Amazon Marketplace seller refusing refund

BertieBassett

I bought a gym mat from an Amazon Marketplace seller which was delivered beginning of February. After about 6-7 weeks it has developed a split along one of the seams.

I have contacted the seller requesting a refund or replacement as the item has developed a fault. However they have point blankly refused stating that it is more than 30 days old and also the fact that they can't accept returns once they have been opened.

I have had several email exchanges to no avail even mentioning the SOGA act. I have also contacted Amazon A-Z guarantee but they are no help as this only applies if I contact the seller within 14 days.

The cost of the mat was only £17, so it may be that I have to put it down to experience. However given that the seller also have their own website I would of thought of been given better service.

If they refuse to play ball, are there any other avenues I can explore, e.g chargeback, small claims, trading standards etc.

Thanks

LilElvis

Have you tried raising a dispute through Amazon, or just contacted the seller?

elsien

According to amazon's market place FAQ.

Your Legal Warranty
If a product you’ve purchased on Amazon Marketplace turns out to be faulty after delivery or not as advertised (i.e., non-conformant), the Seller has to give you a free of charge (including return costs) repair, replacement or refund for a “reasonable time” following the sale. That time will vary depending on the product and its value. However, if you make such a claim more than 6 months from delivery, you may need to prove that the fault existed at the time of delivery of the product and wasn’t caused by, for example, an accident, misuse, liquid damage, etc.

So I'd be back onto amazon pointing out the seller is ignoring you, and asking them what they are going to do about it.
How often had you used it before the fault developed.

BertieBassett

I've contacted the seller 3 times with the last pointing out the Amzon Legal warranty. Still waiting on a response with that.

If that doesn't work I'll see if I can raise a dispute with Amazon, though they don't tend to make things easy and just seem to roll out a standard response.

It probably gets used on average twice a day for about 10-15 minutes by my 10 year old daughter. I would just assume that something designed to be used as a portable, folding device and take impacts that it would last more than 6-7 weeks. Strangely enough the same mat is twice the price on the 'official' website.

LilElvis

BertieBassett wrote: »

I've contacted the seller 3 times with the last pointing out the Amzon Legal warranty. Still waiting on a response with that.

If that doesn't work I'll see if I can raise a dispute with Amazon, though they don't tend to make things easy and just seem to roll out a standard response.

It probably gets used on average twice a day for about 10-15 minutes by my 10 year old daughter. I would just assume that something designed to be used as a portable, folding device and take impacts that it would last more than 6-7 weeks. Strangely enough the same mat is twice the price on the 'official' website.

You've given the seller every chance, so escalate it with Amazon. Go through the order complaints section and get to the "call me back" option. They call you in less than a minute and (in my experience) they are exceptionally receptive to resolving problems.

JethroUK

LilElvis wrote: »

You've given the seller every chance, so escalate it with Amazon. Go through the order complaints section and get to the "call me back" option. They call you in less than a minute and (in my experience) they are exceptionally receptive to resolving problems.

I agree

I have always found Amazon respond quickly to customer complaints and will prompt Amazon market place sellers to give good service with an email starting "Our customer"

GreatBeyond

If they have already had a claim rejected as the fault wasn't reported within 14 days of receipt there is very little Amazon customer services are going to be able to do to help any further.

They can contact the seller on your behalf which, if this hasn't already been done might persuade the seller to change their tune.

They could also potentially pass the details on to their seller department to let them know that the seller isn't performing as expected but the outcome of that if any would remain between Amazon and the seller I would expect.

The Amazon Claim is widely misunderstood - it's not there to act as a warranty for the item purchased. If something falls out with the parameters of the Claim then you would be best to take action as you would normally.

I really hope that you get this sorted and I would strongly advise asking Amazon to get in touch with the seller to remind them of their responsibilities if this hasn't been done already.

BertieBassett

looks like I've been unlucky as Amazon are refusing to do anything just referring me back to the A to Z guarantee. Unfortunately as I'm not psychic I was unaware 14 days after delivery that it would get a defect 4 weeks later.

I'll try ringing customer services one more time pointing out that they have a seller flouting consumer law and see what happens. If no joy, looks like I'll have to get in touch with trading standards.

Thanks for advice so far.

buglawton

Same thing here, I'm testing if I can get same warranty protection terms as I'd get from a high street retailer on a electrical item that failed after 11 months. If I discover it's not so (noticed already that the Amazon website gives you the runaround) then its back to bricks and mortar shopping for certain kinds of item for me.

GreatBeyond

buglawton wrote: »

Same thing here, I'm testing if I can get same warranty protection terms as I'd get from a high street retailer on a electrical item that failed after 11 months. If I discover it's not so (noticed already that the Amazon website gives you the runaround) then its back to bricks and mortar shopping for certain kinds of item for me.

If it's sold by Amazon then they will normally offer replacement, refund or repair pretty much with no questions asked within the first 12 months.

If you are looking at items from third party sellers then it's best to get in touch with them directly though their Amazon seller page and ask them to clarify their after sales support.

Amazon do have an Claim system but many confuse this as being an extended warranty (this thread is an example of that tbh) and if what you are looking for is out with the remit of the Claim then you will have to pursue the issue directly with the seller. As you would had you walked in to a store and purchased it.

buglawton

It's ironic that I could have bought same item 20% cheaper at John Lewis with a 2 year warranty. Only reason I went to Amazon was, the Marketplace seller had it in a colour that matched the kitchen!