Resolved I'm outraged! Amazon banned me forever because of too many returns

[dornoforpyros]

I haven't read this whole thread, but to the OP I'd suggest sharing your story with http://consumerist.com/

This type of thing is right up their alley.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I didn't abuse their return policy. I used it when I received defective items. In the past three months, I've made purchased for over $5500. I don't do exchanges because they take time - I just return and order a new item. Here are just a few of the screens I've received on MBPs and returned....tell me if you think they're illegitimate returns. ( I removed the pictures for now until I resolve the issues with amazon - but one display started inverting, another had a huge dark shadow up the middle, one had the beams of light at the bottom, another had yellowing at the bottom...etc etc)

I can't believe you'd defend that they ban somebody who has just followed their policies. After all, amazon has a 15% restocking fee if you misrepresent the condition of the return - if they don't charge that, I have to assume they agree with my assessment. BS is all I can say.




I've bought TONS of stuff that I haven't returned and lots of it was expensive too. Mostly I've returned MBPs with crappy displays since I refused to pay a high price and get subpar quality. The display I have now on my MBP is very good, but Apple replaced my display several times before I got this one. So there are good displays, but only occasionally it seems. So: I return defective computers but keep most things I buy. They could have warned me first, before cutting off access to my account.

and there you have it. You RETURNED THE ITEM. That cost them a fair amount of money each time. you have had exchanged it they could of recovered the cost form apple in some way. instead they have to eat the cost.

Cannt say I blame them. What they received in profit from you clearly did not justify how much you where costing them.

your only hope is to contact customer service and see if they will help you but they have little motivation to do so.

 

[PDE]

and there you have it. You RETURNED THE ITEM. That cost them a fair amount of money each time. you have had exchanged it they could of recovered the cost form apple in some way. instead they have to eat the cost.

Cannt say I blame them. What they received in profit from you clearly did not justify how much you where costing them.

your only hope is to contact customer service and see if they will help you but they have little motivation to do so.

actually it was amazon that told me I could either return and reorder or exchange. They didn't seem to care either way...
Why would it make any difference in terms of apple? The computers were still defective.

 

[Hawkeye411]

So you got banned because you made too many returns and your upset because you can't access your receipts which would allow you to take advantage of the Visa return policy in the future? LOL Interesting!

I still have my amazon.com credit card which is issued by Chase, and of course I can still access my purchase history on the Chase site. What I don't have anymore are the receipts for all the items I've purchased on amazon, as those are stored in my account which I no longer can access. Without the receipts, I cannot file claims in the future through VISA performance guarantee services (extended warranty) since they require both the credit card statement AND the receipt with itemisation of the purchased. This service is the main reason I keep using this particular VISA card.




Sorry for not being clear. My credit card through amazon/chase gives me points. For each $2500 spent, I get a $25 'gift certificate' which I enter into my amazon account and which is then applied toward any purchase I make through amazon. It's one of the reasons I have the CC in the first place since I buy a lot of stuff from amazon. With the sudden closure of my account, I just lost several hundred dollars. As I'm still a customer of Chase through my amazon.com CC, I am still accruing points, but they're no longer redeemable since amazon has closed my account.

Hope that clarifies and thanks for trying to answer...




Thanks! It does make me a little more optimistic that others are experiencing the same situation. I'd hope that Amazon will see that regardless of what they think they're accomplishing with this, it's not the right way to go about doing it. Closure of accounts is pretty serious and should at least be prefaced by some kind of warning or chance for the customer to explain (if needed). Also, by closing accounts, customers no longer have access to the evidence that would prove their 'innocence' (the tone of their letter made it sound like customers had acted illegally somehow). Not fair and not right. We'll see how this develops...


sorry mods for the extra posts....

 

[PDE]

So you got banned because you made too many returns and your upset because you can't access your receipts which would allow you to take advantage of the Visa return policy in the future? LOL Interesting!

No, that is not what I said, implied or indicated, and if you had read what I wrote that would have been completely clear. Also, since there is no stated limit on how many defective items a customer can return, saying that I returned 'too many' is not fair. I returned defective items that I paid a lot for and I maintain that is reasonable. Would you have kept a $2000 item dollar that was defective? Would you have sent your brand new computer in for repair, rather than use the return policy the shop uses to attract customers? Even the Apple geniuses recommended that I return rather than repair since the machines were new.

One of the benefits of my VISA card is that I get free double warranty so that IF my equipment fails after the manufacturer's warranty runs out, I am covered. In addition, after that free second year, I purchased extended warranty through VISA. Both the VISA benefits require receipts, which I can't access anymore.

