ONLINE fashion giant Boohoo is facing backlash from loyal shoppers after cancelling accounts and changing its returns policy.
Customers who have signed up to its premier delivery services for unlimited next day delivery and free returns have been angered by the change.
Premier currently costs £7.99 a year, but some customers have paid £10 a year before a price change.
In May, it started charging premier customers £1.99 for returns despite shoppers not being informed.
Boohoo has charged for returns outside of its premier accounts since 2022.
Now, the fashion website has started closing accounts where it is unhappy with the level of returns.
Emails to customers from Boohoo, seen by The Sun, claim that “after reviewing accounts, as well as our terms and conditions for the unusually high returns activity, we have decided to deactivate your account.”
There is no mention of a limit on returns in Boohoo’s terms and conditions online.
One Premier customer, Danielle Cohen, who was told her account had been deactivated last weekend, says she has returned several items in recent months while keeping some orders but adds that she was never told of a limit.
She says: “One of the reasons I signed up for the Premier service was because of the free returns.
“There was never any indication of any limits.”
Shoppers have also vented their frustration on social media.
One Facebook user said: “You obviously can’t try online like you can in a shop so I have been trying different styles but that’s now gone against me.
“What sort of business sense is that? I’m baffled.”
Another Facebook user said: “It is horrendous that they are doing this to so many people.
“What is the point in offering ‘unlimited’ delivery and returns if in reality it’s obviously not allowed.”
A Premier customer on Twitter/X whose account was closed has even complained that she had a £160 gift voucher to spend, describing it as “daylight robbery”.
Online shoppers often order items in multiple sizes so that they can find the right fit before returning them.
However, a swathe of retailers have started charging for returns in recent months.
Companies argue that the cost of dealing with returns and refunds has increased.
Boohoo-owned Pretty Little Thing introduced a return fee in June and has also been shutting down accounts.
Plus Asos last month indicated a crackdown on returns and may start charging a fee.
Consumer rights campaigner Martyn James says this is the latest example of online retailers letting users down and follows behaviour such as removing customer service numbers.
He said: “Many retailers have unpublished policies to ban customers who have high rates of returns, but these could be for various reasons, including problems where they live, terrible delivery people who leave parcels in strange places and just bad luck with orders.
“This practice is legal – you can’t force a retailer to do business with you – but it seems desperately unfair to penalise people who are paying for a premium service for using that service.”
James said online-only retailers have arguably killed the high street by exploiting their lack of overheads with their online shops but now that they have a monopoly, he warns: “We will see more and more of these practices as consumers find themselves stuck with limited options.”
Helen Dewdney, consumer expert from The Complaining Cow, says there are costs to dealing with returns so if a customer is costing a company by sending back more than they are keeping, “it is perhaps understandable why they are having their account closed.”
However, she said Boohoo may have misled customers who signed up for Premier accounts to get free returns and are now not receiving that service.
She added: “Boohoo should be clearer in its terms and conditions as regards what the limit is and should certainly be refunding the fee to anyone who has had their account closed.”
A spokesperson for Boohoo group said: “We are committed to providing our customers with easy access to our products and upholding a fair return policy.
“However, like many other online fashion brands, it is important that we balance this with our responsibility to discourage repeat returners, which incur a cost for both the business and the environment.”
The Sun understands that any money left in closed accounts will be refunded and gift card credit will be sent back to the original purchaser.
The Boohoo Group is comprised of five core brands:
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