A to Z Query - Delayed Order
Hi!
Well, after 10 years, we got our 1st A to Z, and I’m wondering about the best way to respond in terms of account health.
The customer is in the Republic of Ireland. We shipped the order via a tracked service within the stated window. The shipment was delayed in transit. We were closed over Christmas and on holiday settings, but obviously still responding to emails.
The buyer emailed a cancellation request on Boxing Day as it had not arrived in time for Christmas. We replied within the 24 hours. The Amazon system gave us the option of an automated email saying it was not possible to cancel an order after shipment, which we selected.
We then followed this up with a personal email, apologising for the delay, explaining that both we and the carrier were closed for the Christmas holiday, and that we would be more than happy to accept either a return for a refund at our expense if the package arrived, or a make a refund if the package was lost, but that we would need to check the package status with the carrier as soon as they reopened after the public holiday.
The buyer didn’t respond to either of these, but we then received an A to Z notification before the carrier re-opened.
I’ve since been able to speak to the carrier who says that the package has been lost. We obviously need to refund the buyer, but I’m wondering it it’s best from an Amazon policy perspective to do that now or to wait for the A to Z to do it. I’ve read some cases on the forum here where Amazon A to Z refunds the buyer even after the seller refunds, so I don’t want them to be refunded twice.
Any advice you may have would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Seller_ae51e0CJoHqCX
I couldn’t agree with you more and I have been in the same situation myself. There is nothing wrong with just accepting the A-Z claim but you don’t get any credit or incentive by being proactive in this case and will inevitably get hit with a bad metric. waiting it out is a bit of a no lose gamble and won’t hurt you anymore. You still have the choice to do this but by doing so the outcome is inevitable.
In some instances, I may get a query for non receipt and then have to decide there an then whether to refund to avoid an A-Z. Once someone invokes the A-Z, then the decision is no longer in your hands, it is down to Amazon. Now that you are at the stage of A-Z, if you intervene, you are accepting you are wrong and accepting the punishment that goes with it. You cannot appeal it because you accepted it.
I daresay the result will be the same, but there again if Amazon are being forgiving on metrics due to Royal Mail strikes, they will only forgive the decisions that Amazon have made there is no forgiving your decisions that you have made if that makes sense.
Just to answer the original question though, they won’t get refunded twice if you just decide to refund now, it will just close the A-Z against you.
5 replies
Seller_ae51e0CJoHqCX
As it is already in the A-Z system, I would wait for Amazon to refund it.
The thing is that if you refund now, you accept the A-Z and you are guaranteed to take the hit on the metrics as well.
If you wait it out and it goes against you then you are still in the worst case scenario position as above.
However depending on the circumstances, this could go against you but Amazon may choose to fund it (not holding out much hope for that but has been kn own to happen) but also they may decide not to hit you with a bad metric.
It sounds counter intuitive but being proactive during an A-Z is actually more punitive and decisive against you.
You either avoid the A-Z process, or allow an A-Z and fight it to the end.
