Buyer damaged item during installation, have photo proof, Amazon A-Z want to approve the return and don't read my messages

Hello,

I am having issues with the A-Z claim process.

A buyer bought an item from me, a used computer motherboard in immaculate condition - it was taken from my own personal PC build after a component change. Fully working, no issues at all - not even minor cosmetic damage.

A week after receiving the item, the buyer contacts me to say the item is damaged and wants to return it for a refund.

I asked the buyer to send photos of the claimed damage for review.

The buyer sent a picture which shows some serious damage to one of the large PCI-Express slots - the kind of damage that cannot occur during shipping.

Luckily, I thought, for me - I had taken detailed photos of the item in its box with time and date stamps 1 hour before it was posted. This is standard procedure for me with second hand items.

Reviewing these photos, it can be clearly seen that the damage is not present at the time of shipping. The style of packaging means this damage could not have happened during shipping.

The buyer damaged the item during installation.

So I rejected the buyer’s return request with a full explanation and supplied the image to him.

The buyer then proceeded to open an A-Z guarantee claim, stating:
“Claim Type: Items not as described
Sub-reason: Item condition/details not as described
Buyer Comments:
Item has arrived damaged, but the seller claims it was posted on perfect condition. The seller will now not accept a return now.The seller claims to have photos of the item in good condition before postage but the item is visually defective and doesn’t work. This has not been my doing, Hence submitting A-Z claim for getting full refund. please look on this issue further.”

I responded with:
" Hello, The buyer contacted me nearly a week after the item had been received to request a return, stating that the item was damaged. I requested the buyer to send pictures of the damage for review. The images show new damage that was not present at the time of shipping, the item is packaged in such a way that no damage of this type could occur in shipping - it has been mis-handled by the buyer. I have pictures of the item sitting in its packaging just as the item was being sealed - with time and date stamps that show it was just before postage. The picture that covers the area the buyer is claiming to be damaged clearly show that the damage was not there and has been caused by improper installation. As it is the buyer’s error, unfortunately we are unable to accept the return. Kind regards"

Amazon then reviewed the case and demanded I supply an address to accept the return or the funds will be debit from my account within 3 working days.

I replied again with:
“Hello, In my response, I detailed how the customer had sent pictures of the item that clearly shows they have damaged it and that I have timed and dated photos of the motherboard in its box about to be sealed for shipment. For some reason, you have not asked to see these photos and have granted the return against my authority. The customer has clearly and plainly damaged this item, please review appropriately as their return is rejected due to their damage. I am unable to attach pictures here - please let me know how to send them to you. Regards”

To which Amazon replied:
“Hello,
Your response to our message did not include the specific information we had requested for the A-to-z Guarantee claim on order 204-0942804-3042736
Within 3 calendar days, please reply to this email with your return address.
If we do not receive this information within 3 calendar days, the claim amount may be debited from your account.”

It appears that the A-Z guys either are not reading my messages or simply do not care.

I spoke to the normal seller support team and they told me that it is up to me whether to accept the return or not:
“Dear Seller,
Greetings from Amazon Seller Support.
Thank you for contacting us.
We tried calling you to discuss this matter, however unable to reach you. Please do not worry, we will address the query through this email
I have gone through your email and understand your concern is regarding A-to-Z claim on Order ID: xxx. Please allow me to address your concern.
I have checked the order details and found that the claim status is Under review and our A-to-Z team asked more information from you.
I understand that as per the images provided by you the buyer has damaged the item and it is upon your return policies to accept the return or not.
I would request you to please provide the same images and reason why you reject the return to our A-to-Z team for reviewing the claim. To represent your side of a claim dispute, follow these steps:…”

I am at a loss… this isn’t a small amount of money and I have evidence of the buyer’s mishandling of the item… but the A-Z guys will not respond appropriately.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks