San Francisco, CA – San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced today that her office, together with the District Attorneys of Los Angeles, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, settled a consumer protection lawsuit against various corporate entities doing business as SHEIN, an ecommerce company specializing in fast fashion. The complaint alleges, among other things, that Shein engaged in unlawful business practices by failing to properly notify customers and offer them refunds when products did not ship on time.
“Customers should expect that when they buy products over the internet, those products will ship on time or they will be told as much and offered the right to request a refund,” said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “My office will not hesitate to act when companies do not follow California law when it comes to sending delay notices. I want to thank my fellow district attorneys for working collaboratively to resolve this action.”
California law requires that, unless a longer time period is stated in the advertisement, orders placed over the internet must be shipped within 30 days, or sooner if the company promises an earlier shipping date. If for some reason products cannot be shipped on time, the company must take additional steps, one of which is to send a notice (commonly referred to as a “delay notice”) informing the consumer of the expected length of delay and offering the opportunity for a refund. The complaint alleges that Shein repeatedly failed to ship products within the required timeframes, or to provide the required delay notices or offers of refunds.
Under the terms of the stipulated judgment, SHEIN is prohibited from making untrue or misleading statements about the time it takes to ship or deliver products, and from violating California law relating to the shipping delays. Without admitting liability, the company was also ordered to pay a total of $700,000 in civil penalties and investigative costs. The action was filed in Napa County Superior Court. Shein cooperated throughout this investigation.
###