Back in February I wrote about changes to the guarantee and return policy at LL Bean.

LL Bean had a longstanding policy of allowing just about anything to be returned or exchanged, regardless of when it was bought. This led to abuse and the company seeing a need to change this generous policy.

The generous guarantee and return policy led me to purchase winter boots from LL Bean which I’ve yet to wear. (We got lucky in the NYC area with very little snow towards the middle of the winter.)

At the time of purchase, the LL Bean policy was part of the reason that I purchased the boots.

While I haven’t heard much news about the outdoor retailer in recent months, Outside Magazine reports that “L.L.Bean is facing a fourth lawsuit over return-policy changes it implemented in February.”

The newest lawsuit claims that by taking away the guarantee and lifetime return benefit customers received when making a purchase, “LL Bean violated the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act “and other laws” that protect customers from deceptive warranty practices.”

The lawsuit’s goal is to have LL Bean honor the lifetime warranty with no questions asked for products purchased before February 9, 2018.

When skimming over the main point of the lawsuit, I can definitely say that I agree. If I purchased an item from LL Bean when the company offered a lifetime guarantee how could they then decide to legally void it?

Carolyn Beem, LL Bean’s public affairs spokeswoman said that items purchased prior to February 9, 2018 are not limited to the new one year return policy.

The lawsuit claims though that purchases which are grandfathered in  still do not provide customers the full benefits of the old warranty. This is due to the company’s guarantee page saying that proof of purchase is required to honor a refund or exchange.

I haven’t made any returns to LL Bean since the policy change. However, in the past, the company has always been polite and willing to work with me on returns. I can’t say that I abused the policy, trying to return worn out items though!

I’m curious to hear more about how strict LL Bean has become with returns. If an item is new, will they still deny returns unless a receipt is presented? If you’ve had experience with this since February 9, 2018, please let us know.

Find out more from Outside Magazine here.