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Shoppers at major fashion brand furious after being banned from site for ‘excessive’ returns
The most disgruntled customers are those who have paid £9.99 for the brand's loyalty scheme
SHOPPERS at a major fashion brand have been left fuming after being banned from the site for "excessive" returns.
PrettyLittleThing has deactivated a number of customers’ online accounts because of the number of times they have returned orders.
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Baffled customers have insisted they haven't returned enough to justify a ban from the retail giant.
Some of those affected have taken to social media to criticise the new policy, with many claiming they would return fewer items if the sizing of PLT clothes was more consistent.
One TikTok user vented her ban on the platform while demanding an explanation for the bizarre sanction.
Faye said on the social media: "The only reason I return clothes is because it's poor quality, it's not as described on the website, the sizing standards are awful - yet PrettyLittleThing still think it's a clever move to ban people from shopping from them because they can't stick to their descriptions of clothes.
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She backed her claim by displaying an email that confirmed she had been banned "in accordance with terms and conditions" after reviewing her "account activity".
This apparently revealed "unusually high returns activity" - disallowing her from placing "any further orders".
Seeing both sides, Faye said she understood why they may have wanted to clamp down on "girls spending hundreds of pounds for content making PrettyLittleThing hauls".
This is because some purchasers then go and return everything, but the TikToker remained confused over the decision to ban her given they're an "online website".
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She added: "And if you say something's a size 10 and it turns up fitting a size 6 girl instead, what do you expect?"
The most disgruntled customers are those who have paid £9.99 for PLT’s Royalty scheme, which offers free next day delivery and free returns to members.
I'm a curvy girl & never thought I'd find a pair of cargos to fit my thick thighs but PLT have pulled it out of the bag
Fellow fuming customers took to Faye's comments to express their frustration on the bizarre banning.
One user said: "I have an online account with them but I've never actually ordered anything, I got an email today. I think it's a glitch."
Another commented: "Very real. I'm FUMING; I've literally sent 3 orders back this year out of about 20 orders and it's the sizing issues."
And: "I'm the type of person to order loads of dresses for an occasion and then I'll return what I won't wear!"
Other users revealed how they had previously been sent the wrong order by PLT, and therefore don't understand how the retailer could put such a ban on returns.
A disgruntled shopper said: "One time they sent me THE WRONG DRESS."
Another added: "I got this, fuming. It's okay though when they send the wrong items in an order, send orders out late, and take my royalty fee for the year that I paid for."
PrettyLittleThing has been approached for comment.
PLT is part of the Boohoo Group and was founded by Mahmud Kamani in 2006 as an accessories-only brand that focused on selling trendy gear for cheap.
It was co-founded and headed up by Umar Kamani, one of Mahmud Kamani's sons, who was the catalyst in the brand’s celebrity appeal .
Despite the cheap price point of its items, PLT has executed a number of star-studded collaborations.
These include with the likes of supermodel Naomi Campbell and a number of sell-out collections with influencer Molly-May Hague.
CRYING SHAME
The Sun revealed in September how Boohoo had riled up shoppers by cancelling accounts of loyal customers after making a change to its returns policy.
Customers who ha signed up to its premier delivery services for unlimited next day delivery and free returns were angered by the change.
Premier costs £7.99 a year, but some customers have paid £10 a year before a price change.
In May, it started charging premier customers £1.99 for returns despite shoppers not being informed.
Boohoo has charged for returns outside of its premier accounts since 2022.
What brands does the Boohoo Group run?
The Boohoo Group owns thirteen different brands, some of them household names.
- Boohoo
- BoohooMAN
- PrettyLittleThing
- Nasty Gal,
- MissPap
- Karen Millen
- Coast
- Oasis
- Warehouse
- Debenhams
- Dorothy Perkins
- Wallis
- Burton.
But the fashion website has started closing accounts where it is unhappy with the level of returns.
Emails to customers from Boohoo, seen by The Sun, claim that “after reviewing accounts, as well as our terms and conditions for the unusually high returns activity, we have decided to deactivate your account.”
There is no mention of a limit on returns in Boohoo’s terms and conditions online.
A spokesperson for Boohoo group said at the time: “We are committed to providing our customers with easy access to our products and upholding a fair return policy.
"However, like many other online fashion brands, it is important that we balance this with our responsibility to discourage repeat returners, which incur a cost for both the business and the environment.”
The Sun understands that any money left in closed accounts will be refunded and gift card credit will be sent back to the original purchaser.
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YOUR RIGHTS
Consumer rights campaigner Martyn James previously told The Sun: “Many retailers have unpublished policies to ban customers who have high rates of returns, but these could be for various reasons, including problems where they live, terrible delivery people who leave parcels in strange places and just bad luck with orders.
"This practice is legal - you can't force a retailer to do business with you - but it seems desperately unfair to penalise people who are paying for a premium service for using that service."
James said online-only retailers have arguably killed the high street by exploiting their lack of overheads with their online shops but now that they have a monopoly.
He warned: “We will see more and more of these practices as consumers find themselves stuck with limited options.”
Is supermarket fashion the new high street?
DEPUTY Fashion Editor Abby McHale weighs in:
The supermarkets have really upped their game when it comes to their fashion lines. These days, as you head in to do your weekly food shop you can also pick up a selection of purse-friendly, stylish pieces for all the family.
Tesco has just announced a 0.7 per cent increase in the quarter thanks to a 'strong growth in clothing' and M&S has earnt the title of the number one destination for womenswear on the high street.
Asda's clothing line George has made £1.5 million for the supermarket in 2023, 80 per cent of Sainsbury's clothes sold at full price rather than discounted and Nutmeg at Morrisons sales are also up 2 per cent in the past year.
So what is it about supermarket fashion that is becoming so successful?
Apart from the clothing actually being affordable, it's good quality too - with many being part of schemes such as the Better Cotton Initiative.
A lot of the time they keep to classic pieces that they know will last the customer year after year.
Plus because they buy so much stock they can turn around pieces quickly and buy for cheaper because of the volumes.
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