Model and swimwear entrepreneur Natasha Oakley has apologised after a customer publicly criticised the returns policy of her label, Monday Swimwear, calling it 'crazy'.
Oakley, 36, made the comments after the brand, which she launched in 2014, came under fire from Sydney customer Elodie Vela. Vela had bought a swimming costume from the label but found it didn't fit correctly, and ran into trouble when she tried to send it back.
Vela said she had paid $20 for shipping, then had to pay a further $20 for a prepaid return label to send the items back, a return she had to complete within 14 days of the delivery date. The shipping fees are non-refundable.
Vela objected to the cost, offering instead to drop the parcel off at Oakley's Bellevue Hill home, which she described as a 'mansion down the road'.
The disgruntled customer said that to send the swimwear back, she had to print paperwork, obtain a postage box and arrange a DHL collection, which meant being at home for a four-hour window so DHL could collect the parcel.
"I realised the whole returns process is just crazy," Vela said on social media. "I just feel like they put so much effort into marketing and so little into helping the consumer."
Vela also said she had learned that exchanges are only available to American customers.
Oakley responds to the complaints
Oakley replied to the criticism this weekend, telling the Daily Telegraph she was "honestly really sad" to learn of Vela's difficulties. She said something had clearly gone wrong and that she was now investigating the cause of the issue with her shipping partners.
"Regardless of how it happened, she had a frustrating experience with something I built, and I'm genuinely sorry for that," Oakley said.
"We're not perfect. I'm definitely not perfect. We're still learning and there are things I wish we could do better today."
About Monday Swimwear
Oakley co-owns Monday Swimwear with fellow model Devin Brugman, with the pair having started the label together more than a decade ago. The brand sells swimsuits, cover-ups and bikinis at an average price range of AUD $120 to $330.
Monday Swimwear was last valued at $40 million and sells as many as half a million units a year. Oakley, who is married to Australian mortgage broker Theo Chambers, is worth an estimated $128 million.
