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Fabletics
Summary
Fabletics is a budget athletic clothing brand that offers VIP pricing to anyone willing to sign up for a monthly subscription.
Fabletics Review: Is It Worth It?
By Lydia Noyes
Updated on: Oct 21, 2019
What Is Fabletics?
Tired of sporting drab workout wear? Fabletics claims to offer clothing that’s cut to keep pace with your active lifestyle, from brightly patterned printed leggings to fashionably designed crop tops and more.
While Fabletics is promoted by co-founder Kate Hudson, the Hollywood actress known as much for her super-fit shape as starring in a slew of romantic comedies, the brand isn’t a solo celebrity venture.
Instead, Fabletics is manufactured by Just Fabulous, Inc.—parent company to several other fashion and lifestyle brands, including JustFab, Shoedazzle, and FabKids.
But will Fabletics clothing hold up to your workout routine, and is the company transparent about their costs? To help you decide, let’s take a look at what the brand claims sets them apart.
How Does Fabletics Work?
The appeal of Fabletics appears pretty straightforward. The brand claims to offer high-quality, stylish activewear at affordable prices.
Shoppers can surf collections by sport or look at their complete range of tops, sports bras, leggings, accessories, shoes, and even swimwear.
Unlike some top brands, Fabletics clothing is available in a wide range of sizes. You can choose from XXS (0 to 2) up to XXXL (18 to 20).
Just note that sports bra sizes are categorized in the same way, not by standard bra sizing of cups and bands—a potential problem for women with larger bra sizes who need support during high-impact sports.
We should note that Fabletics isn’t claiming to beat prices you’ll find at cost-conscious retailers, such as Old Navy and Target.
Instead, they compare their stylish offerings with more fashionable activewear brands like Lululemon, Lorna Jane, and Nike.
But here’s the catch—these low prices aren’t available to just any shopper. While you can shop Fabletics without signing up, taking advantage of their slashed prices means first signing up for a VIP Membership.
With that in mind, the average Fabletics ensemble would cost a non-member about $100. Alternately, members would pay about $49.95 for the same outfit with the added perk of free shipping.
How the Fabletics VIP Membership Program Works
When you make a purchase on Fabletics and choose the lowest listed price, the company will automatically enroll you in its VIP Membership program.
There’s an option to opt-out of VIP membership before purchasing, but not all shoppers are likely to see it, and doing so may more than double the price of your initial purchase. Later, we’ll talk about how that’s causing some customer complaints.
If you do enroll in the membership, Fabletics will share a recommendation for a handpicked new outfit on the first of the month that takes your personal style into account, as indicated by your profile and buying history.
If you don’t buy an outfit in the first five days of the month, Fabletics will charge you $49.99 for a “credit” you can redeem for $49.99 worth of clothing.
Fabletics applies the credit price to your purchase—if an outfit costs more, you’ll be charged the difference.
There’s also no obligation to buy any or all of the recommended outfit.
Some of the other perks of membership include the following:
- Monthly personalized recommendations
- 20% off all listed items
- Access to members-only sales
- Earn rewards points for future purchases
- Free shipping and returns
- Workout tips from celebrity health trainers
What if you want to skip a month of Fabletics? You can do so as many times as you’d like. However, you must log in between the first and fifth of the month to select “skip a month” to avoid charges.
Suggested outfits won’t ever ship without your approval. However, if you forget to log in to either shop around or skip the month, you’ll still be charged the $49.95, and the funds will be credited to your account for a future purchase.
How to Cancel the Fabletics Membership
You can cancel your Fabletics membership at any time by calling (844)322-5384, then press “4” to speak to someone about closing your account. You can also use the company’s online chat service.
Note that some reviewers state customer service will offer additional credit to your account if you’re willing to give Fabletics one more chance.
Is Fabletics Good Quality?
All Fabletics clothing is purchased online, meaning that shoppers can’t try on items before they buy them. This leads to a common question: Is Fabletics good quality?
HighYa reviewers (which we’ll address later) aren’t convinced. Most cite quality concerns as their biggest complaint with Fabletics, stating that the too-thin material was see-through, pilled easily, and had low-quality stitching.
Fabletics quality may also be inconsistent between pieces. Jessie Quinn, writing for CheatSheet, reported that her first pair of leggings were nice, but the rest of her orders looked and felt cheaply made, especially the sports bras. She also thought the sizing varied wildly between items, even for the same size leggings and workout tops.
However, not all Fabletics customers agree with this verdict. We found dozens of reviews on Influenster from shoppers happy with the quality of their purchases.
