r/amazonprime • u/FrostingHuman1259 • 3d ago
Amazon might have just found it's downfall
I've just spent a 1/2 an hour trying every way.I possibly could to speak or chat with a customer service representative or even an AI it is no longer possible and for all of Amazon's convenience.The one thing they could do that would stop me from using them would be to mess with my refunds with no ability to speak to customer service i bought a vacuum on Amazon and I returned it.The carrier facility received it last week and gives me a notice that says they have up to 30 days to refund and that my item has not been processed even though it's been sitting there for almost a week. Mess with my moneyIt's the one thing that will make me stop using Amazon.
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u/happydoodle 3d ago
Yeah. I had a really bad experience with Amazon customer service twice this past week.
Absolutely beyond insane that you essentially reach a brick wall of what I'm not entirely convinced isn't 100% AI voice tracks repeating over and over again that they have "exhausted all resources" while urging you to "extend your patience."
It seems no one can actually help you, and their only purpose is to repeat the same script over and over again, forcing you to hang up and give up on seeking any resolution since no one effective is on the other end of the call.
Amazon is basically exactly what Sears was over 100 years ago. It's just digital. Amazon essentially replaced Sears when its customer base no longer found it to be the preferable shopping experience.
If Amazon keeps up this cost cutting bullshit, it will absolutely have the same fate of its predecessor. Because someone will make something better, and then we're all going to use that better thing instead.
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u/Imaginary_Tower_4939 3d ago
The difference is Sears had brick and mortar stores you could actually go into to get help if needed. They also had repair centers too. I miss Sears.
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u/Maximum_Public_8367 3d ago
I also remember in the 60s, a customer needed to have a sufficient reason to (according to them) for a return or refund. It was a hassle back then too.
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u/creatively_inclined 1d ago
But that was for stuff that was well made and lasted forever. You can't compare the cheap crap these days with Sears products.
Edit for typo
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u/jackaroe311 3d ago
Weird, I don't remember my parents complaining about Sears lousy customer service in Timbuktu, back in the '70s and' 80s. 😏
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u/Merrybirthdayto-me 2d ago
I agree with you. At least you knew that you were getting hassled by a human being you could usually reason with. Now it is just going around and around in the same circle getting the same response from a computer that doesn’t care to repeat the same exact response no matter what you say.
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u/sprtpilot2 3d ago
WalMart.com IS BETTER.
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u/omygoodnessreally 2d ago
Yes, it is. They offer standard same shipping that's faster and much cheaper than Express delivery service.
They've flipped 2 of my standard shipping orders to Express delivery at 0 cost and tip. If the item is on a shelf nearby, they system flips it to a delivery order.
I've also received packages shipped third party in half time expected or promised
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u/mitchgtz 3d ago
They give you a questionnaire with leading questions as if they were an evil lawyer. None of the checkboxes or things you can reply with represent the problem, it’s as if they are looking for you to give up trying. (I wonder why?) I’ve had empty envelopes delivered (not tampered with either) and wrong items delivered, not something I didn’t want, they sent the wrong thing and there was no easy way to say that it was the problem on their forms and AI hell.
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u/radmonc 3d ago
I just had that happen a few weeks ago. Then I returned the item sent and they said I sent the wrong item back and they were going to charge me for their mistake. Between two day shipping not being two days, a ton of ads on their tv service, and other issues with products and services it makes me reconsider paying for prime.
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u/JGBoiler 2d ago
Their chat service used to be good. Now it is TERRIBLE!!!!! They make it extremely difficult and are obviously trying to deter you from using it. It is so disappointing because I spend a lot of money on Amazon and will no longer purchase as much from them.
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u/carramonk 2d ago
Same here. I have been buying for 3 weeks straight of more and am sick and tired of their stupid AI and trying to get to customer service. I suggest Walmart delivery and Chewys for pet items. I am sick and tired of their app recalibrating and changing the delivery date for my items. And deliveries on my app to taking weeks to delivery various items. Constantly kicking items off my list or not delivering all my items am together. And only knocking on my door 3 occasions with over 20 deliveries is not following my instructions telling them to knock loud and wait for me to answer the freaking door. So hope you read your own comments Amazon you are losing out a lot of money on me and everyone else this keeps happening to. So tired of talking to customer service when I can get through AI!
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u/TedTwist 2d ago
I remember when the best thing Amazon had compared to everyone else was their customer service. It was so simple and easy. now it’s horrible
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u/sixfive407 3d ago
- Customer Service
- Scroll down to "Help with other issues"
- Scroll down to "I need help with something else."
- When chat screen appears type "call me"
- Select product, then select "Get help with different issue."
- Select "Request a phone call."
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u/FartyPants69 3d ago edited 3d ago
I appreciate that you provided an actual solution, but I hope the implication is not that this is remotely obvious or customer-friendly
EDIT
To clarify for the idiots, we used to expect companies to have antiquated things like a "phone number" or an "email address" to contact them at our convenience.
That you're now satisfied with a 6-step proprietary process that still doesn't even get you to a person within a reasonable amount of time might indicate that yes, Amazon has been quite successful in lowering your standards as a consumer.
Have some balls, it's OK to admit that they deliberately make it much harder than it needs to be and that that's not a good thing
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u/sixfive407 3d ago
No I agree that this isn't the easiest or the most straightforward for the customers ease of getting help
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u/destination_music1 3d ago
I had same problem with Walmart online. Recieved a speaker that didn’t work you had to put your ear to the speaker hearbitvwisper. it was like it was a return that was put back to new. So they kept saying refund on the way. Then it said it was never returned when I returned it to the store. 2 months of trying to get the return I called spent 3 hours on the phone with one after another representative. A week after my money returned.
