Is Amazon trying to remediate its Buyers (that it trained to be unethical consumers) by making it easier for customers to do the right thing? Maybe at least for problems with FBA orders… (definitely not for FBM, as @mldw demonstrates in this topic)
Order placed April 3
Five FBA items, 2 sold by Amazon and 3 sold by different 3Ps.
Package reported delivered by USPS on April 5 (Easter). The package was never delivered, as confirmed on our security camera (forever grateful to @ASV_Vites for that recommendation!); being a Sunday and Easter, USPS was probably using a package-only contractor or sub. We searched all around house, asked neighbors, posted in neighborhood group…nada.
INR reported April 6; refund issued.
(Reordered April 6; delivered April 7.)
There was a note in the ACS chat from April 6 that I could repay the refund if the package showed up.
Yesterday April 12, I received this email. I personally don’t recall having seen any communication asking a Buyer to “repay” a refund issued in error or too soon (by Amazon), and I applaud Amazon’s efforts to remind customers to do the right thing…
…although–again–this was an FBA order, where the Seller first issues the refund and then is reimbursed by Amazon but only after several weeks. Maybe Amazon is just trying not to have to deal with it?
The “Found my package” button in the email is a good idea. If you want ppl to pay, better make it easy to do so. I wonder if it takes you to the exact order (since they’ve identified the order number) and just one more button to authorize them to recharge you. It kind of defeats the purpose if they make you search for the order in your order history and go through multiple steps.
This probably won’t stop habitual scammers, but I have some hope that it might make those whose package actually arrived a day later think twice. They might get a bit nervous and wonder, “Why are they following up again a week later? Do they know I actually received it?”
After all, people tend to behave when they feel they’re being watched.
I have had a few instances when buyers asked me to recharge them because their late package did arrive, so there are some who do want to do the right thing.
It’s automated so not really. The FBA returns process only has one pothole we have found in the decade plus and that is when they LPN# is not on the item but that has nothing to do with the customer. They are pretty liberal about refunding different items returned, model numbers not matching etc.
Is it wrong that I had a visceral reaction and shouted, “GOOD!” in my head? Not to be mean to Amazon (that’s just a bonus), but for 3P Sellers using the service with zero control over order shipping/delivery.
Me, too. I have a family member who has become a bit lax in consumer ethics around late deliveries. I suspect that they and people like them could be driven to do the right thing through convenience + fear.
