Amazon policy on customer is always right

#21

The A-Z guarantee scheme is in place to encourage buyers to use Amazon. There are bad buyers and there are bad sellers too. Each side needs some kind of protection. As a seller the best thing is to avoid A-Z claims if possible. If you have the proof to defend an A-Z claim it’s just not true to say you will always lose out.

#22

It is not true to say you have no chance of defending an A-Z Claim. It can be difficult but it can be done. We successfully defended and A-Z on an INR claim recently by showing signed proof of delivery and have successfully defended others too.

#23

Actually Amazons policy on the customer is always right is a bit flawed

All the sellers here are customers of Amazon and lets be honest not all the time , but sometimes, we are treated like we are wrong. Then it is backed up by a service that would get us rightly kicked off the site.

2 good examples of this would be

Non Reply to emails within a target time … and lets be truthful in most cases no replies at all.

Incorrect information regards the service … mainly from seller support (that lovely Amazon oxymoron).

However i am a bit puzzled as to why a product that caused an allergic reaction would be offered only as a part refund.

It should have been a full refund … the customer would not have been able to use it anyway.
Also why would you want a used product sent back at your expense … i would have said dispose of it and saved the return postage.

#24

Its not just an amazon policy. Pretty common in retail.

#25

Yes indeed. True or not you have to do that.

I spent a good hour or more yesterday, reading over one of the Boards on a site called reddit,com/r/AmazonRefunding dedicated to scamming Amazon, where they brag and advise how to scam Amazon(+eBay), exchanging the latest efficient ideas about how to do this fraud. Whether to claim empty box, or one item missing from the multi-buy, how much is the ceiling above which amazon starts investigating, etc, etc. Some even offer their criminal services to scam for others at a % of the refunded amount.

For a seller on these platforms it is a real shocker. It is not for the faint hearted but tends to confirm what many feel after being bitten.

Yes, there are many INRs that are genuine (as 3 will quickly assert) and couriers are not 100% squeaky. But after you read over the above board on that site, you will know that there are an awful lot of criminals feeding off sellers like the many predators of the wildebeest racing through the Serengeti kill zone.

Amazon are starting to wake up to it, investigating claims/items valued over £500 (per that site) but there’s a long way to go to tighten down on this type of crime.

Interestingly, several of the crim posters stated that eBay was harder to scam than Amazon.

#26

Well cosmetics can contain chemicals that people are allergic to. You’d have been better helping the customer make a complaint to the manufacturer. If that is a UK manufacturer then I am sure they’d give you all the help they can.

If it is a non eu manufacturer then you could be on your own.

I am allergic to bio washing powder and many artificial scents from sprays… I have to avoid that.

#27

But they are not being ignored - are they?

If they don’t check their Amazon account for messages & then get irate about it before checking spam folder / Amazon account who is at fault?

Only my opinion.

Edited by: Swim Supplies on Jun 13, 2016 2:06 PM

#28

To them they are being ignored.
As in not receiving a reply.

How often do you check your spam folder and log into amazon as a buyer to check for messages?

#29

Doesn’t matter how much the item cost on Amazon this buyer deserved a full refund. If you do the same again and buyer raises A-Z every time you offer a partial refund you won’t be selling on Amazon for very long, I’m afraid.

#30

+You do realise that a customer cannot return or request a refund for a cosmetic product that has been opened. It doesn’t even have to be used. This is standard trading regulations and Amazon even state this in their own policy.+

No it isn’t and no they don’t. Can you provide some evidence to back up that statement?

#31

Sorry to disagree with you regarding losing an A-Z claim I don’t any who have succeeded with this one, my experience has always been to lose out regardless of who is right or wrong, it isn’t about protecting anyone other than Amazon, wake up and smell the coffee!

#32

Hitting the “no” button a few times isn’t evidence. Quote Amazon policy to back yourself up please.

#33

Makes sense to me. How many people,want to take the chance of using a pre-owned personal product.

#34

Hello

I have just read all your comments. Very interesting. I am a new seller trying to have my category application approved. Patiently waiting. I have over 20 years experience in the health/beauty industry. I am also versed in customer service. You do realise that a customer cannot return or request a refund for a cosmetic product that has been opened. It doesn’t even have to be used. This is standard trading regulations and Amazon even state this in their own policy. Such sn item must be returned complete snd in its original packaging. This is due to hygiene. Of course reactions happen. But that is not the fault if the vendor. If it happened to me, depending on the type of reaction or condition, I would have contacted the vendor directly and properly supported my claim first. If I was the vendor, on investigation, I probably would be inclined to give a full refund but only on receipt if the returned product.

What I am seeing here is thsy Amazon don’t seem to be stucking to their own set out guidelines and policies and appear vety much pro-customer regardless.

Not a great first impression Amazon!

#35

Hi there
Thank you so much for understanding my point as a beauty seller this was wholeheartedly overlooked by Amazon and also with the point of the buyer ignoring me I appreciate that reactions do happen I didn’t ask the buyer for further evidence to support this but stated that I couldn’t offer a full refund based on the product being opened and used but as a good will gesture advised on a 50% refund if the buyer returned the item plus their return postage they ignored me completely and I got hit with an A-Z claim
I’m not the manufacturer of the product but have over 15 years in the beauty industry and if I was a retail shop we would have apologised for this happening which I did but in no way would we have refunded you

Also wanted to say to the others in the thread for all the positive comments and to those how just felt I should have just refunded the item regardless this is not a 1p book I’m selling or a second hand cd but a very expensive beauty product I’m not a big business with massive buying power nor am I a mind reader to know whether the buyer has got the email considering I had sent 2 separate emails on different days

But thank you for the few that understood where I had come from

#36

Dear Crimso

If you’re directing this at me
I would like to advise to you it isn’t me hitting the no button
I haven’t been rude to you no need for it from you ok…
There are other people not just the OP commenting on the thread please take that into account
Not once have I stated anything amazons policy
I appreciate your replies and thank you all the best with your selling

Edited by: Lilshopofholics on Jun 13, 2016 8:38 PM

#37

The part directed at you had your name on it. You offered the buyer a 50% refund. The buyer wasn’t happy with that and filed an A-Z which you correctly lost. You need to have a think about your returns and refunds policy on Amazon. That’s not being rude at all.

#38

No this the post I’m talking about regarding backing up evidence to amazons policy I’m stating 1 I didn’t mention anything regarding Amazons return policy to have to back anything up and 2nd I’m not the 1 hitting no to that particular reply

#39

MMmmmm

“the product must be either sold and shipped by Amazon or fulfilled by Amazon…”

So - in the scenario stated in that ‘advice column’, it would appear that this scam is solely intended to defraud Amazon itself (directly).

If a marketplace seller - they don’t purchase from you (however, see note below).
If sold by Amazon - it’s Amazon that gets whacked.
If FBA, this scenario would result in the seller ultimately being refunded by Amazon - It’s Amazon that gets whacked.

So, I guess if this is a regularly used scam against Amazon (in the first instance), it would really be in their best interest to crack down on it.

If Amazon are to use their own policies to make the customer king (no issue with that) then they need to ensure that they have systems in place the REALLY DO track those buyers that abuse the system for five-finger discounts.

Note

The real problem is that in the end we all loose out, as continued losses due to this kind of theft hitting Amazons bottom line could well eventually mean a rise in fees for all of us. So if not directly affected by this kind of fraud, ultimately, there could be (have already been?) indirect costs…

#40

Not sure what you mean. Why would sellers start selling used or part used items? That doesn’t prevent buyers having a right of return on those items, does it? The simple fact is you can’t on Amazon refuse to accept returns on health ans beauty items.