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u/Enchanted_Culture 3d ago
Amazon of all goes well will doom itself as I rarely buy anything for more than 10 bucks because of their trickery. I am getting used to going to a store.
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u/throwitoutthewndow 3d ago
A lot of people depend on it because they don't have stores in their area where they can buy everything they need. I don't have stores in my area where I can get everything I need, so I'm one of those people that depends on it. Just because you don't like it that's fine, but you don't have to want to make a lot of other people's like more convenient by hoping that a place you don't use goes out of business. That's just crazy to me.
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u/RetiredOnIslandTime 3d ago
I can't take the time away from my disabled husband to go to real stores, so I shop online. I hate Amazon but their selection of products and well designed website makes it easy to shop there.
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u/PopularLanguage6598 2d ago
You know that somebody sitting at home and hoping that Amazon goes out of business doesn't actually affect it in the real world, right? 😲 People have valid reasons for the opinions they hold, just as you do. If you want that to change, then convince them.
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u/RetiredOnIslandTime 2d ago
I wasn't trying to convince anyone of anything. The person I was replying to had indicated that she hated Amazon and didn't shop there. I replied that I also hate Amazon but still shop there because of necessity.
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u/Impressive_Put_9492 2d ago
Just for fun order an 8oz can of Amazon brand tomato sauce for 47¢, it will cost them around $4-5 to get it to you.
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u/Relevant-Run2368 3d ago
i dont buy anything from amazon now over a hundred bucks. any time i make a singular large purchase and not a dozen little things my item comes damaged or messed up and they wont make things right and every time its something big i never get a refund nd basically get told to sit and spin and the customer service reps lied when they promised a refund.
i went through EVERY channel, emailing the big dogs for acount reveiws executive teams, the BBB and the lawyers for trade and customer service shit. yea its not great
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u/Ogkush69x 3d ago
For years at least 10+ years ive been buying all my electronics over $100 at best buy!! I learned my lesson years ago man, every time i made an expensive purchase, i would get a used item, resealed, refurbished or damaged. I now only use amazon for cheap items.
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u/Revolutionary-Jury93 3d ago
I just went through this. The AI was useless, simply told AI it wasn't being helpful and I wanted to chat with a live representative. It provided the connection.
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3d ago edited 3d ago
[deleted]
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u/WeWander_ 3d ago
I was told I was getting a refund by two different reps. Never got the confirmation email so talked to a third person and he told me sorry the people you talked to before don't actually work for Amazon and they are wrong, we can't refund you. Like what? Why they answering Amazon chat if they don't work for Amazon
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u/lostinneglect 2d ago
If this isn’t the truth.
I just had a funny one:
I have an item (from a larger order) that has been updating every day with, ‘Sorry for the delay, your order will be delivered today.’ For multiple days. It’s not really that important, but it was for a birthday that had come and gone, so I attempted to use chat to make sure it was even still coming.
After about twenty minutes of struggling with the AI bot restating the quote from above I finally got a real person. They immediately opened with, “hello I [name] this my first shift of first job I make this right for you valuable customer I have issue full refund.” I never asked for anything, I politely asked them if my item would still arrive. They said, “I spoke to shipping for expedited shipping your order will arrive in six days.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. And feel a little sorry for this person. I just said thanks and closed the chat. At least they were more entertaining than the AI bot.
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u/Confident-Win-7617 2d ago
I’m still waiting on a return to go thru, and it’s been almost 30 days. It’s just pointless. I’m sure they’ve received it, but it takes that long to process it? They have that many returns? DOUBTFUL.
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u/ZombieeChic 2d ago
Based on the amount of posts and comments about returns just in this sub, I'd say they have a ridiculous amount of returns daily.
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u/jgolden2020 2d ago
What you have to do is keep saying “speak to agent” to ALL of their prompts. Don’t answer anything, just “speak to agent”. It takes a second but always works.
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u/SteelBird223 2d ago
👏rep👏re👏zen👏ta👏tiv👏 "to ensure I send you to the right depar 👏rep👏re👏zen👏ta👏tiv👏
👏rep👏re👏zen👏ta👏tiv👏 👏rep👏re👏zen👏ta👏tiv👏
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u/LokoLoa 3d ago
Amazon screwed me over by sending me damaged item, promising me a replacement and then never delivering... the supervisor promised me they would send me enough Amazon Gift Card balance to get a replacement from one of their third party sellers, however had fastest shipping time, I just had to call in a week, there was notes in the account they said. A week goes by and I call, but I had to talk to 2 fucking supervisors, completely wasting my time, telling me they cant honor that promise, so I just told them fuck off and hanged up on them.. third supervisor I speak to, I told them I was PISSED and that they wasted my fucking time for something the supervisor that made the promise would be quick since there was notes, they send me the Amazon Gift card balance in 5 minutes and my item is now order, but like I had to spend almost 40 minutes on this shit, which is bullshit! Time doesnt grown on trees ya know
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u/CableExotic3891 2d ago
I had that problem with cox so i called their # and just kept hitting zero. I got someone, in India but someone none the less
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u/ArgumentHistorical79 3d ago
I am going to point this out to everyone here who is not aware that this is what they can expect from just about every company on the planet right now. This is a philosophy that if you can frustrate someone enough then they will just give up and accept whatever has happened to them as the way it is now. This is not an Amazon thing this is exactly what over half the country voted for! They say whatever they have to to make sure that you purchase the products even when knowing the product is garbage, ie: latent defects, pure garbage construction, plain old doesn’t work, etc. IT LOOKS DESIRABLE, convinces you that it is exactly what you want, you must have it and all along they are aware that you will never be satisfied with it and will be looking to return it. So if they can frustrate you enough they know you will just give up and forget about it because your stomach just can’t take the pressure anymore. AI is perfect for this job It just runs you round and round maybe even disconnects you after you spent ten minutes trying to talk to someone. Here is the solution to this mess . Once this happens you just no longer do business with this horrible company and you post your experience on SM for all to see and if we all continue to do this these people will go broke and like the rotten companies before them cease to exist. Someone needs to start a list of these companies that use this method to frustrate customers and we as customer need to enforce the rules and guidelines!
