Amazon email for too many returns

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

If you can't pretty quickly "ballpark" the number of items you've returned to Amazon since you've been a customer, I'm guessing it's "too much." Regardless of how much you order.

I don't say that to be rude. I truly believe it. I probably order 50-60 physical things from them each year, and at least that many ebooks (before I switched primarily to epubs). After 7-8 years of that, I recall returning a defective Fire (exchanged for another) and one ebook that was atrociously formatted. That's about it.

I've never once returned anything for "not turning out to be what I wanted," or ever ordered anything with the mindset that I could return it if I didn't like it. I don't judge those who do, I just believe them to be pushing their luck, and very likely to receive the kind of email the OP has.

As long as my returns are for issues and not convenience, I don't ever expect to run afoul of their algorithm.

Yep, I've only returned less than a handful of items in my year's long tenure as a customer -- maybe a decade (decades?) or more, I don't really know.

Only two things that come to mind actually...
One was an Ebook that was unreadable and they credited my account,
the second was a window-mount HDTV antenna which was cheap and truly a piece of sh*t. They refunded that one.

I have ordered and received a few phone, computer and tablet cases/sleeves that I was not completely happy with, but I knew there was a good possibility of that going in.

In almost all instances I take the burden of ordering what I want on myself and check it out thoroughly with reviews, comparisons to other similar products etc.

anyway....

Good Luck getting this resolved to your satisfaction Josie.

[Josieb1]

Thank you to everyone who's taken the trouble to post on this thread. The two hours have passed and no we didn't get a call back.

[Josieb1]

And as much as I may have wanted the new Voyage (if it ever gets announced) I will not be ordering it as I can't be sure the quality is there based on all the previous device screen issues. I was very lucky with my Voyage last year and it came from Argos.

I have never been one of those people who order a device then get multiple replacements (as was mentioned on the first page of this thread) and tbh I'd have been very scared of doing anything like that even before we got this email.

[Blossom]

People who get multiple replacements on their Kindles are usually prompted by a Kindle specialist which may not count as a return because of how it is done. I returned my HDX in 2013 three times before getting a refund to buy a HD instead. It could be not the amount of returns but how close they are together. I was told that Kindles don't count against your return percentage but it could be different in the UK.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by Blossom

People who get multiple replacements on their Kindles are usually prompted by a Kindle specialist which may not count as a return because of how it is done. I returned my HDX in 2013 three times before getting a refund to buy a HD instead. It could be not the amount of returns but how close they are together. I was told that Kindles don't count against your return percentage but it could be different in the UK.

I have no idea how it's triggered. I also have a 24 credit yearly audible account due to renew in November, thats £110. Right now I don't know whether to cancel tbh as if anything ever happened to my Amazon account what happens to Audible?. And no I don't return audiobooks, I listen to the sample first.

Not getting any answers is what's wrong with all this. It's like being accused and convicted of a crime without any way of defending yourself.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

While stores are required to accept returns, I do not know if there is a law which requires them to sell to you. If someone return a huge amount of items, I could understand that a store would no longer want to do business.

No longer wanting to accept new orders from you may be 'fair enough' but removing access to digital stuff you already paid for (ebooks etc) will never be fair IMO, especially if you have no way of appealing the decision.

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

For DVD's, CD's, and such most US stores will only take returns if the item is still sealed. If it's opened they're happy to do an exchange for the same item, but generally an opened one can't be returned for a refund.

A few years ago I returned a DVD I purchased from BestBuy in the US, I got home and found out I already had the DVD. So the package was fully sealed, not even a slight rip anywhere on the outer plastic seal, seals over the case still intact, was returned the next day, and it wasn't a problem getting a refund (or possibly a store credit, I'm always buying from there so that would always be fine for me).

But as I stood there at the counter they actually ripped the DVD case open to check if the DVD was still in there. I was shocked, since now they could no longer sell it as new and probably have to return it themselves. Apparently scammers have found ways to reseal CD and DVD packaging so it looks perfectly like new after they remove the disk, so they have to open all returns.

I'm half thinking that email is a scam too, I've only heard of people getting those notices when they've returned an excessive amount of ebooks (obviously trying to see how many they can read for free before Amazon cuts them off). Certainly they can't count returns for defective items. I'm surprised they would send a letter like that at all given how frequently an Amazon rep will offer you a refund and insist you send it back if you're not 100% happy with it.

I'll admit I have probably a very low return count, I can think of only 3 trips to the UPS store in the last 4 or 5 years. But I did get replacements for all of it. And I too tend to keep the really small stuff that turns out to be just not perfect for what I want and let it sit in a drawer (have several phone cases like that still in the drawer).

