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Amazon removes “contact us” support, disables support for wrong grocery orders

• IronWolve 4y ago
  The "incorrect item" no longer provides support on a growing list of items. Read their TOS page, they have no support on groceries, computers, laptops, etc. The automated loop of hell. https://i.postimg.cc/cLfyLbs0/amazon-order-loop2.jpg https://i.postimg.cc/cLfyLbs0/amazon-order-loop2.jpg
  • jleyank 4y ago
    What’s the option(s) on computer gear that’s not filled correctly then, calling your credit card and opening a fraud investigation? Sounds like they don’t want to be in these businesses.
    • IronWolve 4y ago
      This is just 1 item in an order, so its not really a fraud. I think if you order a computer, make it 1 order with the computer by itself. That way you can just credit card that 1 order. Might be the best way to handle large and expensive items on amazon. Dont order groceries with a tv.
      • arbuge 4y ago
        Note that if you really need to go down the chargeback route, partial chargebacks are allowed.
        • IronWolve 4y ago
          Good to know, trying their 800 number support now (suggested by another comment)
        • behringer 4y ago
          if you chargeback on amazon, you'll be lucky to ever order anything on amazon again.
          • jleyank 4y ago
            Well, if they screw up a 2K laptop order and won't fix it, I'll never order anything on Amazon again and I'd be looking at chargeback or small claims. As I wrote initially, if there's no customer service available in certain market segments, Amazon isn't interested in participating in them. Caveat Emptor.
            • behringer 4y ago
              I agree. It's just an fyi
    • Shank 4y ago
      If you do this you’ll get your Amazon account banned. Chargebacks are instabans on most services. If you get the wrong item unless you’re highly frugal losing access to all of Amazon usually isn’t worth this. This advice is very dangerous as many people wouldn’t want to be ToS banned from Amazon over random items unless they’re worth a lot.
      • netr0ute 4y ago
        I don't know about this, as you'd essentially be self-selecting yourself toward the best suppliers because you'd weed yourself out from the bad ones.
      • TAForObvReasons 4y ago
        If you walk the logic to its conclusion, you might be better off taking the ToS ban: "received wrong item but didn't fight" -> "concern that future orders may be wrong" -> "use amazon less or for smaller items" -> "prime is not worth it" -> "leave" The difference between that and the chargeback, at first blush, is that you at least get your money back on the item if you chargeback.
      • zeroimpl 4y ago
        Is this from experience? From a quick google search it seems that’s not automatic, and they also have a documented process for how this works for 3rd-party sellers too, giving them the option to dispute or accept it.
      • benj111 4y ago
        I've done it with Ali express multiple times and they haven't banned me. Ultimately you can just set up a new account. What are you losing if Amazon bans an account?
        • ballenf 4y ago
          Video purchases, Audible library, Kindle library. Order history, wish lists.
          • 4y ago
  • cglong 4y ago
    When's the last time you tried to refund a grocery item? I remember a few months back, we ended up having to tell the chatbot "I need more help" until we eventually got a human.
    • 2OEH8eoCRo0 4y ago
      We have Whole Foods delivered and sometimes they forget items or the item is jacked up.
    • IronWolve 4y ago
      I rarely get the wrong item or wrong count. I mostly order bulk food items. I stopped buying can goods on amazon as prices went up higher than walmart/cash and carry. Problem is cash and carry are the big number 5 cans.
      • cglong 4y ago
        Our local Amazon tends to make an unexpected substitute rather than giving us a refund :(
• chizhik-pyzhik 4y ago
  Sometimes the 'frugality' leadership principle wins over 'customer obsession'.
  • nevir 4y ago
    Really wish that frugality wasn't used in so many perverted and hypocritical ways (internally, mainly)
  • dylan604 4y ago
    I mean, at some point, when you knowingly allow your site to list items from vendors you do not curate in any shape so that you without a doubt know that your vendors are selling legit, legal, un-spoiled, not past sell by date, or any other form of decent business practices, then of course you're going to make it harder and harder for people to complain. The first step is always just ignore complaints. The second step is to just remove the option to allow for complaints. Just like that, you're complaints go way way down, and some manager gets a bonus for improving something.
