FFIM

"Like the tie rods on a '72 Buick"

I wonder about this too, Beans legendary return policy has brought them millions of loyal customers over the years, "don't worry, Beans stands behind it". The question is, has this policy earned them more in sales than it has cost them in returns? and will their loyal customers continue to be loyal without that warranty, I thing we all agree that Beans is hardly a bargain but the warranty was a little like buying insurance that the product would perform. I'm sure Beans will accept returns on defective products, I'd hate to buy a $400 pair of waders that I might wear only 5 times over the course of a year and have them leak and be stuck with them, Beans waders have a notorious reputation for leaking but people still buy them because of the return policy. Rod companies have built their warranties into the cost of the product and it seems to work pretty well. I just wonder what effect this will have on the whole "aura" of Beans. It seems a little sad really, like an ideal has passed on. Oh well!

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"An lá ag iascaireacht is an lá go breá."

It's almost as if LLB has brought this on themselves. In some ways they encouraged the abuse....

Example:

I have a 2 person Bean dome tent I bought new in the mid 80's that saw tons of use until I graduated to a pop up camper. After 20 years of use, (yes 20....and I still have it. The wonders of always setting up under a tarp!), the zipper stitching gave way. I brought it back to have it repaired (ie replace the zipper), and was told I could return it and get a new one. Well, I insisted on having it repaired and left it with them. 3 weeks later, I received it repaired, re-waterproofed and a new ground cloth in the bag.....at no charge!
Don't get me wrong....this is total customer service, but they NEVER should have offered me a new tent, especially when I had brought it in for a repair with full expectations of paying for those repairs. The tent had outperformed my expectations already, so I didn't feel right to abuse the Bean guarantee. Didn't hurt that I didn't want the new style tent at the time

As to the wader issues..... 3 pair Wicked Tough's in one season. First one the leg seam blew out after a month, the other two leaked right out of the box. Simms from that point on.....

And they do keep track of how often and what you return.

TGIF, Boney and Terry all made great points. I remember when Bean's would repair certain items, it was also the time when you could afford a flannel shirt 25 years ago.
I said in an earlier post that I never really returned anything besides a gift that might have been the wrong size. I think the guarantee was enough to get you to pay the twenty or thirty dollars more than necessary because you knew that you could if you had too. "It's from Beans, it's guaranteed to last" . Don't tell me you never thought that. An interesting trek into the mind of the consumer.
Now your just paying more for the name. The perceived status associated with it. Branding.

You have to consider that in twenty to twenty five years time we have gone from the point where you could walk through that store, (one store) and not be crowded, bumped into without acknowledgement, and find the main focus of the inventory camping/hunting/fishing related.

No doubt folks have taken advantage of the "warranty" but you really have to seriously consider what has prompted all of this. We live in a disposable, instant gratification society. Spend more for less because you really don't have any other options. Spend more because you can take it back and get newer and shinier. The neighbors have one. It's expensive, therefore it's good and better than yours.

Don't think for a second that companies don't understand this and market to that. Why not honor the merchandise with a receipt for 90 days and stand behind a product through a repair guarantee? Hell, even charge a nominal fee for repairs. I bet they could rehire at least 250 of the 500 recently laid off to work in repairs on site.

Sooner or later people need to start to realize that they are over paying for stuff. And I mean stuff. I wonder what would happen if Beans removed their name from every item they sold?

One last thing in this disjointed ramble. For anyone reading this looking for QUALITY outdoor equipment with a lifetime guarantee, I've recently purchased a couple items from Stanley. Very impressed with the quality of outdoor camping cookware they are turning out. I have no association with them as Dave M often says, but I think word of mouth for a quality product speaks volumes over warranties that have backfired.

$1.5 billion in gross profit last year. The return policy was really hurting their bottom line? Please.

I have a tent story as well. Years ago I bought a 2-3 person tent for camping at the Big Eddy. On my first attempt to set it up I overstressed one of the graphite poles and snapped it. No problem, a bit of duct tape and all was well. After a week use I'm heading home with a wet rolled up mess and a broken pole. I stopped at Beans and walked into the store with a single broken pole to get a replacement but was told to go get the tent and return the entire kit. I needed one pole but no way that was going to happen. Off to the tent department for my replacement and I'm told that model is out of stock so I'll need to take the next model up no charge. Hell of a way to run a business.

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You see that dimple way over there? Well I couldn't hit it with a cruise missile.

That is precisely my point. Fix a defect or component but make people live with the wear and tear that they put on the rest.

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"Fishermen...spending their lives in the fields and woods...are often in a more favorable mood for observing her, in the intervals of their pursuits, than philosophers or poets even, who approach her with expectation." - Thoreau

I have one interesting story, A few years ago I bought a pontoon raft at Beans, it was about $800, got it home and realized I probably wasn't going to use it much and $800 would buy me stuff I needed instead of wanted. I pack it back up in its original packing and return it, no problem.When I get home I look in my shop and see a whole section of aluminum tubing against the wall, I had forgotten to pack one half of the frame.I get on the phone to Beans, apologize profusely and tell them I'd bring it to the store the next day......., don't bother! I couldn't believe it, I insisted, the pontoon was useless without it. The sales rep said it was too much trouble for them to find the package, unpack it and and then put it all together again,..... take it to the dump. We live in a whole new world, the flow of the great machine can't be stopped or slowed.
There is abuse of the return policy for sure, but there is abuse in every avenue of life. Medicare fraud is mind-boggling, worse than any organized crime operation in history, the Pentagon can't account for $1 1/2 BILLION, government officials are flying around in Lear jets, but if a guy on welfare spends $10 on a six pack of beer or,OMG, he has a colored television, lock him up..after all it's our money he's spending. This whole Bean thing is a gamble and I wonder about the odds. Terry

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"An lá ag iascaireacht is an lá go breá."

I like TGIF's take on this. It should be repairs only on anything beyond 1 year. While the cost per repair may be higher than just snagging a new one off the shelf, it eliminates much of the incentive for fraud while keeping the warranty intact AND it would establish themselves with a different vision of quality. We build stuff that's worth repairing and using for a lifetime. That would be nice.

That... and get titleguy someone to move his phone every six months, so he can get two years out of a shirt before he has to cut off the sleeve and wear it during the warmer months only.

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"Fishermen...spending their lives in the fields and woods...are often in a more favorable mood for observing her, in the intervals of their pursuits, than philosophers or poets even, who approach her with expectation." - Thoreau

Here we go...

Class-action suit filed challenging L.L. Bean’s return policy change

https://www.pressherald.com/2018/02/14/ ... cy-change/

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"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." Albert Einstein

This should make many lawyers very happy and very rich!

It seems pretty cut and dried. I'm not sure there is much to challenge. As the article states, LLB has said their new policy only effects goods purchased since the announcement moving forward. Items purchased before February 9th may still be returned under the old policy, provided you can show proof of purchase.

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"You never miss the water until the well runs dry" - traditional blues

You know, a year is still pretty generous for returns.

And if they really will stand by defective products beyond a year, I'm not sure this new policy will seem any different to most of us.

Exactly my point. If you were an abuser of the system - this new policy probably pisses you off. For most of us - this has virtually no impact. Given my history with their customer service, I am confident that they will stand behind their product beyond the 1 year commitment.