I will give you the short story -- the real story is long, boring, expensive, and painful.

I made the mistake of buying a very expensive Dahon bike from LLBean after being assured by their "customer service" (& I do use the term loosely) that it is given a "tune up" by them before shipment. This is an outright lie. I had to take this bike in to a bike shop twice because it was put together incorrectly. Not only was I treated like dog dirt by their "customer service" on the phone, but by email they mostly simply ignore customers who aren't thrilled at paying hundreds of dollars for defective products.

LLBean has a fan club, & it's a good thing that they do or else they'd be out of business. Besides this Dahon bike fiasco, I've bought other things through the years from LLBean that just weren't worth the money but are always grossly hyped by their fan club. One example is their mission-style furniture. The wood is extremely rough & cheap looking, you have to put it together yourself, yet it is priced in the range of medium-to-high-end furniture.

So, I learned my lesson to never buy furniture from them. I learned to not buy their shapeless garments. Now I learned that you can't even buy other name brands from LLBean -- unless you want to be ignored when the item is defective.

Other stores should look to Bean's to learn how customers should be treated! The polar opposite experience I had last month is with Pottery Barn Kids - the most inept customer service ever! I didn't think a company could stay in business with such poor service as PBK. Don 't buy their stock, I can't believe they'll last. Beans should run an education program for other companies customer service reps and teach them how it should be done! Thank you Beans for valuing us customers!

Some time back, my boyfriend had an LL Bean jacket that was several years-old that the zipper had broken. He contacted the company and they replaced the jacket with the newest version, free of charge. I have ordered many things from this store and have always had a good experience. They sort of remind me of Tupperware in the sense that when you purchase something from the company, it is for LIFE. They do stand by their products very well. The quality is excellent. I have worn the same sweater from LL Bean since I was 16 years-old and I am now 42! The quality lasts and lasts forever. I would definitely recommend this company.

Love getting their catalog and going online to find even more items.
Great customer service and fast free shipping.
What's not to like.

I was very impressed with L. L. Bean!

I plan to revisit some day, when I'm a bit more flush (with cash, like I was last time I shopped there via catalog).

As you might expect from a long-established proud rural Maine company in those days (nearly all the great clothes I bought were made in USA), both design and build yielded some of the best clothes I've ever owned. I feel like a slob compared to how I dressed then, lol.

Old Nordstrom comparable. Reliable, prompt... Long ago.

Selection: B+
Quality: A
Customer Service: A
Pricing: Fair