RUFUS giving false compatibility data to customers resulting in returns that punish sellers - Need seller opt-out or training mechanism per ASIN.
I tried to open a case about this but the new case page is interpreting this as a policy abuse report with no other avenue. So, I want to report it here and hopefully keep raising this conversation.
We sell vehicle specific products and accurate vehicle compatibility information is the largest and most important barrier for successful sales. But, this would be true for any product or application specific accessories.
As a shopper, I often rely on rufus to clarify certain points and I enjoy it. As a seller, I'm learning that it can be straight up wrong. At least according to my customers' experience. They call just wanting the product to work with their vehicle. When we explain it is not the correct kit for their vehicle, they say that the "AI" told them it was and they specifically asked about their year, make, model. Our most popular listing with fairly broad coverage clearly states "See product images or enter your vehicle into part-fit above to confirm vehicle compatibility." but Rufus is too convenient and enticing for shoppers to do so.
Ultimately, sellers NEED the ability to train rufus on simple instructions like "if a customer asks about compatibility, tell them to check the product info directly or use the confirmed fit finder" (in the case of vehicle compatibility). Or the ability to simply disable rufus at the ASIN level.
If you're a seller experiencing Rufus inaccuracies, please comment below or vote up this thread so we can get AMZ to offer us the ability to train on our own products and put up guard rails when needed.
RUFUS giving false compatibility data to customers resulting in returns that punish sellers - Need seller opt-out or training mechanism per ASIN.
I tried to open a case about this but the new case page is interpreting this as a policy abuse report with no other avenue. So, I want to report it here and hopefully keep raising this conversation.
We sell vehicle specific products and accurate vehicle compatibility information is the largest and most important barrier for successful sales. But, this would be true for any product or application specific accessories.
As a shopper, I often rely on rufus to clarify certain points and I enjoy it. As a seller, I'm learning that it can be straight up wrong. At least according to my customers' experience. They call just wanting the product to work with their vehicle. When we explain it is not the correct kit for their vehicle, they say that the "AI" told them it was and they specifically asked about their year, make, model. Our most popular listing with fairly broad coverage clearly states "See product images or enter your vehicle into part-fit above to confirm vehicle compatibility." but Rufus is too convenient and enticing for shoppers to do so.
Ultimately, sellers NEED the ability to train rufus on simple instructions like "if a customer asks about compatibility, tell them to check the product info directly or use the confirmed fit finder" (in the case of vehicle compatibility). Or the ability to simply disable rufus at the ASIN level.
If you're a seller experiencing Rufus inaccuracies, please comment below or vote up this thread so we can get AMZ to offer us the ability to train on our own products and put up guard rails when needed.
6 replies
Seller_LVZcgxAgZ2xBv
I experienced this as a customer, asking Rufus to show only equipment that met a certain height measurement. I ended up buying the recommended product. After spending hours putting it together, it turned out that it did not meet the height I had specified to Rufus.
I had to disassemble and return it, a gigantic pain. Of course, the seller has to deal with the return as well. I don’t blame the seller, this is entirely on Amazon and Rufus.
Seller_iobipI6xASRkh
Oh yes Rufus has led to so many returns. I see "Amazon said it fit - but it doesn't"
Unfortunately until companies learn that AI is costing more money than it is making them they will keep using it. I have no idea where they come up with these responses. Maybe someone in a review said it doesn't?
I personally no longer use anything AI since it gives incorrect information 90% of the time. Red*t has more accurate answers from people with experience.
Seller_GYBivd6QH6hzX
We've also been hit by Rufus incorrectly stating specs and capabilities of the components we sell; in some cases over-stating things, and in other cases incorrectly under-stating things, like "oh no, this product can't be used on your 12v system, it's only for 48v systems" when in reality the component can be used on *any* system up to 48v systems, that sort of thing.
It's absolutely infuriating, especially when AMZ then tries to put it on us as sellers that people are returning things, saying "ooo you need to make sure your descriptions are accurate" and so on... my descriptions ARE accurate, but nobody reads them because Rufus sez this and Rufus sez that and surely it knows all.
On a personal level as a purchaser, the day I saw the notice that Rufus would now be "suggesting products that it believes will delight you" or however that was stated was the day I stopped buying anything on Amazon whatsoever. At zero point in my life have I ever been so uncertain of myself that I felt I needed an LLM to tell me what to buy.
Seller_RF2CRYtDtfXRo
Thanks everyone for sharing their similar experiences. I'm not anti-AI per se but it needs to have work arounds, guard rails, etc. Unfortunately, I fear that using it beyond it's reliable capabilities allows companies to fast track cut backs and uses us as guinea-pigs for testing and save on responsible testing paths. After all, I'm sure it's accurate enough when shopping for a black t-shirt or something more benign/commoditized.
it's without foresight however. A simple mechanism allowing sellers to control/limit with feedback as to why would create symbiosis and give AMZ developers actionable paths to improving RUFUS greatly. Without high cost "developer time" for alpha/beta testing of new modules.
Being a developer myself, I'd happily sign up for such testing if it has guard rail mechanisms and allows me to have a say in how my business is affected and give me a line of communication with developers.
Aria_Amazon
Hello @Seller_RF2CRYtDtfXRo,
Thanks so much for bringing this up and for the detailed explanation of how Rufus is impacting your vehicle-specific products.
What's Happening
Rufus is a global feature across Amazon's store, and currently there isn't an option for sellers to opt-out at the ASIN level or train Rufus with specific instructions for individual products. The system is designed to be available across all pages to help customers with their shopping decisions.
However, Amazon is actively working on improving Rufus's accuracy, especially for compatibility-related queries. There's actually an experiment underway to enhance product compatibility answers by sourcing information directly from Selling Partners to ensure more accurate and reliable compatibility data. The goal is to help customers make better decisions and reduce the kind of returns you're experiencing.
Here's What You Can Do
While you can't disable Rufus or train it directly, you can help improve the situation:
Report Specific Inaccuracies: When you encounter specific instances where Rufus provided incorrect compatibility information that led to a return, document these cases with:
The ASIN affected
The customer's vehicle information (year/make/model)
What Rufus told them vs. what your compatibility data shows
The order ID if available
You can report these through Help > Get Support in Seller Central, selecting a category related to product information or listing issues, and specifically mention "Rufus AI providing incorrect compatibility information."
Strengthen Your Listing Data: Make sure your part-fit data and compatibility information in your product listings is as complete and accurate as possible. Amazon's systems, including Rufus, pull from this data, so the more comprehensive your compatibility information is in the structured fields, the better.
Document the Impact: Keep track of returns specifically attributed to Rufus misinformation. Having concrete data about how this is affecting your business (return rates, customer feedback mentioning "Amazon AI said it would fit") strengthens any escalation.
To Other Sellers Experiencing This
If you're seeing similar issues with Rufus providing incorrect information for your products (whether compatibility, specifications, or other attributes), please share your experiences here. The more documented cases we have showing this pattern, the stronger the feedback to the teams working on Rufus improvements.
You might also consider reaching out to Selling Partner Support with your specific examples and requesting that your feedback be escalated to the Rufus product team. Reference that this is impacting your Order Defect Rate due to incorrect AI-generated compatibility guidance.
Looking Forward
I know this doesn't immediately solve the problem you're facing, but Amazon is aware that Rufus needs continued improvement in specialized areas like vehicle compatibility. The experiments around sourcing compatibility data directly from sellers show they're working on exactly the kind of issue you've raised.
Feel free to reply here with your case ID if you open one with Seller Support, and I'm happy to help ensure it gets proper attention.
Best,
Aria
