Abusive customer - any suggestions?
I sell fish tank plants. Most are around £10 mark, so nothing major. This morning I woke up to a lovely message from a delightful customer:
"All your 50 lettuce died in TWO days, REVIEW BOMB INCOMING, disgraceful seller"
Fair enough, I replied:
"Hi NAME,
Would you prefer a refund or another pack sent your way?
Do let us know.
Dan"
I received a reply:
"A refund"
I replied:
"Hi there,
We have issued you a refund just now, it won't take too long for it to come through.
Sorry about the hassle and have a lovely day!
Dan"
Shortly after issuing a refund the customer left me a review:
"WARNING - this seller is a scammer. The product that was sent did not work and this seller was aware from the outset. Ignored my claim. I am taking this further with Amazon."
Any sensible ways to deal with this, or do I just ignore it, or what? :)
Abusive customer - any suggestions?
I sell fish tank plants. Most are around £10 mark, so nothing major. This morning I woke up to a lovely message from a delightful customer:
"All your 50 lettuce died in TWO days, REVIEW BOMB INCOMING, disgraceful seller"
Fair enough, I replied:
"Hi NAME,
Would you prefer a refund or another pack sent your way?
Do let us know.
Dan"
I received a reply:
"A refund"
I replied:
"Hi there,
We have issued you a refund just now, it won't take too long for it to come through.
Sorry about the hassle and have a lovely day!
Dan"
Shortly after issuing a refund the customer left me a review:
"WARNING - this seller is a scammer. The product that was sent did not work and this seller was aware from the outset. Ignored my claim. I am taking this further with Amazon."
Any sensible ways to deal with this, or do I just ignore it, or what? :)
6 replies
Seller_0XWc3TbYeT9US
There is no sensible way to deal with a person like this, it is regretfully a sign of the internet age, you can feel the self-righteous indignation seeping from every syllable.
We dont have our own brand so I've never been fussed about reviews and I don't know how you can get them removed, sorry - but seems to me that their first message to you could be construed as threatening to give a bad review unless order was refunded and you can, at the very least, report them for policy abuse in the Account Health section is Seller Central. The only result will be a mild satisfaction, however. Other sellers may have more constructive input as I'm sure this is a common issue!
Best of luck :)
Seller_IQo80d99W2DzP
Do you mean Seller Feedback, or Product Review?
I was told previously by Account Health. NEVER mention the word 'review' or 'feedback' in an email to a Buyer, as both trigger words.
You can add a comment back on a Seller Feedback though.
Amazon take many hours, sometimes the next day to process a refund, so the Buyer may think that you have not actioned a refund, even though you said yu had.
Maybe once Amazon action (they email you as well), then update the Buyer. Ask if they can reconsider their actions, as detremental, and the plants are usually ok. You can only assume mis-handling by the post, and you have therefore refunded in full (even without any proof, you took their word for it), but Amazon process a refund, and that takes some time, beyond your control.
If on a Product Review, you can raise as an issue, as it mentions about a Seller.
I would also say the wording is very unusual 'The product that was sent did not work' - I would not call plants a product. So, maybe he has something else he is moaning about as well, or a generic feedback, to get refunds on everything? -
Maybe ask the Buyer, you mention 'The product that was sent did not work' - we only supplied some plants, not a product, was this information leaft about the wrong order?
As you already refunded, they likely will just ignore you.
Seller_j30KQjgEjnF6v
[Moderator Edit: removed inappropriate commentary]
Seller_LrOi5Val3Iifg
you knew the negative feedback was coming and still refunded with no proof?
Josh_Amazon
Hello @Seller_bOircv0UXN9jU,
I understand the situation with the review left after you issued a prompt refund.
There is an important distinction to understand: Customer Reviews appear on the product detail page and are about the buyer's experience with the product, while Seller Feedback appears in your Feedback Manager and is about the buyer's experience with the order (shipping, service, etc.).
Looking at what the customer wrote, the review contains claims that may not accurately reflect the interaction, since you responded and issued a refund promptly. Amazon has Community Guidelines that reviews must follow, and reviews can be removed if they contain inaccurate information or violate those guidelines.
Here's what I'd recommend:
Step 1: Report the review using the "Report" button directly on the product detail page next to the review. This is the fastest way to flag it to Amazon's Community team.
Step 2: If the Report button doesn't resolve it within a few days, contact Amazon via Seller Central → Help → Something else → Amazon Community → Customer Reviews → Violations of our Guidelines → I need more help → Send us an email.
Step 3: Open a case with Seller Support via the "Contact Us" page requesting the review be removed. Keep your Case ID handy.
A few additional tips: if the customer also left Seller Feedback separately, you can post one public reply via your Feedback Manager. Keep it factual and professional. Do not engage the customer directly about the review as this could be seen as a policy violation. Also, document everything and keep screenshots of your Buyer-Seller messages showing your prompt response and refund.
Kind regards,
-Josh
