Complaint Review: Amazon.com - Internet

I thought I would respond to a fellow Carolinian. The best thing to do when placing an order is to use the shopping cart feature. You can also use the "save for later" button when you're not sure whether you want to purchase something 'now'. When I'm shopping on Amazon.com, I take my time, see what the better deal is, and take advantage of the free shipping when available. The first time I went back and tried to combine an order, I found that it wasn't possible. I learned my lesson after that. I've ordered quite a bit of merchandise in the past 4 years or so. It's very convenient, especially around Christmas. About customer service. Amazon.com has always been very fair in resolving issues. BUT, here's the catch - I have to get through to them first. I will email when there is an issue (never had the phone number until now). No matter how specific I am, the response to the email is always off the mark. I have to send a minimum of 4 emails just to get my message across. For example, my niece sent me a gift, a DVD. But it did not play some chapters, so I requested a replacement. The replacement was taking too long, so I emailed Amazon. The first three people to respond - and it made it harder that it was three DIFFERENT people - said that unfortunately they could not discuss my niece's account with me. I kept saying that I did not want to discuss her personal business; I wanted to know where the merchandise that was bound for my home was. After 2-3 more emails, it was discovered that the item had been sent to my niece's place and whoever was home (not my niece) had signed for it, not knowing that she wasn't expecting a delivery. The replacement was finally shipped to me, and my niece had to return the package she had received. Another incident regarding communications was more recent. I attempted to make payment by bank account. It was unsuccessful. I sent an email saying that I was puzzled as I had sufficient funds. I got a response saying that unfortunately, my CREDIT CARD had been declined. I didn't say anything about a credit card in that email. I have the distinct feeling that the emails are not actually being read, and the respondants are simply looking at the subject lines. Most of my transactions with Amazon have been simple and problem free. But whenever there is an issue, I just have to jump hurdles. Then it is resolved to my satisfaction.

Catiana - Louisville, Kentucky U.S.A. Is lying. I just divested in Amazon for the exact complaints stated. I don't want to be indicited with the rest of them.

First of all, you obviously did not work in the Customer Service department of Amazon.com because...well, for MANY years there has been and still is a "live" person to talk to in Customer Service...so perhaps the validity of you stating that you are an ex-employee truthfully is questionable. By the way, Maddy gave you the telephone number in his information so that you could call. Perhaps trying the number just to test it would convince you that you can "talk" to someone on the phone. As for believing that Maddy and I have to be "high" up in the company to know our jobs is a bit belittling to say the least. I worked on those "non-existant" live phone lines that you state can not be found or spoken on, so if you consider a Customer Service Rep for an Internet Shopping Site a "high" up job, then I really wouldn't want to work where you do now. The information you gave to the consumer about the shopping cart is a brillant suggestion so props to you for that though!!!!! Great segway into the free shipping too. For others reading, please be sure to read how 1-Click shopping works before using it, or just use the shopping cart instead. Well, I think that says it now. On a side note, the web site is easy to navigate and read, so please be sure to read and understand before you just give out your credit card number in the future. Thank you for your attention.

Hi, I worked at Amazon for 3 and a half years,and what I noticed about the responses to your complaint is that each one is from a state where Amazon has a Fullfillment center and I believe these responses to be from higher ups that work for the company so,they actually hold no weight. Now I will say that with Amazon being an internet company you are basically just dealing with a computer system when you place your order. I myself have made the mistake of ordering an item and them finding something else I wanted to but and it was too late to combine the orders. What I suggest to avoid that problem in the future is to just use your shopping cart until your are sure you are done shopping.The shopping cart is a wonderful tool and it also keeps tabs on your subtotal and will tell you how you can go about getting free shipping.There are no "Live Operators"in customer service but there should be a link on how to reach someone through email on your confirmation notice.I hope that helps you.

