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.

@evenmoreforthemoor

Hmm interesting so many people find it obvious.

There's tonnes of posts across lots of forums of people who don't find it obvious. There's even a website - very helpful - called fableticssucks.co.uk which outlines why it is so sketchy.

I guess some people are more susceptible than others.

It's clear though that the business make lots of money off people who don't understand what it is they're signing up to.

Personally I wouldn't want to make my living this way.

The website and also any ads I've seen online does make it clear that if you don't order something once a month they will charge you. It's really greedy but they are clear in that

I had them for a while and it was easy to skip, the leggings are good quality and I had a few freebies.

Where they fall down is that your 'credit' from the subscription isn't useable on any sale items. It is also a nightmare to cancel, it's a phone call and they have you waiting a really long time with no indication of how long you will be queuing.

Their tactics are underhanded, if it was an honest company you could cancel within a few clicks and the money you pay every month would be redeemable on any of their products.

[quote FitterHappierMoreProductive]@vanillandhoney

But the reason fabletics is using the subscription model is specifically to get cash out of people who don’t use the subscription- it can be the only reason. Very few people act want leggings all the time. Unlike Netflix (which is massively cheaper incidentally), where people usually would sign up wanting a long term service.

Fabletics is clearly cynically a subscription service, not because it makes any sense for the product being sold.

And I notice none of the fans address the literacy issue?[/quote]
I’ve never bought from fabletics, so I’m not a fangirl defending them, but of the top of my head I can easily think of a reason why a legging company would choose to be subscription that isn’t about cynically doing people out of a monthly subscription! It could just as easily be a marketing move to get you onto their website and looking at their products. If I need to go to a page full of cute outfits to skip a month, chances are I will see something I want and decide to buy anyway.

[quote FitterHappierMoreProductive]@vanillandhoney

I haven’t said it’s immoral or unethical- just that they use that business model cynically to catch all the money of people who don’t cancel their subscription. And I say that because whilst I can conceive there might be a —vanishingly small— number of people who actually do want leggings every month, it is not in the same order of things like TV or food that people do naturally want month in month out.

But there actually is an unethical element because the monthly subscription aspect is in very tiny type (only the become a VIP Member is large type and who knows, that might be free? Costs you nothing to be an H&M or Gap VIP) and some people’s literary skills are pretty low.[/quote]
That may well be their business model, but people are still getting what they signed up for. You don't get to sign up for a service and then complain that you're getting exactly what you signed up for.

The information is all right there on the home page underneath where it says "2 for £24 when you become a VIP member". It's not hidden away somewhere - it's right in front of you when you load the website.

It's up to you: when you become a VIP member, shop or skip to avoid a £49 subscription charge. All charges become a member credit that can be spent anytime! To avoid the charge, make another purchase or log into your account and click the "skip the month" button on your My Outfits page by the 5th of each month.

It's pretty clear you just don't agree with the idea of a subscription leggings service. I also think it's bonkers but I wouldn't sign up for one and then complain about being charged for it afterwards!

Again, it's not the company's fault the people are either ignorant or forgetful. That's on the consumer. And as for the person who complained about having £220 worth of subscriptions taken off them - that's entirely their fault for not checking their bank statements for months on end!

Honestly, OP, I am as unfit as they come and would be the last person buying from Fabletics but I could have told you they were a subscription service. I have no idea how!!!

Very clever of them to ensure you miss that front page as soon as you have signed up, means you aren't reminded of how it works.

Apart from the monthly emails while your subscription is live?

I totally agree with you @evenmoreforthemoor

I got caught by this a few years ago. My fault I didn’t read it properly although there was a ‘countdown’ clock before the discount ended so I rushed
Anyway I cancelled the subscription without consequence when I realised. The set I got was ok. The top was awful, you could’ve spat through it it was so thin. The leggings were good though and still going strong

@AccidentallyOnPurpose

Ok, so I asked him. I emailed the link, asked him to look for me. Went to speak to him - asked him how much it would cost “£24 for 2” asked him what else - “I’d have to pay for shipping...?” Asked him if he notice anything else - like signing for a subscription service? “No”

He had completely missed it. This is a very bright lad - with low literacy levels. My point proved I’m afraid. Soz.

@400rabbits

I sympathise a bit with the OPs friend really. You'd be surprised at the number of people out there who struggle to cope with what most people on here would think should be obvious. I used to work in advice work for benefits and people in debt. Particularly with financial stuff some people honestly can't cope with even basic stuff

I've actually just googled it and the average reading age among adults in the UK is 9. 9 years old! And that's the average

I mean, if it's true, that's shocking but it's not Fabletics' fault. They don't need to design their services around the reading age in the UK.

I think no one can argue they missed it after checking it out.
Men's and women's well before checkout. Actually before you even put it in a basket...

