Out of Policy for Returns
Hi all
ive had a return request from 42 days ago, Amazon is displaying an Out Of Policy notice above the thumbnail of the image.
the reason for return is Defective or doesn’t work anymore - <<its a tshirt!
Am i bound to accept the return?
any help is appreciated thank you
15 replies
Seller_0pkMTMROIPEmY
Amazon give 2 years for a defective item under EU Law, we’ve had one product returned defective up to 4 years old, and two 3 years old , Amazon reimbursed all of these after 30 days.
"We warrant the Product to you against defects in materials and workmanship under ordinary consumer use on delivery and for a period of 24 months from the date of delivery. If the Product is a consumable product (for example, an ink cartridge), this limited warranty will expire with respect to the Product as soon as the consumable part of the Product (for example, the ink) has been partly or totally consumed. "
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201889480
Seller_ejwc84JNL5Uk6
Well - timewise no you wouldn’t have to, however buyer has used the Defective reason so it changes the goalposts. It might be coming unstitched or similar I suppose (I know I know!!) in which case you have to refund. Personally (as claiming faulty) I would accept the return and see what its like when you get it back. Unfortunately you will have to pay the return costs so let buyer know maximum you will pay for return. If it’s not defective on return I would just return it to them again. You could just refund & not ask for it back but personally I don’t agree with that route as it encourages the scammers.
Seller_mMZ3Lk74d85y8
reject the return and give your reason as return period has expired.
Seller_eHGcIFLN8XZFh
Ask them to upload photos showing the defect then decide on whether it is worth them returning it before issueing a refund.
Seller_EJIX7rqDNQJi2
If the return is “Out of policy”, you are not required to accept the request.
Seller_YropdiN8t2UD4
I’m not saying this would work for you in case of an A-to-Z, but buyers pay for Amazon orders essentialy using Amazon Pay, right? Well, there’s this:
https://pay.amazon.com/uk/help/201751580
Under the ‘When is a product “materially different” from the way a seller described it?’ header, it states that “However, a complaint needs to be submitted within 30 days of making payment.”
You complaint is after 30 days, so you could try directing them to whoever handles warranty for those t-shirts instead, or forcing this to be handled outside of Amazon as it’s not covered by their policy.
Once again, I cannot guarantee that this will work, but linking and quoting Amazon rules often confuses A-to-Z bots and might tip the case in your favour.
Seller_DJCaLsroslyPV
You need to be mindful of the reason for the return request and the consequences of refusing it.
If for example it’s becuase something has happened to the tshirt that makes it impossible to use, then the request might be fully justified. If I bought a shirt and it fell apart after a month or so, then I’d feel that it shouldn’t have been sold in the first place. It might not be your fault as manufacturing errors do mean the odd item is not properly constructed. I’ve had shirts that seem fine but then after a couple of washes the stitching comes apart. This has been with decent brands (Gildan) not some cheap sweatshop rubbish.
If you refuse the request point blank without engaging with the buyer, you might very well end up with a review that is scathing of the quality of the item, and the resulting loss of sales might mean giving a refund is the better course of action.
First of all you need to find out exactly what is wrong with the item, and why the buyer wants to return it. Once you know that you’ll be in a better position to decide a course of action.
Seller_B4VbHpnDLDLAU
I do worry about the responses from people say reject the return as out of policy. You are not following the Consumer Rights act, nor are you following your duty as a seller.
The fact is as a retailer you have a duty to help the customer if the item has a manufacturing fault. customer has up to 6 months to claim in which you have to prove no fault was there at point of purchase, and after 6 months its up to the buyer, So first thing is to contact the buyer to find out what the actual fault of the item is and work with the customer to come to a resolution.
I would be very very unhappy if i had a top for just over a month and fallen apart.
Seller_2BrPSydGy6oyq
Agree with the earlier suggestion of requesting a photo, I would contact the customer to point out their return request is outside of Amazon 30 day return policy, but to assist further with the complaint you would appreciate a photo of the claimed defect and if they could explain also the problem and on receipt will investigate further and respond to the return request.
If they produce the photo, you can then make a judgement, refund without return if it looks like a product fault, or reject the return request if it appears to be Customer damaged (not the fault of the product).
Diving in before you have all the facts, may not be the best course of action?
Seller_DQfkgZNWeH1xJ
Thank you all for the great replies. The customer said there are white marks in the tshirt! How this is so after all this time is anyone’s guess.
I’ve agreed to the return and if I’m at fault I will send another.
Thanks again.
