I heard a news story about L.L. Bean's return policy a few years back- it was pretty incredible. But all good things must come to an end...
L.L. Bean has always been known for having one of the most generous return policies of any company, but that’s about to change, and you can blame customers for it.
The 106-year-old company has always offered a 100% satisfaction guarantee on their products, meaning they could return things at any time, but it seems a growing number of people have been abusing L.L.Bean’s generosity. According to the company, in the past five years, returns of products that have been destroyed, or even ones purchased from third-party sellers or retrieved from the garbage, have doubled, so now they are imposing some restrictions.
The company will still accept returns for any reason, but they are now imposing a one-year limit from time of purchase, and people must show proof of purchase. If a product has a manufacturing defect though, they’ll still take it back past the one-year timeframe.
While you may expect customers to be up in arms over the change, a survey finds that 85% are actually okay with the update. “It was bound to happen," one Montana resident said. "It doesn't change my opinion of the company at all. I understand why're they're doing it."
Check out L.L. Bean’s announcement below...