Used sold as new appeal denied twice
Hello -
My appeal was denied twice. This was the second appeal. I am posting it here in hopes someone can give me some advice as to why it was denied and how I can fix it. In addition, I also provided an invoice with the item in question that was purchased directly from the manufacturer prior to the complaint. It included my name and address, their name, address, and phone number. I also did not delete any pricing.
My only thoughts as to why it possibly got denied were that I should have submitted more than 1 invoice. Also, I have more than 1 address and my invoice address doesn’t necessarily match with my Amazon address. We have a central warehouse that we divide our product after it is received. Should I have noted that?
What caused customers to complain about the condition of your items?
You have requested the following information – Greater detail on the issues(s) that you believe caused the complaints about the condition of your items.
- We received one complaint from a customer stating that “the product was not sealed in a bag like usually, but has previously been opened. It very much looks to me like a previous return”
- Additionally, I have also checked the voice of the customer and have not found any further complaints regarding any issues with the product.
- We believe that there is potential that product packaging was damaged during shipping and handling. Please see the steps below that we have taken to prevent this from happening in the future.
What have you done to resolve the issue(s) that caused the customer complaints about the condition of your items?
– Greater detail on the actions you have taken to resolve the issue(s) that caused the complaints about the condition of your items.
- We have reviewed our shipping process and returns process so that there is no possibility of mixing returned products with new products.
- Our process for shipping is that NEW product is picked from the master carton and immediately placed in a shipping envelope. The shipping label is then affixed to the envelope and it is placed in shipping bins for pickup from the courier.
- Our return process is the following - Customers requesting a return are refunded and instructed to dispose of the product. This ensures that no returned product could be mixed with the new products.
What actions will you be taking to prevent future complaints about the condition of your items?
– Greater detail on the steps you have taken to prevent future complaints about the condition of your items.
- We have checked our entire inventory to ensure that no open product exists inside any master cartons. No open items were found.
- We will also add a step of checking all products coming into our office to make sure nothing is opened. Any product that appears to be damaged or opened we will remove and dispose of inventory.
- We will also take an extra step in packaging the product to prevent any potential damage from shipping. We will provide an extra layer of protective packaging to ensure the product is not damaged during shipping and handling.
I would also like to address the following.
–Sourcing: Are you sourcing the product from a trusted supplier?
- Yes - we purchase directly from the manufacturer.
–Listing: Is the product accurately described on Amazon? Have you ensured that there is no ambiguity and the customer is well informed?
- Yes - product is listed as new.
–Packaging: Is the product in its original packaging as listed on Amazon?
Yes - product is shipped brand new in original packaging. We are adding an additional layer of protection to ensure product is not damaged during shipping and handling.
–Shipping: Have you taken all appropriate steps and quality checks to ensure that the product is stored, packed, and shipped appropriately?
Yes we have reviewed and will add extra protective packaging to prevent products from damage during shipping and handling.
–Review your communications from buyers to better understand the issues.
Yes, I have reviewed all communication. I have found 1 specific complaint that relates to the product packaging being damaged. We will continue to monitor all communication to ensure customer issues are addressed immediately.
–Be as specific as possible in your plan.
- We have checked our entire inventory to ensure that no open product exists inside any master cartons. No open items were found.
- We will also add a step of checking all products coming into our office to make sure nothing is opened. Any product that appears to be damaged or opened we will remove and dispose of inventory.
- We will also take an extra step in packaging the product to prevent any potential damage from shipping. We will provide an extra layer of protective packaging to ensure the product is not damaged during shipping and handling.
–Do not limit your plan to issues with specific orders.
- By regularly checking products and providing an extra layer of protective packaging we believe we should not have future complaints regarding product condition.
Seller_hA060q8nqygew
You write well, and I like the format so kudos for that. My advice would be to fix the root cause section, and the rest would then be shorter, which would help. Amazon doesn’t want to hear that the root cause is “the buyer said”, they already know that part. They want you to identify where you dropped the ball that led to whatever thing the buyer was reporting.
