SAM Thompson’s telly golden boy image is being threatened by furious reviews from customers of his sunglasses range, it has been reported.
Insiders have alleged to the Daily Mail that Sam, 33, is facing a barrage of accusations of “appalling” customer service from unimpressed punters.
Insiders claim Sam Thompson is at risk of besmirching his golden boy reputation, thanks to complaints about his sunglasses business Credit: Rex
The brand was launched with the help of Sam’s celebrity pals – such as Pete Wicks and his former MIC co-stars – who promoted the products on social media Credit: Instagram / samthompsonuk
I’m A Celebrity winner Sam co-founded Dinelli Eyewear three years ago.
The brand was launched with the help of Sam’s celebrity pals – such as Pete Wicks and his former MIC co-stars – who promoted the products on social media.
Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter
Thank you!
Plugged as “affordable… premium-quality [glasses], for whatever the weather“, the shades go for between £60-£100.
According to the publication, however, a barrage of customers have been left far from impressed – citing poor quality and “appalling” customer service as the main reasons for this.
TRAPPED TALITHA
Sam Thompson’s DJ girlfriend ‘trapped on train’ in scorching heat
SAM-THING’S UP
Sam Thompson’s inner circle’s secret whispers about new girlfriend Talitha
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! winner Sam, 33, co-founded Dinelli Eyewear three years ago Credit: Rex
Sam’s nice guy image has, despite a series of public romantic dramas with fellow reality personalities, largely remained pristine Credit: Getty
Returns and refunds are seemingly the biggest downfalls, with customers finding the process unhelpful and arduous.
Customers are required to email the team if they wish to return a product, and reportedly often don’t get a reply.
The procedure requires buyers to send back their products, paying for postage out of their own pockets, and wait a lengthy time for the return to be credited back to them.
Disgruntled customers have told the Daily Mail that an attempt to return a pair of shades that “looked nothing like the image she saw online when she bought them” turned into a saga as she waited for the company’s “permission” to be issued a refund.
The customer in question claims she was met with a “standoffish” response when she asked for a refund, and after sending the product back via pricy 48-hour post, she is yet to get her money back, weeks later.
The company’s refund policy states they will let customers know “once we’ve received and inspected your return, and let you know if the refund was approved or not”.
Yet Dinelli Trustpilot page is littered with one-star reviews, amongst occasional glowing write-ups.
The Jattvibe has approached Sam’s representatives for comment.
Sam’s nice guy image has, despite a series of public romantic dramas with fellow reality personalities, largely remained pristine.
The chummy kid brother of Louise Thompson left MIC in 2021, and has gone on to forge a successful career on a string of other TV and radio shows.
His much-exagerrated bromance with Pete Wicks – whom he bonded with when they were both cast on Celebs Go Dating – has spawned a popular podcast called Staying Relevant.
Yet Sam’s branching into commercial ventures is not sitting well with fans, who have slammed the sunglasses venture for “fooling buyers with celebrity endorsement” as well as being “poor quality and overpriced”.
Sam – who came in third place on Celebrity Big Brother in 2017, losing out to late Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding – also met his current girlfriend through the shades business, when she was hired as a model.
Talitha Balinska, 26, is now in a relationship with the star following his shock split from Love Island‘s Zara McDermott, 29, in 2024, which saw her couple up shortly after with One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson.
