Any recourse for bad or inexplicable messages from Amazon customer service agents?
We are a fairly high volume third party seller. A problem has been increasingly interfering with our ability to serve our customers effectively. At this point, it’s just about every day that we receive a message from Amazon customer service that is inaccurate, includes very sloppy assessment of the customer’s issue and the proper resolution, or just plain doesn’t make sense. I realize a vast majority of the messages are from Amazon agents that are not based in the U.S., and often these agents do not have an adequate grasp of the English language- but the lack of proper attention or action with regard to a customer’s issue can’t be blamed solely on that. Today alone, we’ve received: a message in which the Amazon agent writes that the customer “provided images of the damage” to a package when in fact there were no such images; a message in which the agent says the customer ordered the wrong product, yet instructs us to provide a PREPAID label for a FULL refund, despite the fact that’s contradictory to our published return policy; and a pair of messages from Amazon agents in which the first one cancels a customer’s return request and the next message (1 min later) indicates we should provide a prepaid label for the customer despite the prior message explaining that the customer did not need to return the item they purchased to receive their refund. The Amazon agents are clearly not doing their job properly, and seem to be paying very little attention to the details of individual cases. And as I mentioned this is happening with increasing frequency. What can we sellers do about this? Do we have any recourse?
10 replies
Seller_uXK39wjFg3cOe
It is a problem.
Generally , knowing that the Amz rep is simply “parroting” whatever the buyer tells them ( " Please send this customer 3 free units and double refund their money") , you need to ignore the “actual” message, figure out the situation as best you can, and act/respond as needed …
Seller_bn8DWWmTSpHb0
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Set up or request a call from Amazon’s BUYER support line.
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Get transferred specifically to an agent in the USA (unlike seller support, they can’t refuse or lie to prevent it) as then politely ask for a supervisor.
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Explain to said supervisor that you are a seller, you received bad, unintelligible, etc messages from a customer service agent, and that you would like to file a complaint on the agent who sent them, as this is something seller support can’t do (which from my understanding is true being both are different departments). Then give them the order id number, which the supervisor can use to see which specific agent contacted you on behalf of the customer.
This is what I do every time now, and I also mention how the agent’s use of false promises, bad information, or in some cases, threats, make it harder to give the customer proper assistance, which is what really brings the point home for the supervisor.
Seller_cIIdgKwVd6QF7
In many cases buyer’s direct contact to Amazon Customer Service is a diversionary tactic. You need to follow up with each customer through the Buyer/Seller Message System to get them on the record.
If you don’t meet their demands and/or the problem escalates to an A-Z Claim, the messages through CS will not become part of the record.
Amazon customers are savvy. The know how to contact sellers.
Funky
Seller_KAiI7r7mjHBV7
It seems like Amazon doesn’t want to pay humans a decent wage or even care if they are trained to do their job well. Since Amazon only apparently cares about their buyers and their stockholders, it’s seems like it might be more cost effective to just parrot buyer messages until AI Bots are trained enough to fire more people. Cynical isn’t it.
Edited to Add: is there any recourse? Unless there is some miraculous event in the making, it’s probably best to adjust accordingly and be grateful what we have and be kind.
Seller_UBmr6lV9X0ngT
maybe a thread where sellers can post these messages. kinda like the “report new sellers making problems” ones. ( I don’t remember the exact title)
Seller_UBmr6lV9X0ngT
that’s what I was shooting for. it would certainly add bulk to these problem. I haven’t had one yet, but i’m pretty new.
Seller_3QIhzNaiqbTwC
We too are a fairly high volume seller, and we feel the same pain !
Just in the past few days: A customer called Amazon wanting to return a product that we shipped. It was a Prime order. Instead of explaining to the customer how to request a return through the site, or generating a return label for the customer- Amazon customer service sent us an email saying the customer wanted to return and asking us to generate the label.
Another customer Amazon wanting to return a product- saying that we as the seller had refused to provide a return label. There is no record in Amazon messaging that we have ever heard anything from the customer- but there is a record that 3 weeks ago the customer generated a return authorization from Amazon for the order and received a label-which has never been used. So does the customer service agent assist the customer in using the return label they had already received ? No- instead the agent files an A-Z claim against us on behalf of the customer ! We replied immediately last night and the claim has already been denied.
Finally, this morning, a customer called us saying she made a $150 purchase from Amazon last week that we shipped. Her problem was that her credit card was charged the $150 but also another $150 pending charge remains on her card affecting her available balance. She called Amazon customer service- and believe it or not they actually told her that she needed to contact us- the shipper ! A customer service agent that doesn’t even understand that 3rd party sellers have nothing at all to do with credit card charges ? Unbelievable.
