Lululemon acts like a cobra, treats customers like down dogs
I have to admit, as a guy, yoga is not my thing.
However, even an uneducated guy knows that Lululemon is a big deal, when it comes to yoga pants. And especially when it comes to mistreating its rabidly loyal customers.
Now it seems the company is taking its legendary weirdness to new heights by banning customers that decide to resell any of its products.
Eric Lewis, founder of the blog LuluMen, said he was also chastised by the retailer for trying to sell a pair of pants he bought at a recent warehouse sale in Canada.
After the college student posted the pants online, he said a Lululemon representative phoned him to say his actions were against policy and he would be banned from its website if he continued selling items on eBay.
Er, what now?
Since when does a company have a say in what I do with a product, after I have purchased it? When you consider that Lululemon products are hard to find in stores, and the company only offers a 14-day return window, you can see why people would want to sell unwanted products on eBay.
If you want to build a loyal following of fanatical customers, you should treat them with dignity. You do that by encouraging them to share the love about your products. You don’t do that by scolding them like children. Sure, there will be some bad apples that try to buy in bulk and price gouge others, but you should never implement a policy that throws the baby out with the bath water!
What are your thoughts?
This isn’t the first time someone at Lululemon has done something irritating to customers (here’s an example from Huff Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/07/chip-wilson-lululemon-pants_n_4236637.html). People who use their products love them, but I wonder if they won’t start looking for alternatives if this kind of thing keeps up.
Agreed. I chose another brand, not only because of price, but because I don’t agree with the way they do business. They’ll be well on their way to Abercrombie status if they’re not careful!
A while back I was speaking to a guy who owned a string of pawn shops and he stated that there are a few brands that used the trademark laws against stores that resold used merchandise. Apparently, you must strip off all branding before reselling a product as used (regardless if you are selling it in your storefront or as a consumer) otherwise they can come after you. It is rarely ever enforced by a brand but it is within their legal right. Not a smart thing to do though regardless of how popular your brand is.
Wow, I did not know that. Thanks for the insight!
Mary Kay does the same thing with trying to prevent its former (and present) beauty consultants from trying to unload their bloated inventories of Mary Kay products on Ebay and elsewhere.