For these reasons, your mileage might vary with Fabletics in regard to quality. As the brand gets inconsistent marks, there’s a chance you will find particular products you purchase to be higher quality and a better fit than others. That’s one reason to keep the return policy in mind.
About the Fabletics Shipping and Return Policy
Standard shipping throughout the United States costs $4.95 per order but is free for orders over $49.95 and for VIP members. You can also select rush shipping for $8.95. First-timer shoppers will often qualify for free shipping as well, regardless of their order size.
Fabletics permits returns and exchanges for your first VIP order within 45 days of the date of shipment in new, used, or damaged condition.
After that initial order, the company will only accept returns and exchanges for brand new clothing that’s still in its original packaging within 30 days of shipment.
Any store credit that was used to pay for returned items will be returned as credit, and any items purchased through the Fabletics rewards program aren’t eligible for returns.
Comparing Fabletics Prices to Other Athletic Brands
Much of Fabletic’s branding is based around the idea that the company offers quality clothing at budget pricing. How does it compare to other brands?
We decided to look at the cost of purchasing an outfit from Fabletics and comparing it to equivalent products from both high end and budget brands.
| Fabletics Listed Price | Fabletics VIP Price | Target Price | Old Navy Price | Lululemon Price | Nike Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top | Kessler Performance Tank: $54.95 | $44.95 | Women’s Core Long Tank Top: $12.99 | Lightweight Twist-Back Performance Tank: $16 | Swiftly Tech Racerback: $58 | Nike Dry-Fit: $35 |
| Jacket | Bri Mock Neck Jacket: $94.95 | $64.95 | Full-Zip Cardio Track Jacket: $29.99 | Fitted Soft-brushed Performance Zip: $36.99 | Define Jacket Nulux: $128 | Nike AeroShield: $175 |
| Shorts | Olesia Perforated Short: $49.95 | $39.95 | Women’s Running Mid-Rise Shorts: $16.99 | Dolphin-Hem Run Shorts: $16.99 | Hotty Hot Short II: $58 | Nike Tempo Luxe: $50 |
| Leggings | High Waisted Seamless Turbo Legging: $59.95 | $44.95 | High Waisted 7/8 Leggings: $39.99 | High Waisted Built-In Warm Performance: $39.99 | Mapped Out High Rise Tight: $128 | Nike Pro: $50 |
| Sports Bras | Faye High Impact Sports Bra: $59.95 | $44.95 | Women’s Power Core Compression Bra: $16.99 | Medium Support Racer Back: $22 | Free To Be Serene Bra: $52 | Nike Classic Padded: $35 |
As this chart shows, Fabletics clothing falls in the middle of the pack from a price perspective. Our chosen budget-friendly brands (Target and Old Navy) consistently cost close to half as much as Fabletics, even when accounting for VIP membership discounts.
However, we noticed on Fabletic’s website that the company often runs deals that bring prices lower.
For instance, new VIP members will currently receive 70% off their first purchases. For example, this would take the Bri Mock Jacket price down to $19.48. That beats the price for our equivalent finds from Target and Old Navy.
Surprisingly, the Fabletic’s membership non-membership prices don’t differ much from the established athletic brands we looked at (Nike and Lululemon).
While the company claims to offer a less costly option for athletic clothes, we noticed that the prices between them barely differed by much, and in some instances, it’s possible to find better deals with Nike.
Analysis of Fabletics Customer Reviews and Complaints
Browsing Fabletics outfits, there’s little doubt that the brand offers brightly-colored and stylish activewear, or that initial prices are lower than the competition.
However, the majority of customers who’ve reviewed Fabletics on HighYa have been less than impressed with quality and fit. Common complaints include:
- Poor quality fabric and stitching
- Material that is thin enough to be see-through
- Pilling of fabric on the inner thigh and underarm areas
- Tops that are too revealing
While some customers have been satisfied with wearing their Fabletics apparel as casual wear, we’re cautious to recommend this brand to those looking for athletic clothing that can keep up with more vigorous activities.
However, we found that shoppers seemed more upset about Fabletic’s business practices than the clothing’s questionable quality: specifically, unauthorized charges.
HighYa reader Anna shared her experience after realizing she’d been charged more than $600 for VIP credits she didn’t know she signed up for:
“Turns out this is a commonplace problem and that I did not ‘forget’ I signed up for a membership. Like many others, I was unaware that I had been signed up in the first place. When you confirm your purchase, you are also confirming authorization for them to sign you up for their membership and take money from you monthly -- didn't read that part? Yeah, it's in the fine print.”
