![]() He said he learned later in life that some of those backpacks were being returned every year for the latest model. Maine native Justin Franz recalled that virtually all kids returned to school each fall with a brand-new backpack from L.L. The news drew a mixed reaction on social media, with some excoriating the retailer and others saying the change is justified. would be upset with us, like, if he would be rolling over in his grave," Gorman said. "There is no one in this family who would've allowed this to happen if they thought that L.L. Internal surveys indicate 85 percent of customers are OK with the new return policy, he said. The family-owned company is prepared for a backlash, but the changes honor the spirit of the founder's original guarantee, said Shawn Gorman, L.L.'s great-grandson and the company's chairman. Abuse of the generous return policy with no time limit has accelerated thanks to people sharing their return stories on social media, they said. Thus the satisfaction guarantee was born.īut the merchant never intended for his satisfaction guarantee to become a lifetime replacement policy, company executives said. He earned goodwill by returning customers' money, and he came back with a better boot. Leon Leonwood Bean, the company's founder, is credited with launching the policy when 90 of his first 100 hunting shoes were returned. Bean's announcement in a memo to employees and in a letter to customers represents a seismic policy shift for a 106-year-old company that used its satisfaction guarantee as a way to differentiate itself from competitors. Other retailers have been narrowing the window for returns or imposing new conditions. because its unlimited returns policy, imposed a one-year restriction five years ago. Outdoors retailer REI, which was once jokingly dubbed Rental Equipment Inc. The Freeport-based company joins a list of other retailers that have been tightened return policies. The company is also imposing a $50 minimum for free shipping as part of a belt-tightening that includes a workforce reduction through early retirement incentives and changes in workers' pension plans. It will continue to replace products for manufacturing defects beyond that. Bean announced Friday that it will now accept returns for any reason only for one year with proof of purchase. "It's not sustainable from a business perspective. "The numbers are staggering," CEO Steve Smith told The Associated Press. ![]() ![]() 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. Bean's generous return policy is going to be a little less forgiving: The company, which has touted its 100 percent satisfaction guarantee for more than a century, is imposing a one-year limit on most returns to reduce growing abuse and fraud. ![]()
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