Latest news with #LucyBritnell
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
‘Slap in the face' blast shoppers after being BANNED from UK retail giant for ‘returning too many items'
Shoppers have reported being "cut off" by customer service when complaining about the ban POINT OF NO RETURN 'Slap in the face' blast shoppers after being BANNED from UK retail giant for 'returning too many items' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SHOPPERS have shared their fury after being banned from shopping at a UK retail giant for returning too many items of clothing. Thousands of fashion fans have received emails stating that their accounts have been closed with "immediate effect" for breaking the Fair Use Policy. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Shoppers have shared their fury after being banned from shopping at a retail giant Credit: PA 3 ASOS is cracking down on customers who often return items of clothing Credit: Alamy 3 Shoppers have reported that their accounts have been closed as they have returned too many items Credit: Asos ASOS last year enraged customers by charging a £3.95 fee to those who return items frequently, and keep less than £40 worth of items. And now the fast-fashion giant has sparked fury again, with customers describing the strict policy as a "slap in the face". ASOS 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." ASOS' Fair Use Policy states that customers may have their accounts shut down if they carry out "unusual or suspicious activity", such as "unusual patterns of returns activity", and returning items that look like they have been worn. Lucy Britnell, from Teeside, has been paying for a premium ASOS account for seven years, but has now been banned from using the fast-fashion website. The self-confessed "shopaholic" said that she spends around £100 a month at ASOS and spent a whopping £500 on a haul for her latest holiday. She revealed that when buying large hauls, she often buys multiple sizes, as she claims ASOS' sizing is "often unpredictable". However, last Thursday, Lucy received an email stating that her account would be closed within 30 days. "After reviewing your recent return activity, we've noticed that it no longer aligns with our current policy", the email read. I've found the perfect spring wedding guest dress - it's from ASOS & people say it's so nice I'd even upstage the bride Lucy was left shocked by the email telling the BBC: "It was a real slap in the face - I thought it was a joke at first. "Even if they did reinstate my account, I'd take my money elsewhere. "It's really left a bad taste in my mouth." Other customers have revealed that they have tried to appeal the ban, but were "cut off" by customer service. 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. Louise Gowrie, from Glasgow said: "I tried again and asked how to complain regarding this and they told me the decision was final - and cut me off again with no reasoning." Frankie Allen from London, was also told by customer service that nothing could be done about the ban, and slammed "robotic comms" for "alienating" customers. However, she added that she does understand why ASOS has decided to crack down. "I've received ripped jeans and clothes with make-up on them before from ASOS, so I know there are some people who abuse the policy - like they wear the clothes once, keep the labels on, then return them for a refund," she said. Explaining why ASOS introduced the severe measures, retail expert Medi Parry-Williams said: "Managing high volumes of returns simply isn't a sustainable model. "In many cases, a return fee of £3.95 doesn't come close to covering these costs." 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.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
‘Slap in the face' blast shoppers after being BANNED from UK retail giant for ‘returning too many items'
SHOPPERS have shared their fury after being banned from shopping at a UK retail giant for returning too many items of clothing. Thousands of fashion fans have received emails stating that their accounts have been closed with "immediate effect" for breaking the Fair Use Policy. 3 3 3 ASOS last year enraged customers by charging a £3.95 fee to those who return items frequently, and keep less than £40 worth of items. And now the fast-fashion giant has sparked fury again, with customers describing the strict policy as a "slap in the face". ASOS 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." ASOS' Fair Use Policy states that customers may have their accounts shut down if they carry out "unusual or suspicious activity", such as "unusual patterns of returns activity", and returning items that look like they have been worn. Lucy Britnell, from Teeside, has been paying for a premium ASOS account for seven years, but has now been banned from using the fast-fashion website. The self-confessed "shopaholic" said that she spends around £100 a month at ASOS and spent a whopping £500 on a haul for her latest holiday. She revealed that when buying large hauls, she often buys multiple sizes, as she claims ASOS' sizing is "often unpredictable". However, last Thursday, Lucy received an email stating that her account would be closed within 30 days. "After reviewing your recent return activity, we've noticed that it no longer aligns with our current policy", the email read. I've found the perfect spring wedding guest dress - it's from ASOS & people say it's so nice I'd even upstage the bride Lucy was left shocked by the email telling the BBC: "It was a real slap in the face - I thought it was a joke at first. "Even if they did reinstate my account, I'd take my money elsewhere. "It's really left a bad taste in my mouth." Other customers have revealed that they have tried to appeal the ban, but were "cut off" by customer service. 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. Louise Gowrie, from Glasgow said: "I tried again and asked how to complain regarding this and they told me the decision was final - and cut me off again with no reasoning." Frankie Allen from London, was also told by customer service that nothing could be done about the ban, and slammed "robotic comms" for "alienating" customers. However, she added that she does understand why ASOS has decided to crack down. "I've received ripped jeans and clothes with make-up on them before from ASOS, so I know there are some people who abuse the policy - like they wear the clothes once, keep the labels on, then return them for a refund," she said. Explaining why ASOS introduced the severe measures, retail expert Medi Parry-Williams said: "Managing high volumes of returns simply isn't a sustainable model. "In many cases, a return fee of £3.95 doesn't come close to covering these costs." 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.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Asos bans shoppers for 'too many returns'
