We have given them a lot of business, and they show no appreciation.'' Bean, and this letter Gorman sent is an insult to me and thousands of other customers,’’ Taylor, an accountant, said in an email sent to USA TODAY. Bean customer who lives outside Boston, was also angered by the shift. Bean customer Victor Bondi, said the retailer 'must provide corrective notice to all potential customers about the change.'' Bean shoppers will have just one year to return a product and must show proof of purchase, though the company will try to resolve issues beyond the one-year time frame if an item is defective.Ī suit filed in Chicago federal court says the outdoor goods company's 'repudiation of the warranty is a violation of the law.' The complaint, filed by L.L. Bean's open-ended guarantee, seeking refunds for old, worn-out products and items picked up at yard sales. 9 that “a small but growing number’’ were taking advantage of L.L. The company's executive chairman, Shawn Gorman, said in a letter to customers Feb. Bean to change a policy that had been its hallmark since 1912. It was returns of a different stripe that drove L.L. 'Abuse is not widespread. We treat our customers with respect, and we get the same in return.' Yard sale returns The company has 'no plans to change our policy,'' says spokesman J.J. Patagonia, which counts preserving the environment as part of its mission, also recycles items and will buy back and clean products that are still in good shape, putting them up for sale on its site.

Outdoor clothing and gear seller Patagonia touts its “ironclad guarantee.’’ Though it will charge a small fee to fix items damaged from regular wear and tear, the company will take back items years after they were purchased, attempt to repair them and if it decides that the item is worn out and can't be fixed, it will talk with the shopper about replacing it or receiving a gift credit. The upscale retailer has never sold tires. Nordstrom, which also puts no time limit on returns or exchanges, once honored the claim of a customer in Fairbanks, Alaska, who brought back a set of tires he'd bought from another business that had been on that physical site before Nordstrom. The company, whose policy states that a dissatisfied customer can return a purchase at any time, isn't just talking about offering a refund for a lunch box or replacing a pair of snow boots. 'It is unconditional, and it’s part of how we do business.’’

“Our policy is guaranteed period, and we mean every word,'' says Michele Casper, spokeswoman for outerwear retailer Lands' End.

Yet several retailers - Lands' End, Eddie Bauer, Nordstrom, Patagonia - to name a few - are holding firm. More: Troubled Lands End gets a new leader Sticking with guarantees Bean drops its unlimited lifetime return policy Bean customer sues company for changing legendary returns policy 'I think it was a sincere way that sellers inspired confidence in their products in the minds of prospective purchasers,’’ says Edgar Dworsky, founder and editor of Consumer World, an online consumer education site and resource guide. But today, lifetime guarantees, from open-ended return policies to unending warranties, 'are a dying breed.'' And with competitive pressures only rising, companies don't want to bear the costs of endlessly replacing an array of dated products. Such lifelong guarantees are increasingly becoming casualties of an era of disposable products and fast-changing fashion. 'Part of the reason is that retailers are very cost-conscious and have become increasingly concerned about the amount of abuse associated with lifetime guarantees,'' says Neil Saunders, managing director of the retail consultancy GlobalData. And car maker Chrysler, as well as jewelry maker Silpada, have also pared back open-ended policies. Membership warehouse retailer Costco began limiting its lifetime returns policy to just 90 days for certain major electronics like TVs and computers. its promises.”īean follows outdoor gear and clothing retailer REI, which dropped its lifetime guarantee in 2013. Bean said that in the wake of increasing abuse, it was putting a cap on its legendary open-ended pledge, limiting most returns to one year - a move that prompted outrage and at least one lawsuit by a customer who said the company was now “breaking. More retailers are changing once-generous return policies. Lifetime guarantees were thrust into the forefront last month when L.L. Some lifetime guarantees last longer than others.Ī small minority of shoppers who have returned items salvaged from yard sales or purchased decades ago to get an upgraded version or a cash refund have left some retailers saying enough is enough.

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