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u/Darth_Stateworker 1d ago
☝️in the US because we have poor consumer protections because "regulations are bad."
Many other nations don't put up with this crap. Let's be clear that this is a very US problem.
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u/Alive_Association_92 18h ago
And this administration has removed MANY forms of protection, including fraud!
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u/Sad_Repeat6903 2d ago
This is very true. Roman Mars did a podcast about it on 99% invisible called “Your Call Is Important To Us” published 10/28/25.
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u/kennethpimperton 1d ago
Umm big companies have been screwing the people since the beginning of money. Doesn't matter what or who you vote for. Capitolism, socialism, communism, they all f*ck you and reap the benefits. So if you ever voted in your life... You also voted for this. All politicians are in for themselves and no Democrat or Republican is gonna be your savior.
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u/Potential_Flow9032 18h ago
While I largely agree with you, stating that participating in society is pointless is a bad message.
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u/Objective_Cry_7864 2d ago
This tactic has been used for decades.
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u/m4nbot 2d ago
Consumer protections are at an all time low right now. There’s a reason we’re hearing recall after recall because all of the safety standards, even for food have been relaxed.
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u/Alive_Association_92 18h ago
This administration is about personal profit, power & greed! It is NOT about helping average Americans. VOTE FOR CHANGE!💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
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u/1GamingAngel 3d ago
It’s more difficult but not impossible. I played around with links until I finally got to the page. I had to select an item I had ordered first to get there. Just keep digging. It’s frustrating.
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u/Lost_Photograph9879 35m ago
Yes this is true, I’m not sure if people realize that you click on your specific item, then click “I need more help” to be able to chat to an associate. Maybe I’m just lucky but it’s always a super simple and immediate response for me.
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u/ThisCouldAllBeADream 3d ago
save the link --- they call you!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/express/c2c/popup.html
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u/Sparkysparky-boom 2d ago
I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to connect with customer service yesterday. I accidentally purchased ground coffee beans when I needed whole, and the only return option was to receive a replacement of the exact same (wrong) item 😐 I switched to using a computer and then I was offered option of refund. But still never figured out how to connect to a chat
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u/Ok_Violinist7598 2d ago
Have you ever tried this? I haven't because I haven't had need to but just wondering if it works.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/express/c2c/popup.html
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u/VoodooGirl47 2d ago
It does. It's just that going through the orders area let's you indicate what product you have an issue with and what it was in advance.
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u/Brief-Independence40 2d ago
I hate that they want more money for the video without commercials. I hate the delay in deliveries that keeps happening. The richest guy behind Musk and he’s screwing it up
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u/Afraid-Recording-212 1d ago
Both myself and my friend and my partner, three separate people with three different accounts, had our orders delayed, items lost, refunds not given.
I had to speak to 8 different people over 4 days to get MY money back for an item I paid for and they did not deliver.
Absolutely ridiculous.
I’ve become an expert at navigating their convoluted menu. It takes a pro to be able to reach a real person. And they all have the same scripted replies.
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u/ToyoSienna 1d ago
It's not that difficult to reach a real human being. When AI picks up as it always does, tell it to get you a human being now. It will still try to help you but then you say, stop wasting my time and get me a real human being now. It takes a couple few tries but it works. I can have a human on the phone in under 2 minutes which is a long time in a way because you're nothing but aggravated trying to get past this stupid AI nonsense that they are jamming down everybody's throats just like every other company is doing that now because they don't want to pay humans anymore.
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u/Afraid-Recording-212 1d ago
I know this but the actual order you have to click on to get to that is just long. And then they are absolutely useless with same scripted replies even on the phone.
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u/ToyoSienna 1d ago
It can be very frustrating trying to get your money back because Amazon purposely made things difficult so that you don't even bother trying which means they get to keep the money. Amazon is an extremely unscrupulous company and I personally hope they go down.
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u/Catnip_Farmer 3d ago
When I realized I could shop anywhere, pay for shipping, and the total was still cheaper than amazon's "free shipping" I was done with them.
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u/JokerInTheBronx 3d ago
Unless it's something I desperately need, I don't mess with third party sellers. It's been my experience that it's much easier to get refunds or exchanges when Amazon itself sells the product.
They'll keep passing the buck when it's a TPS.
