In the hopes of discouraging serial returns, online retailer Oh Polly is introducing new fees for returning products in the UK. If you are returning less than 50% of your order, your fee will be roughly 3 pounds. The fee increases every 10 percentage points, to the highest fee of 9 pounds for those returning 90 to 100% of their orders.
Important notes here. If you opt for store credit, there is no fee. I checked the U.S. website, these changes were not made there yet. It remains to be seen whether the updated policy will be rolled out to other countries as well.
It is a move to fight back against the major issue of returns. On the one hand, the brand is trying to recoup the cost of having to process the return. On the other hand, it can create some issues with the consumer. It is also crucial they nail down how they communicate these changes and inform customers that they will be targeted for higher fees. Will they issue warnings in advance? Will they offer opportunities for disputes? Will they do anything, anything at all to let their customers know they are considered serial returners before they get hit with higher fees? If not, then I definitely expect to see disgruntled reddit posts and TikToks calling out the company. How are they going to prepare for the backlash?
Personally, I don’t know that I would shop with the brand knowing their return policy and also knowing how tricky shopping online can be. Just reading the fees, it seems like I as a consumer I would be penalized if stuff doesn’t work out for me. (But if I were a serial returner, maybe it’s time to move on to find a brand that works better, anyway.) Return fees are not new in the industry, but this is a new level to it. I curious how this plays out and what if any ripple effects it has within the industry.
Source: Douglass, R. (May 21, 2024) Oh Polly to begin charging ‘serial refunders’ nine pounds for returns. Fashion United. https://fashionunited.com/news/business/oh-polly-to-begin-charging-serial-refunders-nine-pounds-for-returns/2024052159967
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