A plus-size, tall shopper says being banned by ASOS for too many returns has highlighted how unfair fashion can be for those whose bodies don’t fit standard sizing. She’s now calling for retailers to do better
Woman reacts to being banned from ASOS
Tskenya-Sarah is a Black, plus-size, tall woman who has been shopping with ASOS for over a decade. Now, she’s been handed a lifetime ban from the online clothing platform because she returned too many items.
“I woke up this morning to find out that I have been banned from ASOS for life because I breached their fair use policy as I returned too many items,” says Tskenya-Sarah, a loyal, or rather now former, ASOS customer.
Tskenya-Sarah, who goes by @tskenyasarah on TikTok, shared her experience in a video that has resonated with many. She explained why ASOS’s “fair use” policy feels like a “punishment” for bodies outside eurocentric beauty ideals and condemned the policy for not being “inclusive.”
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In her video, Tskenya-Sarah said, “I’m a UK size 18, I’m tall (5ft 9) with a 32-inch inside leg. ” This means I can’t just pop out to the high street and find clothing that fits. Like many tall, plus-size, or petite people, I have to shop online to find clothing.
For many, the ease of online shopping means quickly ordering what you want and returning what doesn’t fit. But for Tskenya-Sarah and countless others who don’t fit into the Eurocentric beauty standards, it’s more complicated.
The inconsistency of sizing across brands means they often have to order multiple sizes and lengths just to get one item that fits, even if they are using the sizing guide on ASOS or if they’ve ordered from the brand before.
In one baffling example, Tskenya-Sarah shared how she’s previously ordered a dress and found the size 16 is “much too loose”, but the size 18 is “much too tight.”
Despite this, she says she’s been a loyal ASOS customer for over 10 years, and this didn’t change despite the retailer introducing a policy last year charging customers nearly £4 for returns unless they kept at least £15 worth of clothing or accessories.
Tskenya-Sarah said that although she felt the policy wasn’t “right” or “inclusive,” she kept shopping with the retailer. She added, “I accepted it because the fashion industry is so exclusive. It felt like a tax we had to pay…”
Unfortunately, this “tax” wasn’t the end of it. Three days ago, ASOS banned Tskenya-Sarah’s account altogether for “breaching their fair use policy” due to the number of returns she made. Tskenya-Sarah said: “To punish individuals for returning clothing is egregious.”
Tskenya-Sarah has experienced ordering jeans from ASOS’s tall section that still don’t fit properly, or a mini dress that ended up looking more like a hat on her tall frame.
One of Tskenya-Sarah’s followers commented that they experienced something similar with ASOS and took them to court, and after a period of 14 months, they were awarded half the amount owed to them. They claimed: “This happened to me last year, they also refused to refund me two orders that I returned to them, totalling over £400. I fought and took them to court. I only received half of the money back, even with proof of postage and online tracking to show they received it, I’ve never been able to shop since.”
Another customer wrote: “OMGOSH same! I got banned/blocked my account. I’m plus size, I have to order multiple sizes. They refused to refund me £500. No access to customer service without an account. The Head Office wouldn’t help directly with customer complaints. Thankfully, PayPal stepped in and refunded.”
Whilst many would argue that returns aren’t sustainable and Tskenya-Sarah addresses this and agrees with this in her video. She encourages the fashion industry to take sizing more seriously so customers don’t end up being the victim of charges and penalties simply because they are trying to find something that fits. She added, “We need a fashion industry that takes sizing seriously. If a website says the jeans have a 29-inch or 34-inch inside leg, then that’s what should arrive at your door.”
Tskenya-Sarah’s story highlights a deeper problem with online fashion retail: many companies haven’t fully considered the impact their policies have on marginalised customers.
“I’m going to be writing to ASOS’s Diversity and Inclusion team as well as Customer Experience,” she said. “Not just to challenge the ban on my account, but to ask them to think about the disproportionate impact this policy has on people who live in tall, petite, or plus-size bodies.”
Tskenya-Sarah highlighted the reality of many women, and men too, who have to order multiple sizes only to return them. She said, “For many of us, finding clothes that fit isn’t easy.”
While many brands have embraced plus-size clothing, it seems there are still “taxes” being passed on to those who don’t conform to the standard body size. While stores on the high street are disappearing, they often don’t carry plus-size clothing, which leads many customers to turn to the online shopping space.
Tskenya-Sarah says she hasn’t been able to reach anyone at ASOS for a refund or to discuss her concerns or her lifetime ban. Speaking to the Mirror Online, she said: “I really want to express that this is bigger than just my diversity. This is about the people who are disabled or living in areas where the high street is in decline. And it seems that ASOS are not the only retailer doing this! Something definitely has to change.”
An ASOS spokesperson has said: “We recently closed the accounts of a small group of customers whose shopping activity has consistently fallen outside our Fair Use policy. This helps us maintain our commitment to offering free returns to all customers across all core markets..”
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