LL Bean return policy

[eeyorethegreat]

I have only returned items a couple of times and both times they asked me if I had gotten the use I expected out of them. For those items I didn;t and no I don't remember what they were only that they didn't last even a year. I saw a woman once returning her children's out grown clothes they asked her if she had gotten sufficient use from them and she said no they cut her store c redit for over $100 I couldn't believe it. The policy used to be no questions asked you had an issue with an item they repaired or replaced it for free now I think because of people like the woman I mentioned they are more hesitant to do that. As far as the OP I'm not sure. I bought ll Bean packs for my kids in a large size in elementary school with the expectation that they would use them until they graduated so I don;t know I might return it see what they say but I am not really sure I might spring for a new on if there was a sale.

 

[puddleduck]

I would expect it to last more than 3 years unless it was subjected to lots of abuse above and beyond normal daily wear. You are the only one who knows what the bag has been though and how gentile or rough your child is on things. Personally, my niece has had a Children's Place backpack for 5 years (looks absolutely filthy, but still is fine), and I expect a Bean one to last longer.

I bought my son a Children's Place backpack in 2005. The only reason I got him a new one this year is because I think he deserves a new backpack after 5 years. Plus, I only paid $10 for it. So, if a $10 CP backpack that has been used for school, plus we take it on all of our vacations and use it to carry snacks and stuff around in, can last for 5 years, then I would definitely expect the more expensive LL Bean to last longer.

 

[DebMcDonald]

I have returned items to LL Bean over the years when I have not been completely satisfied and have never had a problem with a return. That being said I had a friend who bought her son a backpack in elementry school and returned it by the time he hit high school, I had to laugh at this because my kids get a new backpack every year and some have come from LL Bean, Landsend and we have far moved on before there was much wear, but in your case I think if you got three years out of it you are very lucky, but most importantly if you think you should have gotten longer and you are not satisifed then return it, LL Bean would rather you be happy and keep you a customer for life than have you dissatisfied in anyway and that's why their return policy is what it is.

Have I felt guilt over the jackets that I have returned - no way - when I pay that much for a kids jacket, I do expect to be able to pass it down from one to another.

 

[sweis]

Different LLBean story.. my nephew has a winter coat from them and it was had a zipper problem I believe (after he had already worn it for some time). My SIL called and they said they would replace it and in fact would she like the next size up so he fit in it next season. Now that is customer service.

 

[puddleduck]

Per an ad on the LL Bean website: "Joe's backpack has lasted 11 years and counting." When the store itself is pushing that the backpack should last 10 or more years, then I think it is reasonable to return it after 3 if you are not satisfied.

 

[ptcrn]

Per an ad on the LL Bean website: "Joe's backpack has lasted 11 years and counting." When the store itself is pushing that the backpack should last 10 or more years, then I think it is reasonable to return it after 3 if you are not satisfied.

Absolutely!!

I have a backpack from LL Bean that I have had since at least the 10th grade- that was 19 years ago- and it is still in almost new condition. Now obviously, I am not hard on my belongings , but it has gotten plenty of use!

I would expect it to last at least 10 years with good care.

 

[Green Tea]

If they ask you if you think you've gotten full use out of it and you feel guilty, you probably have.

 

[MomToOne]

Add me to the list that would expect to get more than 3 years from an LLBean backpack, as long as the child was not unreasonably hard on it. I pay more up front for the higher quality, so I expect it to last a lot longer than backpacks from discount retailers.

 

[wlake]

While I agree it's up to you whether you think you've gotten good use out of it, 3 years seems pretty short for an LL Bean backpack. My son has one that looks new but it's already 4 years old. It was his daycare backpack, so it didn't see hard bus duty but it got stuffed to the gills a couple of times a week with sheets and extra clothing. My Bean backpack is 24 years old and got me through 2 years of high school and 4 years of college and has gone hiking and camping and on almost every vacation I have. It's faded, no longer waterproof, and smells a little funky (I think the trip to Norway did it in), but the seams and zippers are all still intact. If I could only get the smell out...!

 

[mikehn]

I have a no-name backpack I bought off a New York City street vendor a decade ago and it is still in good shape. If the LL Bean pack cant last past 3 years, I'd return it and I wouldn't have even posted here.

 

[casjen]

If they ask you if you think you've gotten full use out of it and you feel guilty, you probably have.

I don't feel guilty. Thanks for making sure my conscience is clear. I was asking a question, not asking for a moral opinion.

