In 1911, Leon Leonwood Bean returned from a hunting trip with cold, damp feet and a revolutionary idea. He decided to create a boot that was comfortable and durable enough for exploring the Maine woods. Satisfied with his design, he sent out mailers to local fishermen and hunters, with a disclosure that each pair had a money-back guarantee:
“We guarantee them to give perfect satisfaction in every way.”
He received one hundred orders, but a few weeks later, 90 pairs were returned because the leather tops and rubber bottoms separated. Although it nearly put him out of business, L.L. kept his word and refunded the purchase price. He borrowed more money, corrected the problem and, with undiminished confidence, mailed more brochures.
Something special happened when 90 of those first 100 pairs were returned. A legendary guarantee was born.
One hundred years later, not only has his boot design held up, but his promise to deliver a product that offers 100% satisfaction is still alive and well.
We want you to be completely satisfied with everything you buy from L.L.Bean. If you aren’t, bring it back at any time, and we’ll happily give you a refund or a replacement right away.
This is the rock-solid guarantee that you can count on today, tomorrow and for the next 100 years.
Our products are guaranteed to give 100% satisfaction in every way. Return anything purchased from us at any time if it proves otherwise. We do not want you to have anything from L.L.Bean that is not completely satisfactory.
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This post originally appeared in trailmix: The L.L.Bean Blog on February 11, 2014.