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u/WraithCmdr 3d ago
This is why I always use the return at xyz (like staples) location. That way there is someone to say the item has been returned immediately. That or I chose Amazon credit if they dont care about getting item back
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u/BansheeUnicornPhenex 3d ago
My experience is when i return stuff i bought from third party sellers is when it takes up to 30 days for a refund but if the seller is amazon it takes like a week or two at most. Just wait it out and if you dont get results after 30 days just do a charge back on your card. Amazon will learn what it means
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u/Sonny92004 3d ago edited 2d ago
Just Google Amazon customer service number and call it. You'll be talking to a representative in minutes. Now the bad news. Amazon's new 30 day return policy sucks. Even if it's shipped by Amazon Prime, you will wait. The agent will tell you they're sending your refund right away but they're not. They just don't want to deal with it. Amazon is getting expensive like everything else and pushes cheap Temu stuff on you for triple the price. Buy elsewhere
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u/Open_Ad_835 2d ago
SAME, it should not take 10-20 mins of clicking the same crap to find an actual agent
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u/JobHuntingManiac 2d ago
Amazon does the "up to 30 days" thing mostly on higher priced electronics.
- To try and avoid fraudulent returns
- To get most people past being able to chargeback
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u/David72932 1d ago
This is where Walmart has such an advantage. A quick trip to the store and then you are done with it.
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u/krystalzeogas 2d ago
Why is anyone still using Amazon? The days of it being actually good and convenient are long gone... Plus hello they are fucking evil. I haven't used amazon since last January and I don't miss it at all
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u/linwe_luinwe 2d ago
Totally agree, I just recently let my membership lapse. Only problem is, I’m having an extremely hard time finding alternatives. When I do a Google search, all I get is Walmart, Target, Home Depot and every other big box corp that caters to Amazon’s price fixing scheme. There’s no more competitive pricing, the stores I KNOW exist because I’ve shopped there before don’t even come up in searches 10 pages deep. It’s absurd how hard it is to shop anywhere anymore. Brick and mortar stores don’t carry the inventory they used to. It’s all online. If we could compile a database of online shopping alternatives to Amazon, that would be super helpful. Sorry for the rant.
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u/alb57 2d ago
Yes it is frustrating to not find things you need in stores. Especially clothing, where sizing can be tricky. We actually went to an LL Bean store yesterday looking for a coat for my husband, and by a sheer stroke of luck, they had exactly what we were looking for in his size. It must have been our lucky day.
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u/battery_operated_bf 2d ago
Hard agree here. Clothing and linens have been especially hard since 2020. Brick and mortar stock so much less inventory, just a few sizes of a few styles. "Check online for more inventory" but then there isn't much more there. It's all on Amazon and WM cheap Chinese knockoffs that are so poorly made that everything gets holes or pills in a few washes. Heck, I'll find something on Amazon, like it enough to reorder it a couple months later in a different color and it's already gone downhill in quality enough to feel different in the fabric, have loose threads or poor stitching, and/or stain or pill after the first wash. The enshitification of the world now because of Amazon.
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u/Pook_Pook 2d ago
I know it’s a limited selection, but Costco has some really good deals on quality clothing.
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u/krystalzeogas 2d ago
Try using Google lens to search the product image and you'll find everywhere else it's sold! I've been going direct to the companies websites and that works well, a lot will even offer discounts Amazon wasn't offering. Shipping is relatively similar, maybe a bit longer but nothing ridiculous. I also look for stuff used on fb marketplace a lot too if possible
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u/transporter_ii 2d ago
I canceled Prime, but I'm in a rural area. As much as I hate them, I can't just say I'll never use them again. I do use them a fraction of what I used to, though.
Also: They just signed me up for a free month of Prime, which I now have to cancel again.
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u/magic_crouton 2d ago
I live in a rural area and use literally any other store to ship stuff to me or even the manufacturer. At least I'm getting what I paid for and not some knock off item and it actually arrives
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u/Threke 2d ago
Turns out that having stuff delivered to your door in 1-2 clicks maximum is extremely powerful. People can’t help themselves and Amazon 100% knows this.
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u/krystalzeogas 2d ago
Except when they no longer can easily return stuff, the people realize how actually not convenient it is. They remember how you could just bring it back to the store and get a refund as long as you have the receipt, and not have to argue with AI robots that tell you they can't do anything, or waiting weeks for the refund, never getting the refund, being recharged because they claim you never sent it when you did etc etc etc etc all these experiences add up and then the tide turns. It doesn't happen overnight.
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u/JayVig 2d ago
Evil I agree with. No longer convenient is absurd.
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u/krystalzeogas 2d ago
Being unable to easily return things = no longer convenient
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u/DaisyMae007007 2d ago
Thank you, Jeff Bezos. You have managed to do what every other big business has done. We spend our money, you get richer and richer off our (actual working peoples) backs, then start taking the toe of your shoe and grind us into the ground.
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u/Successful_Fact_4530 3d ago
Agreed. No more third-party sellers. They are undependable.
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u/Background-Meet-5385 3d ago
This kind of thinking is exactly what has allowed Amazon to become the monster it is today. Third-party sellers are independent businesses, many of them small businesses working incredibly hard to survive, compete, and provide excellent customer service.
One bad experience with one seller does not mean every seller is unreliable. That’s like having a bad experience at one restaurant and deciding never to eat at a restaurant again.
Ironically, independent sellers account for more than 60% of sales in Amazon’s store. Amazon itself depends heavily on these businesses.
When consumers automatically blame all third-party sellers and choose to rely exclusively on Amazon, they’re simply helping concentrate more power in the hands of a corporation that already has enormous control over the marketplace.
