- Report: #278376
Complaint Review: Amazon - Internet
-
Author Confirmed
Why?
Amazon
Amazon.com Internet, U.S.A.
Web:
N/A
Categories:
Business Rating:
(0)
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good?
Amazon.com Won't release funds Internet
We had been selling on Amazon.com for around 2 years and had been occasional seller of new household electronics, until May of this year, that is. We had been noticing an abundance of dvd sellers offering box sets of television shows. We gained interest in this market and found dropshippers that we could utilize to fill orders placed by our customers on Amazon, using little-to-no-investing funds.
Our box set sales were booming. People were buying from us and we were placing their orders with our dropshipper faster than we could imagine. All was going well until one person complained that the set seemed low quality. That same day we attempted to transfer our funds from our Amazon account to our personal bank account. By this time, the amount in our Amazon account was around $5k. We needed those funds to fulfill the orders that were placed. The funds stated that they were being transferred.
Then, four days later, and another $3k in sales, Amazon Alliance wrote to us stating that they were informed that we were possibly marketing "bootlegs" or "counterfeit merchandise", and that our account was under review and our funds would be held for 45 days(not to mention the $5k that we had transferred several days prior had been reversed back into our Amazon account). At this time, to the best of our knowledge and according to our dropshippers, our products were legitimate(we have since learned that their information was possibly misleading).
So, since we had had the understanding that the $5k had been transferred, we went ahead and placed all of our orders through our dropshippers and all was paid for with our personal funds until we could receive our Amazon funds. Now, not only were we not going to receive the $5k, but we weren't going to see the $3k, or be able to replenish our personal funds for up to 45 days. Amazon encouraged us to fulfill all of our current orders and to continue business as usual because if we could not fulfill our customer orders and would have to issue refunds, then our refund percentage would imply that we were guilty and our account would be terminated.
Over the next week we had about another $1,500 in sales. We fulfilled those orders and were still under the impression that we would see our now nearly $10k in funds within 45 days. We had used all available credit and savings to fulfill our orders.
Around one week into the 45 days, the Amazon Alliance wrote to us stating that they had completed the investigation and determined through their resources that we were selling counterfeit products. Our selling ability was going to be terminated and our funds would now be held for up to 90 days to ensure coverage of refunds and/or chargebacks. By this time, at least 85% of our orders had been received by our customers and had only issued a couple of refunds for various reasons. Amazon insisted that they would hold all of our funds, as opposed to holding just enough to cover refunds. We submitted all of our tracking information to Amazon, and they still held all funds.
That's when we started researching Amazon's policies and other seller complaints. Amazon pulls these "reviews" on people constantly, and holds seller's funds for their own temporary gain. Their sellers have zero rights and are subject to Amazon's sovereignity. We now realize that maybe we shouldn't have followed other's lead by selling the products that we were. While we still aren't clear whether or not we were selling counterfeit box sets, we know that according to Amazon, we could only sell specific items on their lists, not import variations of their items.
Well, when our 90 days was almost up, we had a customer file a chargeback on his credit cards(a $150 order), and the issue is for non-receipt of item. The USPS had attempted to deliver the set to him and left two notices. He didn't pick up the package in time and it was returned to sender. Well, it got lost in the system and he filed a chargeback.
So, when the 90 days were up(Oct. 3) I wrote to Amazon asking for our funds to be released and they said they wouldn't until the chargeback was settled, which usually takes 1 or 2 weeks. Well, the chargeback was filed on Sept. 23rd and it is now Oct. 11th, or day 98 of NO MONEY.
Amazon is holding our thousands of dollars until a $150 order can be settled!!?? At this point, with the interest that we've had to pay on our credit cards and hit we've taken to our credit for running up revolving balances, we have now officially lost money on this deal, and that's after assuming that we will EVER even see our funds!
Sellers beware! Amazon and their Alliance are out to get you and they don't care because there are always going to be more suckers, I mean sellers, to take money from.
Jason
south bend, Indiana
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Amazon.com
Our box set sales were booming. People were buying from us and we were placing their orders with our dropshipper faster than we could imagine. All was going well until one person complained that the set seemed low quality. That same day we attempted to transfer our funds from our Amazon account to our personal bank account. By this time, the amount in our Amazon account was around $5k. We needed those funds to fulfill the orders that were placed. The funds stated that they were being transferred.
Then, four days later, and another $3k in sales, Amazon Alliance wrote to us stating that they were informed that we were possibly marketing "bootlegs" or "counterfeit merchandise", and that our account was under review and our funds would be held for 45 days(not to mention the $5k that we had transferred several days prior had been reversed back into our Amazon account). At this time, to the best of our knowledge and according to our dropshippers, our products were legitimate(we have since learned that their information was possibly misleading).
So, since we had had the understanding that the $5k had been transferred, we went ahead and placed all of our orders through our dropshippers and all was paid for with our personal funds until we could receive our Amazon funds. Now, not only were we not going to receive the $5k, but we weren't going to see the $3k, or be able to replenish our personal funds for up to 45 days. Amazon encouraged us to fulfill all of our current orders and to continue business as usual because if we could not fulfill our customer orders and would have to issue refunds, then our refund percentage would imply that we were guilty and our account would be terminated.
Over the next week we had about another $1,500 in sales. We fulfilled those orders and were still under the impression that we would see our now nearly $10k in funds within 45 days. We had used all available credit and savings to fulfill our orders.
