Amazon Closed my Account

keithweir79

I have had my Amazon Account closed.  I have been given no direct reason, just generic emails that it was in breach of terms and conditions.  I have asked repeated times by email if they would provide more details but they refuse to do so and will not allow any option to appeal.  The team in charge are only contactable by email, repeated attempts to contact Customer Services just gets me through to agents who have no visibility of the issue and refer me back to email communication.  I have exhausted avenues here and not sure where to go next.  The Consumer Council advised that they have no remit as it is not covered by any Consumer legislation.  Not only do I no longer have the account which is useful, I am not allowed to ever open another one, and I no longer have access to my Amazon movies purchased on my account and almost £150 of gift card balance, which they claim has no monetary value, and cannot be transferred.  Anyone else had any similar issue and were able to get any satisfactory resolution?  A quick google indicates others have had similar issues but no resolution.

screech_78

Unfortunately, Amazon are well known for closing accounts. Usually to do with a high rate of returns. There must be a reason as to why they’ve closed your account, although if they don’t want to do business with you anymore, they’re not obligated to and there isn’t anything you can do. 

I’m not sure legally where you stand on the movies (I would assume there are terms that say you never own these) and I’m also not sure about the gift card. Someone more knowledgeable will be along to answer that I’m sure. 

With the company I work for, when we ban customers and they have outstanding gift cards, we’ll usually refund these to cash in order to cut all ties with them. Probably not the legal position though. 

user1977

Do you have any suspicions about why they might have closed your account? Any unauthorised access to it, excessive returns, claims for missing deliveries etc?

Carrot007

You will get nowhere. And do not have any other people with an account log onto it at your place until the IP changes otherwise they may get banned too.

However you should know what you did if you think about it? Too many returns or challenges to delivery. Regardless of if they are true of not that would incline a compnay to no longer do business with you. However this seems likely more (presumed fraud/fraud) since they will not tell you.

There is no right to an amazon account. If you used one despite knowing all your deliverys would likely be stolen then you caused it. But who knows?

How long have you have the account what is your returns ratio, who did you buy from (not always amazon) and have yopu claimed things went missing? How much?

Etc etc. Without that no one can explain. However unless you can blame someone else (maybe with a policve report to afamily member) you are unlikely to get your account back anyway.

keithweir79

Thanks for the responses, it seems that there is no path for recourse here.

I have indeed been the victim of Fraud, I cannot get clear information from Amazon as they won't tell me, but there was a parcel delivered to my house that I did not order.  I contacted Amazon on the day it was delivered and they verified that it was not ordered on my account but they would not give me any information on what account it had been ordered or who was using my Name / Address & Card.  They instructed me to dispose of it and would not even let me return it (I kept it just in case and still have it unopened).  The credit card company initially refunded me, but have since told me it will be re-debited because of feedback from the merchant (Amazon).  It was then that I tried to go back to Amazon and noticed my account had been closed.  I have tried to talk to someone to help resolve the issue but to no avail. 

I had opened a police report for the fraud, and provided all of the information to Amazon, but no engagement back at all.  From my best guess right now, a second account was opened with my details fraudulently, and when it was closed, my account was closed too.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

I'd assume they claim you never owned the films but a right to view them. 

The £150 gift card is a bit different IMO.

A previous poster had a proper response and a result by writing to Amazon's UK address, CS will probably be overseas and have to stick to a script, worth a letter for £150 and potentially getting your account back. 

Richard_T_

You should be able to get any personal data they hold on you under the GDPR data protection law, which may give some clues , likewise if they are holding money on your account you should be able to recover it

Manxman_in_exile

keithweir79 said:

... there was a parcel delivered to my house that I did not order.  I contacted Amazon on the day it was delivered and they verified that it was not ordered on my account but they would not give me any information on what account it had been ordered or who was using my Name / Address & Card.  They instructed me to dispose of it and would not even let me return it (I kept it just in case and still have it unopened).  The credit card company initially refunded me, but have since told me it will be re-debited because of feedback from the merchant (Amazon).  It was then that I tried to go back to Amazon and noticed my account had been closed...

Just to clarify - you had something delivered to you that had been paid for on your credit card but about which you knew nothing?

