LL Bean book bags

[chrystalc77]

I thought that I read somewhere on this board that you could just pay an upgrade fee if you had a damaged book bag but I couldn't find it. My oldest DS had an LL Bean, and the handle broke on it. He wants a new one, (a bigger one) he's going into 6th grade. What steps would I need to take to get him a new one? Or do I just have to buy a new one?

 

[Pooh2]

We have had bags repaired or replaced. If you have the receipt, they would give you the amount you paid for the bag, then you can upgrade. Otherwise, I think it is repair or replace. Call their 1-800 number and ask a customer service rep.

 

[3boymthr]

Since the handle broke, if you live near a store take the bag with you to the store tell them you are not satisfied with it and that you would like to replace it. Ask if you can pay the difference to upgrade. They are really wonderful in the stores. I brought in a 40 year old watch that had stopped working and they found out the price at the time of purchase, gave us a credit in that amount and let us upgrade to the new version.

 

[Ginny Favers]

I used to live a few miles from the flagship store so I was always in there and would see people on line with customer service. You should have seen some of the things people were trying to return-- old, beaten up garbage that they probably haven't sold in years. It doesn't matter-- they will replace or refund, no questions asked, at the store. I had a bathrobe that ripped after the third time wearing it, and they took it back immediately and refunded my money, even without a receipt. They really are one of the best when it comes to standing by their products.

 

[plummer925]

I used to live a few miles from the flagship store so I was always in there and would see people on line with customer service. You should have seen some of the things people were trying to return-- old, beaten up garbage that they probably haven't sold in years. It doesn't matter-- they will replace or refund, no questions asked, at the store. I had a bathrobe that ripped after the third time wearing it, and they took it back immediately and refunded my money, even without a receipt. They really are one of the best when it comes to standing by their products.

This is not 100% accurate - they will not take everything back and replace with no questions asked (my husband works in returns at the Flagship store). They have a "Satisfaction Guarantee". Wearing a bathrobe 3 times and it rips - yes, that is part of that. garbage? no. My husband has "refused" returns many times.

OP - send the bag back and ask for a gift card. You can then use that toward the purchase of a new bag!

 

[bumbershoot]

This is not 100% accurate - they will not take everything back and replace with no questions asked (my husband works in returns at the Flagship store). They have a "Satisfaction Guarantee". Wearing a bathrobe 3 times and it rips - yes, that is part of that. garbage? no. My husband has "refused" returns many times.

This is true.

The problem is that for many years the guarantee was indeed worded as they would stand by their stuff for forever, no questions asked. It's why my mom bought important things there. And when I went to get help from them over things that disintegrated for no good reason (IMO time is no excuse when something has been cared for and was sold with such a guarantee) I got no help at all.

Alas my mom had since died, and she was the one who literally grew up with them and their formerly amazing guarantee, and she bought the items because of that guarantee, and I could not convince them that saying no isn't part of what they used to do, when she bought the items.

I recently realized I could fit into a jacket purchased from them at the same time. It's perfect. The other items should have remained perfect too. But they have now been in the landfill for years because LL changed their lifetime guarantee from when the items were purchased. Since they don't stand behind their items despite pretending they do, I changed my mom's lifelong traditional of purchasing from them, and have NEVER bought from them as an adult.

 

[plummer925]

This is true.

The problem is that for many years the guarantee was indeed worded as they would stand by their stuff for forever, no questions asked. It's why my mom bought important things there. And when I went to get help from them over things that disintegrated for no good reason (IMO time is no excuse when something has been cared for and was sold with such a guarantee) I got no help at all.

Alas my mom had since died, and she was the one who literally grew up with them and their formerly amazing guarantee, and she bought the items because of that guarantee, and I could not convince them that saying no isn't part of what they used to do, when she bought the items.

I recently realized I could fit into a jacket purchased from them at the same time. It's perfect. The other items should have remained perfect too. But they have now been in the landfill for years because LL changed their lifetime guarantee from when the items were purchased. Since they don't stand behind their items despite pretending they do, I changed my mom's lifelong traditional of purchasing from them, and have NEVER bought from them as an adult.