I wonder how the above will be misinterpreted?

 

[Sun Baked]

Hello from Amazon.com.

A careful review of your account indicates you've experienced an extraordinary number of incidents with your orders and corresponding shipments.

In the normal course of business, the occasional problem is inevitable. The rate at which such problems have occurred on your account is extraordinary, however, and cannot continue. Effective immediately, your Amazon.com account is closed and you are no longer able to shop in our store. I am very sorry for any disappointment this may cause.

Please know that any accounts related to yours have also been closed. If you were to open a new account, the same will result and it will also be closed. In the event that you attempt to do so, we will not accept the return of any additional orders, nor will we issue further refunds in connection with any future orders. We appreciate your cooperation in refraining from using our web site.

If you require additional assistance, or have any concerns, feel free to contact us directly at account-appeals@amazon.com.

Please do not contact regular Customer Service again, as they will no longer be able to assist you.


Regards,

Account Specialist
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com

Seems some of the people got the letter while processing a current return, only to see the return rejected.

 

[thechidz]

after reading this thread I wont be shopping at amazon very much

 

[jeremy.king]

Apple's so-called quality issues are Apple's problem. Not Amazon's.

I don't blame Amazon at all. Seriously, how many returns have you had? You keep using vague terms like 'quite a few,' so I get the feeling it is excessive and you don't want to own up to that.

As for receipts, you should have them in your email. I'm going to guess those were deleted too?

Just curious, when you return an item, do you lose the Amazon points/credits that were earned as part of the original purchase?

 

[PDE]

Apple's so-called quality issues are Apple's problem. Not Amazon's.

I don't blame Amazon at all. Seriously, how many returns have you had? You keep using vague terms like 'quite a few,' so I get the feeling it is excessive and you don't want to own up to that.

As for receipts, you should have them in your email. I'm going to guess those were deleted too?

Just curious, when you return an item, do you lose the Amazon points/credits that were earned as part of the original purchase?

I don't get any points if I return items. I'm not hiding anything, but I sadly can't keep track of all the Apple computers I've bought over the years. the return rate sure was excessive and a really ****ing nuisance for ME. But that's not my fault and I'm not going to feel that I'm responsible for Apple's poor quality control, or Amazon's decision to sell Apple products. Yes, it's apple's quality issue, but amazon has chosen to carry apple products and I'm buying from Amazon, not Apple. They're responsible for what they sell and my purchased is with them.

When I get a defective macbook pro, I go to Apple first and they usually ask me when I got it. When I reply that it's just a few days old, they ask if I can return it to the seller because it's not nice to have to send it in for repair when it's brand new. Since I buy from amazon, I usually can return it. I've actually finally given up on returning and just keep fixing through Apple instead, especially if it's a defective display and the rest of the computer is working fine. But it did take me a long time to lower my basic standard that a computer shouldn't have defects out of the box.

I've kept some receipts, but because I've been happy archiving all my receipts with amazon since they make it so easy to search and print out. I assumed that I would remain a customer and that I could print out my receipt whenever i wanted to.

For your amusement, I'll try to figure out how many laptops I've bought, kept and returned. I'll have to get back to you though. If I had access to the receipts, it would be much easier.

I just can't get how many people are willing to defend Amazon's position here. You don't have to believe me, but that doesn't mean you have to agree with how Amazon i going about things. I'm amazed at comments everywhere assuming that the customer is wrong. Really amazed.

 

[mkrishnan]

They're responsible for what they sell and my purchased is with them.

Yes, they are, and they clearly can't live up to your expectations, and so they have decided not to sell to you anymore. That's really the beginning and the end of the story, isn't it? You're criticizing them for exercising exactly the responsibility you say you expect of them.

 

[jeremy.king]

I just can't get how many people are willing to defend Amazon's position here. You don't have to believe me, but that doesn't mean you have to agree with how Amazon i going about things. I'm amazed at comments everywhere assuming that the customer is wrong. Really amazed.

I believe your story.

I just think you fail to realize (or accept) the cost you have forced Amazon to incur through your continuous returns. Do they pay return shipping or did you? Amazon's prices are based on a pretty low margin and excessive returns cost them a little chunk of change. They still have to pay someone to handle the warranty with Apple and they can't resell that computer, even if it is fixed, as new. Would you feel better if they charged 15% restocking? Probably not. Would you feel better if they just said, "Hey, just pay us for all the shipping fees we incurred, and we'll welcome you back?" Probably not.

