When it pays to buy new
We have never owned a new car. We never purchased new appliances until after we'd been married 20 years (and I kind of miss my used appliances). We buy nearly all our clothes, books, and toys second hand. From time to time some acquaintance or some consumer guru writing an article has suggested that it's more cost effective to buy new, but we have not found that to be true in most cases. In fact, one year we were having a particularly frustrating time with our used vehicle and it was in for multiple repairs. We kept track of all the money we spent on repairs, and it still didn't add up to what we would have paid in car payments if we had purchased the item new, or even what we would have paid up front if we'd bought a new vehicle for cash.
However, there are times when it does pay to buy something new, usually, I believe, when you have two factors in play- it is something that often needs to be replaced, and you can buy it with a money back replacement guarantee.
LL Bean- Years ago I read about somebody who worked at LL Bean and was amazed at just how serious they were about their lifetime guarantee. The writer said he'd seen 70 year old men walk in the store with a muddy, beaten, ragged, well worn pair of shoes they'd had since they were 20 and set them on the counter and be given a new pair. My husband has hard to fit feet, and once he retired from the Air Force and combat boots were no longer part of the uniform, his shoes were wearing out within a month or two. It was very frustrating. Then I remembered reading that article, and we ordered two pairs of shoes from LL Bean. My husband wears one pair for six months, by which point the shoes are completely worn out. Then he packages those up and mails them to LL Bean for a replacement and starts wearing the second pair. He does this because it takes 2-6 weeks turn around time for the new shoes. It costs us the packaging and mailing fees, and that's all. This would not be frugal for me- I find the right shoes for me at a thrift shop whenever I find them in my size, and if they are in decent shape when I get them I can literally wear them for years before they wear out. My husband has decided that somewhere between the 7th and 10th pair of shoes, he'll just buy two new replacement pairs, as he's not comfortable having LL Bean replace his shoes for the rest of his life, and that would be about ever four or five years, which is at the lower end of how long I think a pair of good shoes should last.
The Lands’ End guarantee has always been an unconditional one. It reads: “If you’re not satisfied with any item, simply return it to us at any time for an exchange or refund of its purchase price.” We mean every word of it. Whatever. Whenever. Always. But to make sure this is perfectly clear, we’ve decided to simplify it further. Guaranteed. Period.®
Our first five children were born between 1983 and 1990. They are all girls. From 1992 to 1997 we lived in Nebraska, where the snow falls horizontally because the wind blows so hard. It was cold, cold, cold. The girls wore tights to church in the winter, and it was a source of great frustration to me how many pairs of tights we went through before I realized that if I bought them from Land's End, I could return any pairs that got holes in them and get them replaced for free. Although it seemed more expensive up front, it actually saved us a considerable amount of money and frustration every single winter, as the quality was so much better, for the most part the girls could wear the same tights all winter, and when they did get holes in them, I didn't have to buy a new pair, Lands' End replaced them. Land's End also has great sales on their overstocks website.
Sears: I haven't taken advantage of this one, but I know others who have. If you sign up for their Kidsvantage program, Sears will refund or replace your child's clothing if he or she ever wears it out before outgrowing it. My friends tell me this is especially useful for boy's slacks and jeans. If your youngster is putting holes in the knees if his or her britches, this may be a good deal for you. I prefer Lands End guarantees, as they are for the life of the product, not for the short amount of time a single child is in that size. And, of course, their Craftsman tools are legendary.
Here's another store I never have purchased from, but they do have an iron clad guarantee- Beau Ties and Neckties.
All Beau Ties standard neckwear is guaranteed. If you are not satisfied with your purchase for any reason, we will replace it or refund your money. No time limit. No exceptions.
Eddie Bauer also has a nice guarantee:
Every item we sell will give you complete satisfaction or you may return it for a full refund.®
If, at any time, you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, simply exchange it or return it to us for a refund (or merchandise credit, depending on your form of payment).
