Wtf Amazon: cheeky gits

[Bikerdude]

Get a lod of this email conversation I am having with amazon that started yesterday, on the one hand it looks like an innocuous question, but then the real reason becomes obvious -

To whom it may concern,

 

I don’t appreciate the tone this conversion is taking! why would my account not have remained available for my use...?!

 

Regarding my buying activities, everything I have done was within my rights to do as a Uk consumer! Stating the previous email was a 'warning' and that this conversation has been 'noted' is both insulting and egregious.

 

I will be calling amazon customer care today about this.

 

Regards

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Amazon.co.uk

Sent: 02 October 2015 09:42

Subject: Your Amazon.co.uk Enquiry

 

Hello,

 

Thank you for taking the time to send your feedback regarding the product description and the condition of items listed on our website. This kind of feedback is invaluable to us, as it helps us continue to improve our website and provide better service to all of our customers.

 

Your account remains open and available for your use.

 

We're concerned about the activity on your account and want to do all that we can to avoid the inconvenience you experience having to make frequent and possibly avoidable returns of the items you purchase from Amazon.co.uk.

 

Rest assured that no action has been taken on your account thus far; you're still able to place orders and, if necessary, return items to us. This warning was sent because we want to better understand the activity on your account and learn how to improve your shopping experience.

 

We appreciate your efforts to ensure that your buying activities are in compliance with our policies. We would like to inform you that it has been noted and will be taken into consideration in the future.

 

We look forward to your next visit to Amazon.co.uk.

 

Best Regards,

---- Original message: ----

 

Hello

 

As you have been 'checking my account', you should have seen I gave a detailed reason for each and every return...!?

 

Fyi there is a LOT of sub-standard, low-quality items being sold on Amazon. It dosen't help that your website dosen't always provide feedback for the item and/or seller in question, but rather feedback from people who have bought that product. I always do research online and where possible contact the seller, but a lot of the time there are either no search results or the seller isn’t technical.

 

It dosen't help that there is a LOT of Chinese based sellers on Amazon. But thanks to the distance selling regulations here in the UK, consumers aren’t left high and dry.

 

Regards

 

-----Original Message-----

From: amazon

Sent: 01 October 2015 17:37

Subject: Your Amazon.co.uk Account

 

Hello,

 

We have noticed that a significant number of your recent orders were returned to us. High return rates can indicate that we have an opportunity to improve our service.

 

While we welcome returns when orders don’t work out, we want to do whatever we can to ensure your relationship with us is rewarding. If there is anything we can do to make your Amazon.co.uk shopping experiences more rewarding, please reply to this e-mail with your feedback.

 

For technical assistance with your account, click the Contact Us button on any Amazon.co.uk Help page to reach our Customer Service team (www.amazon.co.uk/help).

 

Thank you for choosing Amazon.co.uk.

 

==============

 

[STiFU]

My colleague recently warned me about amazon deleting accounts because of too many retours. Just take it as a warning and keep the retours to a minimum. If you know beforehand that there will be retours in your order, pick a shop that actually advertises this procedure like Zalando for example.

 

I recently ordered 7 watches on amazon and returned 6, but so far I didn't get an email like that.

[Bikerdude]

• My colleague recently warned me about amazon deleting accounts because of too many retours. Just take it as a warning and keep the retours to a minimum.

pick a shop that actually advertises this procedure like Zalando for example.

• I would like to see then try as under UK law I am within my consumer rights etc, and if they did I'll just open another. The issue is there is just so much poorly advertised and crap shite on thier site, that I imagine the distance selling regs were invented to protect consumers agaisnt.

• They(amazon) do just that, the whole reason for useing amazon is for the competative pricing and the simple returns proceedure.

[Eyeshine]

I ordered some items from amazon including some SATA cables, the company supplying them was called something like TechUk but when the invoice came through it stated that the parts were being sent from china, I phoned amazon and complained, like I'd order SATA leads from china when living in the UK, the company was made to change it's name so 'UK' was not used as it was clearly misleading, the company also gave me a full refund, but no apology, and the leads arrived a few weeks later, result!

 

The UK now has a 30 day return policy which even the likes of amazon UK will have to comply to.