I'd suggest shopping somewhere else and give Chase a call to see if they can convert the rewards to another vendor. Luckily for you, you have plenty of choice for getting your Apple computers.

 

[aristobrat]

For your amusement, I'll try to figure out how many laptops I've bought, kept and returned. I'll have to get back to you though. If I had access to the receipts, it would be much easier.

If this helps any, ...

https://forums.macrumors.com/search/?do=finduser&u=62022&starteronly=1

 

[MacDawg]

OK, I will confess up front I haven't waded through ALL of the stuff in this thread... but I am just curious as to what you do with all of these laptops and equipment you are buying? You are saying you buy LOTS of lappies and more... but it can't be for personal use... I mean how many MBP's does one need? You say you have kept a lot of them. Are you reselling and using Amazon as your source and quality control on Apple? Just asking... I can't imagine the need to buy all of the equipment you say you have bought on your personal account.

If this helps any, ...

https://forums.macrumors.com/search/?do=finduser&u=62022&starteronly=1

Revealing...

Woof, Woof – Dawg

 

[thechidz]

Yes, they are, and they clearly can't live up to your expectations, and so they have decided not to sell to you anymore. That's really the beginning and the end of the story, isn't it? You're criticizing them for exercising exactly the responsibility you say you expect of them.

they may have the right to do this, but the fact that they are doing it to so many customers means that they don't really care too much about customer satisfaction and thus, I will not be making any large purchases from them. (not to mention the fact that they now charge sales tax to new york state, that is a deal breaker)

 

[Apple Ink]

File a complaint at your state's/country's Consumer Affairs Office! At least get the credit back and use it!

 

[Unspeaked]

As a private business, Amazon can do whatever they please.

They clearly did not think you were worth keeping as a customer - despite your thousands of dollars in purchases over the past few months - and did something about it.

If you were so short-sighted as to A) not save any of your paper receipts and B) not keep digital copies locally on your computer, you really have no right to complain that you can't access your transaction history on your Amazon account. What if they'd gone out of business and shut down the site? You'd be in the same boat.

As for your Amazon credit, what you're referring to is the gift certificates you earn (like rewards points) on purchases. Why don't you gift these to someone, sell them on eBay, or do something more productive than complain about being unable to use them?

Amazon is not the only place in the world that sells Apple laptops, not even the only place that sells them tax free, so I really don't see what the issue is. If you find yourself in a corner, it appears that you painted yourself there.

 

[Sdashiki]

Set up a new account?

They cant stop that.

 

[MacDawg]

Set up a new account?

They cant stop that.

According to the letter posted by Sun Baked on page 1 they can...

Hello from Amazon.com.

A careful review of your account indicates you've experienced an extraordinary number of incidents with your orders and corresponding shipments.

In the normal course of business, the occasional problem is inevitable. The rate at which such problems have occurred on your account is extraordinary, however, and cannot continue. Effective immediately, your Amazon.com account is closed and you are no longer able to shop in our store. I am very sorry for any disappointment this may cause.

Please know that any accounts related to yours have also been closed. If you were to open a new account, the same will result and it will also be closed. In the event that you attempt to do so, we will not accept the return of any additional orders, nor will we issue further refunds in connection with any future orders. We appreciate your cooperation in refraining from using our web site.

If you require additional assistance, or have any concerns, feel free to contact us directly at account-appeals@amazon.com.

Please do not contact regular Customer Service again, as they will no longer be able to assist you.


Regards,

Account Specialist
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com

Woof, Woof – Dawg

 

[gnasher729]

Set up a new account?

They cant stop that.

Dangerous. If he buys another item and decides to return it, and they figure out that his original account was canceled, they could make life difficult. They could say that any contract between him and Amazon is void; if they are not forced by law to accept the returned computer but only by their returns policy then they might not accept it back, but send a letter "your computer is now at our head offices and you can pick it up in person at any convenient time during business hours". Just if they decide to be nasty. I don't know whether that would be legal, but unless you _know_ it is illegal, I wouldn't take any chances.

they may have the right to do this, but the fact that they are doing it to so many customers means that they don't really care too much about customer satisfaction and thus, I will not be making any large purchases from them. (not to mention the fact that they now charge sales tax to new york state, that is a deal breaker)

Companies don't care about customer satisifaction per se. They usually care about customer satisfaction because it means the customer comes back, buys more stuff, and makes more profit for the company. If the company has a customer who costs them money and is judged likely to cost more money in the future, they don't really want that customer to be satisfied, they want him to go away and stay away.