Dog toys: We went through about two dozen cheap chew toys in a matter of days when we brought the Zeus dog home. We finally got smart and spent about half what we'd already spent on one Kong chew toy. We never had to buy him another chew toy. That toy has lasted through the Zeus dog and through Donovan's puppyhood.
Another company with an ironclad guarantee for dog toys is goughnuts.
The Teaching Company makes great teaching DVDs and CDs on all kinds of subjects, and they are so fantastic that they back them up with a goldplated guarantee which I believe is unmatched in the educational products industry:
If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase for any reason, simply return it to us, and we will issue an exchange or a full refund for the price of the course, including shipping and handling.
Also, if a tape or disc ever breaks, warps, or gets damaged, we’ll replace it, as long as the course is in print, free.
That's pretty amazing.
One last company that offers a solid gold, diamond encrusted lifetime guarantee, no ifs, ands, or buts, and one which I have never ordered from because it's way out of my price range is Hammacher Schlemmer. Items they sell are unconditionally guaranteed for life:
Should any product fail to meet your expectations, for any reason, simply return it with proof of purchase. We will replace it, refund the cost of the item less shipping and service fees, or credit your credit card, depending on your original payment method.
Most of the time I have found thrift shops, yard sales, and simply making do the most frugal options. But from time to time, it really does pay better to spend a little more up front, and in those cases, I prefer to deal with a company that really backs up their product.
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32 Responses to “When it pays to buy new”
October 30th, 2009 at 6:37 am
These are awesome tips and so true,
I hope that these companies have some kind of recycle program in use for worn items just to make this perfect.
It’s how the world should work!
October 30th, 2009 at 9:09 am
We have purchased tights for $2 per pair on the Land’s End overstocks page and they’re still going strong in their third winter, second child. That worked out well because $2 is about my limit for little girls tights
Also, their tights are substantial, cotton, and they have FEET, not just a tube of nylon. We love them!
October 30th, 2009 at 9:29 am
I’m glad your husband wants to buy new shoes from time, instead of having them replaced forever. I do understand that LL Bean has a lifetime 100% guarantee, but I think that would be a bit beyond the guarantee’s original intent.
That’s pretty amazing that he wears out shoes in six months. He must be very active!
October 30th, 2009 at 9:52 am
I’m sorry, but wearing a pair of LL Bean shoes until they are no longer wearable, and then turning them in to the store for another new pair is not frugal; it’s cheap and disingenuous.
I truly find it amazing that despite this, LL Bean continues to give it’s 100% guaranteed return policy. I buy items from them, but will not take advantage of this policy unless an item is defective or defunct, or comes to me damaged from the shipping itself.
If they ever do remove the return policy, I’ll know why.
October 30th, 2009 at 9:53 am
J Jill (a ladies’ clothing company) has a great return policy. There are no time limits, and you don’t need a receipt. I had a skirt from them that didn’t hold up well after the first few washings, but I moved and misplaced the skirt, so it was about 9 months later before I took it back. They were processing the return before I’d finished the story. I’d gotten the skirt on clearance that long ago, but they tracked down another one in my size and shipped it to my house for free. Their regular prices are high, but the clearance prices can be very good, especially if you’re an odd size and have to frequently resort to new rather than used clothing.
On that note, I find that the more expensive clothing stores have the best clearance prices. Moderately-priced stores will take $2 off something and say it’s on clearance, but the more expensive places (J Jill and Coldwater Creek are my favorites) will routinely take well over 50% off.
October 30th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Forest, glad you liked it!
Lindsey, I was amazed at the difference in quality with Lands’ End tights, too.
Kacie, I’ve read quite a bit about LL Bean, because their guarantee amazes me, and honestly, I do not believe that replacing those shoes forever would be beyond the original intent of his company’s guarantee. He really wanted things he sold to last and hold up the lifetime of the owner. But my husband is exceptionally hard on his shoes- it’s not just the amount of time spent on his feet, it’s that his feet are a really strange shape, an instep so high the entire middle of his foot doesn’t touch the ground- you could roll a marble under his arch and it would go through, very wide feet, and a very strangely shaped great toe. I think his feet must stress the seams of shoes in places that manufacturer didn’t expect the shoes to be stressed.
