Sam Thompson Faces Backlash for Poor Customer Service

Over the years he has weathered nasty breakups and cheating scandals, but now is facing a new crisis, as the sunglasses firm he co-founded has been plunged in to customer chaos.

Dinelli Eyewear was launched to much fanfare three years ago with the star’s celebrity friends roped in to help boost sales and promote the business.

But the Daily Mail can reveal while Sam’s famous pals have been championing his glasses range across social media and at events, everyday customers are furious over the poor quality of his products and the disappointing service they’ve received – particularly where returns and refunds are concerned.

While most businesses with an online presence these days offer a seamless return process, often generating a label for the customer to send the unwanted items back, Dinelli insists on its customers emailing first in order to obtain a refund.

Then if they are lucky enough to receive a reply without having to endlessly follow up, they’re given an address and instructed to sort the postage by themselves, therefore burdened with the extra cost.

One female client of Sam’s tells me that she has waited almost two weeks for a refund on a pair of sunglasses which, she claims, looked nothing like the image she saw online when she bought them. This, despite Sam’s business promising ‘affordable... premium-quality [glasses], for whatever the weather’ on its sleek website where the products sell for between £60 and £100.

She says: ‘The glasses I thought I was ordering were not what turned up on my doorstep. I thought it was strange I had to send them an email basically asking their permission for a refund. They were incredibly hard to get a hold of.

‘When I did get to speak to someone, they were a bit standoffish with me when I voiced my frustration at the drawn-out process, it’s just not what I expected from customer service.

‘I sent the glasses back by 48-hour tracked post and I still have not had a refund.’

This contravenes Dinelli’s own return policy, which states they will notify customers ‘once we’ve received and inspected your return, and let you know if the refund was approved or not’.

Dinelli insists a full refund is being processed and ‘all correspondence was answered within our standard 48-hour working day response timeframe’.

But so unhappy is the customer, she says she will never buy from the brand again. ‘I only bought them because they genuinely looked cool and obviously with it being Sam’s company I thought they would be great.’

To make matters worse for Sam, 33, the business’s Trustpilot page suggests this is not a unique customer experience. Among rare but glowing five-star reviews, the site is littered with one-star reviews and complaints, many alleging they too were ‘ignored’ when asking for refunds.

Another common issue among disgruntled many Dinelli customers is they claim the sizing of the frames is too small and doesn’t match the product images.

One customer publicly vented on TrustPilot: ‘When I wanted to return for a refund they didn’t respond which is absolutely appalling to be honest. Don’t be fooled by the celebrity endorsement – poor-quality, overpriced sunglasses.’

Another shared their unfortunate story: ‘My boyfriend ordered some glasses which sadly did not suit, we have tried to contact them regarding the refund multiple times via email and online chat with no luck. We returned the item but received it back as it was undeliverable to the address provided as “they were away”. We are now out of pocket, unable to contact them as we are being ignored and extremely disappointed. Would give 0 stars if I could. Avoid.’

A Dinelli spokesman said: ‘We take every customer enquiry seriously and are committed to delivering a responsive, professional service to our growing community. Since launching three years ago, Dinelli has established a strong and loyal customer base. We greatly value customer feedback and continually review our processes to maintain the highest possible standard of service.’

A senior PR source, who looks after personal publicity for celebrities, tells me the issues could impact Sam’s personal brand, considering he uses his platform to sell the glasses.

‘It all comes down to trust,’ they say. ‘Sam has a good reputation and is well-liked, so people do expect a lot from him.

‘By letting down his customers, some of whom are fans, he is breaking that trust.’

After his debut on Made In Chelsea in 2013 made him a household name, Sam has appeared on other reality shows such as Celebrity Big Brother in 2017 and achieved even greater fame thanks to ITV casting him on I’m A Celebrity in 2023. He was crowned King of the Jungle after his bubbly personality won over viewers.

Dinelli is not just a business venture for Sam, it also brought him the love of his life following his split from Zara McDermott in 2024: Talitha Balinska.

The 26-year-old DJ and music producer had been modelling for Dinelli and they grew close after Zara, 29, ended her relationship with Sam.

He confirmed their romance last December and sweetly told Talitha he’s ‘in love’ with her in February, confessing to his friend Pete Wicks he’d ‘known for a bit’ but struggled to tell her.

Zara, who had dated Sam for five years and previously admitted being unfaithful to him, has since moved on with former One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson.

Earlier this year he was asked live on Hits Radio how he felt about Zara moving on with Louis, 34.