Unjust A-to-Z Claim Granted Despite Return Policy Violation

Hello,

I’m reaching out regarding a recent A-to-Z Guarantee claim that was granted against our account under circumstances that seem clearly outside Amazon's return policy guidelines.

The customer placed an order on March 3rd, with a delivery date of March 5th. We fulfilled and delivered the order on time.

The customer later opened a return request but never shipped the item back within the return window. On May 1st—well over 30 days past the return period—the customer handed the item to UPS without our authorization or approval for a late return. At that point, the item got lost in transit.

Despite the return being late, unauthorized, and the item being lost by the carrier, the customer opened an A-to-Z claim, which was granted. I appealed the decision, but the appeal was denied.

I am struggling to understand why we are being held responsible for a return that:

Was initiated beyond the 30-day return window,

Was shipped back without our approval,

Was lost in transit by the carrier (not due to seller error).

I kindly request a detailed review of this case. It is unfair for sellers to be penalized for events beyond our control, especially when the buyer violated return policy procedures.

Thank you for your time and understanding.

Order ID 114-0627468-0267465

@Joey_Amazon