Amy, I’d not heard of J Jill before, but I do like the clothes in Coldwater Creek’s catalog. I haven’t ever ordered anything from them, but I do snatch up their label whenever I find it at a thrift shop.=)
October 30th, 2009 at 10:44 am
I have to agree with Kacie, I don’t think that is the original intent of the guarantee. Even though they really want the product to last, you were a satisfied customer. Your husband’s feet may be a strange shape, which causes the shoe to wear out, but that’s your husband’s feet’s fault, not the shoe’s fault (or the company’s). The reality is that you are satisfied with the company’s product, enough to get more of the same.
October 30th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Before deciding this isn’t the original intent of the guarantee y’all might want to do the same amount of research I did, or at least take the time to click through and read what their guarantees actually say. It is, in fact, EXACTLY the original intent of the guarantee. I was very careful only to list companies that do, in fact, have an iron clad, unconditional lifetime guarantee. The word unconditional? That means what it says.
If an unconditional guarantee, meaning for ANY reason whatsoever, is not what the company intends, then they don’t use the words unconditional. They have smart people working for them, people who understand what the words ‘unconditional’ and ‘lifetime’ mean, and they have legal folks checking out their wording, and they use the words they mean to use.
And in fact, Emily, we aren’t really very satisfied with shoes that only last six months. His combat boots lasted years, so we know it is possible to make him a shoe that lasts more than six months. What we are satisfied with is the guarantee, and THAT is why we buy from the company. We would not buy the same brand for five dollars from a local store (and many of the shoes LL Bean sells, including the ones he bought, are a brand you can buy other places). So it’s certainly NOT the shoe that satisfies us and makes us return customers, it’s the guarantee, and LL Bean (and Land’s End and other companies with such above and beyond the usual guarantees) recognize that, it’s a deliberate part of their business model.
LL BEan has been in business since 1912, btw, and that has always been their guarantee, and that is how they have marketed themselves and what they have built a very solid and admirable reputation on- quality products, excellent customer service, and that lifetime guarantee. There is nothing unethical about what we’re doing, and my husband is, in fact, going above and beyond by buying a new pair every couple of years.
October 30th, 2009 at 11:32 am
It also occurs to me that these objections to recognizing a lifetime guarantee means exactly what it says and not less are actually a reflection of just how conditioned we have been by our disposable, consumerist and materialistic culture that has trained us to accept the concept of planned failure as a reasonable business model.
LL Bean, Lands End, and other such companies were founded in an older time, when people products were made to last- and did, in fact, last. But we’ve been trained to see six months as a reasonable lifetime for a product like shoes or a skirt, when in fact, that really isn’t reasonable at all.
More on this at my blog in a few minutes when I finish refining my thoughts on how successfully we’ve been brainwashed to believe it’s reasonable to see everything we buy as basically disposable.=)
October 30th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Thanks for the Lands End reminder! Im going to check out their tights.
We love the Sears program and LE one for our 5 rough boys!
Years ago, when we moved from Chicago to San Antonio, we were terribly poor with no job yet. My husband had been a Bible school student and had a large supply of Lands End Wool “Year-Rounder” pants. “Year-Rounders” were not made to be worn in South Texas! My husband had few clothes and no money.
I called LE and spoke to a rep. I told her honestly that some of the pants were getting threadbare but all were unwearable here. She said “This is the exact reason we have this kind of guarantee. We know you will come back to us to buy more clothes.” She told me to box them ALL up and they would send him a check or gift card!
4 years after buying 8 pairs of pants, we had a check for all of them with which we bought him jeans and polos from their catalog. They won customers for life.
October 30th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Regardless of what the return policies states, I think it’s unfair and dishonest to utilize merchandise and then return for replacement. If everyone did this these retailers would be out of business. I can certainly understand returning if the product was defective in some way but this strikes me as stealing plain and simple.
