Avoid Amazon's online return process

rosiepup2000

If anyone needs to return a faulty item, don't use Amazon's online returns process, which in my case offered me only two options - either to return via Amazon's nominated collections service, or to send it back by any method I chose, but Amazon would only pay up to £3.30 towards the postage etc.


This is clearly designed to shift the expense and inconvenience of returns away from Amazon and onto the customer.


Instead, go into the online live chat in Amazon's customer services section (follow the 'contact us' links at the bottom of the website) and request a pre-paid returns label. In that way you can send it back by whatever method is convenient to you, and at Amazon's expense.


In my case I bought a light fitting which was broken when it arrived. I went through the online returns process and got the two options as above. The light was big and heavy and would have cost a lot more than £3.30 to send back. The collections service is highly inconvenient to anyone who works full time - no Saturday/evening collections, a very limited choice of days and no time slots, they won't collect from another address and someone must be at home for the collection. I had to take a day off work just for this and have had to wait in for hours for the collection!


Went into the chat to complain and I was immediately offered other options including the pre-paid returns label, keep the item and get a partial refund or have it collected by another collection service at a date/time convenient to me. Too late to be of any help to me, and no reason given why these options can't be offered during the online process, but may help anyone else who needs to return something.

JJ_Egan

The Amazon how to return section gave me the address of a local shop that handled return parcels to Amazon so simple .

rosiepup2000

I was not given that option for my return.


Since my earlier post I've found out that in the case of faulty goods the seller is responsible for the costs of return under the Sale of Goods legislation. So I should not have been given an option which required me to contribute towards the cost of the return. Also any returns system the seller has in place should not cause inconvenience to the customer.


So far as I can see Amazon has breached the Sale of Goods Act at least 5 times in this transaction!

OlliesDad

rosiepup2000 wrote: »

I was not given that option for my return.


Since my earlier post I've found out that in the case of faulty goods the seller is responsible for the costs of return under the Sale of Goods legislation. So I should not have been given an option which required me to contribute towards the cost of the return. Also any returns system the seller has in place should not cause inconvenience to the customer.


So far as I can see Amazon has breached the Sale of Goods Act at least 5 times in this transaction!

I don't see how they have breached the Sales of Goods Act? They gave you 2 options, to which you advised that none were suitable, so they gave you 3 other options. Sounds like great service to me!

tomtontom

rosiepup2000 wrote: »

I was not given that option for my return.


Since my earlier post I've found out that in the case of faulty goods the seller is responsible for the costs of return under the Sale of Goods legislation. So I should not have been given an option which required me to contribute towards the cost of the return. Also any returns system the seller has in place should not cause inconvenience to the customer.


So far as I can see Amazon has breached the Sale of Goods Act at least 5 times in this transaction!

Complete overreaction, you are looking for an issue where there is not one.

RichardD1970

I have only ever had print label and return option. Just looking I also now have the Amazon Locker option as well as that.

I have to add in the 10+ years of using Amazon I have only ever had good-excellent customer service.

rosiepup2000

Breaches of the Sale of Goods Act in this transaction:


1. The item did not match the description - it was stated to be in good condition and it wasn't - it was broken.
2. The item wasn't of satisfactory quality
3. It was not fit for purpose
4. I was asked to pay part of the return postage costs when these should have been paid wholly by Amazon
5. The alternative method of return by Amazon's nominated collection service has caused me great inconvenience namely having to use a day's annual leave.


The only 2 options I was given when going through the returns process were to partly pay the cost of the return myself or use Amazon's nominated collection service. I chose the latter as it seemed the least worst of the two, however it turned out to involve a great deal of inconvenience for me.


I was only offered the other three options when I later went into chat. It was too late by then. Amazon have themselves admitted to me today that the returns process should be easy but was not in my case.


I am simply offering the information to anyone else who may be faced with the same problem, to avoid anyone else having to pay towards the cost of a return which Amazon should be paying for in the first place.

tomtontom

The first three of your 'breaches' are one and the same - the item was faulty, it happens from time to time.

You were given the option to return the item via RM so as to avoid waiting in. Had you spoken to Amazon about the postage being more they would have refunded the additional amount.

No one made you wait in all day, you choose to do that rather you using RM. Alternatively you could have left it with a friend or neighbour and have the courier collect it from there, all you needed to do was ask.

JJ_Egan

Possible i just looked a bit harder at the returns process and its help / faq whenever i have sent any item back and that is very rare as i find Amazon in the main outstanding .

rosiepup2000

Quote: Alternatively you could have left it with a friend or neighbour and have the courier collect it from there, all you needed to do was ask.


Incorrect - I was specifically instructed that DPD would only collect from my address, they would not collect from anywhere else and someone had to be home for the collection.

visidigi

rosiepup2000 wrote: »

If anyone needs to return a faulty item, don't use Amazon's online returns process, which in my case offered me only two options - either to return via Amazon's nominated collections service, or to send it back by any method I chose, but Amazon would only pay up to £3.30 towards the postage etc.


This is clearly designed to shift the expense and inconvenience of returns away from Amazon and onto the customer.


Instead, go into the online live chat in Amazon's customer services section (follow the 'contact us' links at the bottom of the website) and request a pre-paid returns label. In that way you can send it back by whatever method is convenient to you, and at Amazon's expense.


In my case I bought a light fitting which was broken when it arrived. I went through the online returns process and got the two options as above. The light was big and heavy and would have cost a lot more than £3.30 to send back. The collections service is highly inconvenient to anyone who works full time - no Saturday/evening collections, a very limited choice of days and no time slots, they won't collect from another address and someone must be at home for the collection. I had to take a day off work just for this and have had to wait in for hours for the collection!


Went into the chat to complain and I was immediately offered other options including the pre-paid returns label, keep the item and get a partial refund or have it collected by another collection service at a date/time convenient to me. Too late to be of any help to me, and no reason given why these options can't be offered during the online process, but may help anyone else who needs to return something.

I always get offered Collect + for easy drop off returns.

Gotta say Amazon are by a long way the best company out there for returns. By a country mile (and a bit)