90 the whole house stank of cats. We hunted for the smell never thinking that a brand new pair of boots would cause it. I tried washing them after every game (he plays for 2 teams) meaning they were getting washed at least 3 times a week but to no avail. We eventually had to resort to the boots living in the shed whilst not on his feet and putting neutrodol in his football bag when travelling to matches because the smell was so overpowering in the car.Unfortunately we haven't managed to persuade him to give up the boots as he loves them so much and have just had to persevere with pegs on our noses.
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yipeeee at least the charcoal bamboo freshners will be redundant and Sid the cat will feel he's no longer feel there's been a party of other cats near mercurial footie boots and Jordan who spends all his money on Nike boots can have a non- smelly pair cheers!!!
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My son took his bank statement in today and the shop gave him a £30 voucher, they did want him to have another pair of Total 90s saying the problem had been sorted but he was adament he did not want to. It did take soome perseverence and 30 minutes of his time and they tried to say that the smell was not bad enough (the trainers have stunk the house out!!) and they tried to say they couldnt give him the money as his bank statement did not say what he had purchased.This was his 2nd attenpt as he visited the shop yesterday. Good luck to everyone else I hope in the end everyone can get it sorted.
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my son's total 90 football boots which he has only had 2 months also smell of cats wee, we have to put them in the garage. I must say that his previous pair also smelt the same which I put down to smelly feet! Having said that his other non-nike trainers and shoes smell fine even after months and months. I will now try and take the football boots back but as I don't have a receipt I can see a battle trying to get a replacement!
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Just to let everybody know you dont need your receipt. I called a well known sports shop yesterday and they said i did need it but when i called back today apparently all sports shops have now recieved a memo informing them all boots(that were advertised on watchdog) can be returned with no receipt and a full refund will be given..hope this helps!! .
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I bought a pair of Nike trainers for my son in August to go back to school. The smell was terrible from the first wear. I've washed them, spent a fortune on odour eaters and shoe deodoriser sprays - nothing worked. He was going on tour in October half term and there was no way I could send him with those boots so I bought him a new pair - unfortunately Nike again. When he returned home from tour and put his bag in the car the smell was there - I couldn't believe it. I'm so glad I've found out that its a problem with Nike and not his feet. I have found the receipt for the 2nd pair I bought and will be returning them over the next few days and I'm going to return the first pair without the receipt (different shops) and will post here to tell you how I get on. Fingers crossed!!
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Just taken a pair of boots back to [Retailer's details removed by Moderator]in waterloovile near portsmouth they will not take them back i have even wash them so many time only got them on oct 13th has any one else had any problems with taken them back??????
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thakyou watch dog for telling us about the smelly trainers i wish every body luck in trying to get their money back i have made 3 phone calls to [Retailer's details removed by Moderator];phoned their head office and wrote to them;i have just returned from their shop tonight still no joy the manager refused the football boots back and told me not to throw watchdog at her i will carry on trying to get my money but i am runnning out of ideas
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I forgot to say I have written to Nike as we had problems returning them, I will let you know what they say when they reply
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I took the one pair of offending Nike football boots back to JJB in Cwmbran, South Wales at 9.00am today and they were absolutely brilliant. They gave me a cash refund immediately. I did have my receipt. Top marks to them. I have to take another pair back to soccer sales and unfortunately I do not have the receipt for them. So fingers crossed!!
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I have just taken my 11 year old son to change his offending nike trainers at [Retailer's details removed by Moderator],in Sturry. The supervisor told me that they smelt damp and that they was not the correct batch number? He couldn't tell me numbers so they refused to change my sons distinctive bitter, ammonia-like smell boots. He was so rude I came out the shop very unhappy!!!
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Today we followed the advice of Watchdog and Nike and took two pairs of Nike T90 astro trainers (black & lime green) belonging to our two sons back to [Retailer's details removed by Moderator]in Waterlooville. We didn?t have the receipt and we only had one original box. The staff at [Retailer's details removed by Moderator]recognised that these trainers have a problem but they didn?t think the smell was strong enough to take the trainers back. Well how do they train these people to judge the smell? What if they are smokers (which we aren?t) and their sense of smell is dulled by their habit? Great customer care, I think not. The old saying that the customer is always right has never been as important as it should be in the current economic climate where customers are going to be very careful where they spend each and every pound. When we came out of the [Retailer's details removed by Moderator]Sports shop we rang the nearest Nike shop and they asked us to give them the code under the tongue which we did and they confirmed that this pair of boots was in fact affected by the offending smell problem and they told us we could return them to their shop. Why didn?t the [Retailer's details removed by Moderator]staff check this code and then graciously accepted them back? [Retailer's details removed by Moderator]service is like these trainers. It stinks.