October 30th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
We purchased some items from REI and years later they wore out from use. We misunderstood their “lifetime” guarantee. It is a satisfaction guarantee. They asked if we were satisfied with the product. Well, we used it all those years satisfactorily but were disappointed it didn’t last forever. Guess my expectations were too high. I thought they would replace it if it wore out. It is always good to read it carefully.
October 30th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Wow, thanks for the info. I was not aware of the guarantees of these companies. I have been frustrated with the “tights” issue with my daughter too. I’ll check for those sales.
I agree that both sides should aim to operate ethically, and it sounds to me like both sides are, as described here. I am heading over to these stores’ websites to check them out now.
October 30th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Deputyheadmistress, You are so right about us becoming accustomed to disposal products. I am amazed at how I used to try to save a few dollars by buying the cheapest new product, only to replace it again a short while later. For example, I’ve gone through THREE hand mixers this year alone! What junk! After the second one, I just told myself how cheap they are so it’s not a big deal. However, I bought my last one (made in the U.S.A. even) from ebay and it’s over 30 years old! And still works well! Isn’t that something? Companies used to actually make stuff that lasted and took pride in their work. Don’t get me started on products made in China…
Thanks for the tips. I admire these companies that still value their products enough to give them a life-time warranty. That’s why my husband only buys Craftsman.
October 30th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Consider this page from Lands End.
October 30th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
And those who are saying, “Well, the return policy may SAY unconditional lifetime guarantee, no conditions,’ but that’s not what they mean, why do you suppose they use those words and not the words of the more usual limited guarantees? You do realize that what you are doing is saying that the company is deliberately *lying* about their guarantee, and that’s okay, but *I* am the unethical party here?
I happen to believe that these businesses are honest businesses who tell the truth and do not issue meaningless guarantees that sneakily say one thing and mean another. You, apparently feel otherwise, and think it’s actually perfectly fine for products to be so shoddily built they are at best temporary, and it’s not only okay for a business to be disingenuous and mendacious about their return polices, but the customer is at fault if they take a promise from a business at its word.
Don’t you think this offers an interesting insight into just how successful the campaign to make us comfortable with shoddy workmanship and dishonest promises has been?
Happily, Lands End, LL Bean, and their equals actually DO mean what they say. If you think I’m such a dishonest, stealing, liar, send this post to those businesses and see what they say.
October 30th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
I actually wrote to LL Bean this afternoon so they could clarify what their guarantee actually means. Where they’re creating the confusion is, indeed, by using the word, “Lifetime.” It’s extremely rare when something that’s made and used regularly will last a lifetime. It won’t. They need to reword it, stating that they back their products 100% satisfaction guaranteed unless it’s due to workmanship, wrong size, defective, non-operational, and so on. That’s the so-called limited guarantee; not a pair of well-worn and decrepid looking shoes one has worn for a good few years.
As to Shannon commenting about things made in China, I’m afraid I am about to burst your bubble. LL Bean, Eddie Bauer and LE do in fact have a lot of their merchandise made in SE Asia. sorry…..
October 30th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
And Gaelicwench, what did LL Bean reply?
I do not believe *they* are creating confusion at all. The only confusion is from people who do not believe words mean what they say.
I, on the other hand, believe they are smart, savvy, and well informed enough to understand what ‘lifetime’ means, and the reason they have kept the same guarantee since they started in 1912 is because they mean exactly what they say. The reason they have never changed their guarantee to a limited guarantee is because they know the difference perfectly well and a limited guarantee is NOT, in fact, what they mean. I suspect a company that has been successfully in business with that guarantee for more than a hundred years understands more about what they mean than some of you give them credit for.
And you know what? It’s only become ‘extremely rare’ that something made and used regularly lasts a lifetime in the last few decades, and the fact that you think it’s rare, and *acceptable* is just the result of the successful conditioning of our consumeristic culture.
Do you think the Craftsman guarantee is worthless, too? If not, why not?
Have you read the Lands End link that I provided? How much clearer could they be that ‘unconditional guarantee’ means just that? Why do you presume you know their business better than they do?
