Amazon Banning Customers 2016

soul1

Hi marliepanda I totally disagree with your viewpoint having read and seen on Watchdog some customers who have been banned. Also I don't think Watchdog would waste their time investigating something when they believe that the customer might be at fault.

marliepanda

soul1 wrote: »

Hi marliepanda I totally disagree with your viewpoint having read and seen on Watchdog some customers who have been banned. Also I don't think Watchdog would waste their time investigating something when they believe that the customer might be at fault.

Well how do they know whose at fault until they investigate? The gift card balances could be a sticking point, but Amazon are free to deal with who they want.

I didn't see the Watchdog programme, and when googling I only get 'debate' articles and people who, like the person you linked, return a lot. A lot which Amazon view as excessive, which they are allowed to do. Can you explain to me which customers you feel we're badly done by as you seem to have a lot more information than you are sharing.

As evidenced by Eskimo above, they are not banning at will. He says he's returned a lot. Clearly Amazon are happy with his reasons for returning and have not banned him. It's about ABUSING the system, not using it.

unholyangel

Clip of watchdogs piece on it if anyone is interested.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5lySR35zbQQK2J52ZrtD2fQ/company-response

They make a few good points though. Such as its effectively a hidden term. That by banning your account, they're also limiting/restricting your statutory rights (once they ban you, they won't accept any further returns). That you'd lose access to your kindle library too. That they advertise/have written into their terms a generous returns policy, but you'll be penalised for using it too much (with no definition of what "too much" is). And also that in some cases, they're banning accounts that havent returned too many items, simply because theres an account for someone else to the same address that has returned too many items.

I can't imagine anyone here would be pleased if they lost access to the prime membership/lovefilm subscription they had paid for, or the ebooks they had purchased etc through such circumstances.

bobbymotors

You need to understand Amazon's business model...or indeed any business model.

If you are a proper customer of theirs and only return genuinely faulty /broken / misdescribed items then there will be no ban. It is simply not in Amazon's interest to ban you if they are making a profit from you.

If, however, you are costing them money then, quite rightly they can, will, and should ban you.

Imagine you own a shop and out of 100 customers, 99 are rarely any trouble and only complain when it's genuine, and sort things out amicably. You will want to continue doing business with them.

Then there's the one that keeps bringing things back for a refund, for various and mostly spurious reasons, meaning you now have a secondhand widget for sale instead of anew one.

In the end, you will decline their business, as it costs you money instead of making you a profit.

Amazon...and any other business on earth for that matter...want two things.

Happy customers that come back
A profit

soul1

Hi marliepanda I only know what I know because I have read about it on the Web and seen it on Watchdog. I don't have access to any additional info but will share with you all what I know and seem to understand.
1. If your returns rate ends up at 8% Amazons system will flag your account up and an Amazon account specialist will investigate to see if any further action needs to be taken on your account.
2. If your returns rate reaches 10% or above you get banned.
Some customers initially receive a passive aggressive warning which is quite vague and not very helpful. Other customers just end up getting banned with no recourse for appeal. What gets me is that Amazon's Account Specialists cannot be contacted directly by phone or email to discuss the issue. The Consumer Lawyer on Watchdog did say that what Amazon are doing is wrong and they are making up their own law. Amazon are not sticking to the DSR laws which allow you to return any item within 14 days for whatever reason. That is your right. Somebody on another forum said it spot on. He said that Amazon have made it too easy to return items and if you return an item to Amazon for whatever reason, the likelihood is that Amazon will pay the postage costs to return the item. Amazon say that they are the most Customer Centric Company. Therefore if a particular customer does seem to have a high returns rate it would be good if Amazon could try and help the customer more. Try to establish the reasons for the returns a bit better rather than sending a passive aggressive email. If things don't improve contact the customer again and see if they help. If the returns and refunds continue and it is absolutely clear that the customer is abusing the system then ban them but don't ban them for life. Close the account for a year and let them reopen the account in a years time and let them know that if this behaviour continues then that customer will be permanently banned. I think that is a better way of doing things rather than their current system. Just my opinion

Feral_Moon

Soul1 - we don't care!!

You obviously have a grudge to bear but no one I know has ever been banned for returning items to Amazon.

soul1

Hi Feral Moon you don't care but I'm sure others do. Hence the reason for me posting. Secondly I don't have any grudge to bear with anyone. What a ridiculous thing to say!

Hintza

soul1 wrote: »

Therefore if a particular customer does seem to have a high returns rate it would be good if Amazon could try and help the customer more. Try to establish the reasons for the returns a bit better rather than sending a passive aggressive email.

Why would they want to do that? Prolong the agony and increase potential losses. The first cut is always the cheapest.

The sooner they get rid of the shysters the sooner the rest of us can get cheaper prices.

soul1

Because I think a permanent ban for life is a very harsh way of doing things.

unholyangel

bobbymotors wrote: »

You need to understand Amazon's business model...or indeed any business model.

If you are a proper customer of theirs and only return genuinely faulty /broken / misdescribed items then there will be no ban. It is simply not in Amazon's interest to ban you if they are making a profit from you.

If, however, you are costing them money then, quite rightly they can, will, and should ban you.

Imagine you own a shop and out of 100 customers, 99 are rarely any trouble and only complain when it's genuine, and sort things out amicably. You will want to continue doing business with them.

Then there's the one that keeps bringing things back for a refund, for various and mostly spurious reasons, meaning you now have a secondhand widget for sale instead of anew one.

In the end, you will decline their business, as it costs you money instead of making you a profit.

Amazon...and any other business on earth for that matter...want two things.

Happy customers that come back
A profit

I think you'll find amazon want one thing - profits. Everything else (cheap prices, returns policy, happy customers etc) is aimed at achieving that. The same can be said for most corporations.

However before you insist that people won't be banned for returning for genuine reasons, you may want to do a bit of research first. They are not being criticised for banning customers, they're being criticised because they're banning them even where the returns have been genuine or even in circumstances where they have made no returns themselves - but another member in their household has and has went above amazons self imposed acceptable returns rate.

I have no problem with amazon banning customers (i'd actually like for them to ban a lot more customers!). What I do object to is people being in a worse off position due to it - amazon should still allow access to any purchases you have made (and allow returns on those in line with contractual & statutory rights) and refund any gift card balances or remaining months of prime membership.

To not do so would be in breach of EU legislation (and therefore also against the laws of the duchy of luxemburg)