L.L.Bean (finally) Truncates its Guarantee

[harley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover That's good logic. I'll ask DW to buy an extra high quality suit to bury me in.

I recently bought a suit for a wedding. Before I handed the card over I made DW swear that if I go first she would never bury me in a suit.

[zinger1457]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover I have to agree. While Bean stuff is good, it no longer seems to be a good value.

I would also agree, I get an annual LL Bean gift card sent to me for the holidays and struggle just to find something of value to buy. Usually end up buying things that I never would have bought if it wasn't for the gift card.

[OHjosh]

I agree with posters who say that if they remove the lifetime guarantee, they need to reduce their prices. THREE years ago I paid $300 for a winter coat. This year the zipper started splitting at the bottom and it started to catch at the top. I went back to my local unit and got full credit, buying one that was $60 higher in price. I don't feel that I cheated the company at all. (My previous LL Bean coat did the same thing, but after EIGHT years. Perhaps there is some product design going on here...)

I can get a coat for a lot less elsewhere (right now even less at BJs/COSTCO). I paid the extra amount because I knew LL Bean is quality and stands behind their merchandise. Now... it will have to be a more measured decisions, which is fine as I have more time.

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OHjosh I agree with posters who say that if they remove the lifetime guarantee, they need to reduce their prices. THREE years ago I paid $300 for a winter coat. This year the zipper started splitting at the bottom and it started to catch at the top. I went back to my local unit and got full credit, buying one that was $60 higher in price. I don't feel that I cheated the company at all. (My previous LL Bean coat did the same thing, but after EIGHT years. Perhaps there is some product design going on here...) I can get a coat for a lot less elsewhere (right now even less at BJs/COSTCO). I paid the extra amount because I knew LL Bean is quality and stands behind their merchandise. Now... it will have to be a more measured decisions, which is fine as I have more time.

It might be just me, but I would not expect a company to honor full credit for an item that I wear forever... sometimes zippers fail do to other reason besides a design flaw...

I am really surprised that they even did this... seems smart to limit it to one year....

[gerntz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OHjosh THREE years ago I paid $300 for a winter coat. This year the zipper started splitting at the bottom and it started to catch at the top.

I'm seeing this more & more across brands.

[bUU]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OHjosh I agree with posters who say that if they remove the lifetime guarantee, they need to reduce their prices.

That makes no sense; they made clear that they're still going to offer the same level of quality service as they've always intended to offer, considered on a case-by-case basis. The change in policy simply precludes abuse.

[OHjosh]

Could we try owning our opinions here? My comment does not make sense to YOU. Case by case is not acceptable to me value-wise because different products and items on a product may have different times to failure and the sole decider of the refund is LL Bean. While it is possible that after one year I might still have gotten a full refund on the coat, I might have gotten a paltry or zero amount. Given the downside risk, I might not purchase at LL Bean in the first place unless the prices were lower vis a vis other options.

I agree abuses can occur with a lifetime guarantee. But in my case, I might have used the zipper on the old coat 720 times (2 times 120 days x 3 years.) I think a zipper should have more life than that, it is critical to the coat being of use, and given the zipper and the coat's construction, it can't be replaced by a tailor (I looked into that.)

[bUU]

Your case may be an anomaly. I would want to assess how they treat customers overall.

[MichaelB]

The LL Bean announcement highlights examples of abuse by people who were not original owners (one report here)

Quote:

The outdoor specialty retailer said returns of items that have been destroyed or rendered useless, including some purchased at thrift stores or retrieved from trash bins, have doubled in the past five years, surpassing the annual revenue from the company’s famous boot

LL Bean actually made two changes to the return policy. One is to require proof of purchase, the other is to put a limit of one year for returns. If the problem was mostly abuse carried out with rescued items, as they announced, just requesting proof of purchase would curtail the abuse. The change from lifetime guarantee to one year has quality implications and is a significant change in the implied contract with the customer.

OHJosh makes a valid point. The products they sold were intended to last a lifetime. At least that is what they promised and also what buyers expected. That is no longer the case. To say "case by case" is a meaningless statement in the context of a discussion on guarantee.

Lost in this announcement and discussion - they also ended their "free shipping", replaced with a $50 minimum purchase to qualify. Like any business, they are free to price as they see fit. I share the opinion of others, this is a sign that the "institution of LLBean" is being replaced by "just another clothes seller" and they will need to make other changes in their marketing and product lines to stay relevant.