| QUESTION: I'm pretty angry. Six months after shipping | | | | the customer had gotten a refund from her credit-card |
| an order, Amazon refunded my buyer, who claimed | | | | company, claiming the transaction was "unauthorized." |
| she didn't place the order. She never contacted me or | | | | After asking (in three e-mails) for an explanation from |
| returned the book, and Amazon took my money! No | | | | an Amazon supervisor, I finally received an anonymous |
| A-to-Z Guarantee claim was filed, and nobody asked | | | | e-mail from their billing department, apologizing for their |
| for my side of the story. What can I do? | | | | error, and my funds were restored. I was irritated -- to |
| ANSWER: You should do what I've done in similar | | | | put it mildly -- at how much time this $9 dispute |
| cases: become a very squeaky wheel. If you squeak | | | | consumed. But I didn't want a precedent established |
| loudly and long enough, Amazon may provide the | | | | where Amazon would be refunding willy-nilly on orders |
| grease. | | | | I'd fulfilled. |
| I've sold to about 110,000 buyers on Amazon and 18 of | | | | This is a vivid illustration of why Amazon should assign |
| those orders have resulted in A-to-Z claims. In every | | | | account representatives to Pro-Merchant sellers, |
| case, Amazon denied the claim -- or returned my | | | | something I've recommended since 2001. Disputes like |
| funds -- after I provided the delivery confirmation | | | | this can't be resolved using canned e-mail responses -- |
| number. | | | | sometimes human intervention is required. I'm sure |
| But recently, like you, I noticed a suspicious refund | | | | Amazon believes they're saving a bit on support costs, |
| made outside the A-to-Z Guarantee. The buyer | | | | but this type of shoddy business practice generates ill |
| e-mailed me several days after the order, asking that it | | | | will among Amazon's best customers: its Pro-Merchant |
| be cancelled. Since the book was already in the mail, I | | | | sellers. |
| asked her to refuse delivery, and I'd refund when it | | | | So if I were you, I'd send Amazon a friendly e-mail by |
| was returned. I never heard from her again, and the $9 | | | | clicking on the yellow button on the right, asking that |
| book was never returned. But nine months later, in | | | | the funds be restored to your account. If that fails, I'd |
| October 2005, Amazon deducted the money from my | | | | phone Amazon's seller-support folks at 877-251-0696. I |
| account with no explanation. | | | | can't promise you'll have a satisfactory outcome, but I'd |
| To add insult to injury, when I e-mailed Amazon | | | | encourage you to protest vigorously anytime you think |
| demanding an explanation, they replied (incorrectly) that | | | | you've received unfair treatment. Good luck! |
| I'd failed to reply to their chargeback inquiry. Evidently | | | | |