  • andrewmunsell 4y ago
    Also known (not so fondly) as "frupid"
• morpheuskafka 4y ago
  I googled the Amazon 800 number the other day and found it was still working. It looks like they are doing what they can to stop advertising it, but the underlying phone system still works. A lot of times you can get better outcomes calling. For example: promotional credits for late deliveries, actually having a delivery reattempted when building falsely marked as closed on weekends (the entire buildings packages were then delivered to my door, lmao), and recently an offer to keep a used book received on a new order for a refund instead of a replacement.
  • guidoism 4y ago
    I remember when “they” decided to remove the number from the paper invoices and it was pretty controversial within the company. That was in 2000 or 2001 I think.
    • lamontcg 4y ago
      Amazon was actually legitimately pretty good about that whole 'voice of the customer' stuff back then. They seem to be going entirely for "juicing the margins" now.
      • whythre 4y ago
        Well, yeah, when they were the scrappy underdog they had to pay attention to consumers. Now they assume they are too big to fail.
  • IronWolve 4y ago
    Ok, found the 800 number and email, trying the 800. Also found the number in a recent usatoday news article "how to contact amazon". Amusing. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/retail/2022/09/14/how-to-contact-amazon-account-inquiries/7867529001/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/retail/2022/09/14/how-t... Called the 800, they refunded me via amazon gift card balance of the missing items. Got my gift card balance updated with the return in about 10 mins.
  • metadat 4y ago
• freitzkriesler 4y ago
  I had a misdelivered package and ultimately was able to get a refund via an chat assistant. No where on the regular pages could I find how to report this. This was a few years ago. No doubt, this was removed now.
  • themadturk 4y ago
    I had exactly that situation remedied about a month ago by calling their toll free number.
    • freitzkriesler 4y ago
      I live in a townhouse complex where the doors all look alike. However, I have a welcome mat. Would be very easy to deliver it and shrug it off. The mat however is what I look for in every one of those pics.
• dawnerd 4y ago
  Noticed this on a lot of items too. I've had a lot of cans from S&S come busted or expired protein shakes and getting support is really difficult recently. They've also removed the option to return to Whole Foods and instead I have to pack it myself and give to ups. If only they had a team of delivery people driving around that could pick up returns...
• bhhaskin 4y ago
  Local grocery stores are a far better option.
  • Bud 4y ago
    [dead]
  • xen2xen1 4y ago
    If you're in large parts of the US Walmart.com is a better option. Get most of the same stuff, local place to complain and return.
    • dylan604 4y ago
      The point of some complaints from Amazon is that the stuff isn't legit, so you telling me I can get the same not-legit stuff on Walmart.com is not surprising nor encouraging me to try it. Unless your "most" is doing some heavy lifting and implying the elimination of the bad products? Are you honestly suggesting that the Walmart.com marketplace is better than Amazon's? I'm honestly asking, as I never shop at walmart (physical or online), so I just have no experience. I only assume the worst regarding walmart
  • IronWolve 4y ago
    True, if you local store carries the item. Some items I'd have to drive a distance to a store that carries it, and gas+time starts to add up. I find cash and carry to be the best, but its bulk items. A crate of can goods or 20lb bag of rice, or a box of meat. Thats bulk method savings, and cheaper than cost-co.
  • CameronNemo 4y ago
    Or CSAs! https://www.localharvest.org/csa/ https://www.localharvest.org/csa/
  • nerdjon 4y ago
    Not if you live in a big city and don't have a car. I primarily use Amazon Fresh for my staples that I need weekly so I can do a "big" shop once a week and then go to the local market for the random things throughout the week. But I have zero interest in lugging home 2-3 gallons of milk, juice, and other heavy items on a weekly basis walking down the street. Especially now that I don't even go into the office so I don't have the excuse of getting something on my way home. Also on more than a few occasions I have price compared and Amazon Fresh for those staples is better than any of the grocery stores near me.
