Rastoff
US Veteran
I'm an Amazon Prime member. I use it a lot and really like the free 2 day shipping. In recent times the shipping has been slower, but I'm not losing sleep over that. Recently I had a fun exchange with Amazon because I got the wrong thing.
What I wanted:
What I got:
It's a ridiculous thing and just something to have some fun with my friends. So, really no big deal, but I want what I ordered.
Here's why it was wrong:
You can see that the Rifle Wrap sticker was stuck right over the top of the Ghillie thread sticker. Ok, when they're scrunched up in the bag, they look similar. Anyone can make a mistake so, let's get it straightened out.
Amazon has a feature where you can chat with someone on line rather than on the phone. I like that. So I get on chat with Amazon. Spend a couple of minutes with a computer and eventually get Sagar to join me on the chat session. The actual chat is 18 pages long so, I cut it down a little:
Rastoff: I explain the issue.
Sagar: My apologies again for this situation; I sincerely hope you give us another chance to prove the quality of our service.
In this case I can issue a refund or replacement with return label for the item Please let me know what would you prefer?
Rastoff: I would like a replacement, but I wouldn't mind keeping this as well and I'll just pay the extra.
Sagar: Nope, this is not possible. (Is it just me or can you hear the Indian accent in that phrase too?)
Rastoff: OK, I'll return this and wait for the next one.
This is how I expected it to go. The replacement item takes a few days to get here and wonder of wonders, same problem. Back to Amazon chat I go.
Again, a few minutes with the computer and Priyanka joins the fun.
Priyanka: Is it completely a different item ?
Rastoff: Yes, it's different from what I ordered. It has the wrong labeling. I can send a pic.
Priyanka: Thanks for bringing this to our attention! I can help you with a refund as we need to investigate this issue.
Rastoff: Hmmmmmm, not what I was hoping for. Others have received the correct item, I would rather get the right product than a refund.
Priyanka: You can reorder the item and choose the fastest shipping speed and we will waive the shipping cost as a good gesture. Its Refund On First Scan , We’ll issue this refund as soon as the carrier receives and scans the item’s return. Would you like Refund in Amazon account as a gift card which will be credited in 4 hrs?
Rastoff: OK
Priyanka: To help compensate for any inconvenience, I've applied a promotional credit of $5 on the account.
Rastoff: How do I cover the extra shipping cost? Or is that the $5?
Priyanka: Okay you will need to pay for it at first and once the order is delivered we request you to contact us any agent will refund the charges.
I have made a note on the account .
$5 is over and above this compensation .
So, I agree to all that, go ahead and order the product again and pay a little extra for shipping to get it sooner. At this point I've paid double the price and still don't have the correct product. This was last Thursday. Remember, I was supposed to be refunded within 4 hours.
Today, wonder of wonders, the correct item comes in. Great. Now I just need to contact Amazon to get the cost of my shipping back. On a whim I look at my bank account and realize that I've received no refund of any kind. Not the price of the item and not the promised $5.
Back to chat with Amazon.
This time I get Kyle and have to go through the explanations again.
Kyle: so you've sent 2 packages back to us?
Rastoff: Correct
Kyle: ok that one is on its way back to us still, it will be refunded once its received and processed at the fulfillment center
that can take up to 3 weeks, it generally doesnt take nearly that long but we are advising people of delays due to the current circumstances
and for the shipping you paid, I can't refund that directly but I can issue you a promotional credit to use on another order for that amount
Rastoff: Not correct. I was told that because I accepted a credit to my amazon account, this would be refunded within a few hours.
It's now been a few days and still nothing.
[This time it takes Kyle about 10 minutes to respond.]
Kyle: I had a supervisor take a look at the issue
they confirmed that the refund will be issued when it is processed by the fulfillment center and the previous csa was mistaken
I apologize for the inconvenience and miscommunication
Rastoff: Hmmmm, that's as wrong as wrong can be. I would like what I was promised. There's no reason you can't do it now. I have the receipt from when I dropped the package off. This is not my fault.
Kyle: I apologize, I am unable to manually issue the refund until the deadline for the fulfillment center to process it has passed
Rastoff: Then put me in touch with someone who can.
[Enter Ramani the supposed supervisor.]
Ramani: Please give me a moment to review the previous correspondence.
Ugh, here we go again. This takes about 6 minutes and then he asks...
Ramani: May I know when did you return Arcturus Ghillie Rifle Wrap (Woodland)?
