For FBM orders, as far as I am aware, the only way of doing a replacement order is if a customer requests one when doing a return for items that arrive damaged, defective, or materially different, and there isn’t a way of doing a replacement order through Amazon for INR.
Today, I got an INR message from a customer, and after sending her the standard INR template about how to do an A-Z claim, she responded that she still wanted the product. Now, there is a button at the bottom saying Offer Replacement, but I am guessing that doesn’t also create a replacement order, correct?
I was curious if the process had changed on the customer side, and after selecting “package didn’t arrive,” it directed me to contact the seller with these options:
If the customer selects the replacement wanted option, I am guessing that also doesn’t create a replacement order.
If there isn’t a way to create a replacement order through Amazon for INR, then why is Amazon presenting it as an option to customers?
If we used Amazon Buy Shipping and the customer contacts us for INR, we refer them to Amazon and provide the A to Z instructions (including waiting for 48 hours before attempting). We apologize and let them know that another order would have to be placed. We would also let them know that the original order was shipped and may be delayed by the shipper do to weather events out of the shipper’s and your control but that it could still arrive.
We would not select either of the drop down selections as that is Amazon pushing you to take the hit rather than Amazon taking the hit through the A to Z claim process.
I’m just annoyed that Amazon is presenting it as an option to customers when they don’t give us a way to do it through Amazon so we are protected.
This is also what I normally do, but now I feel like Amazon is making us look like a liar because it gives them the option to request a replacement when contacting us.
These are options for the buyers to choose, not a choice for us. It makes it very awkward to tell the buyer to file a claim when they already selected Amazon’s presets for either the refund or the replacement.
Has me wondering if Buy Shipping protection is going away, or is this another symptom of silo ignorance.
I agree. I had a ‘delivered’ INR message Wednesday that said they just want the refund, I was not aware of this buyer-facing change. It’s bad for BS* users.
Certainly they could program the AI to detect qualified Buy Shipping orders and funnel those INRs into the claim process if they wanted to. They don’t want to.
Both have “package didn’t arrive” … if Amazon Buy Shipping was used, we still would apologize and refer to Amazon for an A to Z claim and include in the instructions that the customer needs to wait 48 hours after emailing you for Amazon to begin the process per Amazon policy.
And when the email comes to the seller, there is a yes/no question about the nature of the email. Amazon is having the sellers train the AI bot.
Not sure it is going away but Amazon is definitely making changes to slow down the INR bleeding and seem to have set up a trap wire for sellers who are do not have complete knowledge of the A to Z claim process or even Amazon refund/return policies.
Having to jump through hoops to get a refund when the problem’s already been reported is terrible service. The seller should be able to resolve the problem directly with Amazon once the issue’s been reported. The system’s not set up that way though and it’s probably not going to change.
You are right about their system causing poor customer service; and if they did set it up for sellers to resolve the problem directly with Amazon, we would probably have more trouble getting our Buy Shipping guarantee than we do now when they wrongly deny us on the A to Z’s.
The returns Safe T Claim decisions are getting worse with less restocking awarded than what policy designates.
Well, now, I don’t know. Just because a customer reports a problem, doesn’t necessarily mean that there is a problem. I know that as a Buyer I’ve had to really document issues for refunds, and I never mind doing it because (a) I’m not a scammer but I know lots of folks are, and (b) Sellers are running businesses and need to be able to dot i’s and cross t’s with suppliers, shippers, insurance, platforms, auditors, etc.
Just because it’s inconvenient doesn’t mean it’s bad customer service.
I have this problem. The customer said they never received it. I used Amazon Buy Shipping, and shipped on time. However, the first USPS scan did not happen until days after I dropped the package off. I am guessing I would lose an A-Z claim?
I suggest an End Of Day scan form. Get the form scanned once when the packages are picked up/dropped off and all your packages get scanned as accepted by the USPS, and this problem stops happening.
I scan them at the kiosk, so that part shows. It is my understanding that the scan form is just as valid as the kiosk scan, which is to say, Amazon doesn’t accept it.
I don’t know anything about a kiosk scan.
I do know that since I started using the EOD scan, I haven’t had problems with USPS delayed scans causing me to lose AtoZ claims.
The difference is that a USPS person scans your EOD sheet with the different packages in it. This means USPS considers the packages “in possession” and normally verifies it at the post office you dropped off at.
A kiosk scan is done by the person shipping at a kiosk of each package being dropped off. USPS doesn’t count it as “in possession” until a USPS person has verified with a USPS first scan which may not be until the package makes it to the first USPS distribution center and that could be a day later (or more during holiday times).
For the purposes of A-Z, does Amazon accept scan sheets as the first scan?
We could easily bring 20 boxes in and have 21 on the scan sheet and they would mark the 21st box as accepted, so I can’t see scan sheets as being any different from kiosk scans.
I’m not sure if the post office accepts scan sheets for the purposes of insurance, either.
Honestly, we’ve also always heard they did not accept scan sheets as proof…however, that’s never been the reality of what we’ve encountered. I think some sellers just got unlucky reps who looked at their INR case.
If the scan sheet was scanned and then it never got another scan, then that’s a gray area because then that could technically be evidence it never was shipped in the first place. However, a scan sheet scan followed by another scan several days later normally hasn’t caused AMZ to not fund those INR’s.
