To wonder how Kate Hudson sleeps at night (Fabletics)?

[evenmoreforthemoor]

Yet another friend duped by Fabletics and their offers.

It relies on busy people, usually without much cash thinking that their offer is too good to be true before they find out a few weeks later that another £44 has gone out of their account and that they actually signed up to a subscription for leggings.

It's just such a seedy way for someone who is already well off, who lives a pious yoga/spiritual life splashed all over Instagram, to make more money.

It’s very clear about subscriptions. It’s why I didn’t buy the leggings I was tempted with.

A lot of people on trustpilot have been unable to get through on the cancellation line apparently.

Yeah but most online businesses are designed around persuading people to buy their products rather than try to get them to
subscribe to something they are unlikely to want longterm and making it inconvenient to cancel. I can't think of any other online clothing shop that is set up in this way

The subscription service is indeed very clearly explained, and you are given the option of either skipping a month or cancelling altogether. I don't have any problem with that.

What I do have a problem with though is that according to many, many Trust Pilot reviews, their customer service is absolutely rubbish. That people dutifully skip on the website and still get charged and it takes ages to sort out. That they try to cancel their membership by using all means of contact possible but don't hear back and are charged in the meantime. That if they try to return something they get refund on 1 item and the rest is placed on the store credit. And it again takes endless emailing back and forth to sort out

So the general opinion is that the quality is great but customer service is enormous pain in the backside, and that's why people are advised to avoid Fabletics.

Nobody wants to have to deal with it.

I really don’t see how this is confusing - lots of companies do a similar model. Naked Wines for one - you sign up to their ‘Angel’ membership when placing your first order and they take £20 per month which you can spend on wines whenever you want.

I think in this day and age of the internet it’s bizarre to think you wouldn’t read the small print (regardless of any odd reasoning).

I’ve never bought from Fabletics and I’m not in the market for their type of leggings. But even I can tell you it’s a subscription 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think fabletics are great. I work out a lot and am an elite member, so buy something most months. The quality of leggings and bras are fantastic (tops are a bit too revealing for me). The material of the hoodies is also the softest and nicest stuff ever.
People should read things before mindlessly clicking.

I'm confused. Athleticwear as a SUBSCRIPTION?
I mean, I know that desperate (and greedy) businesses are doing their best to turn everything into a fucking service/subscription, but how many airtex t-shirts etc. does a person actually need?

I have three pairs of leggings and have had them for years.

I’m sure this is the opposite of what you were trying to achieve OP, but I just placed an order with them 😂

It really is very clear that this is a subscription and it’s made clear several times during the process. I will make sure I cancel after I receive my order.

A couple of thoughts on subscriptions:

The whole idea of "Well, you can just cancel or skip whenever you like!" was reasonable when it was predicated on the idea that each person might have only a small handful of things they were subscribed to. The more things go subscription-only, the less relevant the above justification becomes--few real-life consumers have the time, energy and organization to keep mental track of dozens of subscriptions and then sort out the cancelation, skipping and restarting process for them all. It's also obvious that companies have a vested interest in making it complicated to cancel or skip.

It does seem to me that we let brick-and-mortar retail fail at our peril.

Subscription models are obviously very attractive to all companies (online OR brick-and-mortar), but with brick-and-mortar there is no way to force this on people--people mostly walk into the store and buy one-off purchases and then walk away.

If more brick-and-mortar fails, leaving us with online as the only option for more and more things we need, we could see a trend where we are increasingly forced into subscription models for an ever-growing number of items. I don't want this. I don't want to hand over my purchasing history data to an endlessly increasing list of firms, I don't want to have to mentally keep track of countless subscription, and I don't want my flat to get overstuffed and filled up with unnecessary items and clutter I never really wanted but have someone wound up purchasing anyway.

(Just to clarifyI know Fabletics does not automatically send stuff to you without your choosing it, but a lot of subscription services do"activity boxes for children" et al. From what I have heard from people who have used these, the toys and books vary in quality and end up becoming clutter in the house.)

@vanillandhoney @Leaannb I didn't say its an MLM, I used MLM as an example of a company that is technically legal but unethical in response to a post that said their shady behaviour doesn't make them immoral. I've now given several detailed examples of how the business model is questionable compared to other subscription services or just buying from a shop so am not going to cover old ground again.

Same with Fenty

I looked up Fabletics to see for myself, and there’s a lot that doesn’t sit well with me. Using “membership” instead of “subscription” is definitely concerning. I also don’t like the way they frame it as getting free clothes from your £49 fee. I also noticed that in order to cancel, you’re supposed to call them. I really struggle with phone calls, so that would be difficult for me, and impossible for others. Is there an online way to cancel? It’s not surprising people get caught out by these sort of things. I also wonder how the website interacts with screen readers. I also hate the idea that being unable to navigate a company like this is some sort of personal failure. These companies are designer specifically to trip customers up and get them to spend more than they want to. When I was growing up, a lot of the adverts in between the kids tv programmes were debt consolidation companies that offered help with catalogue and store card debt, so this feels like the modern equivalent.

There are better ways to build up a collection of athletic wear, why would I need a company to hold that money for me?

Beauty pie also uses the word 'membership' as they present themselves as the Costco of luxury beauty- a beauty buyers club. Of course their membership is nowhere as high as fabletics-£5-£20, just like Costco membership fees are also fairly low.

The biggest issue is Fabletics charging such high monthly fees- nearly £50. I think people would have less of a problem with them if they charged a little more on the leggings and had a lower subscription fee. If your friend had been £10 poorer due to not reading the T& Cs ,I doubt she would be so angry. Basically she went in expecting to pay £24 for 2 leggings and then ended up paying double that for a membership she doesn't need.

@evenmoreforthemoor If people aren’t capable of reading and understanding what is made pretty clear, on the opening screen of this website, you shouldn’t really be buying anything online. Every online shopping site has some terms and conditions and if you don’t understand these, then it’s not the site’s fault!

My daughter has a subscription with Fabletics and thinks that their leggings and bras are great. She, however, understands that it is a subscription site. If she doesn’t want any leggings etc. she logs in and skips a month. It is really clear on the front screen how this company works. It isn’t Kate Hudson’s fault if someone joins and fails to read or understand pretty clear information!

So, in answer to the question, I expect Kate Hudson sleeps pretty well at night, knowing that she is being transparent and upfront with those who have joined the Fabletics VIP membership programme!

It’s so obvious how it works! They only do the 2 for £24 offer to entice people to sign up to their membership. It’s so easy to cancel when you’ve got them though. I don’t understand how people can not get it.

It's obvious the whole business model depends on people forgetting to cancel, which in sure lots do and is, imo, underhand, but no one could claim they didn't know what they've signed up to.

I subscribed to it and it was completely clear to me. I love their shorts and leggings - I think the quality is great, the styles/colours are nice and they all have plenty of pockets!

I've since cancelled because I've got enough gear for the time being. It's really easy to cancel.

For all those saying it's very clear.... It wasn't a few months ago, the website has been updated.