That is not accurate either.

Their guarantee states "Our products are guaranteed to give 100% satisfaction in every way. Return anything purchased from us at any time if it proves otherwise. We do not want you to have anything from LL Bean that is not completely satisfactory."

This is the SAME guarantee that they have had for over 100 years - the wording has not changed since Leon Leonwood Bean (L.L. himself!) penned it in 1912.

YOU can not bring back something that SHE bought and say it didn't satisfy YOU. The guarantee is for the original purchaser, not for generation after generation. If SHE had returned the items, that would have been fine.

There was NEVER EVER a "lifetime guarantee" on ANY LL Bean item. The Satisfaction Guarantee is an individual choice - what you would call something satisfactory wouldn't be what someone else would. Do you really expect a pair of slippers, for an example, to last you 20 years? I don't. But if you did, then they'd replace them for you. But not for me because I do not have unrealistic expectations of consumable items. (this is just an example - I know no one mentioned slippers)

They do stand behind their items, and to accuse them of not doing so is not fair. There are THOUSANDS of dollars worth of items returned that they replace (or refund if one has a receipt), on a daily basis. That may sound like a lot, but considering that they have thousands and thousands of customers and must sell in upwards of a hundred thousand dollars a day (I don't know actual figures - I'm guessing here) then that's not a huge percentage of 'dissatisfied customers'. I think I read once that like 3% of items are returned and about 1% of THOSE are fraudulent returns. That's not many returns at all. Think about the percentage that Walmart and other stores have. And THEY only offer a 30-90 day money back 'guarantee' on SOME products WITH a receipt.

It really grinds my gears to have people complain about the LL Bean guarantee when they do not understand the nature of it. It is not, nor ever has been, a lifetime guarantee.

 

[Dsnyfireman]

I live not too far from beans in Freeport maine. Been going there for 37 years, never had them refuse a return. I'm sure they do but never had it happen to me, I even saw a very elderly man return a pair of boots. These boots had to be 40 or 50 years old and the soles were worn out, they replaced them for him right then and there! Beans wants you happy, if not they will make you happy with a replace , repair or refund! My family ran a fly fishing camp here in maine and a lot of the equipment was ll beans. When a rod would get broken by a customer, and beans knew it, they replaced it no Q's asked. So OP just contact customer service and they can direct you best.

 

[mrslaney]

My mom bought me my first LL Bean book bag when I began my 8th grade year. I carried it that year and for the next four until graduation. And then through years of college. Now as a mother of three, I pack that same old red deluxe backpack for trips. We have never had one issue with it. So now that is where my kids backpacks will be coming from. I'd rather pay $39 for one that will last them numerous years than $20 for one that won't last the year. I made the mistake of buying the character ones from Walmart last year and it took a grand total of four to get my daughter through 1st grade. Never again. I buy LL Bean products knowing that they have a guarantee, but never expecting to need it.

 

[nancygirl1]

I just sent back a backpack because one of the straps broke. My son has had it for 3 years. It was a replacement for the one he had in high school that the zipper broke. They have replaced these with absolutely no problem.

I didn't have any paperwork from the purchases. I called customer service and they looked me up by name and address and had my whole purchase history in front of them. I was told to fill out a return form and send the backpack back and they would send us a new one.

One time I sent back one that we had had for a long time. My son wanted a different kind that was more expensive. We just had to pay the extra cost for the new one. They have been exceptional when it comes to our backpacks.

 

[Swimnoid]

I bought an LLB book bag for DD when she was in 5th or 6th grade. When she started high school the zipper broke and she wanted a different color so I just threw that bag in a closet and forgot about it. I found it 8 years later and emailed LLB. I just wanted to see if they would fix the zipper since the bag was OK otherwise. They emailed back saying ship them back the bag and pick out a new one! It was one of the styles they have had for ever and still make. So I did, thoroughly pleased with their handling of the situation. THEN a couple weeks later they sent me a refund check for $8 because the bag had been on sale at the time! Way over what I expected from them. I definitely endorse LLBean.