All my returns are RFS for the past year at least, so I’ve come to expect it. Dec 1st I was notified that an AZ claim was filed for a refund and that is when I discovered that there was no RFS on that return.
First question: Why would there not be RFS? It’s a $15 item, not food or clothing or electronics.
Second question: Why wasn’t she prompted to contact the seller before filing the claim?
Return Request Date:11/01/2025
33 days ago
Reason - Different from what I ordered, Not As Expected
It was exactly what she ordered and as pictured on the detail page
Order Date:09/28/2025
67 days ago
*Order Delivered Oct 3rd
Approval Date:11/01/2025
33 days ago
*Return delivered Nov 12th
Close Date:11/28/2025
6 days ago
The claim does not show option to appeal yet, says: Amazon requested additional evidence from the customer. We will resume the review after we receive it. No action is needed from you.
Third question: I am wondering what evidence they requested?
Fourth question: Why is there a Close Date if it was not refunded?
(I actually was considering filing a safe-t claim because it was returned without the manufacturer’s protective packaging. And she falsely claimed to have received something different from what she ordered - for a free return.)
We have closed an A-to-z Guarantee claim of $000 on the order 1xxxxxxxxxxxx because the customer did not respond to our requests for additional information. No further action is required from you at this time, but if the customer reopens the claim, we will continue our investigation and may reach out to you.
I still would like to know why RFS did not happen.
I do think this is possible. She chose a ‘free’ return reason, I’ve sold many of these without one complaint of different than what was ordered.
And I cannot file a safe-t claim for the return label or missing packaging, because of no RFS.
I do have the item back, I probably should do a partial refund minus the label charge and value hit since it can now not be sold as new.
That may be why she didn’t get RFS.
Interesting, in trying to decide what to refund her, I looked for the return label charge and there isn’t one. So they denied her claim and charged her for the return label?
I have an item back that cannot be sold as new so the refund will be partial.
So, I did intend to issue a partial refund. The A to Z is closed now, but she can reopen it. If I refund while it is closed, would I lose if she reopens it after?
Well, well, I came here after a long absence to basically ask the same question because I went round and round with Seller Support over a return that failed to refund on first scan. First thing I noticed was that the return label the customer printed was smaller than the standard 4x6, but I’m thinking that had nothing to do with it. It was scanned as delivered.
I too complained in a chat that Amazon needs to refund, so I can file a SAFE-T claim. Rep said that Amazon won’t do that and that I had to refund. I said I can’t because I lose out on the ability to file a SAFE-T claim (that I will win). She said do a partial refund. Well, I can’t on a perfectly good item because they want pictures to support ANY reason for a partial refund. Oh we went round and round. She said Amazon said a “Standard Refund” is what Amazon said and that I can’t appeal that. I said HUH? And decided I was talking to a brick wall and left her negative feedback.
So today, I poked around in my refunds and SAFE-T claims… sure enough, I found that one (maybe more) had “Refund upon first scan” where this order had Standard. I don’t understand HOW this is determined. I also have customers who play the game like you experienced. They will say item defective and then in the remarks say they no longer wanted it. Well the first means I pay, the second means they pay. I will win those SAFE-T claims as long as AMAZON refunds upon first scan.
Also had an A-Z about this subject. I suspect tis the season for more activity overall on Amazon. She filed A-Z, I was found liable, and I fought and appealed that back TWICE before the A-Z fault was removed. HOWEVER, I was still out the entire amount and could not file to get the return shipping back under the SAFE-T program. So it was 1/2 a win.
Reading through…there is no fix …answer: it’s Amazon. UGH>
I am having the same issue, about 50% of my returns are not being RFS when it used to be about 95% in the past few years. All of my returns are clothing so I have to issue full refund, including outgoing shipping.
I doubt it. Safety claims are Amazon’s recourse for incorrect refunds out of a seller’s account. If they get rid of them I suspect they will face legal problems.
Yeah they’ve changed something over the last month.
We used to get 98 percent of our returns RFS and now it’s like 25 percent in the last month.
If the order didn’t get a RFS before this last month, I was under the impression that the buyer had been kicked out of the RFS program. After RFS started years ago, we also learned the hard way and got a claim or two on orders where we assumed RFS had taken care of it but hadn’t. We now double check all returns coming in to see if they were already refunded or not.
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