New Amazon Policy: DEFRAUDING CUSTOMERS

亚马逊 #amazonindia #amazonbusiness #amazoncustomercare #consumerrights #consumerforum

I am posting this here more as a disclaimer to warn my friends, family and colleagues as the corporate giant Amazon has descended from great customer service to just a basic bully and extortionist.

On 16th January 2023, I ordered & paid online for a pair of OnePlus Buds Z2 Bluetooth headphones from Amazon and received the package on 24th Jan at my office location.

This is really where my true story begins. On opening the package, I found another box which held, not my gleaming pair of headphones but a small container of baby massage powder from some Indian brand (picture attached). ?On seeing this I called Amazon and raised the issue with them. They said they will investigate and get back to me. No response came from their end (Instance 1). When I called them back on 30th Jan 2023, they asked me to upload the attached image, which I promptly did. Post that they were supposed to check and get back to me which never happened (Instance 2). When I called back, they informed me that they have validated my claim and are willing to issue a refund on returning the wrong item. I told them at this point that I really wanted the product and if they can issue a replacement instead of return. They agreed and scheduled a replacement.?

As I was about to go out of town at this time and as Amazon couldn’t adjust the replacement date for me, I spent additional money (about Rs. 250) to send the item to a friend who can be available for the exchange. But lo and behold, nobody arrived with the replacement. After a few days my app update showed the delivery was delayed?(Instance 3). When I again called up amazon to inform them that I have not received any replacement or even have been contacted by a delivery agent, they then told me that the seller does not have a replacement and hence I will have to accept a return.?

I accepted this also but again nobody turned up for the return package (Instance 4). After that when I called them again, they scheduled a pickup on 17th Feb 2023 and thankfully this time someone turned up to pick up the wrong item.

Let me mention here that all this while when this issue was going on for a month, I had received no formal communication form Amazon with any complaint number, or any details of the investigation being conducted or even a basic status update on the status of the issue. And I had repeatedly asked for the same to every customer care executive.

After the pick-up, Amazon again went silent and did not send me any communication regarding the refund (Instance 4). I called them again on 21st Feb and spoke to multiple agents and by this time I was angry and frustrated. On this call however, the narrative from Amazon end went back to being that they are investigating the issue.

On the same night I received below mail from Amazon:

Let me point out a few things here. First, they say they will return the wrong item to me, but in the very next line they say they will discard the item. And now the narrative changed to say that I was lying. They have sent me the right product which I am not returning but still claiming a refund! And they also want to re-charge me for the return. Last but not least, they asked me to write back to appeal the decision, which I did (pic attached) but obviously received no response as they never intended to resolve my issue further.

After seeing this mail on 22nd Feb, I called the customer care. They kept me on hold multiple times, wasted hours of my time, transferred to multiple agents, up to the escalation team, but none of them could confirm what investigation was done. They claimed that there was zero chance of mistake from their end and implied I was lying and hence will not receive the refund. Another interesting thing was, that the agents clearly said that no matter whom I talk to I will not receive any consideration. Instead, they insisted now that they had delivered the correct product in the first place, which till now they had never said once before I had returned the wrong item.

So, in conclusion, Amazon claimed:

• That I was lying about receiving the wrong product!

(Now, if I did get the right product & had no issue with it, then why will I ask for an exact replacement!)

(And considering I didn’t get the right product; then how will I return the same to them to claim a refund or replacement.)

• They cannot make a mistake and send the wrong product (which we all know has happened more than once)
• They waited for me to return the wrong product and after that claimed that the right product was sent all along (i.e., after a month or so)
• None of the amazon customer care agents could confirm what proof they received for their investigation.

I write here as my last resort. Losing money like this has me wondering that this can happen again and may be for a bigger amount and may be even to my friends and family, as Amazon and online shopping has become an intricate part of our lives.?

I urge all of you to please be careful! The best way here seems to be to order items as COD (cash on delivery) and make the delivery agent wait till you actually open the box and verify its contents before paying. Or else, if you open it later, Amazon will come and tell you that YOU ARE LYING and hence they are keeping your money!

Please re-share this to raise awareness.