Popular online fashion retailer PrettyLittleThing has ended its free returns policy, causing quite a stir among shoppers. The brand joins the ranks of others such as Zara, Wayfair, Oh Polly, and H&M who have introduced charges for returns. Experts at , specialists in retail payments, suggest this change could be an effort to combat 'serial refunding' and 'wardrobing', where customers buy large quantities of clothing to try on or wear once with tags intact, only to return them later.
The news has spread across social media, with TikTok user @sjbrame highlighting the update in a video that quickly racked up over 100k views, sparking reactions from users. Comments ranged from one user lamenting, "Omg I'm devastated", to another expressing frustration: "What so I pay for royalty but have to pay to return my parcels too now. Great.
" Others were equally dismayed, with one saying, "Life is RUINED", and another noting, "I noticed this earlier! ! What a joke", reports . One particularly upset shopper said: "This hurts more than a breakup!" Until recently, PrettyLittleThing offered free returns via well-known couriers like Evri, Royal Mail, and Inpost. But since the start of June, UK customers are charged £1.
99 for these services when returning items, which will be taken from their order refund. Should customers opt for a different return method, they must cover the cost themselves. Experts at Dojo have commented: "High amounts of returns can prove very expensive for businesses so it'.