Website parades as official online Panthers store

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Businesses are trying to cash in on Panthers pride, but some are lying to do it by pretending to be tied to the team, officials said.

Pam Hudspeth wanted a jersey, so she went online and came across the Panthers Jersey website. The company claims that it's the official online store of the Panthers and even has the team's logo, but it's not tied to the team. The only official store is Shop.Panthers.com.

There is only one official online store for the Panthers, and any other company claiming to be the official one isn't telling the truth.

"I'm sure that since our Panthers are having a winning year, there are lots of other people out there being deceived besides just myself," Hudspeth said. "Disappointing is an understatement."

The company shipped Hudspeth a Luke Kuechly jersey, but the "Keep Pounding" lettering in the collar is uneven, the stitching around Kuechly's name on the back is wrong and the shirt's size was wrong.

It said woman's XL, but it is considerably smaller than an official woman's XL jersey.

Hudspeth joked that at least "Kuechly" is spelled right.

"It's just awful. There's no way these people should be getting away with that," she said. "I mean, it's horrible."

Action 9 spoke with another customer who said she also felt tricked. She said the name patch on the back of her Cam Newton jersey wasn't cut straight.

The website also has the Better Business Bureau's logo, implying that it is in good standing with the BBB.

But the BBB said it can't find the company in a BBB directory based on its Web address, and it can't find the company in the BBB directory by its phone number.

The BBB logo on the website is not a dynamic logo, which means that when you click on the BBB logo, you should be directed to the company’s BBB business review.

Action 9 emailed the company last week to ask why it's claiming to be the official online store, but the company hasn't responded.

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