The fashion brand – which is owned by clothing giant BooHoo – started charging all shoppers £1.99 to return items on June 3 this year. It also started closing accounts for having a high return rate
A major online fashion retailer has u-turned on its controversial returns policy after a huge customer backlash.
The fashion brand PrettyLittleThing (PLT) – which is owned by clothing giant BooHoo – started charging all shoppers £1.99 to return items on June 3 this year. It also started closing accounts for having a high return rate. At the time, those who held a royalty account – which is where you pay a £9.99 subscription fee for unlimited free deliveries and returns – were extremely angered by the move.
However, the retailer has now removed the fee for royalty account holders with the news being confirmed by returning boss and company founder Umar Kamani. In a post to Instagram, Kamani confirmed his return to the business and apologised for any “negative experiences” in his absence. Kamani stepped down last April after 12 years as PLT’s chief executive.
He wrote: “Over the past few years, I’ve watched from the sidelines as the brand we built together has, at times, lost touch with make it so special – you, our loyal customers. This has driven me to step back in and take on the responsibility of steering PrettyLittleThing forward, putting your needs and desires at the forefront of every decision we make.”
“As part of this renewed commitment, one of my first changes will be to reintroduce free returns for our royalty customers, a step I believe is vital to making your shopping experience more seamless and enjoyable.” He also hinted that there might be more changes to come, saying the retailer was moving into its “next exciting chapter”.
At the time shoppers were furious and took to social media to share this. One X – formerly Twitter – user said: “What exactly are the perks of Royalty if you remove free returns? Your sizing is so crazy I cannot order my usual size knowing it will fit, and always have to order multiples! Now, having to pay for returns, I will cancel my account and shop elsewhere.”
Another said: ” I will be cutting back on ordering from you. It’s very unfair, considering you don’t have the option to return items to stores for free.” A third added: “Changing your returns policy (without actually sending out any email by the way) to now charge people for returning their items is actually laughable”. Another said: “Prettylittlething now charging for their returns has hurt me more than any break up could ever.”
For customers who are not part of the retailer royalty scheme, the charge will continue to be deducted from a shopper’s full refund amount. Fans of the retailer took to social media to praise the move. One X user said: “Great news. The first bit of positive news in a long time.” Another said: “Hopefully get it back to what it once was.” A third added: “PLT really saw asos introducing return fees and saw an opportunity huh.”
This week fellow online retailer Asos introduced a charge for accounts that “regularly” returned items. The fee of £3.95 will be deducted from the refund if the shopper keeps less than £40 worth of items. Asos has not said what constitutes a high return rate, but claimed “nothing’s changed” for the majority of its customers.