Other complaints surrounding unexpected charges include Fabletics failing to make good on their promised offer of a $25 initial purchase and difficulty canceling. Combined, HighYa readers have rated Fabletics at an average of 1.3 stars.
The Bottom Line: Is Fabletics a Good Buy?
While Fabletics promises high-quality fitness wear at reasonable prices, the number of negative reviews stating that items wore out faster than normal or just plain didn’t keep them covered leads us to believe that the brand might not perform as highly as they claim.
That being said, those who are looking for a cute alternative to their loungewear might be pleased with what they find at Fabletics.
The only caveat? Make sure you read the fine print. While ongoing membership charges might not be an outright rip-off, enough reviewers were taken by surprise to raise red flags.
Should you decide to make a Fabletics purchase, know that you may need to keep an eye on your credit card statements to avoid getting too familiar with their customer service.
Overall, we think Fabletics makes sense for anyone looking for mid-range activewear, and that wants to buy new pieces regularly.
So long as you fully understand the company’s terms and conditions (and pay attention to the date so you know when to skip your membership), there’s a good chance you’ll be happy with this service.
If, however, you don’t plan to buy new workout gear every month, you might do better buying pieces you love from Fabletic’s competitors.
In many cases, they aren’t much different in price, and you won’t feel obligated to purchase things you don’t need to use up your credits.
Customer Reviews
Posted on Mar 7, 2016
Will take advantage of you if you let them
The long version:
It started by the wonderful ads I kept seeing advertising Fabletics about a year ago: High-quality products at a low price. The ad looks great, I go to the site and it looks grand, it's backed by Kate Hudson, hello credibility. They've got cute designs, matching outfits, and everything is looking just wonderfully peachy keen. I find an outfit I like and proceed to order and its been a while, so I don't even remember exactly what the process was because it was completely standard; standard confirmations, you know, just a regular order, I didn't think twice and waited for the clothes to arrive.
Well, they arrived and side note here, they were very poor quality. I wore these once to try them on and never wore them again. Not out, not even at home, very cheap fabric and I was of course disappointed, but hey, you get what you pay for, can't really complain about that. I do not visit the site or even think about it for the next year or so. Fast forward to today. I have found out that this company has been, for some reason, charging $50 a month from my credit card. I have paid around $600 in total for poor-quality clothes I have worn once.
Surprised, I of course contact the company and live chat with a representative of the company and expecting them to help me out here. The lady is initially rather unhelpful but after I tell her my situation and say it's wrong and unethical of the company to do something like this and implying I'd take legal action if not helped, she is obliging and offers a refund of one month but tells me the other months are non-refundable, and that I have store credit. I am not prepared for this answer as I was expecting her to be more accommodating, yet I cannot believe that I simply forgot having signed up to be charged $50 a month (which seriously speaking, who needs $50 a month worth of workout clothes?) so I thank her and do some research before making any concrete decision. Turns out this's a commonplace problem and that I did not "forget" I signed up for a membership. Like many others, I was unaware that I had been signed up in the first place. When you confirm your purchase, you are also confirming authorization for them to sign you up for their membership and take money from you monthly -- didn't read that part? Yeah, it's in the fine print.
Pissed off, I call the company and after speaking with the ever-overly-perky-robot-Anna and being hung up on and hanging up and just overall being frustrated in trying to talk to a live human being (which I found out can be avoided by repeating "speak to a representative" over and over again, after two or three times perky Anna will connect you to a live representative who might hang up on you the first couple of times, but you know, all in a days work for these scammers, they'll answer the third time around) I am finally connected to a representative. I talk with them trying to have them understand my situation. I bought one lousy outfit from your store a year ago, and you think it's fair to charge me $600? I couldn't care less about store credit, I never want to hear/see/smell/think about Fabletics in my life and you think I want to waste any more money on this place with a store credit? Of course I say this all very politely (trust me on this, no matter how pissed off you are, shouting or cursing or the like doesn't usually help. Be polite, but strong; and in the case with these people, very strong) but they try very hard to go by different angles to say bottom-line; sorry can't give you a refund.
