Lululemon bans loyal customers from online store

CTV Vancouver: Lululemon bans customers from site The clothing company has banned customers from shopping on their online site.

Loyal Lululemon customers were shocked after being banned from shopping on the company’s online store.

Eric Lewis had purchasing running gear from the company for several years, owns 35 pairs of the Pace Breakers shorts, and even has a giant Lululemon brand logo in his room. He recently received a phone call informing him that the company will no longer ship products to him after finding out he sold a pair of Lululemon pants that didn’t fit him on eBay.

“I just kind of felt victimized. I’m such a loyal fan I’ve supported their business for a long time and then for them to go after me for something like this just blew my mind,” he said. “I was shocked.”

Starla Samson was similarly banned from online shopping at Lululemon. She is part of a local Facebook group that swaps and sells used gear below retail price and has spent $20,000 on Lululemon products over the last five years.

“I was furious to be honest,” she said. “I was devastated, I was embarrassed, I was humiliated.”

Samson said she should have the same rights to purchase the clothes online as other customers.

“We're not selling ammunition, we're selling yoga pants,” she told CTV News. “Like, get a grip.”

The company’s website resale policy states that apart from selling their products, customers can do what they want with their merchandise.

“We completely recognize that once someone purchases our product they can do what they want with it,” the policy reads. “We do not, however, support those who acquire large volumes of our product to resell at an elevated price point.”

Last spring the company was forced to recall thousands of see-through pants. Soon after, Lululemon founder Chip Wilson received backlash for telling Bloomberg TV that the pants “don't work for some women's bodies.”

Wilson stepped down from his position a month later. Now loyal customers like Lewis may step away from the brand.

“I don’t see the point supporting them if they’re going to treat me this way,” Lewis said.

Lululemon Athletica sent a statement to CTV on Sunday which read, in part:

“We looked into it and realized that we had indeed gone too far, and have taken steps to fix it as quickly as possible. Our approach is simply intended to limit major reselling which results in assortments not being available to all of our guests. We are reaching out to apologize to the guests who were impacted.”

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Scott Roberts.