Hi everybody, I searched but didn’t see any recent discussion about carrier adjustments (or insanely high adjustments in general) so I figured I would post about it and see if anybody has had any luck in these situations.
I got a return for a pair of 24"x36" canvas art prints, they were shipped back in original packaging which was just box that more or less exactly fits the canvas. So the return package was about 24"x36"x3". Carrier ‘audit’ shows the longest edge as 119", and I was billed a little over $1,600 for the mistake.
I’ve opened a ticket and included photos w/ measuring tape of the (unopened) return. No response yet after 24hrs but I see the ticket has been transferred to some other team.
Anyway, I’m mainly wondering if anybody else here has had to deal with criminally excessive carrier adjustments through Amazon, if they ever got their money back and if so how long did it take?
@lake This one was UPS ground. I know Amazon didn’t cause the adjustment but my understanding is I still have to run the dispute through Amazon since the label was purchased through their return system.
@Pepper_Thine_Angus Thanks! Yeah there are quite a few posts about is on the NSFE but nobody ever seems to update to say how it worked out (and all the older discussions are locked so I can’t ask).
Take that as a good sign. Most people don’t have the courtesy to come back and tell the rest of their story and how they fixed their issue. We are different here at SAS.
Welcome to the forum.
Give it till Monday / Tues before you start getting concerned. This will most likely work out in short order.
Yes, you have to run it through Amazon but it is not Amazon’s problem and they are just a forwarding service.
There have been some reports of sellers on marketplaces handling this directly with UPS using the Amazon account number which is a part of the tracking number.
I believe you must handle your issues with UPS directly with them. However, you need to use the phone number that Amazon provides specifically for this as it goes to a team that is supposed to work with Amazon sellers and understands the use of the Amazon account for UPS labels. I don’t think there is anything Amazon can or is going to do about it.
So after not getting a response on my ticket for a week, I followed up with Amazon via chat. They forwarded the matter to some other department, which responded to me the following morning with a breakdown of the UPS charges followed by this blurb:
“Therefore, the billing charges in question are considered valid according to the carrier’s billing and surcharge policies, and Amazon does not reimburse Sellers for chargebacks due to carrier’s dimensional weight, package size, package handling, or other policies.”
So today, I called the 800 number for UPS Amazon accounts in the post that @RiverRetail linked above. They redirected me me to the billing department, where after a brief hold I was told that they are unable to even look up the charges, let alone investigate them, because the label was purchased through Amazon’s UPS account and that Amazon would have to initiate any claims.
I also called the UPS Amazon claims number in the same post mentioned above but they couldn’t do anything because I don’t have a claim open.
So Amazon and UPS are just pointing their fingers at each other and shrugging, and I’m out $1615 and change. I might as well try again with Amazon support but I seriously doubt they’ll lift a finger to help at this point.
This may be OT - but are these shipment adjustments happening only on FBM retail shipments or are they happening on FBA shipments to FBA FCs as well? I’m curious to understand as a few things have transpired since I’ve been out of commission for a while.
Good to know. I am going to try regular Amazon support channels one more time, I noticed on the page linked above that Amazon actually has instructions for getting them to do something if UPS refuses to open a claim. I’ll see if I can get Amazon to go along with that process, if no luck then I’ll try jeff@
It may be time to go public on this. Do you have a local TV station that has an ‘expose the bad guys’ show?
Or maybe you write to your local congressperson. Sometimes they have an unexpected ax to grind that favors you. ( Maybe a big donor is a FEDEX investor, etc )
In pursuing that route, I wouldn’t lightly overlook this section of the SHC (“Seller Help Content”) page applicable to this unfortunate (and, as you opine, likely-criminal) situation, Optional coverage for loss or damage (link):
Our friend @Old-Timer was well-regarded back in the OSFE days for several tutorial posts in regard to this type of thing (to the point that folks began contacting him via PM/DM for help), and I’ve seen a similar tutorial post using an alternative method - with visual proof of purported success - posted over in the NSFE back on 072723:
In the time it took me to craft this post (I’m two days older than dirt, so I’m slow), I see you already noticed the required steps for contacting Amazon when UPS digs in its heels… (in Post #18 upthread)
), I see you already noticed the required steps for contacting Amazon when UPS digs in its heels… (in