Customer return 5 months and then 7 months after purchase? Advice sought
I have a customer who previously returned a bag after 5 months of use due to a faulty clasp. We offered to repair it at the time and when we received the bag it had clearly been heavily used. We suspect it had been substantially overloaded regularly, causing the damage. Nevertheless we repaired it and returned to customer.
That was two and a half months ago. They have now been in touch saying the repair was no good and asking what options we have to resolve the matter.
I cannot understand why it has taken this long for them to query the repair - except that we believe they have probably been hammering the bag and using it inappropriately during that time, once again damaging the clasp.
What are our options, what would anyone suggest and what damage can the customer now do at this stage?
13 replies
Seller_EJIX7rqDNQJi2
According to the Amazon policy, the buyer has 30 days past the last day of the Estimated Delivery to return the item.
From your post it sounds like the order is already months past the return period so I would either click on “No response needed” or explain this to the buyer, unless the bag has some kind of lifetime warranty and repair service advertised in the listing.
At this point, there is no way Amazon would allow your buyer to open an A-Z claim to get a refund.
Seller_2BrPSydGy6oyq
Consumer law overrules Amazon 30 day return policy which is why Amazon often entertain A-Z claims outside the 90 day limit, within the first six months of purchase buyers have recourse in law to expect a repair, or replacement and it’s up to the seller to prove any fault was not present when sold, after six months the buyer has to prove any fault existed when sold.
A zip is a wear item, so will not have a lifetime warranty, but clearly you initally acted within the CRA by offering the repair, when perhaps the buyer really wanted a refund, they will now be pursuing a refund on the grounds the repair did not resolve the problem (as per CRA)?
Difficult to guess if Amazon will open an A-Z claim on behalf of the buyer if they complain, but within Amazon system that’s their only course of action.
Your response to the buyer perhaps should state following investigations with the manufacturer, there is found to be no fault with the zips supplied on the product and having replaced one already as a goodwill gesture, you are unable to replace wear items that are not faulty on receipt of the goods, or reported as faulty within 30 days from receipt of the goods…but in a way that concludes the complaint?
Seller_0pkMTMROIPEmY
Under EU Law Amazon give a minimum of up to 2 years warranty for defective products, response from Seller Support when querying this same issue;
In the EU, you are required by law to give customers a warranty stating that the products you are selling are free from faults and are as advertised (i.e. they conform to the contract). Standards exist to assess when products do not conform to the contract. If the products do not conform, customers can request a free repair, replacement or refund following a sale. The warranty period will vary depending on the country.
Most EU countries provide or a minimum period of two years from the date on which the customer received the product. The United Kingdom, however, requires a “reasonable time” following the sale that will vary depending on the product and its value.
The period during which you can receive a warranty-related claim from a customer also varies by country. For example, parties to a contract in England and Wales have up to six years to bring a claim from the date on which their rights were infringed; a customer thus may claim that a product is faulty six years after receiving it."
Please do not worry as we will not allow you to bear any kind of loss.
As, per the Amazon policy, we ask our sellers to wait for 45 days (from the date when the buyer was refunded) i.e Tuesday, 1 May 2018 so that the item can be found or returned in our fulfillment center.
If the item is not returned within the given time frame, then as per the policy, we reimburse the seller automatically.
Hence, I request you to kindly wait till 15th June 2018 so that we can investigate the item and if it is not found then we will reimburse you automatically.
Please be informed that, Reimbursement is always given as per the Fba Lost and Damage Inventory reimbursement Policy:
Seller_0pkMTMROIPEmY
Heres’ another example of a return we received 4 years after purchase date, note the paragraph “The period during which you can receive a warranty-related claim from a customer also varies by country. For example, parties to a contract in England and Wales have up to six years to bring a claim from the date on which their rights were infringed; a customer thus may claim that a product is faulty six years after receiving it.”
As the customer Service department works with the buyer related queries, the unit was marked as defective as per buyer informing the customer service department, and the reimbursement has been granted from the customer service department within the two year period not as per Amazon policy, but as per Europe Tax and Regulatory Considerations law/policy.
Here is some information on the Legal warranty within the EU.
In the EU, you are required by law to give customers a warranty stating that the products you are selling are free from faults and are as advertised (i.e. they conform to the contract). Standards exist to assess when products do not conform to the contract. If the products do not conform, customers can request a free repair, replacement or refund following a sale. The warranty period will vary depending on the country. Most EU countries provide or a minimum period of two years from the date on which the customer received the product. The United Kingdom, however, requires a “reasonable time” following the sale that will vary depending on the product and its value.
The period during which you can receive a warranty-related claim from a customer also varies by country. For example, parties to a contract in England and Wales have up to six years to bring a claim from the date on which their rights were infringed; a customer thus may claim that a product is faulty six years after receiving it.
For more information review the page below, https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/201468410?ie=UTF8&referral=A2R8G77NUEOVXY_AFMSTA1F0OCXUVersion=1&entries=0&
Seller_YropdiN8t2UD4
I think the best way would be to direct them to send the bag for warranty at their expense. Then you inspect the bag and determine that it has been damaged through accident, misuse, abnormal use, abnormal conditions, improper storage, exposure to liquid, moisture, dampness, sand or dirt, neglect, or unusual physical, electrical or electromechanical stress and inform them that those are not covered by the warranty.
If they open a return request, refuse it, and state that the return period for this item has passed.
If they open an A-to-Z quote amazon rules that say that they have 30 days for return and 30 days for inspecting the item for faults and that they can instead send the item for warranty repair if they’d like (and then you inspect the bag and inform them that the damage is not covered by warranty).
Then, you can ask them to pay for repairs or for shipping the bag back to them as is.
@PCButIT
However, in case of that 6-year law, it’s the buyer that needs to prove that the problem was down to a fault or issue at the manufacturer - I doubt they’d manage.