However, Nike could only offer a similar pair that actually cost £10 less than the pair we bought. They explained that this was because they are an outlet shop ? and I presume they must sell them cheaper. However, they no longer stock this model of trainer.
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I have taken my son's footy boots back to JJB sports. I still had the receipt from over a year ago. The poor sales girl had the job of smelling the boots, 1 whiff and she nearly paid me double to take them back home!!! Had a refund no problem at all and was told to bring in old trainers aswell. Very pleased.
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Well for a so called small amount of smelly football boots may i just say there are alot of us on here. My daughter has stupidly bought not one but 2 pairs of these football boots the first pair she bought i totaly banned her from bringing them into the house, we dont have any cats but the smell was just awfull i use to dread bringing her home from football training we had to drive home with the windows open, she tried to wash them, and even left lemons in them for a week another girl at football had the same trainers and was suffering with the same smell, no one would stand near them lol. so enough was enough of she went with her money and bought another pair same boots differant colour within days the smell was back, i am now going to send her back to the shop and try for a refund then there will be a total ban on these football boots in my house.
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i bought a pair of nike total 90s for my nephew he had them on for few days when we started to get a smell of cat wee on them. We were watching your programme and realized many people that bought these trainers had this problem,We then went on to contact the shop we bought them from they assured us they would replace the trainers without receipt i went up today 28.11.08 and the man in the shop was very rude and would not replace them, i then went home to speak to my mother and she called the shop again were they stated that they would replace them again without receipt so on i went again back to inverness to get the smelly trainers replaced were another rude man which was the manager refused to replace the trainers. i dont know what to do now could you help me please
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I bought nike trainers for my son in april of this year and after wearing them once i noticed a terrible cat-wee smell, i have tried different methods to try and get rid of the smell but to no avail, he has only worn them a few times because the smell is disgusting, the name on the trainers is [Personal details removed by Moderator]
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Ref my previous comment no. 281, we went to the local Nike Factory Store and they gave us a refund of the full purchase price, without a receipt, and they didn't even sell the trainers to us originally. A big well done to Nike and their staff, excellent service. The staff at Nike accepted that the trainers had the distinctive smell
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Hi, have just tried to return my son's smelly total 90 football boots only to be told they are not the ones affected, is there a list of batch/model numbers available to check against. Help please
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thank goodness its not just me!!! my sons trainers nike 90s absolutely stink of cats wee ,after wearing once it started couldnt believe it was his feet because all his other shoes dont smell..so couldnt understand it,have tried everything but cant get rid of smell,have resorted to wrapping in two carrier bags and leaving outside ...still geta whiff as i walk by though.am going to try and return to sports direct
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Took my sons very stinky trainers back yesterday (no receipt /and 1 year old.) exchanged them with no trouble at all! Couldn't believe it was so easy. Really happy!!
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i work at JJB and the amount of people that are returning their boots is unreal. Nike have got it all wrong. They have not arranged it with the retailers to take the faulty boots back. It is not the retailers fault we only buy the merchandise from Nike, the fault is not our fault. When customers return them we have to return them to our warehouse not to Nike. Head office and customer services for JJB have now informed the managers only to refund if the customer has the receipt. Which is company policy, anything else is at the managers discretion. The smell is very distinct and the staff know what the smell is. I would advice you not to kick off at the staff because it makes it worse as you are less likely to get a refund or exchange as local stores inform each other! If i was you i would only take back the boots if you have the receipt or take them directly to Nike to avoid disappointment.
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My son had the smelly trainers too. Although they smelt of cat pee my husband said it was mould. We washed them but they still smelt. We soaked them in hot water with bleach added for a couple of hours and the smell has gone completely, and they look like new. I threw the insoles away just in case they were part of the problem and put some new ones in and had no problems since.