To any who read this missive: This customer's experience is 100% valid and real - it is a perfect example of what kind of hassles can happen to a consumer if they do not inform themselves of policies and procedures before they willy-nilly begin handing their credit-card information out over the Internet. All of Amazon.com's policies and procedured, restrictions and responsibilities are outlined in a very easy-to-read format on their Help link (located on the upper right-hand side of all of their pages). If you do not know what link to push, you can even search their help pages by entering a keyword into their search engine and clicking "Go!" The onus of responsibility is on the buyer - Caveat Emptor - Amazon.com, by having a help link, has fulfilled their responsibility legally and ethically. It is our responsibility as consumers to inform ourselves. It is important that we have these cautionary tales to read - just know that in this case (and most others, to be honest) pointing the finger of blame anywhere else but the mirror is ill advised. Take responsibility for your own online shopping experience. Read first - then click. Oh yeah - their telephone number is 1-800-201-7575 - they keep it off the site because phone CS is expensive. If you want low prices that they have to offer - e-mail them and be patient. It's Amazon.com - you WILL get helped by their team.

To any who read this missive: This customer's experience is 100% valid and real - it is a perfect example of what kind of hassles can happen to a consumer if they do not inform themselves of policies and procedures before they willy-nilly begin handing their credit-card information out over the Internet. All of Amazon.com's policies and procedured, restrictions and responsibilities are outlined in a very easy-to-read format on their Help link (located on the upper right-hand side of all of their pages). If you do not know what link to push, you can even search their help pages by entering a keyword into their search engine and clicking "Go!" The onus of responsibility is on the buyer - Caveat Emptor - Amazon.com, by having a help link, has fulfilled their responsibility legally and ethically. It is our responsibility as consumers to inform ourselves. It is important that we have these cautionary tales to read - just know that in this case (and most others, to be honest) pointing the finger of blame anywhere else but the mirror is ill advised. Take responsibility for your own online shopping experience. Read first - then click. Oh yeah - their telephone number is 1-800-201-7575 - they keep it off the site because phone CS is expensive. If you want low prices that they have to offer - e-mail them and be patient. It's Amazon.com - you WILL get helped by their team.

To any who read this missive: This customer's experience is 100% valid and real - it is a perfect example of what kind of hassles can happen to a consumer if they do not inform themselves of policies and procedures before they willy-nilly begin handing their credit-card information out over the Internet. All of Amazon.com's policies and procedured, restrictions and responsibilities are outlined in a very easy-to-read format on their Help link (located on the upper right-hand side of all of their pages). If you do not know what link to push, you can even search their help pages by entering a keyword into their search engine and clicking "Go!" The onus of responsibility is on the buyer - Caveat Emptor - Amazon.com, by having a help link, has fulfilled their responsibility legally and ethically. It is our responsibility as consumers to inform ourselves. It is important that we have these cautionary tales to read - just know that in this case (and most others, to be honest) pointing the finger of blame anywhere else but the mirror is ill advised. Take responsibility for your own online shopping experience. Read first - then click. Oh yeah - their telephone number is 1-800-201-7575 - they keep it off the site because phone CS is expensive. If you want low prices that they have to offer - e-mail them and be patient. It's Amazon.com - you WILL get helped by their team.

To any who read this missive: This customer's experience is 100% valid and real - it is a perfect example of what kind of hassles can happen to a consumer if they do not inform themselves of policies and procedures before they willy-nilly begin handing their credit-card information out over the Internet. All of Amazon.com's policies and procedured, restrictions and responsibilities are outlined in a very easy-to-read format on their Help link (located on the upper right-hand side of all of their pages). If you do not know what link to push, you can even search their help pages by entering a keyword into their search engine and clicking "Go!" The onus of responsibility is on the buyer - Caveat Emptor - Amazon.com, by having a help link, has fulfilled their responsibility legally and ethically. It is our responsibility as consumers to inform ourselves. It is important that we have these cautionary tales to read - just know that in this case (and most others, to be honest) pointing the finger of blame anywhere else but the mirror is ill advised. Take responsibility for your own online shopping experience. Read first - then click. Oh yeah - their telephone number is 1-800-201-7575 - they keep it off the site because phone CS is expensive. If you want low prices that they have to offer - e-mail them and be patient. It's Amazon.com - you WILL get helped by their team.

