Wrexham have released a statement apologising to fans after the sale of their new kit was hit by technical problems.
The Welsh club have seen a huge surge in interest following the takeover by Hollywood celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and a Disney+ documentary about the team. They have been promoted back to the Football League and supporters are desperate to buy the new shirt for the 2023/24 campaign.
The new home shirt is available for pre-order for between £39.95 and £54.95 on the Wrexham club shop. But those trying to snap up the kit on Monday encountered issues as the club’s servers struggled to cope with the demand.
Fans reported being charged for more than they had ordered, while others couldn’t even access the website. Meanwhile, the huge demand has prompted some people to try and take advantage by re-selling shirts on eBay for £179.99.
“We understand the frustrations of supporters who have been trying to buy shirts this morning,” Wrexham said in a statement. “The shop website’s servers were set to cope with an increased capacity of orders compared to last season, but demand outstripped this further and we have been working with our web providers this morning to remedy this as much as possible.”
A Twitter account called Canadian Red Dragons tweeted: “I went to order a single kit. Somehow ordered two. Charged for six. Now I have $776 on hold in my account... Send help.”
Another fan replied: “I reckon I’m getting charged more than once I tried five times!” Another wrote: “I tried stupid amount of times. Was about to throw my phone at the wall. F***ing hell nearly gave myself a hernia from the moves I was doing in frustration”.
The club promised refunds for those fans who have been charged for more than they ordered. Those who encountered problems have been encouraged to email the club to organise refunds.
The club added: “As we continue to grow, and in order to meet this demand, we will continue to learn and improve our systems. Further stock will be ordered where shirts are selling out, and we urge all supporters to buy through official channels.
“We have put restrictions in place to limit the opportunity for re-sale and will be monitoring all multiple purchases to reduce this further. Individuals trying to re-sell shirts for a vastly inflated price on other sites are an unwelcome by-product of our growth in popularity, but will not succeed if supporters stick to official channels only.”
Wrexham are playing pre-season friendlies in the USA against Chelsea in North Carolina on July 19 and Manchester United in San Diego on July 26 ahead of the start of their League Two campaign in August.