October 30th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Wow, touchy, aren’t we? What the CSR said was that the original intent of the guarantee was indeed for merchandise received by consumers, which was in less than satisfactory condition. That would warrant a return for either a refund or exchange.
It’s easy to take the company’s words and interpret it differently. This isn’t uncommon. It’s called perception. Perception is not fact.
You and I, in the meantime, can agree to disagree. I know that I refuse to take advantage of the company in this way. I will be buying a pair of snowshoes, boots and cross-country skiis. This will be around $500’s worth. You can bet that unless there is something wrong with any of the equipment, I will return them for a replacement. If not, I plan to use them every year when the snow hits. And once the boots are worn out, or the skiis are no longer useable, I will PURCHASE another set. The same goes with the snowshoes.
Regarding comparing Sear’s guarantee to that of LL Bean, apples and oranges. Two different companies; two different approaches.
Then, there is your phrase, “consumeristic culture” and “shoddy workmanship”; don’t go putting words in my mouth. I never said any such thing.
I have clothing from LE, EB and Bean that go back to the early 90s; I’ve worn them very regularly, year after year. I have no intention of returning any shoes, any articles of apparel, so I can get more FREE clothing. That’s just plain wrong and taking advantage of the service. What does this do for the business? It causes them to raise prices. How else do you think they are able to keep their profits up and shareholders happy.
Agree….to….disagree. G’night!
October 30th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
I understand the words “lifetime” “unconditional” and “guaranteed.” I’m questioning your use of the “satisfaction” part of the guarantee. You are either satisfied with the product, hence requesting replacement over and over, and buying new every few years, OR you are not satisfied since your husband’s feet wear out shoes not intended for his shape of feet, yet continue to get more unsatisfactory shoes in replacement.
The intent of the Lands End guarantee is to replace or refund in event of unsatisfaction. If a person is unsatisfied but feels a replacement will be better (ie. there is a flaw in the first one), they request a replacement. If the person is unsatisfied and knows the replacement won’t be any better, they ask for their money back.
October 30th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Another thing about LL Bean–I can’t speak highly enough of their backpacks. When I was in school, I was the kid who went through at least two backpacks a year. (Due to the size of my school, some unfortunate planning, and a last name at the end of the alphabet, going to my locker was not a practical option, which meant carrying all my books with me.) Forget cheap backpacks from Target or Walmart–they didn’t last a month. Even Jansport or other better brands gave out.
My mom resisted LL Bean because of the price, but she finally caved and let me tell you that was the best decision ever made. I still went through a couple backpacks (she underestimated the amount of stuff I’d carry) but the one I got my junior year of high school is still going strong ten years later. Two years of hauling high school junk, college, road trips, camping…that thing will last me ages. And it looks decent too; it wasn’t “uncool” as a teen, but it also still functions for use as an adult without being juvenile. (Well. Once I remove the Hello Kitty keychain and ill-gotten Caution tape, anyway.) It’s fantastic.
October 31st, 2009 at 3:08 am
I think this debate has gotten very interesting now and it’s made me think a little on the issue! I still believe that there is nothing that wrong with getting a pair of shoes replaced that wore out in six months. Especially when it’s a corporation that is not short on profit (as far as I know).
However the moral side of buying from companies is something that has really been making me think recently. For example I have not drank coke since I wrote about the Ethical side of being frugal on my blog a few weeks ago. We do have to think if the company can make products that do wear out but can afford to replace them then they must be buying them so cheap that we have to consider where they get the cheap goods from….
Anyway I’m in a loop about the whole thing!
Hope you don’t see this as spamming but would love to know anyone’s thoughts on the post I did about it! (http://frugalzeitgeist.com/how-can-we-be-frugal-and-socially-conscious-consumers/)
October 31st, 2009 at 3:13 am
….Oh on backpacks.
I have had a Jansport basic backpack that I purchased with vouchers back in 2003. It’s still going more than strong and I use it almost daily.
It’s always filled up with stuff and I have carried some very heavy loads. I fill it up with cans when I go shopping, carry loads of books, my computer, camera and magazines. I even loaded it up with 2 20lb weights the other day and walked two miles home…. not even a slight rip in the stitching!… It is sad that the zip is starting to catch slightly!