Your comments are commendable and even a little upsetting. I understand that you feel that the customer service you were given was rude and that they could not help. This is a valid feeling to receive when the situation will not and did not work out to your liking. However, Amazon.com is not just a company that purchases and ships your orders, which is plainly stated on the website on each of the different items that you happen to click on. Their site is clearly explained in its entirety and their Help pages are very explicit and extremely easy to use. While I realize that no one wants to read before they order, please understand that you are giving out your credit card number to place an order on a website. While Amazon is very safe and very trustworthy, you need to understand what you are doing before placing an order. From the context of your message, I understand that you placed an order for one item that had a 24-hr availability (meaning the item is in stock in one of the many fulfillment centers across the country) and can be shipped in that amount of time. This also means that in order to ship it in 24 hrs they have to start processing it as soon as possible as there are millions of orders EVERY day. That is the situation that I understood for that item. Then the second item was ordered, and as I stated above Amazon is not the only company or person that ships the items listed on their website. (Think of this, if company A and company B list items on the same website, is it feasible that you could combine an order and ask one of the companies to ship both items...No it would not work.) That second item sounded as though it was from the MarketPlace part of their website (either a used item or one of the many name-brand stores that they are now teamed up with called Merchants - such as Old Navy). These items are not stocked in Amazon's facilities as you are either ordering them from the other company (Old Navy) or from a person selling that item (that could be just like you or I) that wants to get rid of their used stuff (such as books that have been read and are collecting dust). So, please consider that this is a misunderstanding on your part...it sounds like it is and call their customer service line (now that you have the number) and explain what happened (NICELY - yelling at reps NEVER helps your situation). Chances are (since they have the best customer service department I have ever experienced) you will get somewhere even if you are simply educated on what really occurred. If there would have been something they could have done to combine the orders, they would have and if it had simply been "too late" as you stated then they would have (trust me they do it a LOT) simply refunded you one of the per shipment (if you read the site, you know what this is) charges for one of the orders. However, they couldn't do that because you ordered from TWO DIFFERENT COMPANIES!!!!! Bashing the company on here does not assist you in understanding the situation. By the way, they will assist you in returning the unwanted items as well, but understand that to return an item that was not shipped by them you have to contact the PERSON THAT SHIPPED IT TO YOU!!!!! (Makes sense doesn't it?) Sorry to be so harsh, but damnnit man read the site before giving someone your credit card number. And about the phone number not being readily available...OK, think of it this way...this is an INTERNET company...Internet...keep thinking...Internet. How does one communicate through the Internet? By frickin email (that should be answered within 24 hrs and if the change cannot be made because of the delayed response - they fix it anyways/SO THERE). Enough said.

In response to Anthony: 1) "If you have a problem with Amazon, I can't help but believe that you are the problem." Your response is volatile without logic. I can't believe your rageful spewing even made it 'to press'. What if, for every problem you've encountered, someone said this to you? 2) "Amazon makes all of it's policies very clear from the start." Opinion, not FACT. 3) "I have been buying from Amazon since it's inception and have never had a problem -- and I have bought thousands of dollars worth of merchandise." I'm happy for you, and as I stated earlier, this IS the way business should be. I even accept that mistakes can and will happen...and that when they do, they should be corrected ASAP. To draw the conclusion that simply because you have had NO problems, therefore nobody else can experience problems speaks volumes about you. 4) "The fact that you would complain that you couldn't change an order because it "ships too quickly" speaks volumes about the type of person you are." This denotes that you didn't read my report in full or that you were unable to comprehend it. I OBVIOUSLY have no problem with early shipping. The problem was due to Amazon policies which were not clear. It's impossible for YOU to say that the policies were clear when the event occurred to someone else (me). This speaks volumes about you also. 5) "Maybe next time you'll be a little more careful before you click the "confirm order" button." It can not be stated clearly enough (evidently, for SOME to understand) that the situation DOES exist where an individual may (mere moments later, mind you) realize that they would like to add additional items to an order that was just placed. In this event, problems may ensue. It's all about COMBINING ORDERS. If you cannot fathom this Anthony, then I can do no more to enlighten you. You are brash to argue without employing either comprehension or reason. I appreciate the conviction of your tone, but your conclusions are all wrong. It would have sufficed to have said you have never had problems with Amazon, and that you did a tremendous amount of business with them...and, again, I would have been happy for you.

