Amazon Recharging Customers for Accepted Claims: Is Anyone Else Experiencing This?
Hello everyone,
I am a high volume seller on Amazon and I wanted to share some recent experiences that I’ve had. Over the last 6 months, I have made some safety claims with Amazon for returned items. These claims were made due to reasons such as customers sending back the wrong item, the item being returned in a condition different from the one it was originally posted, or the item being returned without its original packaging and tags. In some cases, customers even returned filthy, used items.
While some of these claims were accepted by Amazon, others were denied. However, I am now receiving messages from buyers who say that Amazon has recharged them for the claims that were accepted. To make matters worse, customers is blaming me for these charges stating we have recharged them. Some are even leaving negative feedback and reviews unfairly.
I’m wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience, or if there is an Amazon moderator who can look into this issue. It’s important to me that my customers are satisfied with their purchases and that any issues are resolved in a fair and reasonable manner.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences.
42 replies
Seller_7VbclcPFFRTnc
unless i’m missing something, surely its correct that amazon are recharging them if they’ve been incorrectly returned against returns policy ?
Seller_qZO3ZCjoBXEeL
Well, that is certainly a new turn of events if that is what is happening.
To rephrase what I think you are saying - that in some cases you are successfully appealing customer returns that are incorrect via Safe-T - and then those customers are contacting you to say that Amazon took money back off them (recharged) for those failed claims? And Amazon are telling the customer it is because of you?
First - questions - do you know if the customer is having the full amount of the purchase re-charged to their account, or just the amount that was awarded to you as the Safe-T reimbursement?
As far as I know you are the first person to say that customers are being recharged for improper returns - historically it was always Amazon funded. Amazon have always said they cannot recharge customers for MFN orders.
Seller_ZQyopdiwkUHOZ
This sounds like great news to me. I really don’t understand why you’d want customers who are trying to defraud you, steal from you, or at least abuse the returns process to keep the refund thereby encouraging them to continue this behaviour.
I’d probably accept half the money back if I knew it came from them, compared to getting all of the value back funded by Amazon. Seems like it would work out financially better that way in the long run.
Seller_DROodOAYHftnc
I wonder if it is finally sinking in to Amazon that they are ending up funding a huge amount of fraudulent claims, and this is what they are doing about it ??
If so, good, but they should NOT be leading the customers to think that it is the seller recharging them. They should be sending an email stating the reason that the claim was not upheld.
Seller_7VbclcPFFRTnc
Can you post an example
Have you simply responded stating buyer was recharged by amazon due to returning incorrect / used items as per returns policy
Seller_16EevDf4Axaui
Only on Amazon could it turn out they eventually start doing what sellers have always wanted them to do and charge the customers when appropriate but then blame the sellers !
Seller_B4VbHpnDLDLAU
This is really strange and lets hops so, but i would be really surprised amazon would do this. just sounds like its unlike them
Unless Sellers are making so many Safe-T claims that they thought actually we are loosing here and we need to claw funds back.
We are really on the rise in getting items back as unwanted in horrendous conditions with shipping labels stuck anywhere and bashed beyond sale. Customers seem to be of i dont give a **** about this item its going back anyway.
Also its strange 1 seller has had a number of these but other sellers have none so far!
Seller_KQwXr5kY5oIPO
i would just respond with something along the lines of " Thank you for your message. All financial transactions are handled exclusively by Amazon directly, we as the merchant are not involved in anyway, any charges relating to an Amazon purchase will require a conversation with Amazon themselves."
Kind regards
blah blah
Seller_Iti0OkAyMPN7I
Possibly queue a huge list of Chargeback Claims, which no doubt sellers will have to deal with.
Seller_MT8rt0A2OpbCx
This bit doesn’t make sense. There is nothing fair or reasonable about someone “returning” a wrong, used item, unless in the highly unlikely event that it’s a genuine mistake.
The reason for the recharge is your decision on not accepting the item by not refunding or claiming via Safe-T, which seems to be justified. But why would someone who is caught out shout about their, what amounts to theft, in feedback and reviews? They have probably got away with it previously and think they are entitled to swap their old broken items for a brand new one for free. Entitled is an adjective that seems to be increasingly used. Hopefully this is a new policy that will reverse the trend.
