Man files lawsuit against Bass Pro, says they refuse to honor lifetime warranty on socks

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Man files lawsuit against Bass Pro, says they refuse to honor lifetime warranty on socks

A Springfield man has filed a class action lawsuit against Bass Pro, claiming they refused to honor a lifetime warranty on socks he purchased.

The lawsuit, which Kent Slaughter filed in July 2022, says Bass Pro has uniformly misrepresented to consumers that its apparel product “Redhead Lifetime Guarantee All- Purpose Wool Socks" is sold with a lifetime guarantee.

The lawsuit states that Slaughter purchased socks from Bass Pro in hopes of a lifetime warranty, and that the warranty was a major factor in his decision to purchase the socks.

Springfield-based Bass Pro Shops specializes in hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor recreation merchandise.

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The lawsuit states that at one time, Bass Pro would replace the socks with a free replacement each time the socks would wear out, but that now Bass Pro replaces the socks with a new, different pair of socks that only comes with a limited 60-day warranty. The suit states that Bass Pro has now added a stripe design to the 60-day socks so that employees know that no warranty will be honored for those socks beyond the limited warranty period.

According to the lawsuit, between 2014 and 2021, Slaughter purchased a total of 12 socks from the Bass Pro superstore in Springfield. It says Slaughter returned multiple pairs of socks starting in 2015 and got a no-charge exchange under the lifetime warranty. But according to Slaughter, things changed in 2021 when he attempted to return four pairs of socks. The suit says he was told that the store clerk could not assist with the exchange. Eventually he was given the distinctively-marked 60-day socks.

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The lawsuit alleges that Bass Pro designs, manufactures, markets, advertises, and sells the product with the following statements displayed: “The last sock you'll ever need to buy.”

A Bass Pro representative said the company does not comment on pending litigation.

An attempt to reach Slaughter was not successful.

jooes on July 15th, 2022 at 18:05 UTC »

The title makes it seem like he's basing this lawsuit on their advertising slogan, but there's more to it than just that.

But it says these socks had a lifetime guarantee, where they would replace the socks for free if they ever wore out. And this guy would replace his socks with no issues for a few years.

But in 2021, they've replaced them with socks that only have a 60 day warranty. And from reading the article, it kinda sounds like they didn't even want to do that.

I think the guy has a point. If I buy something with a lifetime warranty, you shouldn't be allowed to swap it for a shittier warranty like this.

I even googled these socks and I found somebody on Reddit complaining about the same exact thing. Apparently they were a pretty big hit on the BuyItForLife subreddit, and I saw somebody mention that their website said: "If ever they wear out, just return them for a FREE replacement"

BernieTheDachshund on July 15th, 2022 at 17:11 UTC »

They shouldn't advertise it that way if they don't intend to honor it.

shggybyp on July 15th, 2022 at 16:14 UTC »

Might be silly, but frankly I'd love anything that reins in the utter bullshit of marketing and advertising.