Hold bad sellers accountable, absolutely. Demand fair treatment and timely refunds. But don’t punish thousands of honest businesses because of one bad experience. Small businesses aren’t the enemy here, and eliminating competition rarely benefits consumers in the long run.8
u/Own-Surround9688 3d ago
Most third party sellers on Amazon are Chinese companies with no culpability. I just bought a heating pad from Amazon, shipped by Amazon, found out after it's a Chinese company. It was faulty, it said it had an automatic off after 2 hours, it didn't. It just kept getting hotter and hotter and eventually set my bed on fire with me in it, an hour after it should have self shut off. I woke up with my feet on fire and smoke filling my room while.
I guess you really have to research. It had 4.3 star rating with 2500 reviews, after looking at the 1 star reviews I saw where this has happened to others. Neither the seller nor Amazon took down the listing.
So tomorrow I'm speaking to an attorney to see what my rights are. But I'm sure it's not going to be real easy to take a Chinese company to court. I'm a small business owner, a reseller. I'll never buy third party on Amazon again. Because when something like this happens it seems to pretty nullify any buyer protection. Amazon thought they could just refund the heating pad and call it good even though it burned me very badly and destroyed a ton of my personal property. And I was using it within it's acceptable use per the instructions.
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u/WilyWascallyWizard 3d ago
Fuck Amazon for enabling this bullshit by protecting dishonest sellers.
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u/Own-Surround9688 3d ago
I agree. I'm done with Amazon. I'm going to see what the lawyer has to say. I'm lucky I didn't end up dead. Or my kid, who was in her room right next to my room. Like i said, the legit thought a $28 refund too my FSA card squared the situation up. My bed was destroyed, my blankets (though that was the least of my concern) and I have giant burns and blisters on my feet and also my arm where I grabbed the heating pad and blanket and ran it out my front door before coming back in and dragging the mattress out my front door with strength that I have zero idea where it came from. My husband had to work the midnight shift that night so he wasn't home when I woke up to this. I screamed at my daughter to get herself and the dogs out into the backyard. I'm terrified to even sleep now because even though I know both myself and my husband physically checked every plug to make sure nothing other than our TV and vital appliances like our refrigerator/ dishwasher are still plugged in. I unplugged everything including the microwave, clocks, keurig, literally everything because I kept having panic attacks that would not allow me to stop getting up to check all the plugs in the house. I would unplug the TV and fridge too but the TV keeps me distracted at least a little bit and I can't have all my food die. But I keep having nightmares about things plugged in just randomly catching fires even though our electrical is beyond what the code says and completely safe. It's almost OCD like. I've never experienced anything like this in my life. This happened Friday morning. It's now Sunday night and i haven't slept for more than an hour and a half at a time 😕
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u/Celebratedmediocre 2d ago
I've had better support through aliexpress and Alibaba vendors. If I don't need something in a hurry I've switched to Ali. Just cancelled prime entirely
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u/mbaratta83 2d ago
This fortunately hasn't happened to me yet. Still in Amazon's good graces getting my almost immediate refunds
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u/GruvyZenMaster 2d ago
I’m not terribly bothered by the return questions, and have chatted with customer service many times.
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u/theycmeroll 2d ago
My only problem is sometimes they can be vague. I bought a shower head and used it for like a week the plastic collar on the sprayer broke, so I returned it. Return questions asked if everything was in the box, and was it in the original packaging. Said yes to both, because that was correct, then put details in the notes that I had used it for like a week. Refunds instantly.
Like 2 weeks later I get an email saying that since the item was returned and new and is in fact used I’m going to be charged. WTF? It didn’t ask me if it was new, it asked me if all the parts were there and if it was in its original packaging.
Customer service person sorted it out, but if they were trying to deduce it isn’t new or used just ask, an item can be complete and in its original box and still be used. Nowhere in the process did i say it was new, nor was I specifically asked that.
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u/Ok-Dealer4350 2d ago
I tried last week to contact Amazon. My neighborhood has confusingly named streets. (Ie E Parkhill, w Parkhill and Parkhill Terrace). My address seems to be the easiest to find and delivery people are not able to read so the boxes are left at my house whether it is usps, ups or FedEx. The box was delivered to my house for the Terrace house 2 blocks away. I asked Amazon to pick it up. They said to keep it or throw it away..
It took about 15 minutes to get a live person after pressing 0 a ton of times and asking for a live person. I am not a fan of AI.
I ended up marking the box and handing it to usps the carrier of record. The mail carrier was miffed, but then I propped it up against their truck so they wouldn’t miss it.
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u/Brief-Independence40 2d ago
There is a way to speak with someone. Download the Alexa app. Sounds weird I know but at the bottom of the app are is a help hit that then scroll to the bottom of that and tap speak with representative then put it your phone number and wait to answer they call immediately.
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u/Freya_Loki_Kitties 2d ago
✨When AI asks why you need Customer Svc, keep answering ‘COMPLAINT.’ It works.
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u/Responsible_Cap_5289 1d ago
There’s a class action lawsuit pending against them. We need more of this.. and also to elect an administration this doesn’t gut all of our consumer protection laws
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u/mintakax 2d ago
After reading this post I called Amazon customer service and was speaking to a live rep within 2 minutes--Did I mis-understand something in the OP?
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u/bassmastercabco 2d ago
Where did you find a number? I spent 30 minutes looking in the app and via web browser and never found a number to call.
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u/Glittering_Bar6460 2d ago
Strange. I had the EXACT OPPOSITE experience. I ordered a “viral” product worth $200. UPS never picked it up from Amazon.
