Lululemon – the master of mindfulness and looking good in activewear – has been left with its yoga mats in a twist after copping a $32,400 fine for false or misleading representations about its customers' rights to returns or refunds.
Back in May, Lululemon decided to market its sale items as: "yours for keeps so no returns and no exchanges". This caught the gaze of the ACCC as it's serious folly to allege that consumers aren't entitled to their statutory consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law, no matter how good a deal the retailer decides to give.
Additionally, in November 2016, a customer complained about a faulty item and was told Lululemon doesn't issue refunds for "quality affected garments".
All things considered, the Canadian retailer copped the penalties on the chin, and unsurprisingly, it has since amended its return policy accordingly. Lululemon also issued a public response indicating that it would work in tandem with the ACCC to remedy the situation as quickly as possible, ensuring compliance with all of the ACL guarantees.
As the ACCC rightly pointed out, any consumer is entitled to a remedy if a product does not meet a consumer guarantee. It doesn't matter whether the item's on sale or not.
The moral of the story? Yogis everywhere can now rest easy knowing that their fav pair of yoga pants will be covered for major failure mid downward dog.
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