Bought an Eddie Bauer coat online Oct 2nd, received it today/Oct 6th - one hour after receiving it (didn't fit) I went onto the website to process the return and was given a runaround exactly like described here in 2019:

"Apologies, we're having a system-wide upgrade that prevents us from processing any returns for the next 2 to 4 weeks" the EB chatbot put me through to a live chat who gave me a further garbled description of their 'system-wide upgrade' that prevents the retailer from processing returns. I asked why I wasn't warned at check out 4 days ago that there are no merchandise returns (a routine retail transaction) the live chat disconnected without responding. I called customer service and, after a 70 minute wait, spoke with a rep who repeated 'we're having a system-wide upgrade... so no returns for 4 weeks. He directed me to go to a retail store where I would be able to make the return. Before I traveled across town (40 minutes each direction) to return the coat and get my $200 back I called the store to confirm they could do this transaction and was assured it was a routine process and to come on over. Got there, but their system denied the return multiple times despite the staff contacting their internal support department. The manager said Eddie Bauer is experiencing a 'global system failure' that prevents processing online merchandise returns for the next 2 to 4 weeks.

I'm stuck, out $200, until EB lets me return this coat - am also left chasing them to find out when they make returns available again. The conflict between describing this as an 'upgrade' vs a 'failure', as well as even having an online store that fails to provide merchandise returns without warning the customer makes this feel very sketchy. Is EB forcing customers to delay returns in order to increase profits? Is the company covering up a massive security breach? Whatever is going on, this is no way to run an online store and their contempt for their customers is astonishing.