Amazon Return Window - Amazon Bending their Own Policy
I'm curious if anyone has experienced a similar issue and if they have had any luck getting customer service to address it.
We had an FBA order from November 7th just get returned on February 10th, which is both outside the normal return window and even still well outside Amazon's extended holiday window. The customer willingly admitted the return reason that they simply ordered too many items. That's completely fine, but as a business, we simply can't be accepting returns 90 days after the order. It is challenging for so many different reasons to our business.
We reached out to customer service regarding this return because it is so far outside the return window and we inquired why this specific return was allowed. After getting the run around from customer service for several hours on chat where the agent simply refused to answer, we had the case escalated to a manager. The manager also refused to give the specifics of this return and hid behind the Amazon policy that keeps these matters private.
Has anyone else experienced this bending of policy by Amazon? I understand they are saying they can technically do this as they allow case-by-case exceptions, but without giving us as the seller any specifics of why this was allowed is pretty crappy to do and it feels as though a customer service agent just got lazy and allowed an extended return for no good reason. As always, it just feels unfair. Amazon's policies are rigid and unbending when it comes to expectations from third-party sellers, yet when it comes to them applying policies, they are allowed to be bent and ever-changing. It's a tough landscape to navigate when there is not a firm definition of a return window.
Amazon Return Window - Amazon Bending their Own Policy
I'm curious if anyone has experienced a similar issue and if they have had any luck getting customer service to address it.
We had an FBA order from November 7th just get returned on February 10th, which is both outside the normal return window and even still well outside Amazon's extended holiday window. The customer willingly admitted the return reason that they simply ordered too many items. That's completely fine, but as a business, we simply can't be accepting returns 90 days after the order. It is challenging for so many different reasons to our business.
We reached out to customer service regarding this return because it is so far outside the return window and we inquired why this specific return was allowed. After getting the run around from customer service for several hours on chat where the agent simply refused to answer, we had the case escalated to a manager. The manager also refused to give the specifics of this return and hid behind the Amazon policy that keeps these matters private.
Has anyone else experienced this bending of policy by Amazon? I understand they are saying they can technically do this as they allow case-by-case exceptions, but without giving us as the seller any specifics of why this was allowed is pretty crappy to do and it feels as though a customer service agent just got lazy and allowed an extended return for no good reason. As always, it just feels unfair. Amazon's policies are rigid and unbending when it comes to expectations from third-party sellers, yet when it comes to them applying policies, they are allowed to be bent and ever-changing. It's a tough landscape to navigate when there is not a firm definition of a return window.
0 replies
Seller_WAZNnMBpd99sI
Amazon Return Window - Amazon Bending their Own Policy by A2N5B31R4BZQOJ
We had an FBA order from November 7th just get returned on February 10th,
The dirty truth is....
Extended returns gave buyers until Jan 31 to return.
Amazon allows 14-15 days for a shipment, enroute to be delivered.
So, according to their stated Policy, a buyer can request a return up until Jan 31rst, and... IF SHIPPED on Jan 31, they have until Feb 15th for it to arrive at your return shipping address.
In practise, Amazon will issue an automatic RFS (return at first scan) refund for a return shipped by Jan 31, and should only issue a RFS for returns shipped up until that date--
However we all know that Amazon Policies are not worth the bytes they are written on/with, and Amazon Reps generally have absolutely NO CLUE as to what a written statement by Amazon in its own Policies actually mean.
However, if you received a return on Feb 10th and it was shipped by Jan 31 (following a return request being approved, automatically in most cases), then you do owe a refund to the buyer.
However, if the return was scanned by the carrier AFTER Jan 31rst, then according to Amazon Polilcy, you do NOT need to accept it.
(good luck as Amazon probably did the RFS already, and we all also know that Safe-T Claims are a scam.)
Quincy_Amazon
Hello @Seller_vANS7wDPnrz2u
Thank you for posting your inquiry to the Forums.
For FBA orders, in most cases, customers can request to return an item within 30 days of receiving it. Amazon may make case-by-case exceptions and accept return requests beyond 30 days of receipt.
It sounds like you have already created a case with Support regarding this concern. Would you mind sharing that case ID number with me so I can review your issue fully and read through the correspondence already provided?
Looking forward to your reply.
Regards,
Quincy_Amazon
Seller_x2qBHpibRN9hT
We have had customers who have returned items years old. Amazon just gives them return labels.
Seller_qb9YwQ7193BDg
these are "1 time exceptions" made for the customers via a chat representative who is told to make these exceptions because the customer >>>>> seller. It's BS but this is just one thing that won't change
Seller_UjIpKYArUEdrs
Just had a return delivered last week that was ordered in early October. $250 order. Item was used and worth maybe $50 now. Amazon fully refunded the buyer before tracking even marked it as delivered. This is getting bad. These are not reasonable policies.