October 31st, 2009 at 1:12 pm
DHM,
I have a question. If you are completely sure that you are not taking advantage of the LL Bean policy, why do you feel the need to re-purchase shoes? Why not just keep on getting them free?
October 31st, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Another company that offers a no questions asked lifetime warranty is Discovery Toys (www.discoverytoyslink.com/pthomas). They have been around for over 30 years and STILL offer replacement toys even if they are many years old. They toys are of great quality but when they do break they will replaced by the company. I have had to replace a few of their toys and they really mean LIFETIME GUARANTEE.
If a company says “lifetime guarantee” to me that means lifetime – whether that is 6 months or 10 years it doesn’t matter.
Kudos to your husband for even buying new shoes every few years. Sounds like the company would replace them no matter how long… I am sure there are those out there that take advantage of that and only ever buy one thing and continually have it replaced.
I don’t have any problem with what your husband does.
November 1st, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Gaelichwench, thanks for the info about the many of the products made in Asia. I don’t actually shop at these stores for clothes as I buy my clothes used. However, if more companies from China offered this sort of a warranty, I would certainly consider buying more “made in China” products. Part of the reason I’ve been so adamant in buying less products made in China is for the reason I mentioned with my hand mixer, the stuff just doesn’t last.
Supreme, I am going to check out Discovery Toys!
Thanks!
November 2nd, 2009 at 7:56 pm
I’m afraid I have to agree with those posters who don’t feel quite right or honest about taking advantage of “lifetime” guarantees. To me, that goes a step beyond frugal. No matter how well an item is manufactured, things DO wear out by normal use, so I personally would feel that I was cheating the company and not playing fair to ask for a new one. Now if there was some kind of manufacturing defect, that is a different story.
I won’t criticize anyone who does take advantage of these offers, because if the company didn’t want to do it, they could change their policy. But I personally feel like I should pay a fair price for what I use.
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:38 pm
I worked for LLBean and they most certainly DO NOT have a LIFETIME Guarantee — they have a 100%SATISFACTION guarantee. Nothing lasts a lifetime – think about it, do you really expect a pair of shoes to last a lifetime??? If you wear your boots and you are not satisfied with their quality, they didn’t last as long as you thought they should, or they had a defect of some kind, then you are perfectly entitled and SHOULD return them. You would be surprised at the junky raggy shirts that people bring back and say that they want their money back. We can check back and realize they were bought 5 or 6 years previously and worn HARD all that time. In this economic climate, I have heard that they are sticking more closely to the letter of the guarantee and refusing to take back people’s rags.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I am quite confused by OP’s clear dislike for the boots she’s ordering. You make it clear you’re not satisfied because they only last 6 months, then why continue to return them to get new ones? Why not just buy good boots, that you are satisfied with, and cut down on the amount of trashed boots being sent back to be tossed into landfills?
Whether or not you’re taking advantage of the company, it strikes me as ridiculous to continue to order things you’re not even happy with just because you can keep getting more for free.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Alswife, It’s interesting you say that, considering two points- on my regular blog I have somebody else saying that they worked for LLBean and I was exactly right, and I just talked to LL BEan this week, and they didn’t have a problem with my husband’s returns.
Christy, to be honest, *I* don’t feel the need to repurchase shoes. My husband does, but even he sees it as a favor, something he does to help the business because he likes them, not because it is required of him.
These businesses have their own specially written guarantees that are distinct from other companies guarantees for a reason- a reason I believe is honest, straightforward, and ethical.
But there are some people who see themselves in a position where they are able to judge that it is somehow sleazy, unethical, and dishonest to actually believe that words mean things, who believe these are honest businesses that actually mean what they say, what they tell their customers.
At the same time that some of you call me a thief and dishonest, you admit that you believe that these businesses are actually putting in writing a guarantee that actually does NOT mean what it says, but means something else, something hidden between the lines that only truly enlightned and ethical people (such as yourselves) just naturally and obviously see, and you believe that while it is dishonest to believe the guarantee, it is ethical and honest for a business to write a guarantee it doesn’t mean.
