Thousands of of ASOS customers banned and accounts deleted as retailer cracks down on ‘insane' policy
Shoppers were sent emails detailing how their accounts had been closed with "immediate effect" after the online retailer said they breached the terms of its Fair Use Policy.
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The move sparked fury among punters, with many describing the move as "unfair" and "insane".
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one shopper said: "Account closed for consistent breaches of their [ASOS] Fair Use policy when I haven't returned anything since October."
While another confused user said: " I haven't shopped with ASOS in over a year and I still get an email telling me my account is being closed."
Another upset customer said: "ASOS have really hurt me today closing my account what did I do?."
And a fourth added: "I've made three orders in the last six months and from those orders sent back only one pair of jeans.
"This is a joke, I've been a loyal customer for years and now you close my account .
An ASOS spokesperson: "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."
It is understood that even if customers have not used their account in recent months, it could still be closed if they breached policy rules.
Last year, the online department store said it would charge customers for returning items unless they spent a certain amount.
The new rule means shoppers only get free returns if they keep £40 or more of their order.
My Asos dress looks so high end it's giving Balmain on a budget – it's perfect for a birthday, I'm begging you to buy it
Otherwise, £3.95 will be deducted from their refund.
Premier ASOS customers, who pay £9.95 a year for free delivery, are also not exempt from the change.
But they only need to keep £15 of their order to dodge the charge.
The digital department store previously said its profits were bruised by customers making large orders and not keeping all of the items.
However, the move has been labelled as unfair by many punters, especially as they cannot try before they buy when shopping online.
CRACK DOWN ON RETURNS
And ASOS is not the only online store to crack down on customers who make frequent returns.
H&M, Boohoo, Pretty Little Thing, and Zara are among stores which now charge customers.
Next also introduced the change at the start of 2023 and customers now have to fork out £2.50 per item returned.
In December 2023, Debenhams left shoppers feeling "cheated" after introducing a charge for returning online goods.
Can your account be closed for making too many returns?
By Laura McGuire, Consumer Reporter
WHEN shopping online it is important to be clued up on what your rights are - especially when it comes to making a return.
H&M, Boohoo and Zara are among the countless fashion retailers which make customers pay for sending products back.
And brands such as ASOS and Pretty Little Thing now ban customers who return items frequently.
Retailers can impose these stricter rules as part of their own returns policies.
Some stores may assess shoppers return behaviour on a case-by-case basis, while others may have a strict blanket policy.
Amazon customers in the US have claimed the retail giant has closed accounts without warning more making too many returns.
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