L.L. Bean tightens its policy on returns

L.L. Bean is no longer interested in replacing the ratty sweatshirts or worn-down boots shoppers bought from the company decades ago.

The purveyor of outdoor products, famous for its 100 percent satisfaction guarantee, said a growing number of customers had abused the policy by treating it as a “lifetime product-replacement program.” The retailer will immediately begin enforcing stricter rules for shoppers seeking to exchange items or get refunds.

Under the new policy, consumers will have a year to make returns and will be required to provide proof of purchase, L.L. Bean, based in Freeport, Maine, said in a Facebook post Friday. The company said it would work with customers to provide a “fair solution” if products show defects after the return window has closed.

Shawn Gorman, L.L. Bean’s executive chairman and the great-grandson of Leon Leonwood Bean, the company’s founder, wrote in the post that the changes would affect a small percentage of returns and would have “no impact for the vast majority” of customers.

“A small but growing number of customers has been interpreting our guarantee well beyond its original intent,” he wrote, adding that some people had sought “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.”