L.L. Bean, Citing Abuse, Tightens Its Generous Policy on Returns
- 6 years ago
L.L. Bean, Citing Abuse, Tightens Its Generous Policy on Returns
Anyone who says they won’t shop at Beans anymore because of this change isn’t the kind of customer you want anyway.”
But Jen Tedesco, a homemaker in upstate New York, said she was “really disappointed” with L. L. Bean
and what she said was a “one size fits all, super-stringent policy that is going to alienate customers.”
She said her family, which includes three children, was willing to spend more at L. L. Bean than at Walmart or Target
because of the expectation that the products would last longer.
The purveyor of outdoor products, famous for its 100 percent satisfaction guarantee, said
that a growing number of customers had abused the policy by treating it as a “lifetime product-replacement program.” The retailer will immediately begin enforcing stricter rules for shoppers seeking to exchange items or obtain or get refunds.
Shawn O. Gorman, L. L. Bean’s executive chairman and a great-grandson of Leon Leonwood Bean, the company’s founder, wrote in the post
that the changes would affect a small percentage of returns and would have “no impact for the vast majority” of customers.
A former L. L. Bean employee, Jessica Pikowski, confirmed Mr. Gorman’s view that many customers had abused the returns policy.
The retail industry had $3.5 trillion in sales last year, with 10 percent of that, or $351
billion, lost to returns, according to a report from the research firm Appriss Retail.
Anyone who says they won’t shop at Beans anymore because of this change isn’t the kind of customer you want anyway.”
But Jen Tedesco, a homemaker in upstate New York, said she was “really disappointed” with L. L. Bean
and what she said was a “one size fits all, super-stringent policy that is going to alienate customers.”
She said her family, which includes three children, was willing to spend more at L. L. Bean than at Walmart or Target
because of the expectation that the products would last longer.
The purveyor of outdoor products, famous for its 100 percent satisfaction guarantee, said
that a growing number of customers had abused the policy by treating it as a “lifetime product-replacement program.” The retailer will immediately begin enforcing stricter rules for shoppers seeking to exchange items or obtain or get refunds.
Shawn O. Gorman, L. L. Bean’s executive chairman and a great-grandson of Leon Leonwood Bean, the company’s founder, wrote in the post
that the changes would affect a small percentage of returns and would have “no impact for the vast majority” of customers.
A former L. L. Bean employee, Jessica Pikowski, confirmed Mr. Gorman’s view that many customers had abused the returns policy.
The retail industry had $3.5 trillion in sales last year, with 10 percent of that, or $351
billion, lost to returns, according to a report from the research firm Appriss Retail.