Online fashion retailer Asos has shut down some customers' accounts and banned them for returning too many orders. The company said a small number of people's 'shopping activity' had breached its fair use policy. 'This helps us maintain our commitment to offering free returns to all customers across all core markets,' Asos told the BBC. Self-confessed shopaholic Lucy Britnell is one of those who has been banned. She had paid for Asos's premium account since 2018 to get free delivery. Ms Britnell told the BBC she spends at least £100 a month at Asos, with her last 'holiday shop' costing £500. 'Most of the time I have to order two sizes and then I'll return the one that doesn't fit - and Asos sizing, especially its own brands, is very unpredictable,' she said. Another shopper, Louise Gowrie, 27, from Glasgow, had tried to appeal her ban but was told on live chat that the 'decision was final'. Asos last year began charging a £3.95 fee if customers made too many returns and kept less than £40 of their order. Some were irked at the time by the change and said they had no choice but to return garments as the brand's sizes were so unreliable. PR director Frankie Allen, 32, said she was recently banned and tried to explain to customer services on the company's live chat system that she orders clothes in two sizes and returns the one that doesn't fit. Such 'robotic comms' have changed the way people view Asos and 'alienated a lot of loyal customers', Ms Allen told the BBC. Asos said it shipped 67.2 million orders worldwide in the last financial year. Fellow fashion retailer Pretty Little Thing faced a backlash for deactivating accounts it said had high return rates last year. The measure was introduced shortly after it brought in a £1.99 fee for returns. Online shoppers tend to order the same product in an array of different sizes and colours. Three in four returned items of clothing are dumped in landfill or burnt due to processing fees, according to data firm Statista
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Asos customers banned over returns say it is 'slap in the face'
Asos shoppers have expressed anger after their accounts were shut for returning too many orders. Some customers have received emails in recent days informing them they are banned for allegedly breaching the online fashion giant's fair use comes after the company last year began charging a controversial £3.95 fee if customers make frequent returns and keep less than £40 worth of items in an a statement, Asos told the BBC: "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." Asos' fair use policy says that it may shut down accounts that have "unusual or suspicious activity", which it says includes "unusual patterns of returns activity" and items being returned that look retailer first warned customers in 2019 that it might deactivate accounts displaying such patterns, but customers say a tougher crackdown has begun in the last Britnell, a self-confessed "shopaholic" from Teesside, has paid for a premier Asos account since 2018, which gives customers free delivery - but has now been banned. "I probably spend at least £100 a month with Asos - my latest holiday shop [over several orders] was £500," she says."Most of the time I have to order two sizes and then I'll return the one that doesn't fit - and Asos sizing, especially its own brands, is very unpredictable."In an email on Thursday, Asos told Lucy: "After reviewing your recent return activity, we've noticed that it no longer aligns with our current policy." It said that it would close her account in 30 days and the ban would apply to any new accounts she opens. The same day, she received an Instagram request from Asos, asking permission to repost onto its account a photo of an Asos outfit she was wearing."It was a real slap in the face - I thought it was a joke at first," she said."Even if they did reinstate my account, I'd take my money elsewhere," Lucy says. "It's really left a bad taste in my mouth." As well as its own lines, UK-based Asos sells hundreds of other brands, and its website offers everything from low-priced clothing and vintage fashion to Korean skincare and Sol de customers have complained of being dismissed when trying to appeal their account bans. Louise Gowrie, 27, from Glasgow, says she was "cut off" when she tried to raise a complaint on the live chat feature of Asos' website."I tried again and asked how to complain regarding this and they told me the decision was final - and cut me off again with no reasoning," she told the Frankie Allen, 32, a PR director from London who has been an Asos customer for about 20 years, says she often orders clothes in two sizes and returns the one that doesn't being banned recently, she tried to explain this on the live chat but was told nothing could be done, screenshots seen by the BBC "robotic comms" have changed the way people view the company and "alienated a lot of loyal customers," Frankie claimed. But she says she still understands why Asos is cracking down on returns."I've received ripped jeans and clothes with make-up on them before from Asos, so I know there are some people who abuse the policy - like they wear the clothes once, keep the labels on, then return them for a refund," she a view backed up by some industry insiders, who point out that shipping returned items back to warehouses, processing and inspecting them for damage all adds up. Inflation and freight issues have hit fashion companies hard too."Managing high volumes of returns simply isn't a sustainable model," retail expert Medi Parry-Williams says. "In many cases, a return fee of £3.95 doesn't come close to covering these costs."That said, closing customers' accounts is a "fairly severe line to take" and not one Asos would have taken lightly, says John Stevenson, retail analyst at Peel a boom in returns since Covid lockdowns, some retailers introduced charges to return items by post or collection, including Next, Zara, H&M, Uniqlo and New Look, though they still offer free returns in store. Pretty Little Thing faced a backlash when it started deactivating accounts it said had high rates of return last year. The policy came in shortly after it introduced £1.99 fee for did not respond to further requests for comment from the BBC about customers being banned. Some are now calling on the company to change and consultant Tskenya-Sarah Frazer, 31, launched an online petition after she was banned from the site, calling for a halt on "charging and punishing" customers for online returns."As a plus-size, tall, and neurodivergent individual, shopping online is my only option," she tells the BBC."As the high street shrinks and we exist and have to shop more online, it is absolutely imperative that customers have the freedom to shop and return freely."