Fortunately, I am well off (enough that I didn't notice a monthly $50 fee for a while) so I was not bluffing when I decided to bring up the legal card again, but if you have to bluff a bit, it may be worth it. Keep telling them, I couldn't give a damn if this is my mistake, I know it's my mistake, but there's no way you're charging me for your scam, I will bring my lawyer, and just sound like a privileged white lady and you should be fine. The only reason they were helpful at all was when I threatened them, and although it's unfortunate that this's the case, I will not be scammed from a company no matter if they are backed by Kate Hudson or anyone else, so it had to be done in this more harsh way. No matter what they tell you, try to get your money back and you probably can. It can be done, even though I went a year without noticing the charge and canceled the credit card it was charged to, I am getting my refund, FINALLY at the end of it all.
Still got to call them to make sure they actually go through with the refund because I have also seen that they delay refund as well, also I've heard that sometimes they "accidentally" charge you even after you cancel.
Short answer:
First of all: Cheap price sure, but expect cheap quality clothes. This article says something like you get high-quality clothes at a low price but when you see the material, it's obvious how poor-quality the fabric is. And in the end, not cheap for the many who've been scammed into paying $50 a month.
Secondly: Although not necessarily a scam, these people are deceitful to say the least. They sign you up for a paid membership when you buy your first item, and the ease with which you sign up for your membership is not at all reflective of the struggle to cancel the membership. After cancelation they will at times "accidentally" charge you. And that's if you had knowingly signed up for the membership, or if you catch the fine print telling you that you've been signed up before they charge you the first month. They don't tell you that you have a free refund of one month unless you really press the matter and/or threaten legal action. And if you have gone months being signed up for them without your knowledge then you MUST threaten legal action or they are completely uncooperative (if you have to, bluff).
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Helpful Review?
16 People Have Voted
Posted on Dec 10, 2015
Worse than the DMV
This company is the worst scam I've ever witnessed and I genuinely can't believe they're still in business.
As soon as you buy one thing you are inadvertently signed up for their monthly membership. Then you are stuck with their crap until you CALL to cancel. That's right. You can't email to cancel, can't cancel online, you have to call.
Fine, but this is what calling looks like: 30 minutes on the phone with someone from India. AND, this person can not help you. I truly believe they are paid to confuse you and talk in circles.
Worse than trying to cancel is trying to process a return. Part of their business strategy is to stop returns and exchanges, so they make it as difficult as possible. After trying to do it online, you get crazy (seriously, crazy) error messages like, since you used your credit card to pay for this order, we can't process your exchange online. Call the 1-800 that nightmares are made of instead.
Over 3 months ago I have been trying to process a return so I can FINALLY cancel my membership but "patty" from Burma can't seem to help me and when I try online they can't process my order because it's a Tuesday. Or because the sun is out. Or because they are busy counting their money and can't help their customers.
Do not buy anything from this scam of a company. I pray they get shut down.
Shame on them.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Helpful Review?
15 People Have Voted
Posted on Apr 18, 2016
Incompetent staff and cheap website
They take money out of account when told to skip a month. They take money out of account when you put items in wish list.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Helpful Review?
15 People Have Voted
Posted on Jun 26, 2018
Scam
After rushing through product searches as a timer clicked on in the corner of my screen, in order to get the $19 two-piece outfit deal, I noticed the two for $24 leggings and decided to purchase those as well. The leggings were priced as marked on the checkout screen but the outfit was not coming through with the deal. I went out and chose another outfit marked $19 to replace the first with since the deal was not coming through, same problem, I was being charged full price for it.
I quickly paid as I was running out of time and figured I'd lose the two for $24 legging deal too, so I paid for the purchase and called customer service. HUGE waste of time. The rep only told me that I couldn't have both "deals." Nowhere was that readily legible, NOWHERE. Then he said I could cancel my order and place it again with some special VIP sale that was going on only today (where is this on the site?). I asked for a supervisor who was incredibly less helpful than his rep was. They both just kept repeating my name and the word "yes" a whole lot but saying and doing a whole lot of nothing.
Basically, I could not get the deal, and now I have a monthly membership which I didn't realize I was signing up for! The timer is the kicker, forcing you to quickly make your purchase, thinking you're getting a better deal - I'll never be this stupid again. I'll never order from here again, and I'm canceling this ridiculous monthly program. I'd rather pay more at Lululemon and not have to deal with bogus "customer service" and fictitious deals.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Helpful Review?
15 People Have Voted
Posted on Oct 12, 2014
Seems like a scam business
They make it difficult to log into their website, hmmm... So you can't cancel your membership maybe? Never ever had a problem like this with any other online company. Hard to believe that Kate Hudson's name is on this.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Helpful Review?