What caused customers to complain about the condition of your items?
You have requested the following information – Greater detail on the issues(s) that you believe caused the complaints about the condition of your items.
- We received one complaint from a customer stating that “the product was not sealed in a bag like usually, but has previously been opened. It very much looks to me like a previous return”
So do you believe that you sent that customer a previous return instead of a new item? If so, say that.
- We discovered that we mistakenly sent one customer a previous return in place of a new item.
The customer brought this to our attention by telling us that their item came in an unsealed bag. We appreciate their alerting us to our mistake and have refunded the customer in full and modified our processes so it can’t happen again.
Your root cause statement should be in a ‘We did this wrong…’ format
If you don’t think that’s what happened, then don’t say it was. Look for other reasons why that customer might have gotten an item in an unsealed bag.
The review team needs to see a logical sequence of steps. Anything extra that sends them off on a tangent will only confuse them. They need to know that you have -
- Identified the exact reason why a buyer perceived your item as new
- Figured out how to correct that so it can’t happen again
Leave everything else out. Like these 2 points:
- Additionally, I have also checked the voice of the customer and have not found any further complaints regarding any issues with the product.
(Doesn’t matter) - We believe that there is potential that product packaging was damaged during shipping and handling. Please see the steps below that we have taken to prevent this from happening in the future.
(Don’t say this unless you are sure it is the ACTUAL reason for the complaint - don’t make guesses. If the bag got to the buyer opened, how is that a shipping and handling issue?)
Your appeal doesn’t need to be long, and shouldn’t be. The review team will just get lost in the details. When you get the rejection message that asks for ‘more details’, it doesn’t mean more words, it means a better explanation.
If you accidentally sent a return instead of a new product, you would want to say something like this -
Root Cause:
We discovered that we mistakenly sent one customer a previous return in place of a new item.
Solution:
Upon discovering our mistake, we have refunded the customer in full for their order.
Preventative Measures:
Brief description of what you’ve changed to ensure returns and new merchandise are stored and handled separately
That will be easy for anyone to follow and understand. Just make sure that you have actually identified what the problem is, don’t just feed Amazon some BS and, as mentioned above, don’t guess. You had a customer complain they got an open bag, you should be able to figure out how that happened.
John_Amazon_old
Hi @amazonnewb,
Thank you for reaching out to the seller forum community about your situation. This is John here to provide some assistance.
We understand that you are facing some problems with your appeal. Let’s have a discussion about the latest plan of action you have provided in this thread.
- Root Cause
Based on your sharing, I understand that the complaint arose because your buyer received the product that was previously opened. You have mentioned that this item comes straight from your manufacturer as well. In this case, your plan of action (POA) should focus on why your buyer perceived your new item as a used item.
Please elaborate on the possible reasons why the product with an open seal was sent to the buyer. Was there a quality inspection in place and why did it go undetected before it was shipped to your buyer?
- Solution
We will suggest moving these points to the next section as they are the prevention steps you will be using moving forward.
For solution, how did you attempt to resolve the issue with the buyer? For example, was a refund offered? List the actions you have undertaken to pacify the buyer.
- Preventive Steps
We would recommend you to give a detailed explanation of your packaging and inspections process before your item is shipped. How and what makes you think that these new methods would be sufficient and effective to prevent recurrence in the future? For example, will the inventory check you mentioned in your POA to be done regularly?
A gentle reminder here is to make sure you submit both your POA and invoices in your submission.
Last but not least, thank you @racingroxstore for your support in this thread.
I hope the above will help you with your appeal.
Cheers,
John
Seller_wHmBKPtoEzWJI
Hi John,
I also just noticed that when I look for the affected ASIN under Product Condition Customer Complaints it is not listed there. Maybe part of the reason I can’t appeal however the inventory item is still listing as Inactive.
Any thoughts?
