The well-known retailer, L.L. Bean, is facing backlash over its decision to end its lifetime warranty offering. One angry consumer has even filed a lawsuit against the company and is seeking class action status. Business litigation of this level could really hurt a company’s bottom line. Business owners in Georgia may be curious to see how this particular matter gets resolved if they too are thinking about changing company policies.
L.L. Bean has been wildly popular because of its lifetime warranty on certain products. Unfortunately, the company has decided that far too many consumers have been abusing the warranty, costing the company millions. In the past five years alone, warranty-related returns cost the business $250 million. Clearly, this is a good reason to consider a change in policy.
According to the complaint filed by the plaintiff, by getting rid of the warranty, L.L. Bean has caused harm to its customers and is depriving them of a benefit that was included with their purchases. Many consumers have mixed feelings on the matter. Some believe this is the result of abuse of the system, while others — like the plaintiff — believe that L.L. Bean is failing to live up to its promises.
Changing company policies that directly affects one’s patrons in a negative way is not something that is likely to sit well with consumers. Before doing so, company owners in Georgia can turn to legal counsel for assistance in order to ensure any changes that they do make are legally above board. If the matter results in business litigation, such as in the L.L. Bean case, further help can be offered in either fighting it out in court or settling through out-of-court negotiations — whichever is best for one’s business.
Source: msn.com, “L.L. Bean sued for ditching its beloved lifetime warranty”, Kim Bhasin and Polly Mosendz, Feb. 14, 2018