Fellow Sellers,

I'm writing to share a recent experience with Amazon's A-to-Z Guarantee claim process that perfectly illustrates how their policies, despite our best efforts, consistently leave sellers vulnerable and out of pocket. This isn't just about a single refund; it's about the systemic flaw in a system that seems designed to benefit customers at the expense of legitimate businesses.

Case ID: ends with 9031 - Order ID: ends with 8232

We shipped a high-value item to a customer via Purolator. Recognizing the value, we, as responsible sellers, explicitly paid for and requested a signature upon delivery. This is our due diligence to ensure secure receipt and protect ourselves from exactly this kind of situation.

The Customer's Actions vs. Amazon's Ruling:

Despite our clear instruction for a signature, the package was delivered without one. Why? Because the customer had a "Signature Not Required" (SNR) sticker displayed at their front door. This isn't a secret; it's a direct, pre-existing instruction from the customer to the carrier to leave packages unattended. The Purolator agent confirmed this in our chat transcript:

"Yes, the package required signature but the receiver had a SNR stickers at the front door which is the other way to waive the signature."

"But the receiver had a SNR stickers to waive the signature and to place the package at the front door."

Furthermore, the Customer’s Authorization to Waive Delivery Signature document explicitly states that the customer authorizes unattended delivery and indemnifies the carrier from loss or damages. This means the customer knowingly accepted the risk of an unattended delivery.

The Inexcusable Outcome:

Purolator confirmed delivery with GPS data. The package was delivered to the correct address. The only reason a signature wasn't obtained was due to the customer's own waiver. Yet, when the customer claimed non-receipt (after taking a few hours to get home, conveniently), Amazon's A-to-Z Guarantee team immediately refunded the customer and hit our ODR!

Amazon's Policies: A Shield for Customers, a Sword for Sellers:

This case highlights a critical flaw in Amazon's A-to-Z policy:

Customer's Waiver Ignored: Amazon completely disregards the customer's direct instruction to the carrier to waive a signature. Our efforts to secure the delivery are undermined by a customer's pre-existing arrangement, for which we are then penalized.

Seller Bears the Brunt: Despite doing everything right – shipping a high-value item with a signature requirement – we are left to absorb the loss. The customer, who actively chose an unattended delivery, is fully reimbursed by Amazon, effectively getting a free product.

ODR Impact for No Fault: Our Order Defect Rate is negatively impacted for a situation entirely outside our control and directly attributable to the customer's actions.

This is not an isolated incident. How many other sellers have faced similar situations where Amazon's policies enable customers to claim non-receipt, even when delivery was made as per the customer's own instructions to the carrier? It's time Amazon acknowledges that a customer's waiver of signature directly shifts the liability to them, and sellers should not be held responsible for such outcomes.

We are appealing this decision with Amazon, providing all the evidence. But this needs to be a broader discussion. How do we, as sellers, protect ourselves from these "dumb policies" that consistently side with the customer, even when the customer's own actions are the root cause of the issue? Let's discuss this and find ways to push for fairer policies. Our livelihoods depend on it.