Helping improve the emotional fabric of customer-supplier relations.
In March 2013, Lululemon, a billion-dollar Canadian athletic apparel company, made headlines after the media got wind of an unusual story. The Vancouver-based company recalled its popular black yoga pants after customers complained that the active wear was too sheer. The company pulled the pants from store shelves and online.
When reports about Lululemon’s return policy stated that customers needed to wear the yoga pants and have them inspected by store employees to prove the athletic wear was indeed too sheer, the media got involved. People commented on social media sites, and journalists asked the company what went wrong. After clarifying store policy—which DID NOT include customers needing to prove the product’s sheerness—the company explained that the problem resided with their overseas supplier. When the supplier told press that they met Lululemon’s specifications, the Vancouver-based company went public again stating that the product met BASIC requirements and more investigation was needed to find the root cause.