L.L. Bean Is Ending Its Famous Lifetime Return Policy
For over a century, L.L. Bean has been famous with shoppers for its return policy ... until now. The retailer announced on Friday that it was putting a stop to the policy, which let people return any item, for any reason, even if they had it for years.
The reason for the change? People abusing the system. The company wrote in a Facebook post that too many people took advantage of their leniency. Some people would pick up L.L. Bean products at yard sales or Goodwill, then bring them back to the store, and others would return their items every year to exchange them for the latest versions.
"Increasingly, a small, but growing number of customers has been interpreting our guarantee well beyond its original intent," they wrote. "Some view it as a lifetime product replacement program, expecting refunds for heavily worn products used over many years. Others seek refunds for products that have been purchased through third parties, such as at yard sales."
A Letter to Our Customers,Since 1912, our mission has been to sell high-quality products that inspire and enable...
Posted by L.L.Bean on Friday, February 9, 2018
Going forward, L.L. Bean customers will have one year after buying an item to return it, and you have to have proof of purchase. After one year, the company said it will "work with customers to reach a fair solution if the product is defective in any way."
Leon Leonwood Bean, L.L. Bean's founder, is credited with launching the policy when 90 of his first 100 hunting shoes were returned. He earned goodwill by returning customers' money, and he came back with a better boot. Thus the satisfaction guarantee was born.
But in 2018, executives at the company say their return policy just wasn't sustainable for their business anymore. "The numbers are staggering," Steve Smith, the company's CEO, told The Associated Press. "It's not sustainable from a business perspective. It's not reasonable. And it's not fair to our customers." Over the last five years, L.L. Bean lost $250 million on returned items that were so low quality, they had to be destroyed rather than donated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Good Housekeeping on Instagram.