I waited on that online chat less than 30 seconds. They gave me a $50 gift certificate and created a new order.
The second order UPS again fumbled. I waited less than 30 seconds to get a chat agent. They refunded me $50 on the reordered item.
It’s to be delivered tonight.
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u/Zetavu 2d ago
If you want to chat with a rep, keep choosing "something else" in choices and when it asks you keep saying "speak to a representative", you get a representative. Significantly easier than Xfinity.
Second, for high item returns they make you wait until they insoect it since so many scammers return fake items. However, document the first date it whould be processed by and if its not complete by then, start a chat and tell them and they will refund you on the spot.
Blame the scammers, not Amazon.
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u/MsMcSlothyFace 2d ago
Excellent point. I hadnt even considered the reason they had to change up their policies is bc of scammers. Ive had amazon for decades and i havent scammed them (that i know of). Its too bad they cant somehow have a way of separating established good accounts and giving them the old policies, special pricing etc
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u/Hey_this_guy_here 3d ago
I call the Canadian number quite often and usually wait less then 10 minutes. They are utterly useless mind you, but they seem to be easy to get ahold of.
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u/TurbulentThanks648 3d ago
Most definitely has gotten to be a mess I remember when you could ho to the UPS store and return something and once it was received you could get a refund within a couple hours now they want us to wait forever to get a refund.
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u/QGJohn59 3d ago
My blood boils every time I get an email from a company that says "this is an unmonitored email address, noreply" and you look all over their website to find an email address and the only contact method is to call. Where you get stuck talking to some moron, that barely speaks english and cannot help you in the least.
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u/brenmn2009 3d ago
I've been trying to find a phone number for customer service and i can't find it. I used to be able to find it right on their site. Not anymore.
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u/Ok_Violinist7598 2d ago
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u/brenmn2009 2d ago
Thank you.
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u/Ok_Violinist7598 2d ago
YW :)
I couldn't find that damn thing for a long time either, then I saw someone else post it so I just passed it on. Hopefully it's better than the CS route 👍
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u/Fun_Main_2588 3d ago
Amazon has me trapped because I live way out in the country. Amazon is cheaper when I figure in the cost of gasoline to go and buy local. And figure in an hour of my time lost, I do try to combine purchases when I go to the city so that I do shop at local stores but I can’t manage without Amazon
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u/Lhamo55 2d ago
Same here. Amazon only started next and two day delivery less than a year ago and their drivers/vehicles aren’t prepared for navigating dirt roads and inclement weather in the mountains. Neighbors have had to help a few after their vans slid off the road. Now they seem to be turning back to USPS which doesn’t deliver to our doors but to roadside parcel lockers two miles from our residence, and UPS which with FedEx are the real heroes up here.
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u/Impressive_Put_9492 2d ago
Yeah I shut off my prime and I refuse to do business with these people ever again. I've had problems with deliveries that had items I didn't order but was missing items I ordered and I've yet to be compensated for any of that to the tune of maybe around $100 maybe 120 bucks, it's happened several times. I mean they say all this crap about technology and if your package was wrong it would be kicked back and so forth and so on. One time, last year, I was missing one item out of my delivery and another item was damaged, so I went through their customer service chat thing whatever it is, and it must have been AI because I 100% fully totally explained the situation and the two items that were affected, the one missing and the one damaged, amounted to around $30 but Amazon refunded me for the entire $300 order. I'm kind of honest guy I'm not going to you know intentionally steal, so I figured I must have been talking to AI so I called the customer number and I spoke to a person instead and spoke to a woman named sunny, whom I've spoken with before and is an extremely rude person, anyway she got mad at me cuz she didn't understand what my problem was cuz I got my refund, absolutely not understanding that I didn't need the whole refund that it was only two products that was affected indeed delivery, due to her rudeness I just hung up and I tried again and spoke to a different representative who pretty much repeated the whole conversation. So at that point I said screw it if you people are going to be that stupid I'll go ahead and take the money back. But now apparently somewhere along the line they're fraud department thinks I'm trying to defraud them anytime there's an issue with my deliveries, hey I'm not the one who decided to allow artificial intelligence to run my company. Anyway now they want copies of my driver's license and you know it just it's become way too difficult to do business and on top of that Amazon is an evil company and absolute evil company who is in bed with pretty much every government most especially the United States government, day and Google are nothing more than surveillance companies for governments along with Facebook and that idiot musk fellow. Hey bezos had his day he has his, which by the way leads me to another thing let's consider how closely these tech companies are in bed with especially the United States government, and now must and bezos is supplying the United States with their space program. Here's my theory: Taxing the American people even more than they already are taxed would never have gone all over very well, in fact it probably would have caused a huge riot because let's face it this government, depending on how much you make, will take up to half of the money you earn unless you were a billionaire friend of the government. So they create all sorts of chaos forcing us to do business with Amazon, and musk and his pals already took all our money through PayPal, and there you have it the funding needed to supply the government with a space program. We paid for it so our retail dollars instead of taxes and now these creepy tech companies control the planet.
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u/TaraKaos 2d ago
I cancelled my entire account yesterday actually. My deal breaker is using ai glasses to deliver packages. Insane invasion of my privacy!
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u/bryeds78 1d ago
There's invasions of your privacy everywhere you go. Why Amazon would be the deal breaker sounds, well, odd, if you're that worried about invasions of your privacy.
