L.L. Bean Inc. has recently come under fire for changes it made to its popular lifetime warranty policy. In fact, customers are so upset with the changes that one even went so far as to file a breach of warranty lawsuit against the company. The lawsuit was filed by loyal customer Victor Bondi earlier this month in Chicago federal court and “seeks class-action status.” But why exactly is Bondi upset with the changes? Why file a lawsuit?For starters, Bondi's lawsuit argues:“The warranty, promising that there are ‘no conditions’ and there is ‘no end date’ has been a core component of L.L. Bean’s marketing and has been emblazoned prominently on many L.L. Bean catalog covers...The warranty was a basis of the bargain with the sale of L.L. Bean products. Because of L.L. Bean’s unilateral refusal to honor its warranty, plaintiff and the other class members were harmed, and have been deprived of the benefit of the bargain.”Bondi isn't the only one upset with the recent changes, however. In fact, the policy change “drew mixed reactions from customers, who either blamed those who abused the policy for ruining it for everyone or blamed the company for reneging on its promises.”

L.L. Bean Logo; image courtesy of
L.L. Bean, Inc. via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org

How has L.L. Bean responded to the complaints and allegations, though? Well, so far representatives for the Freeport, Maine-based company stepped forward in the company's defense, saying “its lifetime returns policy was never meant to be an infinite replenishment method.” They added that “L.L. Bean determined that about 15 percent of all recent returns were abusive, a rate that had doubled over the past five years.” The company also claims those abusive returns cost it a lot of money, about $250 million over the last five years, to be precise.In a letter to customers, L.L. Bean Chairman Shawn Gorman said:“Increasingly, a small but growing number of customers has been interpreting our guarantee well beyond its original intent...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.”Regarding the pending lawsuit, representatives of the company “didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.”But what is L.L. Bean, and why is it so popular among customers? For those who don't know, L.L. Bean, a retail store that specializes in selling outdoor clothing and recreation equipment, has grown in popularity over recent years in large part due to customers developing “a liking for the outdoor label’s roomy duffel bags and sturdy duck boots.” The lifetime returns policy certainly didn't hurt the store's popularity, and now that it's gone, it will be interesting to see how many of the company's loyal customers stick around.

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L.L. Bean sued for ditching its beloved return policyIllinois man, unhappy that L.L. Bean ended lifetime return policy, sues