You contacted Amazon who in effect told you to keep it - but what did Amazon say about refunding your credit card?  Presumably they agreed to refund you?

But you then went to your credit card provider anyway and asked them to refund the money without waiting for Amazon to refund you?

If that's what happened, I'm not really surprised that Amazon decided to terminate your account.  As others have said, Amazon really can't be bothered selling to people whom they see as "trouble".  If you claimed a refund from your card company against Amazon before waiting for Amazon to refund you, they will see you as "trouble".

FWIW, my understanding of Amazon's T&Cs in respect of digital media is that you must have an open account with them to access the digital media.  If they've closed your account you will no longer have access, but they really ought to refund you for the loss of access.  Or provide the same content to you in an alternative form (DVD, CD, whatever?).  Try asking them nicely, as I suspect you may not have any legal consumer rights here.

Have you seen this thread on Consumer Action Group?  Never seemed to be resolved.  Amazon won't let me have my purchased digital content? - Online Stores - Consumer Action Group

red_boots2

My Mum had something similar. Had to go down the route of signed statements from the card issuer, the fraud dept at the local police etc before they'd refund. 

Much like the OP they didn't want the item back and weirdly only after doing all of that did the order finally show up in her order history. Before that a pair of headphones randomly turned up and then a phone call from the bank asking about an unusual transaction.

Amazon were less than helpful.

Aylesbury_Duck

keithweir79 said:

Thanks for the responses, it seems that there is no path for recourse here.

I have indeed been the victim of Fraud, I cannot get clear information from Amazon as they won't tell me, but there was a parcel delivered to my house that I did not order.  I contacted Amazon on the day it was delivered and they verified that it was not ordered on my account but they would not give me any information on what account it had been ordered or who was using my Name / Address & Card.  They instructed me to dispose of it and would not even let me return it (I kept it just in case and still have it unopened).  The credit card company initially refunded me, but have since told me it will be re-debited because of feedback from the merchant (Amazon).  It was then that I tried to go back to Amazon and noticed my account had been closed.  I have tried to talk to someone to help resolve the issue but to no avail. 

I had opened a police report for the fraud, and provided all of the information to Amazon, but no engagement back at all.  From my best guess right now, a second account was opened with my details fraudulently, and when it was closed, my account was closed too.

I agree with Manxman, this is almost certainly the reason behind the account closure.  You jumped the gun and from Amazon's point of view, it looks like you tried to double-dip for refunds.  They have enough customers that they don't need any they think might be dishonest or simply too much trouble.

keithweir79

Manxman-in-exile - This is not exactly what happened, but it is a complex timeline of events so I can see how this could have appeared this way.  I had already reported the fraud to my credit card provider over a week before the item arrived.  I saw the transactions to Amazon which I knew weren't mine in Credit Card pending charges on the App (I keep a very close eye on all accounts).  Immediately  I called the Credit Card company; they cancelled my card, and said they would provide a refund of charges (19th March). 

It was a full week later on 25th March that an item which I had not ordered arrived at my door.  It had my name / address but I had no sure way of knowing that it was related to the fraudulent charges but obviously suspected.  As this point I called Amazon and told them it had arrived, was not on my order history and I suspected it was fraud.  THEY told me to dispose of it, even when I asked if it could be returned.  I did not ask for a refund (or tried to double-dip as someone suggested).  I asked if they could see which account had ordered it, and they would not engage with me on that at all, they would not even acknowledge if they could see what account it came from.  Me asking for a refund was not even possible from Amazon, as it never came from my account.

Even now they still won't allow me to try to return the item either with or without a refund as they can't discuss it with me, as I am not the owner of the account which ordered it.

Again, thanks for the responses.  I think I may be getting somewhere with Amazon in terms of my account but the messages are very unclear as it is all via email and the replies are separate from original messages.  I will persevere.  It is strange though that I am in a catch 22, that the Credit Card company have closed their fraud case, and will recharge me for the item; but Amazon will not let me return it, as I am not the account holder.

I am not a big fan of the fraudsters right now, but I hope to get there in the end.  It has been an eye opener for me, as this is the first time ever having been a victim of identity fraud, and it is very tricky and extremely time consuming to communicate with large corporations across several departments.  The joys of the virtual world.