Amazon Customer Services Non-existant!

dirtyrottenscoundrel

I must be out of touch thinking that getting help on an Amazon Order would be just a click away. I ordered a guitar on Amazon Prime. The listing stated there were x4 "in stock" on the day I placed the order, the payment was made, the Amazon tracker showed the message "Preparing item for Dispatch", so I sat back thinking I should get the guitar in a couple of days, ... big mistake!

A week later, no guitar, and the tracker continued showing the same message. From my Amazon order page, I was able to speak to an agent who said the guitar was in stock and I should give it a few more days, they would email me when it was out for delivery. Two weeks later, no guitar, no email, and I've run out of patience, I connect to Amazon and tell them to "cancel my order", their response, "sorry, can't do that because your order is already being proccessed in our system".  So now, I'm totally confused, Amazon have taken my payment, I've waited 14 days, there's no sign of the guitar, the Amazon tracker shows "Preparing item for Dispatch", - but it doesn't take 14 days to pack a guitar,  they cannot give me a delivery date, and are now refusing to cancel!

Next step, I decide to raise a complaint with Amazon, (I could have raised this with my bank) but I wanted Amazon to be made aware I was less than pleased, so I emailed them at their published address, complaints@amazon.co.uk. My email was bounced, returned as undeliverable, Amazon seem to have totally removed their complaints option. Likewise, with getting a call-back from a human at Amazon, they have made it increasingly difficult to receive a call-back. I guess this makes perfect sense in the Amazon World, less agents equal more profit.

It's Ironic, that the guitar I ordered on Amazon was readily avaiable at other online UK Music Stores. I only chose Amazon because they gave me a free trial Amazon Prime account, and as things turned out Amazon Prime was useless for "next day delivery" on the order.

I did eventually receive my guitar, but I had to email Jeff@amazon.com to get it delivered. Regular customers may know that this is the published email address for Jeff Bezos the owner of Amazon, but I didn't know this. Probably, Jeff Bezos is far is too busy launching tourists into outer space to be concerned about complaints regarding his company, but that's the email address you need to get someone's attention at Amazon and the very next day I receive an apology from an Amazon executive, with a promise that my guitar will be dispatched by the end of the working day, and a 20 quid Amazon Gift as a gesture of good will.

I wouldn't take a bet on how long the Jeff@amazon.com link remains a viable way to get things done,  I can see a day when Amazon will remove that link too.

With hindsight, I could have travelled into London by train which isn't that far from my location, spent a pleasant day shopping, enjoyed a pint along the way, and picked-up the same guitar (paying about 10 quid more on the price tag) and returned home by train with the guitar in my possession 14 days ago.  If only I'd known.

oldagetraveller1

"the payment was made via PayPal,"

Totally irrelevant reply, but do Amazon accept Paypal as an option?

The only payment methods I can add are debit and/or credit cards and gift vouchers?

There's never been any mention of Paypal when I buy something.

dirtyrottenscoundrel

No, the payment was taken direct from my bank account, my mistake. I guess I could have raised the issue with my bank, but it wasn't the bank who had me annoyed it was Amazon. I also added a correction to the Amazon owner's name, which I misspelled in my original post, it is of course, Jeff Bezos.

theonlywayisup

What was the expected delivery date on the item when you ordered?  Being 'in stock' doesn't guarantee a quick delivery. 

robatwork

The only way you can show your displeasure with receiving your goods and a gift voucher is to never use them again.

I've had great service from Amazon and if you look back over previous complaints here, most other posters have too. 

Purchasing music equipment I've always found music shops (eg. Andertons) online ordering cheaper than Amazon. Occasional guitar bargains on ebay too if you know what you're doing. 

Murphybear

I use Amazon a lot as I live in a rural area and can rarely buy most of the items I buy without driving a very long way.  i have had very very few problems but have always found their customer services amazing.  

Murphybear

I bought a container for storing my pills recently and when it arrived one of the hinges was broken.  I contacted Amazon using the online chat and asked for a replacement.  They were really helpful and said a replacement would be sent out immediately and they didn’t want the other one back.  

Less than an hour later I had an email from them saying it had been despatched and should arrive the following day.  It did  . No problems with the new one.

prowla

I've generally found Amazon to be pretty good to deal with and their delivery times are pretty accurate.

They do front other suppliers, so there is the possibility that it's all in the 3rd party's hands; also, being a guitar, it's likely that it's not made in the UK, so there could be delays in getting stock.

When I've had an issue with an Amazon deliver before, I've used their chat system and they've been helpful.

I think that they would be receptive to a call saying you have been waiting too long for the instrument and would like to cancel the order; anyway, under distance selling you can reject it on delivery.