DQ
Dominique Bautista (qu3tin)
2 days ago
I purchased an athletic pant online and received it only to find that the logo was missing. I wondered if Lululemon’s quality had changed, since I haven’t bought their pants in a while. I checked online and confirmed that the style should have a logo, so I went to the store to exchange it for a proper one.
The store was extremely busy this afternoon, and some staff weren’t even sure whether certain pants should have a logo. They asked me to search the store myself to find the same pattern to confirm. I understand they were busy, but Lululemon is known for its high customer service, and this felt like very low support. After about ten minutes of looking with no luck and needing to leaveI left the store.
Later in the evening, on my way home, I stopped by again just before closing, hoping it would be less busy. I finally spoke to someone and explained the situation. I really shouldn’t have to go out of my way to fix a quality issue on an item I paid for, but I made time because I loved the pattern and couldn’t find anything similar for the price I paid.
Even though I stayed calm and pleasant, I was genuinely frustrated. They offered me a refund (since my size was no longer available online), a store credit, or what they called a QP, Quality Promise. I understood this to mean I could exchange the pants for another item since the product I received was defective. Lululemon sold me a faulty item, and I expected them to resolve the issue without further inconvenience or cost to me.
However, when I was about to exchange it, the sales associate told me I needed to pay the price difference since the pants were no longer on sale. They didn’t honor their mistake, nor did they clearly explain what the QP actually covered. At this point it was 9pm, I had already spent 30 minutes in the store, and I was exhausted and disappointed. I just agreed to pay full price. I even bought a top because I felt like I was inconveniencing them when in reality, Lululemon had inconvenienced me, my time, my energy, and even my budget.
I left feeling gaslit and duped. I came to resolve an issue with a defective product but ended up paying more than expected because the staff made me feel as though I had brought in something fake as if I were trying to scam them. When I finished explaining the situation, the associate, Jen, responded with “I believe you.” When I questioned the phrasing, they reworded it to sound less accusatory. Jen also consulted their lead out in the open, speaking in a way that made it sound like they were doubting my honesty. They didn’t even ask to see my order confirmation email, which would have settled everything.
After leaving, it hit me how unpleasant the entire experience was. I was made to feel deceitful, and it was disheartening. I’m now trying to make sense of my emotions and decide whether I should return the products altogether. I’ve always loved Lululemon, but the quality of service was terrible, and I didn’t feel welcomed or comfortable in the store.
Compared to Aritzia where I always feel welcomed, even if I walk in straight from the gym or while running errands as a busy mom this was a stark difference. I wanted to stay loyal to Lululemon because it’s Canadian, but experiences like this make me consider switching to brands like Alo if it means better service.