 

Key changes include:

• this will be the first time that consumers have had clear legal rights for digital content - specifically, the Act gives consumers the right to repair or replacement of faulty digital content such as online films and games, music downloads, and ebooks
• a 30 day time period to return faulty goods and get a full refund, the law was previously unclear on how long this period should last
• after 30 days, retailers have one opportunity to repair or replace any goods and the consumer can choose whether they want the goods to be repaired or replaced - if the attempt at a repair or replacement is unsuccessful, the consumer can then claim a refund or a price reduction if they wish to keep the product
• for the first time there are clear rules for what should happen if a service is not carried out with reasonable care and skill or as agreed with the consumer - the service provider will have to put the service right in line with what was agreed or, if that is not practical, must give some money back
• consumers being able to challenge terms and conditions which are not fair or are hidden in the small print

[Bikerdude]

@eyeshine, have there been any changes to Distance selling regulations with regard to returning items that you simply dont want..?

[OrbWeaver]

• I would like to see then try as under UK law I am within my consumer rights etc, and if they did I'll just open another.

 

UK law gives you the right to return items for a refund, but it does not oblige companies to do business with you in future. Amazon is free to choose not to accept future orders from you just as you are free to choose not to order stuff from them.

 

when the invoice came through it stated that the parts were being sent from china, I phoned amazon and complained, like I'd order SATA leads from china when living in the UK

 

What does it matter where the items are shipped from, as long as they arrive within the projected delivery period specified on the order? Most IT equipment you buy in the UK is manufactured overseas anyway.

[STiFU]

UK law gives you the right to return items for a refund, but it does not oblige companies to do business with you in future. Amazon is free to choose not to accept future orders from you just as you are free to choose not to order stuff from them.

Exactly what I was going to say. We have about the same rules here in Germany, but any shop has the right to reject you from doing business with them.

[Eyeshine]

 

UK law gives you the right to return items for a refund, but it does not oblige companies to do business with you in future. Amazon is free to choose not to accept future orders from you just as you are free to choose not to order stuff from them.

 

 

What does it matter where the items are shipped from, as long as they arrive within the projected delivery period specified on the order? Most IT equipment you buy in the UK is manufactured overseas anyway.

It matters because the company name was misleading and it was based in china, not the UK, as I said 'Why would I order items from china and wait weeks for delivery when I could order from a UK company and have next day delivery for the same postal cost', where the goods are manufactured is irrelevant, the company were blatantly trying to mislead people which is why amazon made them change their name.

[Eyeshine]

Exactly what I was going to say. We have about the same rules here in Germany, but any shop has the right to reject you from doing business with them.

That's fine and they are entitled to do so, just as any consumer is, if I felt I had been badly treated by a company I wouldn't want to deal with them again either, yeh, I'm talking about you 'SCAN'!

[Eyeshine]

@eyeshine, have there been any changes to Distance selling regulations with regard to returning items that you simply dont want..?

The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations came into action in 2000. These Regulations, alongside other relevant and related Parliamentary Acts and regulations since, have sought to protect consumers that buy goods or services from sources where there is no face-to-face communication. They were replaced by the Consumer Contracts Regulations in 2014 and which relate directly to safe online shopping and consumer rights.

 

This may be of use to you.

[OrbWeaver]

'Why would I order items from china and wait weeks for delivery when I could order from a UK company and have next day delivery for the same postal cost'

 

So the issue was with misleading or excessively long delivery times? That is certainly a valid concern, and one which Amazon should take action against, but it is independent of shipping location. I have ordered goods which have been unexpectedly sent from both Europe and China, and in each case the items arrived within a couple of days.

[Bikerdude]

UK law gives you the right to return items for a refund, but it does not oblige companies to do business with you in future. Amazon is free to choose not to accept future orders from you just as you are free to choose not to order stuff from them.

My issue and maybe the crux of the matter is, if the items sold were as advertised and/or correct/relevant feedback. I wouldn't have to return them. A lot of the time there is next to no info on a lot of items when searching online, so the only way to see if the item is work as advertised is to try it.

 

There seems to be an influx of low quality items on amazon atm, with incorrect or worse non-related (either about the seller, or a product not being sold by that seller) feedback - what are consumers supposed to do..? I would like to think the DSR is designed specifically with that in mind to protect consumers.

[Eyeshine]

 

So the issue was with misleading or excessively long delivery times?

Both issues actually, until the invoice arrived there was no reason to assume the company was not in the UK but it stated the items were being sent from china with a delivery date of approx 14-21 days, that was the trigger for me to complain.

Edited October 2, 2015 by Eyeshine

[Bikerdude]

Well Amazon replied back -

 

 

Hello,

 

Please ignore the previous email which was sent erroneously.