@slashlover

Very clever of them to ensure you miss that front page as soon as you have signed up, means you aren't reminded of how it works.

Apart from the monthly emails while your subscription is live?

Yeah - she didn't read them because she didn't realise what she'd signed up to - thought it was just a marketing email. She's kicking herself now, and still waiting on a call back that was meant to be 2 hours ago.

[quote FitterHappierMoreProductive]@AccidentallyOnPurpose

Ok, so I asked him. I emailed the link, asked him to look for me. Went to speak to him - asked him how much it would cost “£24 for 2” asked him what else - “I’d have to pay for shipping...?” Asked him if he notice anything else - like signing for a subscription service? “No”

He had completely missed it. This is a very bright lad - with low literacy levels. My point proved I’m afraid. Soz.[/quote]
Completely fair enough actually, and you make a very valid point that I hadn't considered.

If vulnerable/disabled/impaired people cannot tell the difference and that it's a subscription service then it's indeed an issue.

Maybe something we could write to them about?

@Grapewrath

I got caught by this a few years ago. My fault I didn’t read it properly although there was a ‘countdown’ clock before the discount ended so I rushed Anyway I cancelled the subscription without consequence when I realised. The set I got was ok. The top was awful, you could’ve spat through it it was so thin. The leggings were good though and still going strong

Yeah their countdown clock is apparently unlawful too.

@FitterHappierMoreProductive would he catch it on the page before you put it in a basket?

@vanillandhoney I think its two things that make it seem really scammy to me.

Firstly the product itself (or lack of), other subscription services are either a product or a service, this is a product being treated as a service as in you get charged a monthly fee to be able to buy the product. It's not a consumable like make up, food, or flowers. It just does not appear to be a legit business model without relying on a certain amount of people, either not cancelling their membership, or not sitting on a load of unspent credit.

Secondly the Ad's for the company that I've seen always focus on the introductory offer. They don't advertise the subscription service itself. So the ad's are 'Buy 2 pairs of leggings for £44 (subscription required)' not 'sign up to pay £44 pounds per month and receive 2 pairs of leggings in your first month'. Hello fresh don't advertise by saying 'get 2 meals for a fiver (subscription sign up required), they advertise by saying 'pay x a week for lovely meals, get your first box free' or such. The subscription model is the USP of the company but its not what they are raving about.

I'm sure its all legal, and as I said early on I think they have made it much more obvious its a subscription service, but it doesn't sit right with me so we will just have to agree to disagree on this one.

[quote FitterHappierMoreProductive]@AccidentallyOnPurpose

Ok, so I asked him. I emailed the link, asked him to look for me. Went to speak to him - asked him how much it would cost “£24 for 2” asked him what else - “I’d have to pay for shipping...?” Asked him if he notice anything else - like signing for a subscription service? “No”

He had completely missed it. This is a very bright lad - with low literacy levels. My point proved I’m afraid. Soz.[/quote]
That sounds like my friend. She's super clever but diagnosed dyslexic.

Yeah - she didn't read them because she didn't realise what she'd signed up to - thought it was just a marketing email. She's kicking herself now, and still waiting on a call back that was meant to be 2 hours ago.

This is getting hilarious now. She she read it the first time,it's mentioned at checkout AND she received emails but dhe didn't read them. But it's somehow their fault?

Reminds me of the school mum bitching about breakfast club fees being increased,how she was caught short and it was embarrassing and why didn't the school let her know, "bunch of incompetent arseholes". When we told her it was in the newsletter(both paper and email) she said she never reads that rubbish and the paper goes straight in the bin. They should've messaged her apparently.

Sure love...

I appreciate your response @AccidentallyOnPurpose

This is why I think it is An issue - he didn’t even read any of the “landing page” he didn’t expect vital subscription type info on there for buying a pair of leggings.

"We" should write to them about? Dear fabletics, I'm not a customer but writing to you about this hypothetical customer who I dint know but who might chance across your site and be hoodwinked?

Better write to all the gambling sites, people might not realise it's real cash and not Monopoly money, better also write to every other website which asks people to sign up and enter credit card details or email details, people might not understand!!!

Take responsibility for yourself.

Sure she is...

@SchrodingersImmigrant

Nope. He didn’t catch it.

Slightly missing the point but who needs new leggings that often that you need a subscription?? Do they fall apart really quickly? Are they biodegradable and disintegrate just a little bit more each time you sweat in them??

I'm sure its all legal, and as I said early on I think they have made it much more obvious its a subscription service, but it doesn't sit right with me so we will just have to agree to disagree on this one

It's fine that it doesn't sit right with you, but that doesn't mean they're doing something wrong or immoral, which is what OP is trying to argue.

@AccidentallyOnPurpose

Sure she is...

Come on - despite differences of opinion, this has actually been a pretty grown up convo for AIBU on a Sunday evening.

There's no need.