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i took mine back [Retailer's details removed by Moderator]. the manager accepted that they smelt. i didnt have a reciept soo all i could get was 99 pounds worth of vouchers
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over-reaction. I have 2 pairs of nike mercurial vapours (boots, pine green and rosa berry) i wore the newest ones to football and being pink they were the talk of the dressing room. Then one lad pointed out he'd heard that they have a strange cat-pee like smell. I'd noticed a smell on the boots when i opened them and could make the resemblance. I passed them around and everyone else just thought they smelled new. My boots had this "smell" before they were even worn, and now (after 3 wears) the smell is pretty much gone. It is simply certain materials used (this is obvious as it is only the outside that their is a "smell" and not the inside of the shoe) These materials are used specifically, either to make the boot stronger or in the mecurials case, lighter. This is nothing to do with moisture or rot. The only chance of your shoes rotting is if you expose them to alot of water (eg machine washing them) and common sense tells you you shouldn't machine wash shoes of any kind, for one it ruins the shape and may damage the materials, always hand wash them! Some of these comments seem far fetched - "their friends wouldn't stand near them in training... you could smell them from down the street... our daughter has owned 6 pairs and they all stink..." if they smell so bad, why would you keep buying them? regardless of the smell they are (in my opinion) very good boots. i paid 120 pound for each pair, they are extremely comfortable and I'm sure if they were that bad the likes of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn't be wearing them. I'm sure a slight smell (which as i said in my casee went after 3 wears) is a small price to pay for such a great football boot, after all - they're going on your feet!
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my daughter and i took back my grandsons total 90s and his mercurials and we were told that we had to have a receipt, bank or credit card statement as proof of purchase, but if you do not have the receipt how can you prove purchase if you paid cash? the girl on the till said "that this was company policy and without proof there is nothing they can do"
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it seems that the shops are not listening to what their suppliers are telling them or purhaps they just don't want the mither.
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To Lix-07 OVER-REACTION?? You must be having a laugh. I can assure you the smell is like nothing on earth and the trainers were impossible to keep in the house. It's not just a normal smell and clearly your Nike trainers do not have this defect or you'd be on here complaining like the rest of us. I suggest you find a shop where they've taken a pair back and take a good long sniff. WE ARE NOT OVER-REACTING.
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I have had the same stinky problem, but this was with [Brand removed by Moderator] lace-up shoes. They were fine for about a year and then the pong became unbearable. I blamed all sorts of things for the catty smell. I bleached the soles (the area that stank), but it would return within a few minutes. Are the manufacturers now using a different material for this type of footwear? I had to bin them, but the odour remained in the garage where I was forced to keep them.
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Total 90 trainers stink, still have receipt bought in august 08 thought it was my sons feet lol. Washed them smell still there.
Called [Retailer's details removed by Moderator]and girl told me yes fault with trainers but because I have washed them in machine have voided the guarantee. Contacted Consumer Direct who said thought they would say this.
[Retailer's details removed by Moderator]do not like to swap or refund or reply to emails.
Consumer Direct stated that as part of the "Sale of goods Act" the trainers were faulty before I bought them regardless of washing them in the machine.
Still fighting with them.
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I have 2 pairs of Nike Mercurials and 1 pair of T90's with the most appalling smell as highlighted on watchdog, but when i returned them to a high street retailer i was told they were not on the 'list' of boots they were taking back and they didnt smell bad enough. They smell soooo bad they have to be kept in the garage and i am sure if the manager of the store had them in his house he would not agree with himself!
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Earlier this year I sadly had to throw away my pair of Rebok trainers, I have had them since I was 15 (I'm almost 30 now!). I had to persued my mum to spend £30 on them which I thought was justified as I did several hours of sports in them every day, I would also do team practices after school in them and run five miles cross country a day in them as I was a part of the Surrey Team. On leaving school I continued my running and still go twice a day, my trainers had been through a lot, mud rain and many years of exessive use. I finally wore through the rubber soles of them earlier this year and decided that they needed replacing. They were replaced with a pair of Nike trainers (grey ones not sure of the name)the first morning I wore them there was a little dew on the grass in the park, when I took my trainers off when I got back the stench of cat pee from them was incredible!The smell persisted and got stronger after I put them through the washing machine, a few weeks after that they rapidly started to disintegrate. The faux sweud covering of the trainers started to come apart and then the soles of the trainers started to come away, this is not the kind of quality one would expext from a reptuable make. It was the first time I had ever purchased a nike product I do not think that I will be buying Nike again!
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My nephew has a pair of MV football boots and a pair of T90 trainers, both of which have a very distinctive whiff of cat wee and have to be kept in the garage. Having tried to return them to the original retailer, my sister was told that they didn't smell enough and the football boots were the wrong type. Our 'local' Nike outlet is a considerable distance away and I have had difficulty in finding contact details to make a complaint to Nike directly. If anyone can help I would be grateful, in the meantime I hope that all of these complaints will force Nike and the retailers to reconsider the extent of this problem and make the return of these shoes easier.
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I brought my son's Nike T90 trainers back to the store where I purchaased them at but had lost my receipt. I was under the impression that you could get a full refund even without a receipt but my local store informed me that they were only willing to give me a Gift card with the full amount.
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