 

We want to do all that we can to avoid the inconvenience you experience having to possibly avoidable returns of the items you purchase from Amazon.co.uk

 

While we welcome returns when orders do not work out, we want to do whatever we can to ensure that you are happy with your Amazon shopping experience.

 

We'll consider your feedback as we plan further improvements. Customer feedback like yours is always important to us. I'll be sure to pass your message along to the appropriate department as we continue to improve the shopping experience for our customers.

 

We appreciate your understanding, and hope to see you again soon.

 

Best Regards,

 

Account Specialist.

Amazon.co.uk

[Tels]

I can see that Amazon want's just to avoid returns (it costs them) and by improving the shooping experience, they can do this better than by banning users. Their message sounds ok to me, especially the last one. I wouldn't get to upset about it.

 

However, I too see the "cheap stuff from China, which is broken on arrival, never works, or is simple wrong in the first place". Stuff arrives dent, or has the wrong color (entirely red instead of red/black like on the image), light bulbs that are clear while being advertised as frosted etc etc. There is so much junk, missing information etc. that it is quite hard to buy just want you want.

 

Clearly Amazon can improve here a lot.

[Bikerdude]

Clearly Amazon can improve here a lot.

Maybe I will see if they have an interested in amending thier feedback system, as that was one of the issue on thier end that is broken.

 

For example, when looking for a replacement Galaxy S4 phone, all the feedback for that model - not the actual phone I was looking at or even that model from the seller that was selling the phone I was looking at.

[brethren]

Btw, what is a "Cheeky Git?" I've heard the phrase before, but I have no idea what it means. Google wasn't much help.

[Bikerdude]

LOL, its a british saying but here is what I found online -

 

Cheeky

 

Impudent or irreverent, typically in an amusing way.

 

Git

1. A completely ignorant, childish person with no manners.
2. A person who feels justified in their callow behaviour.
3. A pubescent kid who thinks it's totally cool to act like a moron on the internet, only because no one can actually reach through the screen and punch their lights out.

It can be a bit of friendly banter, its a light hearted response to something cheeky you've said. For example - if you said to me 'you look like you've put on a few pounds' I would call you a cheeky git (if I liked you, if I didn't I would call you something else, hehe.

Or in this instance I was being typically British and polity displaying indignation at Amazons attitude towards me as a paying customer. Initially my mental response to the 1st email I got from them was, "What the f**k, cheeky gits?!"

[OrbWeaver]

My issue and maybe the crux of the matter is, if the items sold were as advertised and/or correct/relevant feedback. I wouldn't have to return them. A lot of the time there is next to no info on a lot of items when searching online, so the only way to see if the item is work as advertised is to try it.

 

I take a much stricter approach with regard to feedback: if there isn't an overwhelming amount of good feedback (that means the average must be at least 4 stars, and the number of 1-star reviews mustn't be noticeably greater than 2 or 3-star reviews), I don't even consider buying the product. I never touch anything that has little or no feedback at all.

 

While this does theoretically mean I could be missing out on recently-released products that haven't yet acquired any significant feedback, it is much easier than taking a risk and having to faff around with returns.

[Bikerdude]

it is much easier than taking a risk and having to faff around with returns.

When an item isnt fit foir purpose or dosent work as advertised Amazon collect it themselfs, dosent cost me anything.

[Destined]

I usually prefer 3-star reviews, as they most times actually state good and bad things about the products. With the 5-star reviews you get too much of the "I love this thing and everything about it" or regarding games "I can't wait 'til this game comes out, I give 5 stars, just because I like the series". With 1-stars it is just the other way around a "I like FPSs and thus Skyrim sucks" or just a "This is crap" statement, that does not tell you, WHY the product sucks.

The whole review system is quite problematic: I have bought some products, where the 1-star reviews said it was badly fabricated and appeared to be cheap. But these were only 10 versus 30 that stated, that the product was really robust and top quality (not to mention the others, that did not give a review, because they would complain, if it was bad, but do not write anything, if they are pleased; sadly a typical German attribute, I also can observe with myself). So, you could risk getting one of the maybe few bad products, even if most are quite good. It is not really easy to judge. Of course, if you have 1000 positve reviews versus 5 negative, it is quite clear, but still you might be one of the few who has bad luck...

[Bikerdude]

The whole review system is quite problematic:

It dosen't help that a lot of the time the reviews arent for the product your looking at, but rather the same/similar product that they may have bought from another seller. This is very very problematic when the item your looking at it used.