Rastoff: I guess you didn't really review the conversation huh? Because it's in there, but...
First was returned on 17 Apr.
Second was returned on 23 Apr.
[Yes, I'm starting to get snarky because this is taking far too long. I've been on this chat for a total of about an hour now. Snarky never helps in these situations so, I chill and continue with much of the same conversation I've had before where he tells me the system won't allow it, can't refund, you'll have to wait, blah, blah, until we hit...]
Ramani: I can set a follow up and issue refund in 2 business days and write an email with the confirmation
Would that work?
Rastoff: No, it does not "work". What would you want if you were in my shoes? I've already waited the two days [I got that wrong. It's been 4]. In fact, I've already waited the three weeks. It's time to follow up on your promises.
Ramani has had enough of me and just leaves without a single word more. Just gone. What do I do now?
Enter Cara...
Cara: Hello [Rastoff]. Sorry for the run around with this refund, let me take a look and see what can be done, please allow me a few moments
10 minutes later....
Cara: Thank you for your patience [Rastoff]
just to confirm you would like your refund to go to your gift card balance?
Rastoff: Sure, that would be fine.
Cara: Your refund has been processed and will reflect on your gift card balance within the next 1 -2 hours.
Rastoff: What about the extra shipping charge?
Cara: For which order?
This elicited more exchange of words. Cara agreed to pay the shipping charge and even give me another $10 for my inconvenience. At this point Cara immediately terminated the chat.
Even though three other people told me it couldn't be done, apparently someone was able to give me a refund right away.
However, as of the time of this posting, I have received a refund for the item, but have not received a refund for the extra shipping or the $5 or the $10 they offered for my convenience.
If you've read this far surely you see just how ridiculous this whole thing is. On any other day, I doubt I would have put this much time into it. However, I'm stuck at home and needed a little distraction so, I was gonna ride this horse to the end. Time will tell if I get anything more that they promised.
If you've read all this, you're really bored. I hope I offered a little entertainment.
Edit to add:
I just went back and looked. Believe it or not the extra $10 was added to my account. So, if you've read through all this I have a bonus for you. Make no mention of this last paragraph, just reply in any manner you like. On Thursday (if I remember) I will pick a name from one of the respondents. That person will get an Amazon gift card that is the value of what I now have in my Amazon gift card account. The amount will only be disclosed to the recipient. Hint: it's more than $10.
What I wanted:
What I got:
It's a ridiculous thing and just something to have some fun with my friends. So, really no big deal, but I want what I ordered.
Here's why it was wrong:
You can see that the Rifle Wrap sticker was stuck right over the top of the Ghillie thread sticker. Ok, when they're scrunched up in the bag, they look similar. Anyone can make a mistake so, let's get it straightened out.
Amazon has a feature where you can chat with someone on line rather than on the phone. I like that. So I get on chat with Amazon. Spend a couple of minutes with a computer and eventually get Sagar to join me on the chat session. The actual chat is 18 pages long so, I cut it down a little:
Rastoff: I explain the issue.
Sagar: My apologies again for this situation; I sincerely hope you give us another chance to prove the quality of our service.
In this case I can issue a refund or replacement with return label for the item Please let me know what would you prefer?
Rastoff: I would like a replacement, but I wouldn't mind keeping this as well and I'll just pay the extra.
Sagar: Nope, this is not possible. (Is it just me or can you hear the Indian accent in that phrase too?)
Rastoff: OK, I'll return this and wait for the next one.
This is how I expected it to go. The replacement item takes a few days to get here and wonder of wonders, same problem. Back to Amazon chat I go.
Again, a few minutes with the computer and Priyanka joins the fun.
Priyanka: Is it completely a different item ?
Rastoff: Yes, it's different from what I ordered. It has the wrong labeling. I can send a pic.
Priyanka: Thanks for bringing this to our attention! I can help you with a refund as we need to investigate this issue.
Rastoff: Hmmmmmm, not what I was hoping for. Others have received the correct item, I would rather get the right product than a refund.
Priyanka: You can reorder the item and choose the fastest shipping speed and we will waive the shipping cost as a good gesture. Its Refund On First Scan , We’ll issue this refund as soon as the carrier receives and scans the item’s return. Would you like Refund in Amazon account as a gift card which will be credited in 4 hrs?
Rastoff: OK
Priyanka: To help compensate for any inconvenience, I've applied a promotional credit of $5 on the account.
Rastoff: How do I cover the extra shipping cost? Or is that the $5?