This seems very backwards to me, as well as an incredibly biased and subjective standard to use to judge others. It seems to me that you are drawing these new lines that you have created in a place where the businesses in question do not.
I also fail to understand why somebody other than the business in question, the businesses writing and fulfilling their guarantees, should place themselves in a position of arbiter of other people’s morals in regard to what the guarantees means or doesn’t. We’re not talking about violating some *objective* standard. And I am not talking about merely disagreeing- many of you have commented in measured tones, merely saying, “I couldn’t do that myself…” and that’s fine.
What I am not going to pretend is acceptable is calling those who believe in a company’s express guarantee names like thieves and doing so based on a standard that is purely internal and highly subjective (and ignores the claims made by the only people who can truly know their intent).
I can buy the idea that you can put such conditions on your own actions. We all do that in all kinds of areas. There are things I could never do myself that some of you do. And it is one thing to say, “this is a tip I would not feel comfortable utilizing to the extent you do.’ But some of you did not stop there. You have called names- used heavily perjorative words such as thief and dishonest against those who do not read between the lines into the unwritten and imagined ‘real intent’ of businesses that have expressly stated their real intent is other than you suppose.
(and in some cases, the very people labeling others with those very ugly names are those who act all wide eyed and astonished that anybody would object to that)
I don’t mind disagreement. But if in your disagreement you are going to label me and others thief and dishonest based on your own very subjective standards, well, you cannot be surprised that you will get back a very firm repudiation of those slurs because they are false accusations.
In this situation, I fail to see any excuse for labeling other people’s actions as *unethical,* *theft,* and *dishonesty* (and also liar, since at least one of you refuses to accept the reality that we are not satisfied with the shoes, we are not satisfied with the shoes and wouldn’t purchase the same brand for 1/10th of the price elsewhere because we are buying not a product, but the guarantee) based not on the standard of what the company actually says and practices, but on the standard of what you have decided others should be reading between the lines.
I choose a more objective standard than that.
This is the last I am going to comment on this, as interesting as this discussion as been.=)
Have a lovely weekend.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
I wrote to Lands End & LL Bean about this because I’d rather do my own research on something as sketchy sounding as this than rely on someone else’s interpretation. This is the reply I received from Lands End. Still waiting to hear from LL Bean.
Please include the following line in all replies.
Tracking number: **************************
Dear J. *******:
Thank you for taking the time to write to Lands’ End.
Our Guarantee reads:
The world is full of guarantees, no two alike. As a rule, the more words they contain,
the more their protection is limited. The Lands’ End guarantee has always been an
unconditional one. It reads: “If you’re not satisfied with any item, simply return
it to us at any time for an exchange or refund of its purchase price.”
We mean every word of it. Whatever. Whenever. Always. But to make sure this is perfectly
clear, we’ve decided to simplify it further. Guaranteed. Period.®
Our Guarantee is unconditional within reason. As consumers we shouldn’t expect products
will last forever and if they are used well the life expectancy of the products seems to
have been met.
Your interest in Lands’ End is appreciated. If you have additional questions or concerns,
please let us know.
Sincerely,
S****** W*******
Customer Communications
November 7th, 2009 at 8:24 am
“If you’re not satisfied with any item,
And that is where the confusion begins. It has to do with how satisfied one is with a product they purchased. My interpretation of this excludes wearing a pair of shoes, a sweater, pair of pants for a number of years, and then returning it for another for FREE. This obviously isn’t about dissatisfaction as much as it is liking the product so much that you want to get another of like kind, but not for free.
I don’t blame DeputyMistress for this. I do believe that Land’s End and LLBean are honoring their guarantee if it means bringing back customers and passing said guarantee by word of mouth. I know, speaking for myself, I can’t in all good conscience, take advantage of this kind of guarantee unless I genuinely have an issue with the product itself. But that is just me, and I will not hold her feet to the fire. If I said anything insulting to you, I offer my belated apologies.
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