The Dallas Cowboys apologized Friday for a backlog in filling online orders of jerseys and other merchandise that left some customers without Christmas gifts.
"This has been the biggest and busiest year in team history," said Cowboys spokesman Joe Trahan. "Hundreds of additional workers were hired."
He acknowledged some customers did not receive their orders from the Cowboys Pro Shop in time for Christmas and said the team expected the backlog to be fixed by next week.
The Cowboys said any customers who have experienced problems can email the team at cservice@dallascowboys.net.
Melanie Devine, of Euless, for one, said she ordered a Jason Witten jersey in early December for her 90-year-old mother in El Paso.
"She'll watch him every single time they're on TV," Devine said.
So for Christmas, she decided to buy her mom a Witten jersey online.
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"There was nothing that said it was back-ordered, so I was real excited," she said. "I told the whole family, 'I got the jersey, everything is good.'"
But the $100 jersey never arrived by the time she had to leave to visit her mother, she said.
"I was calling their customer service number 10 times, 15 times at least," Devine said.
Nobody answered and repeated messages went unreturned, she said.
Devine did manage to find another Witten jersey at a store at the last minute, so all was not lost.
"Best Christmas present ever," she said.
When she returned from the holidays, the package from the Cowboys had arrived.
Now, she wants to return it, but still can't get hold of anyone to get return instructions, she said.
"Never reached a real person, ever," she said.
And she's hardly alone.
"This isn't right. It doesn't reflect well on the Cowboys," she said.
Even with the delay, Devine said she remains a fan.
"They're not America's team. They're my team," she bragged.
