What You Should Know When Returning What You Bought at L.L. Bean

L.L. Bean has been known for years for its very generous return policy. But changes were made in 2018 and if you aren't familiar with it, you might be surprised when you take something back for a refund.

When Leon Leonwood Bean began selling his famous Bean Boots in 1912 by mail-order catalog, he ran into a problem. Defects in the initial design of his Bean Boot caused 90 percent of his original production run to be returned. Bean honored his money-back guarantee that L.L. Bean was famous four, corrected his design, continued to sell them, and created an unlimited return policy that allowed a customer to return any item they weren't satisfied with even if they didn't have the receipt.

Fast forward to today, and people are not as honest as they used to be. Customers started to abuse the return policy, trying to return items that didn't even buy at L.L. Bean. Others would just use the return policy as a replacement program. Are those boots worn out? Take them back for a new pair.

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Starting on February 9, 2018, L.L. Bean changed its return policy to keep people from abusing it. The unlimited return policy went away, but the company still has a very generous return policy of up to one year. Here's how it works now:

Products purchased before February 9, 2018
These products are not subject to the one-year time limit for returns. However, L.L. Bean can still ask for a receipt or impose special conditions.

Products purchased after February 9, 2018

These products must be returned within one year of purchase and require a receipt. L.L. Bean may also refuse returns for certain reasons, such as if the item is soiled or contaminated.

So you can no longer try to take back that coat that you bought from L.L. Bean by trying to return it to get a new one, and that's a good thing.