If you have a problem with Amazon, I can't help but believe that you are the problem. Amazon makes all of it's policies very clear from the start. I have been buying from Amazon since it's inception and have never had a problem -- and I have bought thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. The fact that you would complain that you couldn't change an order because it "ships too quickly" speaks volumes about the type of person you are. Maybe next time you'll be a little more careful before you click the "confirm order" button.

I have been a Amazon.com buyer for years and never had problems until my last purchase. I purchased a used book from one of many Amazon.com independentsellers (to which Amazon.com charges commission) and what happend is that the seller sold a book containing the stamp and a serial number of a public library. After contacting the library by phone, I discovered that the book was stolen; thus, I shipped it back to where it should be in the first place (at my expense!) When I contacted Amazon.com to inform on the situation and to request a refund (I do not think it is fair to let the seller keep the money) I was told by t Amazon.com thay they could do nothing about it. If I wanted a refund on the money I paid for an item, I would have to contact the seller. And if the seller agreed to give me a refund, then Amazon.com would process it. Also, Amazon.com did not show concerns on making a commission on a stolen good! Isn't it a crime?

I have been a Amazon.com buyer for years and never had problems until my last purchase. I purchased a used book from one of many Amazon.com independentsellers (to which Amazon.com charges commission) and what happend is that the seller sold a book containing the stamp and a serial number of a public library. After contacting the library by phone, I discovered that the book was stolen; thus, I shipped it back to where it should be in the first place (at my expense!) When I contacted Amazon.com to inform on the situation and to request a refund (I do not think it is fair to let the seller keep the money) I was told by t Amazon.com thay they could do nothing about it. If I wanted a refund on the money I paid for an item, I would have to contact the seller. And if the seller agreed to give me a refund, then Amazon.com would process it. Also, Amazon.com did not show concerns on making a commission on a stolen good! Isn't it a crime?

I have been a Amazon.com buyer for years and never had problems until my last purchase. I purchased a used book from one of many Amazon.com independentsellers (to which Amazon.com charges commission) and what happend is that the seller sold a book containing the stamp and a serial number of a public library. After contacting the library by phone, I discovered that the book was stolen; thus, I shipped it back to where it should be in the first place (at my expense!) When I contacted Amazon.com to inform on the situation and to request a refund (I do not think it is fair to let the seller keep the money) I was told by t Amazon.com thay they could do nothing about it. If I wanted a refund on the money I paid for an item, I would have to contact the seller. And if the seller agreed to give me a refund, then Amazon.com would process it. Also, Amazon.com did not show concerns on making a commission on a stolen good! Isn't it a crime?

I appreciate that some have had only good service from Amazon.com. There are surely countless people who have had good experiences with Amazon.com (at least I certainly hope so!). This is stating the obvious.At one point I was one of those. To simply state you have had no problems with the company is not an argument which can refute my experience. If you had good experiences, then count yourself lucky (I hope they continue). If you had an experience which was worse than mine, then count yourself unlucky (I hope it never occurs again). I just reported the FACTS that occurred in my experience. Any 'good' or 'reputable' firm should, in fact, have a tremendous amount of nonreportable transactions, should they not? The quantity and quality of negative experiences are markers by which a company can be judged (from excellent to poor). The only legitimate 'rebuttal' would be if my report were false or if the company offered an 'explanation' of sorts. The 'rebuttal' I see posted after my report does nothing to refute the unbelievably POOR service offered to me. In parable form: To simply recount one's positive experience with Amazon.com is like a person whose house is not destroyed in a hurricane stating that simply because they (singular) suffered no damages, then hurricanes must not be dangerous...and one cannot argue that such an outlook would be very naive. Just becuase you haven't been robbed yet doesn't mean that you should leave your doors unlocked. I posted this to try to help others by warning them of my experience. Take that for what it's worth, and nothing more.

I have been purchasing things from Amazon.com for a few years now. I have never had a problem. My e-mails have quickly been answered and the very few problems I experienced quickly rectified in my favor. They have even refunded me shipping charges when the extra charges were clearly a result of my mistakes. As far as my experiences go, amazon.com is a very consumer oriented company with a customer is always right attitude.