An ASOS shopper was left stunned when she attempted to place an order with the retailer, only to discover how much the delivery would cost her. Lauren, who describes herself as a 'spendaholic' on her TikTok page @lce.lifestyle, was left reeling when she saw that standard delivery alone would set her back £8.45. If she selected next-day delivery from her account, it would cost her £9.90, which was identical to the price for nominated-day delivery.
High Return Rate Triggers Extra Fee
At the top of her screen, a message appeared: 'Your returns rate is very high. A £3.95 handling fee applies to your order on top of any delivery costs.' Lauren claimed she wasn't even 'a regular ASOS user'. She also defended sending garments back in the past, which many of us have also done.
The shopper highlighted it's 'an online retailer,' so you obviously need to return items if they don't fit. For that reason, she believes it's 'absolutely ridiculous' to penalise customers for sizing issues. She fumed: 'I'm just obviously not going to buy from you, or I'll create a new account.' Lauren added it's 'wild' they'd expect anyone to fork out that much on a single delivery.
Divided Opinions on Social Media
Lauren's video divided opinion. One person jumped to ASOS's defence in the comments, stating: 'To be fair, I don't see a problem with charging for returns rates of over 70%, that's insanely high and terrible for the environment. They aren't denying you the clothes, they're putting a fee to discourage people from taking the mick. Everyone loves to get on them about sizing, too, but they literally stock so many different brands, and the brands decide their own sizing. A Bershka size 14 is not gonna be the same as an ASOS Design size 14, that's not their fault lol.'
Lauren hit back: 'But they are an online retailer? I physically cannot try on the clothes without ordering. I've ordered 3 times this year.' However, others were in agreement with Lauren and said they'd 'stopped shopping with ASOS' in recent years. One claimed ASOS 'lost their USP' when they began charging for returns, preventing shoppers from ordering several outfit options at the last minute.
ASOS Return Fee Policy
According to Which?, ASOS now uses a 'personal return rate' calculator in its app to calculate individual return fees. If your return rate over the past 12 months falls below 70%, returns remain free of charge. However, if it exceeds 70% and you keep less than £40 worth of goods, a £3.95 fee will apply. ASOS has been contacted for comment.