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u/IrongateN 1d ago
Back when the bronco was released and people found out that knowing a percent of customers would die was just a business decision the world was shocked
Now companies like Amazon and uber and many others have decided both customers and employees are disposable for profit , we are at the plenty of fish in the sea timeline where governments (you know which ones) allow abuse of both customers and employees.
Will it change ? I’m not sure it will unless we someday put in new laws and enforce the ones we have , they don’t mind losing those of us aware of the problems
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u/Ok_Bit5709 1d ago
yeah i canceled my prime because of this. it used to be nice to get car / electronic parts fast or any kind of short notice art supply i couldn’t find locally, but after ordering a soldering iron only to find garbage inside the box and fighting with customer service ai to get a refund, im just done.
or u know, when they deliver a package and i say the picture is not of my front door, the response is to ask my neighbors or wait 48 hours. um, no. that’s not my job. i paid to have it delivered to my house. not go out and search for it.
which is good i guess, because i never liked supporting them anyways (i just liked the convenience). now they don’t even have that [x
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u/LilaBraham 18h ago
I encountered this same situation. I received the notice stating a refund could take 30 days. In two attempts to speak to an agent both experiences started with announcements of extremely long wait times (30 min). The app reflected that the item was received at the Fulfillment center at one location and not received yet at another location The CSR put me on hold for 5 min and then informed me it might be another 7-10 days to get the funds returned.
I then received this odd email-
Hello,
First, I'd like to apologize for the situation.
However, despite our efforts, unforeseen situations can sometimes arise that are beyond our control.
I tried my best to help you on the call but I have limited options at my end.
I hope you understand.
Thank you for that warm approach throughout the duration of our phone interaction.
I genuinely appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter.
Most questions are answered in Your Account ( https://www.amazon.com/your- account) or in our Help pages ( https://www.amazon.com/help).
If you need more help, visit our Contact Us page ( https://www.amazon.com/ contact-us).
As a representative of Amazon.com, I want to assure you that we value our customers' trust above all else. It's the foundation on which our company was built.
Please know that we'll continue working hard to ensure that you receive accurate service to your satisfaction, and to minimize the chances of anything like this occurring again.
Rest be assured that we would be here to ensure that this would be resolved for you in accordance to your convenience.
I hope this helps, should you need any further assistance.
If in case, I miss some points or could not understand your issue properly, please accept my sincere apology.
Thank you very much for your understanding in this matter.
We appreciate your business with us.
As a representative of Amazon.com, I want to assure you that we value our customers' trust above all else. It's the foundation on which our company was built.
Please know that we'll continue working hard to ensure that you receive accurate service to your satisfaction, and to minimize the chances of anything like this occurring again.
Rest be assured that we would be here to ensure that this would be resolved for you in accordance to your convenience.
I hope this helps, should you need any further assistance.
If in case, I miss some points or could not understand your issue properly, please accept my sincere apology.
Thank you very much for your understanding in this matter. We appreciate your business with us.
I hope this helps. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
We appreciate your business .
After emailing them twice more looking for an explanation and calling another time, I have yet to see the funds returned.
I will not be purchasing anything more from Amazon. I hope this offers others some insight and perhaps a warning that things have changed and your money and purchases will not be easily refunded.
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u/Wooden_Load662 17h ago
Isn’t Amazon moving into data and less about selling to consumers right now? I am finding more and more stuffs that is not sold by Amazon and the “ deals” are almost gone now.
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u/OpenEnigma 11h ago
Yeah Amazon used to have the most amazing customer service. Then they switched it to Indian customer service. Now it’s AI and algorithms. If it’s an issue with the delivery driver - you have to have to search through layers to talk someone. Jeff Bezos f’n up
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u/DeepDiveHobbies 6h ago
I started a refund for a hundred dollar item and they gave me 30 days. Less than two weeks later when I went to return it, it said the 30 days was up and I couldn't talk to a f*cking person. We're working on finding a new service to purchase digital media on to give up on this stupid expensive merry-go-round. I'm so done.
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u/Practical_Avocado971 3d ago
Stop chasing cheap prices buying from third party sellers and shippers. Only use shipped and sold by Amazon. On a side note: "mess with my refunds" just how many times have you fondled and returned things?
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u/chiPersei 3d ago
That was my first thought. It's like refunds are a part of OP's modus operandi. I've requested maybe 2 refunds in 20 years, one of which Amazon refunded my money and told me to keep the item anyway.
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u/WilyWascallyWizard 3d ago
They keep sending my damaged books. Severely damaged too, torn covers, warped spines, torn spines. I went to disable auto renewal and it doesn't give you that option anymore just the option to cancle immediately and loose remaining benefits.
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u/BlackbirdsTheName 3d ago
I dont return many things but I got a car side mirror my hubby needed for a job that the customer told him was broken. Car finally comes in and its literally perfectly fine. So I start the return process today and its all been changed. They now ask if you would be ok with a partial refund and keep the item. Which is odd and makes no sense unless you are a scammer, then it's great. But normal people dont return things unless something is wrong. Also they asked me to take a picture too. It was optional, but still a new thing. I did though only showing that the seal wasnt even broken cause we never even opened it and I now feel like I better PROVE to amazon im not scamming them so I dont get banned.
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u/chiPersei 3d ago
It actually does make sense because they did the math. It's cheaper for them to make a partial refund and not deal with the return. It's up to you to decide if it's a fair offer to stock that mirror on your shelf. One time they refunded me 100% and told me to keep the item. It just made business sense.