 

[Apple Ink]

According to the letter posted by Sun Baked on page 1 they can...

Hmmm.... but probably a different family member's CC and maybe..... maybe a different address (though is it required? Probably just a small tweak)

But as posted above..... there are infinitely many more options and many of them better than Amazon!

 

[jeremy.king]

Hmmm.... but probably a different family member's CC and maybe..... maybe a different address (though is it required? Probably just a small tweak)

The OP's issue is that he has racked up some Amazon rewards and can't use them now because of his account closing. Sure he can use a different/email/address but he won't be able to get those rewards, which I think is the whole point of his gripe (well, that, and no formal warning)...

 

[Unspeaked]

The OP's issue is that he has racked up some Amazon rewards and can't use them now because of his account closing. Sure he can use a different/email/address but he won't be able to get those rewards, which I think is the whole point of his gripe (well, that, and no formal warning)...

The rewards exist independently of the Amazon account. As I said earlier, the OP can gift the rewards codes, sell them on eBay or - heck - ask someone he knows with an Amazon account to buy something for him.

The only two grips the OP has (besides the account closing, of course) is that he no longer has access to his purchase history - which is by and large his fault - and he can't use the Amazon rewards he earned - when, in fact, he can.

 

[PDE]

The rewards exist independently of the Amazon account. As I said earlier, the OP can gift the rewards codes, sell them on eBay or - heck - ask someone he knows with an Amazon account to buy something for him.

The only two grips the OP has (besides the account closing, of course) is that he no longer has access to his purchase history - which is by and large his fault - and he can't use the Amazon rewards he earned - when, in fact, he can.

You seem to like to comment on things you know little about. In fact, I cannot use my rewards because they are in my account at amazon. There is no way to access them or use them, or gift them to anybody. When I get my certificates, I always put them into my amazon account so that they will be readily available when I make purchases. Once I've done that, the paper certificates are used so I just throw them away.

Secondly, we live in a digital age. Amazon offers a wonderful purchase history/archive service where it is easy to search and locate by date/year, print out and otherwise find old records. Keeping paper receipts for tons of books, electronics and what not doesn't make any sense. I've never ever been banned from a store before and naturally couldn't have predicted that I would banned WITHOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE MY CREDIT AND ACCESS MY RECORDS. I don't think that is short-sighted at all. I do have some emails and old receipts, but only some of them.

Boy, people are cynical here. I frequently upgrade my and my girlfriend's computers (sell the old ones on craigslist) and over the past few years I've also bought computers for my parents, a few of their friends and few of my own friends - I've put it on my credit card for their convenience since I was helping them switch to macs and they gave me free hands to get a system for them. I'm an academic and photographer, not some kind of sketchy reseller that uses amazon to make money.

Anyway, all I wanted was:

1. A fair warning after years of being a loyal and very frequent customer.
2. Access to the records I stored in good faith on their site, i.e. receipts.
3. Access to the credit I EARNED through my credit card that Amazon has simply stolen from me.
4. Not being treated like a criminal.

It may be that Amazon hasn't made money off me for the past two years (which I doubt), but that's an extremely short-term perspective. If this hadn't happened, I would have ordered a $1300 lens this week and I would have continued buying things regularly from them, most of which I would not return. In the long run, they would have made tons of money off me, not to mention off all the friends I would continue to recommend amazon too. Many of my friends have started buying all their expensive electronic purchases from amazon and I would have continued to promote amazon.

Anyway, you guys believe what you want and if you think Amazon is handling this in a good way, so be it. I don't agree and could never agree with that. No matter what the outcome is, I will never purchase another item from Amazon and I will cancel my Amazon credit card too.

 

[MacDawg]

Boy, people are cynical here. I frequently upgrade my and my girlfriend's computers (sell the old ones on craigslist) and over the past few years I've also bought computers for my parents, a few of their friends and few of my own friends - I've put it on my credit card for their convenience since I was helping them switch to macs and they gave me free hands to get a system for them. I'm an academic and photographer, not some kind of sketchy reseller that uses amazon to make money.

Forgive me if I made it sound like an accusation... I was just curious as to the nature of that many purchases. I was not implying it was a sketchy business, just wondering about the nature of the purchases.

Woof, Woof - Dawg

 

[mac-er]

I feel for you, but I honestly don't think that writing a letter will help anything.

They've clearly decided that they don't wish to do business with you anymore.

Exactly how many returns have you done? (Sorry, if I missed that, but I am curious on the actual number).