14 People Have Voted
Posted on Nov 11, 2017
Subscription trap
Fabletics is a subscription trap. At first, I thought the “intro offer” was such a great deal. Got two outfits for $25 each. Then I needed to return one of the leggings ($12.50), and they charged me $7 to restock. Not worth it, so I decided to keep it.
Now, good luck remembering to “skip” the month in the short 5-day window. That is how they make their money: you forget to skip and cha-ching! $50 goes out the window. That is exactly what happened to me and I thought, "no worries, their stuff is cute, I will find good use for my $50."
Then I went shopping and quickly found out that I was not allowed to use my “credit” on sale items! Fabletics, what the heck? You have my $50 and now you want to tell me how to spend it? So be aware folks, you are not free to spend you member credit as you wish. You will most likely end up using it for one overpriced outfit that you wouldn’t buy otherwise.
I was beyond annoyed. I tried to cancel my membership over live chat and was advised that if I canceled my membership before spending my “credit,” I would lose the “wonderful” VIP pricing.
I was baffled at their attitude; they will not offer a membership refund, no matter how unhappy their customers are. Don’t just take my word for it, read the 600+ one-star reviews here.
Needless to say, Fabletic's conduct is shameful. This is a company that preys on its customers and profits from their inattention. Not to mention that they are selling “Target” quality activewear at a “Lululemon” price. Skip this one folks, stick with classic retail.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Helpful Review?
13 People Have Voted
Posted on May 18, 2018
Very deceptive! Do not order!
After ordering three legging last February, I didn't know that they are going to charge me until now. It was €49 ($57.69) per month. So they owe me €150 ($176.61)!
These guys are not honest!
Please give my money back! Aren't you surprised that your clients are not aware of this?
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Helpful Review?
13 People Have Voted
Posted on Jul 19, 2018
"New" VIP prices - NOT
I am a VIP member for five months. I got a link in an email from Fab for new pricing. I tried to order Estrella SET at New VIP Price of $29.97. I went to log in then to my Fab account, the price showed as $59.95. After calling Fab and spending 20 minutes on the phone and then having to prove to Fab with SCREENSHOTS of the pricing saying NEW VIP PRICE, they informed me that price was only for NEW VIP's signing up, not the current VIPs? WTH? So if you are a current VIP member, your pricing will be double new VIPs. Also, I believe they show different pricing when you are logged into your account and when you are not. Prices are lower when they can't see you are a VIP member and are trying to gain customers.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Helpful Review?
13 People Have Voted
Posted on Feb 14, 2016
Beware of Fabletics.com!
Kate Hudson should be ashamed. I joined as a VIP, and was supposed to get an outfit for $25, but was charged $39 instead. When I emailed customer service, they gave me an excuse that did not address the situation, or make any sense. So okay, I thought I'd give them another chance. I then bought another outfit, and returned it because I did not like the fit of the style. I took a store credit, because you are charged a fee for returning items (information I found that out when I returned a previous order), however, in order to get my $30-$40 credit, I had you spend at least $100. WHY? It's my money. If I had known, I would have paid the return fee instead.
All this occurred in December and January. When I went to the website today, to opt out of my monthly outfit for February, I saw that my credit is completely gone. So now I'm out about $40. What a scam! I got ticked off and tried to cancel the VIP, but had to call three times before I got an actual person. The virtual customer service representative "Anna" would not let me cancel. Beware!
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Helpful Review?
12 People Have Voted
Posted on Oct 31, 2016
We can't stop the scam
Got sucked into VIP pricing. After the payment tried to place the order to redeem credits. Instead, got charged for items and the $49 for the month.
I called to resolve the issue and got more charges on my card. After getting with the bank to do a fraud claim the company reimbursed only the extra charges. I never got my credits and they keep telling me that they canceled the VIP but charges were put thru anyway. I canceled all bank accounts and currently seeking legal help for all the losses. SCAM, sad but true. Good thing that I have all bills covered.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Helpful Review?
12 People Have Voted
Posted on Jul 18, 2015
Do not order from them - stay away
I was very disappointed in this company. I tried many times to cancel my membership. Each time they would offer me some type of a credit, yet they charged my account anyway and then did not give me any type of credit. I do realize you have to log in between the first and the 5th to skip a month, but to cancel you have to call and they are like pushy foreign used car salesman who try anything to keep your membership open and never deliver on their promise of a credit. The second outfit I did receive was shoddy and horrible material. Very sad that Kate Hudson has her name on this. I will be finally cancelling my membership if they let me and will never buy again from them. I encourage anyone else to cancel their membership if they can.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Helpful Review?
11 People Have Voted
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