Online shopping site ASOS has updated the terms and conditions of its returns policy in a bid to cut down on customers that are returning too many items.
In an email to customers, the fashion house stated that it was making some changes. In addition to extending its return period from 28 days to 45 days to give shoppers more time to decide on purchases, the brand also revealed it would be monitoring accounts for any unusual behaviour when it came to sending back good.
The email stated: “We also need to make sure our returns remain sustainable for us and for the environment, so if we notice an unusual pattern, we might investigate and take action.”
The news comes after reports earlier this year that said a number of online retailers were planning ways to clamp down on shoppers who consistently returned a high proportion of goods purchased.
Further details on the rules were given in ASOS’s Fair Use policy which reveals that customers found guilty of abusing the system could have their shopping accounts blocked.
“If we notice an unusual pattern of returns activity that doesn’t sit right: e.g. we suspect someone is actually wearing their purchases and then returning them or ordering and returning loads – way, waaay more than even the most loyal ASOS customer would order – then we might have to deactivate the account and any associated accounts,” it read.
Some twitter users took to social media to express their disappointment with the new policy which many believe does not support the nature of online shopping and the fact that customers cannot try before they buy. One user blamed inconsistent sizing in the fashion industry as a reason that people could have multiple returns.
Another twitter user went so far as to say that she felt personally attacked by the return policy.
ASOS responded to one user who questioned what determined unusual behaviour.
The fashion retailer reiterated that it would only take action if it noticed an unusual level of returns on an account but failed to quantify the figure. It also pointed out that cutting down on returns meant the new policy was a move to “look after the planet a little better.”
