Natasha Oakley has apologised after a customer criticised Monday Swimwear’s returns policy, calling the process “crazy” and frustrating.
Model and swimwear entrepreneur Natasha Oakley has apologised after a customer criticised the returns process at her popular swimwear brand, Monday Swimwear.
Oakley, 36, responded after Sydney customer Elodie Vela publicly described her experience with the Australian-founded label’s returns policy as “crazy.”
Vela had purchased a swimsuit from Monday Swimwear but found that the item did not fit correctly.
When she attempted to return the purchase, she said she encountered a number of additional requirements and costs that left her frustrated with the process.
According to Vela, she initially paid $20 for shipping when she placed her order. She then discovered that she needed to pay another $20 for a prepaid return label in order to send the swimsuit back.
The customer also pointed to the brand’s 14-day return window, which requires eligible items to be sent back within 14 days of the delivery date.
Vela objected to the additional shipping expense and said she would have preferred to return the package herself rather than pay for another delivery service.
The Sydney woman even suggested that she could have dropped the parcel off at Oakley’s Bellevue Hill home, which she described as being nearby.
The process became more complicated when Vela attempted to organise the return itself.
She said she needed to print the necessary paperwork, find a suitable postage box and arrange for DHL to collect the package.
The DHL collection requirement was another source of frustration for the customer. Vela said she was required to remain at home during a four-hour collection window while waiting for the courier to pick up the parcel.
Sharing her experience on social media, Vela criticised the amount of work involved in returning the swimsuit.
“I realised the whole returns process is just crazy,” she said.
Vela also questioned the balance between the brand’s marketing efforts and the support available to customers.
“I just feel like they put so much effort into marketing and so little into helping the consumer,” she said.
The customer also discovered another limitation involving exchanges.
According to Vela, exchanges were only available to customers in the United States, adding another complication for shoppers elsewhere.
The complaint eventually prompted a response from Oakley, who addressed the situation and apologised for the customer’s experience.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, the Monday Swimwear co-founder said she was “honestly really sad” to learn about Vela’s difficulties.
Oakley also indicated that the experience did not reflect how she expected the company’s returns process to operate and said she was investigating what had happened with the brand’s 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.
The entrepreneur also acknowledged that the company has room to improve.
“We’re not perfect. I’m definitely not perfect. We’re still learning and there are things I wish we could do better today,” she added.
Monday Swimwear was founded by Oakley and fellow model Devin Brugman in 2014.
The two models launched the company after building an audience through their work in fashion and swimwear.
More than a decade later, Monday Swimwear has developed into a prominent swimwear business selling a range of bikinis, swimsuits and cover-ups.
The brand’s products typically fall within an average price range of approximately AUD $120 to $330, depending on the style.
Monday Swimwear has also grown considerably since its launch, with the business reportedly valued at around $40 million at its most recent reported valuation.
The company is also said to sell as many as 500,000 units annually.
Oakley has built her own profile alongside the business.
The model has become well known for her work in fashion, social media and entrepreneurship, while Monday Swimwear has remained a major part of her career.
The entrepreneur is married to Australian mortgage broker Theo Chambers.
The controversy over the returns process comes at a time when online retailers face increasing expectations from customers over shipping, refunds and exchanges.
For shoppers, return policies can be an important factor when deciding whether to purchase clothing online, particularly when sizing and fit can vary between products.
In Vela’s case, the combination of return shipping costs, paperwork, packaging requirements and the DHL collection window became the central source of her frustration.
Oakley’s response has now put the focus back on the company and its customer service procedures.
Rather than dismissing the complaint, the Monday Swimwear co-founder acknowledged the customer’s experience and said she was looking into what went wrong.
The situation also highlights the challenges faced by fashion and swimwear brands operating internationally, where shipping arrangements and exchange policies can vary between countries.
For Monday Swimwear, the incident could lead to further scrutiny of its returns process as customers consider the overall cost and convenience of ordering online.
For Oakley, meanwhile, the public response was an opportunity to acknowledge the customer’s frustration and make clear that she is investigating the issue with the company’s shipping partners.
While the entrepreneur defended neither the specific experience nor the difficulties faced by Vela, she accepted that the customer had been left frustrated by a process connected to a business she helped build.
As Monday Swimwear continues to expand, the episode puts renewed attention on the customer experience behind the brand’s highly visible marketing and social media presence.