Priyanka: Okay you will need to pay for it at first and once the order is delivered we request you to contact us any agent will refund the charges.
I have made a note on the account .
$5 is over and above this compensation .
So, I agree to all that, go ahead and order the product again and pay a little extra for shipping to get it sooner. At this point I've paid double the price and still don't have the correct product. This was last Thursday. Remember, I was supposed to be refunded within 4 hours.
Today, wonder of wonders, the correct item comes in. Great. Now I just need to contact Amazon to get the cost of my shipping back. On a whim I look at my bank account and realize that I've received no refund of any kind. Not the price of the item and not the promised $5.
Back to chat with Amazon.
This time I get Kyle and have to go through the explanations again.
Kyle: so you've sent 2 packages back to us?
Rastoff: Correct
Kyle: ok that one is on its way back to us still, it will be refunded once its received and processed at the fulfillment center
that can take up to 3 weeks, it generally doesnt take nearly that long but we are advising people of delays due to the current circumstances
and for the shipping you paid, I can't refund that directly but I can issue you a promotional credit to use on another order for that amount
Rastoff: Not correct. I was told that because I accepted a credit to my amazon account, this would be refunded within a few hours.
It's now been a few days and still nothing.
[This time it takes Kyle about 10 minutes to respond.]
Kyle: I had a supervisor take a look at the issue
they confirmed that the refund will be issued when it is processed by the fulfillment center and the previous csa was mistaken
I apologize for the inconvenience and miscommunication
Rastoff: Hmmmm, that's as wrong as wrong can be. I would like what I was promised. There's no reason you can't do it now. I have the receipt from when I dropped the package off. This is not my fault.
Kyle: I apologize, I am unable to manually issue the refund until the deadline for the fulfillment center to process it has passed
Rastoff: Then put me in touch with someone who can.
[Enter Ramani the supposed supervisor.]
Ramani: Please give me a moment to review the previous correspondence.
Ugh, here we go again. This takes about 6 minutes and then he asks...
Ramani: May I know when did you return Arcturus Ghillie Rifle Wrap (Woodland)?
Rastoff: I guess you didn't really review the conversation huh? Because it's in there, but...
First was returned on 17 Apr.
Second was returned on 23 Apr.
[Yes, I'm starting to get snarky because this is taking far too long. I've been on this chat for a total of about an hour now. Snarky never helps in these situations so, I chill and continue with much of the same conversation I've had before where he tells me the system won't allow it, can't refund, you'll have to wait, blah, blah, until we hit...]
Ramani: I can set a follow up and issue refund in 2 business days and write an email with the confirmation
Would that work?
Rastoff: No, it does not "work". What would you want if you were in my shoes? I've already waited the two days [I got that wrong. It's been 4]. In fact, I've already waited the three weeks. It's time to follow up on your promises.
Ramani has had enough of me and just leaves without a single word more. Just gone. What do I do now?
Enter Cara...
Cara: Hello [Rastoff]. Sorry for the run around with this refund, let me take a look and see what can be done, please allow me a few moments
10 minutes later....
Cara: Thank you for your patience [Rastoff]
just to confirm you would like your refund to go to your gift card balance?Rastoff: Sure, that would be fine.
Cara: Your refund has been processed and will reflect on your gift card balance within the next 1 -2 hours.
Rastoff: What about the extra shipping charge?
Cara: For which order?
This elicited more exchange of words. Cara agreed to pay the shipping charge and even give me another $10 for my inconvenience. At this point Cara immediately terminated the chat.
Even though three other people told me it couldn't be done, apparently someone was able to give me a refund right away.
However, as of the time of this posting, I have received a refund for the item, but have not received a refund for the extra shipping or the $5 or the $10 they offered for my convenience.
If you've read this far surely you see just how ridiculous this whole thing is. On any other day, I doubt I would have put this much time into it. However, I'm stuck at home and needed a little distraction so, I was gonna ride this horse to the end. Time will tell if I get anything more that they promised.
If you've read all this, you're really bored. I hope I offered a little entertainment.
Edit to add:
I just went back and looked. Believe it or not the extra $10 was added to my account. So, if you've read through all this I have a bonus for you. Make no mention of this last paragraph, just reply in any manner you like. On Thursday (if I remember) I will pick a name from one of the respondents. That person will get an Amazon gift card that is the value of what I now have in my Amazon gift card account. The amount will only be disclosed to the recipient. Hint: it's more than $10.
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