 

[GoofyMomInOhio]

While I agree it's up to you whether you think you've gotten good use out of it, 3 years seems pretty short for an LL Bean backpack. My son has one that looks new but it's already 4 years old. It was his daycare backpack, so it didn't see hard bus duty but it got stuffed to the gills a couple of times a week with sheets and extra clothing. My Bean backpack is 24 years old and got me through 2 years of high school and 4 years of college and has gone hiking and camping and on almost every vacation I have. It's faded, no longer waterproof, and smells a little funky (I think the trip to Norway did it in), but the seams and zippers are all still intact. If I could only get the smell out...!

Try washing your backpack in the washing machine with a little detergent and vinegar, seriously! The vinegar will take the smell away and you will not smell the vinegar after it dries. It works for my DS hockey gear!!

 

[EllenFrasier]

Here is what I have returned to LLBean since starting shopping there:

Water shoes that smelled terrible after getting wet - money back

Slippers that cost $40. For $40 I expected them to last longer and a piece of the sole broke off - exchange for same kind

Winter jacket - had it for over two years and the zipper broke - the exchanged it for a similar jacket. I didn't care if they sent it out for repair, but they replaced it.

Winter boots for my son that leaked - money back

Last year my husband bought the kids backpacks and lunch boxes there. He was told that the lunch boxes were guaranteed even if milk leaked in them and the smell would not come out. This always seems to happen at some point during the year. So far the backpacks are holding out, but if they wear out, I'm bringing them back. I think the lunch boxes are fine - have to pull them out and check.

I spend enough money at LL Bean on the products they sell. I would not return clothes for normal wear because the get washed and dried, but shoes, backpacks, lunch boxes, jackets - things that should last a long time I would return.
Email LLBean and tell them what is wrong with the backpack. They will advise you on what to do.

 

[Green Tea]

I don't feel guilty. Thanks for making sure my conscience is clear. I was asking a question, not asking for a moral opinion.

No! That's not what I meant at all. I look at it as a means test. If they ask and I can say No, it should have lasted longer. Then I don't hesitate to request a refund. If a merchant were to ask and I felt like maybe I had, then I probably had and should accept that things wear out.

 

[teacup princess]

I don't think 3 years is too long, especially if the company is marketing the product as something that will last from elementary through high school. If you bought it with that expectation then return it.

I think LLBean does a great job of standing behind their warranties and would be a repeat customer at any company that did, even if their prices were higher. Maybe I'm just burned out on bogus warranties though, since I purchased a few of these so called "extended warranties" from other companies in the past only to find out that they won't stand behind them and will find any little thing to nullify the agreement.

 

[SeaShelley]

See, their stated return policy doesn't go along with what they say when they call.

My mom bought me two things as a teen. Both should have lasted quite a long time, with the way I took care of them. Both did last around 20 years. But that's NOT satisfying to me. There is no reason they couldn't have lasted longer.

They won't take them back. Their expectations are different from mine. They said that they will repair them for a fee, but they won't replace them (with something similar of course, the original things don't exist in their catalog), and they won't repair it for free.

When my mom bought the items, she was given the expectation that they were guaranteed forever.

Because, frankly, guaranteed "for the item's life" is useless. Because as soon as something wears down, it's dead, right? Pointless.

But my mom (who had shopped through them for ages) expected that the items would be replaced at ANY point...and that's not what they told me.

Please Bumper.....tell us what these items were....

 

[Poohbear5]

We bought some backpacks at the Freeport store and a year later, one of the zippers had broken. On our way through Freeport the following summer, we took it in, they offered us a repair or replacedment. We choose the replacement and they mailed it out to us within a week.

Use your judgement, Beans is execptional in customer service.

Though there will always be those who take advantage: My dad's friend took back a pair of boots and asked for a refund after her wore them for 10 YEARS because the sole was getting worn! They exchanged the boots for him!

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

A couple of kids and countless backpacks and bags later, I have learned:

The life of any product is entirely dependant upon which child uses it, regardless of the quality of material and/or workmanship. Love LL Bean, have purchased many things over the years for all of us, and will continue to. The kids get a new backpack each school year so I end up using the old ones for emergency packs, travel packs.

3 years of school-year wear and tear would certainly meet my expectations and more (depending on the child!)

 

[SeaShelley]

My mother has some great stories from working at the LL Bean outlet store....

One woman brought her coat back and her reason for returning it AFTER OWNING IT FOR 9 YEARS was that it just didn't keep her warm enough any more.

A mother brought back her child's winter boots because they DIDN'T FIT HIM ANY MORE!

A young girl brought in a couple of sweaters and a few turtlenecks & wanted cash because SHE WAS MOVING TO FLORIDA AND WOULDN'T NEED THE WARMER CLOTHES ANY LONGER!

 

[leahjade]

My mother-in-law said she had a family who used to buy patio furniture from hthe store she worked out every spring and would use it all summer and return it before winter. They would do this every year!