Fraud Customer and Amazon Is SO INCOMPETENT!
We sell pool balls. Sometimes, customers buy an expensive set and return a cheap set. People are terrible. We sold a set of high end pool balls via FBA and the customer returned a completely different product. This has happened to us before, but this one was special. The set of pool balls this customer ordered has a dark circle design around the number. To try to imitate that dark circle, this fraudulent customer drew (horribly I might add) dark circles using a permanent marker, on every ball.
We opened a seller support case and provided multiple images of this stupidity, and Amazon... let us know that the item that the customer returned is the item they ordered. We cleaned one of the balls so the circle isn't on the ball and sent the images to Amazon again... and Amazon says it is the item the customer ordered. No matter what I do, the seller support reps are not helpful at all.
Do me a favor and upvote this case so maybe a moderator will help. Case number 17362148331
46 replies
Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI
you know, people don't use their legal options enough. If EVERY SELLER that gets defrauded like that, would file charges against the buyer......things would change quick....
Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI
No way to know...until thousands of reports get filed every month :-(
Seller_DBzTQPDCouH9d
This is just insane! Ok, I upvoted and wish I could upvote you a thousand times more! Geez, Amazon! Get your head outta your Arrzzz!!
Seller_24FzucbyGtgZS
You first problem is FBA. You have given Amazon complete control over your business.
2nd problem is believing that a mod can actually do something other than delay you from seeking arbitration against Amazon until its too late.
Sell FBM, use the Post Office exclusively and if this happens file a mail fraud complaint with the Postal Inspectors, They take Amazon fraudulent buyers/scammers very seriously. And you also file a criminal complaint with their local police department.
Seller_r0fehDyVRb8xg
I am sorry to hear you were a victim of mail fraud. Some call it incompetence. Others negligent. Add criminal and you have criminal negligence.
Seller_eIX27SfbKx0f9
There’s nothing you or Amazon can do about this. It’s something that has happened in retail stores for a long time. I remember the time I worked at Fry’s Electronics, where people would buy CD-ROMs and switch out the internal components, since the 8x and 16x models had the identical outer case. The last guy who bought a CD-ROM and returned it got so mad that we had to accept the return.
Seller_nFn2WCNTa1gOm
This sucks, I know but you have to bake shrinkage into your margins or drop the product.
Seller_TT7GgAWx52YJB
This is a constant problem for us, too. We receive a lot of broken audio cables of various other brands, as "returns" of our own goods. The customer probably even marks the reason for the return as "defective," harming our numbers.
We usually have been successful at getting reimbursement from Amazon, but not always, and for low-value items it's not even worth the time to submit the claim.
Some of the customers -- most, probably -- are out-and-out fraudsters. But I suspect that some of them bought the previous item at Amazon, are angry that it broke, and feel that they're getting justice from Amazon by exchanging a defective Amazon product for a good Amazon product. Obviously that may feel like justice for the customer, but it certainly isn't fair to us when we get garbage back instead of our own product in returns.
And, of course, some of the bizarre returns are probably the fault of the Amazon warehouse. We've had returned "cables" which, when opened, turns out to be a book, a mounting bracket, a shelf system, a hairdryer -- all things we do not sell and have never sold.
Seller_uAAvUVTIM9P4J
This is common occurrence with amazon customer support. I like to call them amazon anti customer support, hundreds of cases per day, in fact i have 3 full time staff just working on cases :).
Seller_yMrldgcgNWjrR
Wouldn't this actually be mail fraud? Couldn't you go straight to authorities and have them investigate?
