Watchdog talks about Amazon closing accounts

[issybird]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

To Amazon, it is one person who probably is not all that important to their bottom line. To the person, losing Amazon is far more difficult because of how it helps them live the life that they like.

It's more than that; it's one person that Amazon has determined is costing them money. The cost of servicing that account, shipping, processing returns, time taken up by CS, has outstripped the profit from the Prime fee and the net on the items sold. Closely examining an account and making an individual determination would take up a lot more valuable CS time and not first level, either.

One reason for Amazon's good CS is that it's cheaper for them for satisfy the customer fast. I think of how many wrangles I've had with Kobo and how much it must have cost them to pay the people who had to deal with my issues. So once the data show Amazon that CS is no longer cost-effective with a particular customer, Amazon not unreasonably wants to cut its losses. And seriously, if a customer is warned and has a chance to get into line, I don't see the issue. At all. Certainly not for going all Henny Penny.

[Josieb1]

At the risk of getting shouted at or banned as user of this forum can I say that yet again most people are missing the point in all this.

I don't give a toss about losing Amazon as a seller. Are they convenient, hell yes, are they worth the risk, No. There other sellers, my Surface 3 came from John Lewis, my work monitor from Currys, my two Kobo's and my Voyage from Argos, my Surface 3 case from Allexpress, my Voyage cases from eBay. I don't buy food, clothes, shoes, make up etc or anything like that from Amazon anyway.

The issue is, and in my case only this. Losing access to my digital content when a) my current devices no longer work, and the closure of my Audible account (which has never been in any problem). I have multiple letters from Amazon confirming that IF my account was ever closed by them I would lose everything. I have that in writing.

It should be simple enough of Amazon to block an account from purchasing, both physical and digital if they wanted, without closing the account, therefore ensuring that new devices purchased from other retailers, and apps could still access previously purchased digital content.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

At the risk of getting shouted at or banned as user of this forum can I say that yet again most people are missing the point in all this.

Josie, I'm afraid that you're the one who is missing the point. You've been warned, only, and twice at that. Your account hasn't been closed. You are at no risk at all, so long as you stop returning items at your previous rate.

In fact, I'd say you're lucky, in that clearly you didn't take the first warning seriously, but that's no reason to overreact at the second warning. In any case, if you're at peace with your decision to stop buying physical products through Amazon at all, why ever are you belaboring this issue? I also think you enjoy creating problems for yourself; separating out your Audible account makes a huge inconvenience and serves no point, if, as you say, you are done buying from Amazon anyway.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

At the risk of getting shouted at or banned as user of this forum can I say that yet again most people are missing the point in all this.

Two things: 1) People aren't missing THE point. They might be missing YOUR point, or they may simply disagree with (or not care about) your point. They're not the same thing.

2) Not every discussion about Amazon account closures has to be about you. Stop seeing every opinion that differs from yours on this as a dagger to your heart and/or integrity and/or honesty and/or intelligence. Please.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Two things: 1) People aren't missing THE point. They might be missing YOUR point, or they may simply disagree with (or not care about) your point. They're not the same thing.

2) Not every discussion about Amazon account closures has to be about you. Stop seeing every opinion that differs from yours on this as a dagger to your heart and/or integrity and/or honesty and/or intelligence. Please.

I'm not taking every comment personally, if anything my ignore list is increasing.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

At the risk of getting shouted at or banned as user of this forum can I say that yet again most people are missing the point in all this.

The fact that you believe you *might* be at risk of punitive action from MobileRead, tells me you are getting way too worked up about the whole matter.

And I'm pretty sure there must be a few people here intelligent and/or insightful and/or honest enough to comprehend your point, even if they then disagree.

But it sure is easy to make yourself out as a victim when you claim everyone else must be missing "the" point.
Which isn't to say that is impossible -- maybe everyone is missing the point. But you'd better have the evidence to back that up.

I don't give a toss about losing Amazon as a seller. Are they convenient, hell yes, are they worth the risk, No. There other sellers, my Surface 3 came from John Lewis, my work monitor from Currys, my two Kobo's and my Voyage from Argos, my Surface 3 case from Allexpress, my Voyage cases from eBay. I don't buy food, clothes, shoes, make up etc or anything like that from Amazon anyway.

The issue is, and in my case only this. Losing access to my digital content when a) my current devices no longer work, and the closure of my Audible account (which has never been in any problem). I have multiple letters from Amazon confirming that IF my account was ever closed by them I would lose everything. I have that in writing.

It should be simple enough of Amazon to block an account from purchasing, both physical and digital if they wanted, without closing the account, therefore ensuring that new devices purchased from other retailers, and apps could still access previously purchased digital content.