Around one week into the 45 days, the Amazon Alliance wrote to us stating that they had completed the investigation and determined through their resources that we were selling counterfeit products. Our selling ability was going to be terminated and our funds would now be held for up to 90 days to ensure coverage of refunds and/or chargebacks. By this time, at least 85% of our orders had been received by our customers and had only issued a couple of refunds for various reasons. Amazon insisted that they would hold all of our funds, as opposed to holding just enough to cover refunds. We submitted all of our tracking information to Amazon, and they still held all funds.
That's when we started researching Amazon's policies and other seller complaints. Amazon pulls these "reviews" on people constantly, and holds seller's funds for their own temporary gain. Their sellers have zero rights and are subject to Amazon's sovereignity. We now realize that maybe we shouldn't have followed other's lead by selling the products that we were. While we still aren't clear whether or not we were selling counterfeit box sets, we know that according to Amazon, we could only sell specific items on their lists, not import variations of their items.
Well, when our 90 days was almost up, we had a customer file a chargeback on his credit cards(a $150 order), and the issue is for non-receipt of item. The USPS had attempted to deliver the set to him and left two notices. He didn't pick up the package in time and it was returned to sender. Well, it got lost in the system and he filed a chargeback.
So, when the 90 days were up(Oct. 3) I wrote to Amazon asking for our funds to be released and they said they wouldn't until the chargeback was settled, which usually takes 1 or 2 weeks. Well, the chargeback was filed on Sept. 23rd and it is now Oct. 11th, or day 98 of NO MONEY.
Amazon is holding our thousands of dollars until a $150 order can be settled!!?? At this point, with the interest that we've had to pay on our credit cards and hit we've taken to our credit for running up revolving balances, we have now officially lost money on this deal, and that's after assuming that we will EVER even see our funds!
Sellers beware! Amazon and their Alliance are out to get you and they don't care because there are always going to be more suckers, I mean sellers, to take money from.
Jason
south bend, Indiana
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Amazon.com
7 Updates & Rebuttals
Valiant One
Bridgeport,Connecticut,
U.S.A.
Alliance against Amazon
#2Consumer Suggestion
Tue, July 28, 2009
I say we all form an alliance against Amazon and take our complaints to the media in anyway we can. TV, Internet, News paper and radio. No, business likes bad press. We have the power as people and individuals to exercise our 1st amendment rights. Please join me so we all can come up with some constructive ideas. I have access to media outlets.
Birty
Baltimore,Maryland,
U.S.A.
Amazon.Com scammed me also !
#3Consumer Comment
Tue, June 09, 2009
Amazon.Com scammed me also for almost $5000, that they are holding under the guise of Reviewing my Suspended Account. Read the complaint of how Amazon Steals $40 Million every 90 Days, in the way of freezing accounts for their personal gain.. They are not the only company that does this. Count me in on any class action suit. Mary Bird Tech Stores Former Amazon Seller A/K/A - -Amazon Victim
Jeremy
Saint George,Utah,
U.S.A.
Class Action Suit TODAY!!
#4Consumer Comment
Sat, May 09, 2009
We need a whole swarm of CLASS ACTION SUITS and claims to be filed against this company at one time, all in unison, to bring this sort of garbage to an end. Thousands of dollars gone. Amazon STEALS INDISCRIMINATELY. Amazon has the poorest service in the world, but actually smart representatives. The same thing happened to us but it was canned responses the whole way through, they put it under "review" and NEVER EVEN REPLY TO A SINGLE MESSAGE. Bunch of no good sorry THIEVES and they have absolutely no care as to your inquiry!!!!
Jeremy
Saint George,Utah,
U.S.A.
Class Action Suit TODAY!!
#5Consumer Comment
Sat, May 09, 2009
We need a whole swarm of CLASS ACTION SUITS and claims to be filed against this company at one time, all in unison, to bring this sort of garbage to an end. Thousands of dollars gone. Amazon STEALS INDISCRIMINATELY. Amazon has the poorest service in the world, but actually smart representatives. The same thing happened to us but it was canned responses the whole way through, they put it under "review" and NEVER EVEN REPLY TO A SINGLE MESSAGE. Bunch of no good sorry THIEVES and they have absolutely no care as to your inquiry!!!!
Jason_s
Scottsdale,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Please update
#6Consumer Comment
Sun, July 06, 2008
So did you get paid? Amazon did the same to me, but even worse, they won't even let me go into the account whatsoever! i can't even sign in, they must have blocked my email address! they never even sent me an email saying why or anything, they are holding onto $3000 of mine
Crisp Sound
Tewksbury,Massachusetts,
U.S.A.
Join us in the fight today!
#7Consumer Comment
Wed, January 09, 2008
I know how you feel. This Corporate giant have no regards for people like you and me.. It is frustrating that their Alliance team is one sided and don't really care about what we have to say, they also get to enjoy the frozen funds interest free..Here are couple of things I suggest you do: 1. File a complaint with their local Better Business Bureau: odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/ComplaintBBB.aspx?ComplaintTypeID=2 2. File a complaint with the Attorney General, this may lead them to file a class law suit: www.atg.wa.gov/ 3. Send me your full contact info to add to the list. 4. Participate in the rip off report: ripoffreport.com/ Together we can stop this beast! Email me to join in possible class lawsuit! Hanson
Jmlo25
south bend,Indiana,
U.S.A.
update
#8Author of original report
Mon, November 19, 2007
Now waiting 147 days, or almost 5 months, for Amazon to release funds! We have only received what appear to be automated or "cookie-cutter" responses from Amazon regarding the status of the chargeback, none of them providing any resolve. They only seem to provide around 1 of these automated responses for every 4 inquiries we submit, and we are only sending about 1 inquiry every week or two. In fact, they just "responded" to an email that we sent a month ago just last week and ignored our other inquiries.