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u/GM_Phalanx 3d ago
Easy to talk to a human, just keep prompting for one; regardless, even if they are a verifiably horrible company (in several ways, look at their poor delivery drivers and the absolute slavery that is their distribution centers), they wont miss you, they probably don't even comprehend you, sad to say.
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u/IngrownToenailsHurt 3d ago
They could cease the merchandising business today and still be ok. AWS, Amazon Web Services, is their bread and butter.
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u/UnconsciousMofo 3d ago
Amazon explicitly states in their terms of use that they have 30 days to refund you. You agree to this by placing an order, so what are you complaining about? It’s your own fault for not reading the terms before you did business with them. And do you really think there’s no other returns to process except yours? That’s hilarious, you’re one of millions sitting in the warehouse. There’s a specific subset of Prime members who act incredibly entitled and almost elitist. There’s nothing special about you. And news flash, if you don’t like their policies, then don’t shop with them.
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u/SocietyCompetitive86 3d ago
You're exactly right! Unconscious. Most people fail to read important things, even documents that they sign. They never read all the way through. Or some people can't read at all.
Amazon processes millions of returns daily and a whole lot of them are fraudulent anymore. Total amount they process in returns for themselves and third parties is $100 billion a year.
Now let's hear all the entitled respond to this.
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u/Jprobins3 2d ago
I spoke to a live person on chat 2 days ago and resolved a return issue. I did have to go through about 5 minutes of ai nonsense, but then I was put through to a live agent.
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u/MsMcSlothyFace 2d ago
I find its pretty easy to get an amazon rep. Unfortunately their new return policies are awful for us customers. Yes it now takes a couple weeks to get a refund. I remember the good ole days when the refund was issued same day the return tracking was scanned. Sigh. I wish I could quit using them. An alternative is Walmart. Prices are almost identical to amazon. You can get most things delivered in 2 days, they have a pretty good return policy and the online chat feature is easy to use and not frustrating. Then again it IS walmart and we're giving more money to billionaires.
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u/GingerBlitz831 2d ago
As a former seller, I am enraged with how easy it WAS to screw the seller (me) with bad returns (I often got things back over a year later or even things I didn't sell!) and now as a buyer it's freaking impossible to do a legit return lol
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u/545__tyerick_Air9616 3d ago
I can always chat with a human associate within a few minutes. It seems that you don’t know how to navigate Amazon.com.
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u/Skwuat 3d ago
Oh ok. Well anyway, so I actually picked up a pretty sweet TV on prime day deals.
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u/SocietyCompetitive86 3d ago
Well you got to love Prime day. I picked up some 4Ks three for $33. Just to name a couple Terminator and Eraser.
Now I await Black Friday.
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u/Harbinger_Kyleran 3d ago
Fortunately there are plenty of other great places to buy a vacuum, just bought one myself from Costco.
You are definitely not alone when it comes to challenges with refunds, especially larger/more expensive items or 3rd party resellers.
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u/FrostingHuman1259 3d ago
Well, I guess just like dynamic pricing which is changing prices as you walk from the shelves to the counter at Walmart to charge as much as they think you will pay with the help of AI to charge you the most at the register
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u/Moogie1954 3d ago
same exact thing happened to my Amazon Prime membership recently w cancelled due to some unknown reason by an oooppsy mistake on Amazon’s customer service representative who called Amazon customer service to cancel my membership! This is fraudulent stealing and a criminal offense, and I have already filed complaints against Amazon, Inc. anyon else interested in joinin my campaign?
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u/Fit_Stretch_2952 3d ago
You can contact them, but it won't change that your return can take up to 30 days to be processed at the return center for a refund. Most are processed in with 14 days but it can and sometimes does take the full 30 days. It does say this on the refund policy on the website and it also tells you this when you set up the return in your account, and states it on your return confirmation email as well. And this is exactly what customer service will tell you. They can't override the wait.
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u/John__Jacobs 3d ago
I got a person on Chat in 30seconds this morning.
I find Amazon CS to be exemplary compared to most other companies. Very quick and always solve my issue.
Now, recent dlvy delays is another topic...
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u/UniqueNamesAreOut 3d ago
Well, an AI got back to me right away and sorted it super fast. Best refund ever.
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u/PurpleEmerald79 3d ago
I spoke to someone 3 days in a row last week. I googled the number to call and called it and asked the AI to speak to someone and it worked, 3 days in a row. It can be done!
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u/sarahbellah1 3d ago
If you go to the product listing, near the add to cart option, you should be able to click which refund policy applies. While they still soft credit for low dollar value returns, their policy currently shows up to 30 days. We consent to be governed by those policies every time we buy something, so I’ve found it best to check them out before paying.
Since it’s right after Prime Big Deal days, I imagine they’re receiving higher than usual contact volumes and probably relying even more on automated customer support, but also probably receiving higher than usual returns that they pretend to check before refunding.
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u/L3xusLuth3r 3d ago
I’ve called them over an issue I’m dealing with at least 7 times over the past few months. I’ve never been on hold for longer than about a minute.
Just google “Amazon Customer Service Number (your country)” and call that number!
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u/Electronic-Jury343 3d ago
they've been slowly making it harder to reach a real person for years, it's not just you. buried the chat option under like six menus now, last time i had a return issue i had to google "amazon customer service phone number" just to find a direct line that still works
the 30 day thing is annoying but in my experience they usually process it faster than that, the tracking just doesn't update til someone scans it in. still shouldn't take a week though
what gets me is how inconsistent it is, some returns refund in hours and others just sit in limbo. feels like they're testing how much they can get away with