Perhaps... just a thought... it is possible there are people who might even say "Amazon should be taking away digital content, immediately and without recourse".

Personally, I don't think so. Just saying, I could understand if someone did think so.
I'm pretty sure it is justified in the ToS, anyway.


...


And I still don't understand what your big deal about it is.
Create a physical-items-only account, and buy whatever you want. The worst they can do to that account is stop you from buying more stuff with it.
And your digital-goods account will be safe, whether you choose to continue purchasing or not.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

The fact that you believe you *might* be at risk of punitive action from MobileRead, tells me you are getting way too worked up about the whole matter.

And I'm pretty sure there must be a few people here intelligent and/or insightful and/or honest enough to comprehend your point, even if they then disagree.

But it sure is easy to make yourself out as a victim when you claim everyone else must be missing "the" point.
Which isn't to say that is impossible -- maybe everyone is missing the point. But you'd better have the evidence to back that up.



Perhaps... just a thought... it is possible there are people who might even say "Amazon should be taking away digital content, immediately and without recourse".

Personally, I don't think so. Just saying, I could understand if someone did think so.
I'm pretty sure it is justified in the ToS, anyway.


...


And I still don't understand what your big deal about it is.
Create a physical-items-only account, and buy whatever you want. The worst they can do to that account is stop you from buying more stuff with it.
And your digital-goods account will be safe, whether you choose to continue purchasing or not.

I don't know either since she just got a warning and her account was not closed.

I thought this was going to be a thread about actual closed accounts.

Oh and we had to file a missing package claim yesterday.
Amazon offered and we accepted the gift card.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

And I still don't understand what your big deal about it is.
Create a physical-items-only account, and buy whatever you want. The worst they can do to that account is stop you from buying more stuff with it.
And your digital-goods account will be safe, whether you choose to continue purchasing or not.

This is a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad idea.

Amazon take a very dim view indeed of people opening more than one account to get around restrictions on an account.

It is the person that gets barred from Amazon, not the account. If anyone did open up a 'physical-items-only' account, and it got closed by Amazon for any reason, any other account they had would also be closed.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

This is a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad idea.

Amazon take a very dim view indeed of people opening more than one account to get around restrictions on an account.

It is the person that gets barred from Amazon, not the account. If anyone did open up a 'physical-items-only' account, and it got closed by Amazon for any reason, any other account they had would also be closed.

And how do they connect the account?

If they ban me, will they also ban my mother, my sister, my brother, my aunt, my grandfather, etc...
...everyone who ever went to school with me...
... everyone who has or had a shipping address I also have or had?


Maybe this would work better if the accounts had never been connected.

But I am pretty sure there is a bit of leeway here.

And Josieb1 has already separated her Audible and Kindle Store accounts, right?
So I'd just make the split in a slightly different location.

[Lemurion]

From my (uninvolved) perspective the big issue is not that Amazon closes accounts, but the way they handle CS with those involved. Part of it's simple, they don't want to spend any more money dealing with customers who are already costing them money than they have to.

I do think an appeals/explanation process would help eliminate any false positives.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Lemurion

I do think an appeals/explanation process would help eliminate any false positives.

I'm sure it would. But how many man-hours would each appeal/explanation cost Amazon? Why would they spend more money on someone their algorithm has already flagged as potentially costing them more money than their continued business is worth (right or wrong)?

[Wearever]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I'm sure it would. But how many man-hours would each appeal/explanation cost Amazon? Why would they spend more money on someone their algorithm has already flagged as potentially costing them more money than their continued business is worth (right or wrong)?

Because this is the company that wants to be connected with good service. The algorithm can only flag that there might be a problem. In good faith Amazon should at least put their efforts into finding out what happened. Especially when misshipped & missing packages count as returns. Also refunds.

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I'm sure it would. But how many man-hours would each appeal/explanation cost Amazon? Why would they spend more money on someone their algorithm has already flagged as potentially costing them more money than their continued business is worth (right or wrong)?

And that's why they don't have one right now. The question now becomes whether that policy is helping or harming them in the long run. Right now they think it helps them; if they get enough bad press over it they may reconsider.

[Cinisajoy]

If I remember right, one person did get a personal response from the higher ups about her returns. So yes, Amazon will respond if phrased right.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Wearever

Because this is the company that wants to be connected with good service.

And they already are. But surely they're allowed to purposely shoot themselves in that particular foot if they choose to do so (not that I think that's what they're doing here, mind you)?

Their reputation for great customer service does not obligate them to do anything. They're not bound by their reputation to be fair and friendly to everyone. As Lemurion mentioned, if they get enough bad press over this (or anything else) they MAY reconsider their policies (or they may not). But that would still be their choice. It's best not to confuse "great customer service" with "wanton disregard for their own bottom-line."