Amazon Falsely Accuses Us of Threatening a Customer – Public Appeal for Justice

What an A-Hole… LOL

We have been falsely accused of threatening a customer, and despite our efforts to resolve this privately, we believe Amazon’s automated systems are designed to dismiss appeals without proper review.

We received an email from Amazon stating “We discovered that you threatened a customer. This is against our Selling Policies and Seller Code of Conduct.” However, this accusation is entirely false. The message in question was sent in response to Amazon Customer Service, who demanded the cancellation of a return label for which the buyer was already refunded, not the customer, and it was a professional communication regarding a refunded item that the customer failed to return.

Here is the message we sent in response to Amazon Customer Service:

“Please note that [Customer Name] has already been refunded for the item in question. However, the item does not belong to them, and they are legally required to return it. Failure to return a refunded item is considered fraud. Furthermore, because this transaction involved transport via U.S. Mail, such conduct would constitute mail fraud, which is a federal felony under 18 U.S. Code § 1341. The statute states: ‘Whoever, having devised or intending to devise any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, … places in any post office or authorized depository for mail matter, or causes to be delivered by mail … shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.’ We kindly request that Amazon Services advise [Customer Name] that they must return the refunded item immediately. Failure to do so will result in legal action.”

This message was not a threat but a factual explanation of the legal implications of the customer’s actions. We consulted our attorney, who confirmed that the communication was appropriate and did not violate any policies.

For further clarification, here is the message we were responding to:

"This note is being sent to you by Amazon to notify and confirm that [Customer Name] has canceled a return request for the following order:

Order ID: 114-8790201-3057013

Item: [Item Name]

Qty: 1

Return reason: Item defective or doesn’t work

Request canceled: January 28, 2025

Sincerely,

Amazon Services"

Order ID: 114-8790201-3057013

Amazon’s automated systems appear to be designed to dismiss appeals without proper human review. This creates an environment where third-party sellers are unfairly penalized, and their businesses are put at risk. In our case, the false accusation of threatening a customer could lead to account deactivation, which would be devastating for our business.

We are calling on Amazon to:

  1. Remove the false warning from our account immediately.

  2. Conduct a proper human review of our appeal and the correspondence in question.

  3. Acknowledge the flaws in their automated systems and ensure that sellers are given fair treatment.

This is not just about our account—it’s about the broader issue of Amazon’s treatment of third-party sellers. Many of us have experienced similar issues, where false accusations and automated systems lead to unfair penalties. If Amazon continues to operate this way, it will erode trust in the platform and harm the very sellers who contribute to its success.

We also urge Amazon representatives to intervene and address this issue publicly. We deserve transparency, fairness, and respect as third-party sellers.

https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/ff386cc6-5976-4192-a78e-41ffb7972103?postId=ff386cc6-5976-4192-a78e-41ffb7972103

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I was accused of fraud via Amazon messaging twice today. I bet neither of them were pinged for sending threats.

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Sure happy you put that link at the end … cause we were thinking you had had a little too much robin pecking and exploded … until we got to the link …

:wink:

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I’ve been following that NSFE discussion ever since its 013124 creation, primarily (but not entirely, due to the relatively-clear violation of Amazon’s Communications Guidelines) because I sympathize with the OP’s position.

As some responders have taken pains to point out therein, there DO exist better legal mechanisms for redress than risking the chance of a B-SM response running afoul of said Guidelines.

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We run into very few buyer issues even though returns are blocked for our category.

Buyer has an issue - here’s your refund and thanks for giving us a try…

Fighting is not worth it…

If you are a seller that runs into frequent issues, chances are your product and you suck…

Funny thing is the OP is basically threatening Amazon too in that thread. They Just Don’t Learn…

It’s no wonder that not a single Mod has chimed in to help.

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This sounds like a new seller with a high-ticket item to me. :thinking:
If so I understand the overreaction and I do feel sympathy for them.
I believe we all have been around for too long that we are too used to the “Amazon rules” we once found unacceptable :sweat_smile:

Not saying what they did was right though.
After all, using professional “words” does not make the communication itself professional…

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They sell Knives and they don’t appear to be new.

As far as the communication goes, I totally understand what you’re saying and the compassion you feel for them because they are being treated like crap by the buyer and Amazon.

That’s just the way it is. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. In order to succeed on Amazon, you need to take it up the you know what now and then. It shouldn’t be that way but it is.

Now this seller has to deal with this being on their account for 6 months and God forbid someone else claims that they were threatened (regardless if it’s true or not), and they are history.

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This smells of an Ed group message.

BAHA, they keep tagging every mod in every post thinking it will get them what they want.

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I agree with this NSFE poster:

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I largely do as well, and with our well-missed friend SELLC’s quoted reply - but I remain dismayed that Amazon’s ever-evolving “one size fits all” policy determinative continues to paint its selling partners into ever-shrinking corners.

The very notion that simply acknowledging Amazon is ALWAYS correct smacks me ill, for I am as aware as most of us here in KNOWING such a notion isn’t particularly often the truth to be found in this or that matter where Amabots Balk.

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