Amazon behaving badly (again)

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by shalym

I know this has been discussed before, but...why would you ever buy something that you're not sure you want, then expect to be able to return it? If I make an impulse buy and then later decide I didn't really want it, I would never expect to be able to return it for a refund. I would give it away or sell it (or throw it out, if nobody wanted it)

No retailer is to blame for my bad judgement, and I would never expect one to eat the cost of it. Returns are for things that don't work correctly, or for the occasional article of clothing that doesn't fit because it was sized wrong.

Sometimes, though, it's extremely hard to know the quality of an item based on just the photo and the description; I've gotten burned a few times and felt no qualms about asking for a refund. But my rare returns are usually because something's defective or the wrong size.

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Just playing the devil's advocate, but if you're not sure about the gift, then why would you buy it?

I've had people send me gifts directly from Amazon; I've sometimes decided I really didn't want or need them, and have returned them for an Amazon gift card. In those cases, I believe I've been responsible for the return postage.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Then why do sellers allow returns for items that aren't defective or damaged?

Originally Posted by shalym

Because they trust people? Because sometimes gifts need to be returned?

Because it's the law, at least in the UK (and probably the rest of the EU) for physical goods bought "at a distance", i.e. online.

In short:

"Your right to cancel an order for goods starts the moment you place your order and ends 14 days from the day you receive your goods."

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

Because it's the law, at least in the UK (and probably the rest of the EU) for physical goods bought "at a distance", i.e. online.

In short:

You guys have consumer protection laws. We have business protection laws.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I've had a similar track record. One order out of hundreds that missed the due date ... several that arrived sooner.

I guess some people are luckier than others. This USED to be true with us and our extended family as well, now it's getting closer to 50/50 on whether something will arrive on the promised delivery date, or not. Quality of service began its slide when the Amazon/FedEx contract expired.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by shalym

I know this has been discussed before, but...why would you ever buy something that you're not sure you want, then expect to be able to return it? If I make an impulse buy and then later decide I didn't really want it, I would never expect to be able to return it for a refund. I would give it away or sell it (or throw it out, if nobody wanted it)

In my niece's case, she ordered one product and received another. And Amazon sided with the lying seller when he claimed he never received the package, when tracking shows it was delivered to his personal lock box. So much for the bogus "A-to-z Marketplace Guarantee." Amazon is complacent, they're starting their downhill slide.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by rcentros

they're starting their downhill slide.

That sounds like a bit of wishful thinking to me. Time will tell, I guess, but I'm fairly certain people will be marking the beginning of Amazon's end for many, many years yet.

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

That sounds like a bit of wishful thinking to me. Time will tell, I guess, but I'm fairly certain people will be marking the beginning of Amazon's end for many, many years yet.

Agreed, Amazon makes finding/getting things very convenient, and it would take a whole lot for me to stop using them. I suspect the vast majority feel the same way.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

Agreed, Amazon makes finding/getting things very convenient, and it would take a whole lot for me to stop using them. I suspect the vast majority feel the same way.

It will take a viable option. Right now, that isn't really the case for many things. I suspect the lack of real competition is behind their drop in customer service. One could say it's part of the normal business cycle. I suspect that back in 1995 it would be difficult for anyone to imagine someone eating B&N's lunch like Amazon did.

[tempest@de]

In Europe you can change your mind in the first 14 days after receiving the item usually you are responsible for the shipping costs for the return, but it depends on the store policy.

I've returned items bought at a distance, and if I didn’t have the right to do so I would not be buying online, since you cannot see the product and sometimes the description or photos aren’t accurate, that’s why you can return them.

With regards to amazon I’ve returned items that had problems and my experience is that they give you a conservative time for delivery, my packages almost always arrive before the time they say in the order, I always assumed they don’t want to have people complaining so they give you a time frame large enough in case something goes wrong with the delivery company. I had one item that didn’t arrive, it was not dispatched by amazon and they did the refund when

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

That sounds like a bit of wishful thinking to me. Time will tell, I guess, but I'm fairly certain people will be marking the beginning of Amazon's end for many, many years yet.

I agree, time will tell. I know from personal experience that I really liked Amazon, until their service started slipping. I know I'm not alone in this.

Originally Posted by cfrizz

Agreed, Amazon makes finding/getting things very convenient, and it would take a whole lot for me to stop using them. I suspect the vast majority feel the same way.

Yep. But if Amazon doesn't stand behind what you find, if their Amazon Marketplace becomes the "wild, wild west of buyer beware," the convenience of finding something and actually having the confidence to buy that something will diverge.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

It will take a viable option. Right now, that isn't really the case for many things. I suspect the lack of real competition is behind their drop in customer service. One could say it's part of the normal business cycle. I suspect that back in 1995 it would be difficult for anyone to imagine someone eating B&N's lunch like Amazon did.

No competition results in complacency. I think slipping service also needs to be attributed to the hodge-podge delivery system Amazon has cobbled together. That's not something that is easy to fix. Hopefully Walmart can give them some competition online and maybe both companies will improve. At this point I'm more liable to shop locally or go with eBay then with Amazon.

[Wearever]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

Because it's the law, at least in the UK (and probably the rest of the EU) for physical goods bought "at a distance", i.e. online.

In short:

I wish we had this law also here in the U.S.

I cancelled an order within an hr. and it still shipped to me after sitting in a warehouse for 20hrs. It came yesterday and I refused the shipment so it went back. This was the first time I refused an item and it went well so far. Amazon told me expect a refund in 2-3 days after they receive it. I'm also hoping they will not count it as a return against my account. It worked out well because I was home at the time of delivery, but that's not always the case.

I would prefer to have the law that is in the U.K. and not have to contact Amazon C.S. for everything. I have had good luck with Amazon so far, but I would like the peace of mind of knowing there is a law in place in case it doesn't.

[maddz]

Touch wood, I've not had to return any physical item from Amazon (eBay is another matter). I've had refunds or replacements on damaged goods from Amazon - a storage container that arrived with a massive hole in it (no, not the mouth), and a phone case with a neck strap where the strap fell apart the day after I received it. Usually, I make sure what I buy is what I want.

I have purchased ebooks in error and immediately refunded them (1-click and rattly public transport don't always mix), but I now go into the book record to purchase rather than the list so I haven't done that in a while.

I've had refunds on no-shows, and once something didn't arrive and the vendor sent a new item.

[Catlady]

I'm currently waiting for an item from an Amazon third-party seller; originally it was supposed to arrive Friday. But tracking shows that it's bogged down in the postal system after being shipped in a timely fashion. It took a week for it to travel from Maryland to Pennsylvania, where it's been sitting for almost three days now. It's frustrating, but I can hardly blame either Amazon or the seller.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I'm currently waiting for an item from an Amazon third-party seller; originally it was supposed to arrive Friday. But tracking shows that it's bogged down in the postal system after being shipped in a timely fashion. It took a week for it to travel from Maryland to Pennsylvania, where it's been sitting for almost three days now. It's frustrating, but I can hardly blame either Amazon or the seller.

I recently had a similar issue with an item from an Ebay seller. He shipped promptly but the package got hung up with the Post Office for a few days (it did eventually arrive in good condition). The shipment was coming from the New York area - maybe the Post Office in that part of the country still hasn't recovered from all the nor'easters.