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

No longer wanting to accept new orders from you may be 'fair enough' but removing access to digital stuff you already paid for (ebooks etc) will never be fair IMO, especially if you have no way of appealing the decision.

Amazon have said in the past the when they close an account, people retain access to purchased digital goods, including Kindle ebooks.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Amazon have said in the past the when they close an account, people retain access to purchased digital goods, including Kindle ebooks.

OK, thanks. I wasn't aware of that.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

No longer wanting to accept new orders from you may be 'fair enough' but removing access to digital stuff you already paid for (ebooks etc) will never be fair IMO, especially if you have no way of appealing the decision.

True enough; it's one of the reasons why I refuse to buy digital media that I cannot un-DRM.

[DiapDealer]

In the past it has been my experience that perserverence has been the key to honest customers finding satisfactory resolution with Amazon in these situations. It may stink to be in the situation, but I understand (to a degree) why Amazon takes the approach they do (canned emails that rarely achieve anything).

If it was as easy as an email to "clear your good name," then scammers would be gaming that system too. So the only way they know for sure their algorithm "got it wrong" is when someone forgoes the easy email route and starts relentlessly calling humans and refusing to be put off.

It would suck to be in the situation, for sure, but at the same time, I can also understand Amazon expecting customers were truly feel "wronged" to be willing to jump through a lot more hoops for resolution. There's just no way they could respond to all disputes/queries by email. Their "weeding out" process may seem a bit cold to many, but I bet it gets things "right" more often than not.

So my advice to you is to stick it out until you speak to a human, if it's important enough to you to find resolution.

And keep in mind that as pdurrant mentioned, Amazon has made it clear that accounts that are banned would still have access to their previous digital purchases. So the only real "threat" I take from the email is "you may not be able to continue buying things from us any more." I hardly call that an abuse of power. That's just the standard "we don't have to do business with you" right that almost all businesses have (as long as it's not based on illegal discriminitory practices).

Good luck. Stick it out, and don't stress. It's just phone calls.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Amazon have said in the past the when they close an account, people retain access to purchased digital goods, including Kindle ebooks.

I didn't know that either, thank you, and I don't really want to find out how they go about it either.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

In the past it has been my experience that perserverence has been the key to honest customers finding satisfactory resolution with Amazon in these situations. It may stink to be in the situation, but I understand (to a degree) why Amazon takes the approach they do (canned emails that rarely achieve anything).

If it was as easy as an email to "clear your good name," then scammers would be gaming that system too. So the only way they know for sure their algorithm "got it wrong" is when someone forgoes the easy email route and starts relentlessly calling humans and refusing to be put off.

It would suck to be in the situation, for sure, but at the same time, I can also understand Amazon expecting customers were truly feel "wronged" to be willing to jump through a lot more hoops for resolution. There's just no way they could respond to all disputes/queries by email. Their "weeding out" process may seem a bit cold to many, but I bet it gets things "right" more often than not.

So my advice to you is to stick it out until you speak to a human, if it's important enough to you to find resolution.

And keep in mind that as pdurrant mentioned, Amazon has made it clear that accounts that are banned would still have access to their previous digital purchases. So the only real "threat" I take from the email is "you may not be able to continue buying things from us any more." I hardly call that an abuse of power. That's just the standard "we don't have to do business with you" right that almost all businesses have (as long as it's not based on illegal discriminitory practices).

Good luck. Stick it out, and don't stress. It's just phone calls.

Hubby is about to try and call again.

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Amazon have said in the past the when they close an account, people retain access to purchased digital goods, including Kindle ebooks.

Amazon have removed users' access to their purchased books in the past. Hopefully their policy has changed, but ultimately they can do what they want because users do not own the e-books they purchase.

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/yo...omer-1C6626211

Amazon turned off her Kindle account, blocking her from her own books. And they wouldn't tell her why.

[Josieb1]

All my books are Alf'd and I would hope I can still play my audiobooks in an iPod but the devices would be almost useless and would need to be sold. Even the ereaders can't do collections without being registered to an Account. (Yes I know this is worst case scenario)

This time hubby got a lady in Ireland. She was very apologetic but said that Customer Services are unable to talk about these letters. She kept us on hold for over 20 mins trying to find someone to talk to us from the account specialist team, in the end she gave up and said she would pass our details over and hopefully someone would contact us (probably by email) within 48 hours.

And before anyone starts on about how it's all our fault just try and remember I'm very upset and very stressed and pretty much in tears with worry. I hardly think someone who is gaming the system would feel like I do.