• jdadj 4y ago
  Try emailing jeff@amazon.com?
  • jvolkman 4y ago
    ?
• deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
• asdff 4y ago
  Maybe you have the wrong link? https://www.amazon.com/go/contact-us?orderId https://www.amazon.com/go/contact-us?orderId You punch in your phone number for amazon grocery then they call you.
• mynameisvlad 4y ago
  From the redirect you mentioned, choose "Something else" then "I need more help" which will open up their chat bot. At that point, you can type "agent" and have it connect you with chat support. I tested it out and it asked me if I wanted to chat now or get a callback, so it seems like it's still available, albeit very hard to get to.
  • IronWolve 4y ago
    Strange, didn't get that option to type, just this/that options. https://i.postimg.cc/cLfyLbs0/amazon-order-loop2.jpg https://i.postimg.cc/cLfyLbs0/amazon-order-loop2.jpg
    • mynameisvlad 4y ago
      That looks like you initiated the chat bot from Returns, which might not let you prompt (or heavily disincentivize it by making you jump through tons of hoops). When going through my flow, I got asked if it was for a particular item, chose "No, something else", then got a text box instantly (along with some suggestions).
      • benj111 4y ago
        How many hoops are required before we can say that company X prevents you from doing Y?
        • mynameisvlad 4y ago
          Who said they don't prevent it? TIL that giving someone steps is the exact same as saying a company doesn't prevent you from doing it. I provided a way for OP to do it, that's all. I even called out the hoops.
• gnicholas 4y ago
  That's too bad; they used to have very good return policies for groceries. Whenever the eggs were cracked or produce was messed up, they always refunded immediately. That made it worthwhile with the delivery fees, but if there's no support anymore I don't think we'd use it anymore. Perhaps that's the idea...
• CameronNemo 4y ago
  Reminder that you probably have a Community Supported Agriculture group near you that you can get food from without involving a $1tn+ market cap middle man.
  • warkdarrior 4y ago
    Do they have a support line?
    • rippercushions 4y ago
      Yes, but it's open only Monday afternoons between 4:45 and 5:22 p.m., which also happens to be when your son has soccer practice. https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/faq-about-your-csa https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/faq-about-your-csa
      • unsupp0rted 4y ago
        > This might sound expensive, but it’s twenty-four weeks of really high-quality produce, which translates to some excellent bowel movements.
      • EricE 4y ago
        Yup, about sums up my experience with a local CSA. And I joined one that had been running for over 20 years and was considered one of the more established/well run on the east cost.
      • probablynish 4y ago
        I thought this was real up until I got to the part about splitting a share with another family..
    • unsupp0rted 4y ago
      Their standard response is: "what do you expect, we're a Community Supported Agriculture group"
  • probablynish 4y ago
• nerdjon 4y ago
  I have never needed to use the chat function to get a refund for anything through Amazon Fresh, I even did it yesterday. I just go the order and click "Request Item refund", it has me choose the item and then its all set. So unless this changed in the last day, maybe chat just doesn't do it? I have noticed that in the last few months more and more Amazon is trying to push you away from the "contact us" section if another page can handle the issue.
• wolverine876 4y ago
  Mods - how is this OP related to 'intellectual curiosity'? It seems relatively new (in the last year?) that such posts appear on the front page.
• mechanicalpulse 4y ago
  Meanwhile, my wife just initiated a no-hassle refund of moldy pizza crusts we bought from Wal-Mart. She was instantly refunded online without having to talk to anyone. And there's no need to physically return it. Such bizarre timing to find this posted on HN not ten minutes after my wife told me about the pizza crust thing.
• dimal 4y ago
  Oh wow. I pay $140/year and can't get customer support when they mess up? I guess I'll be canceling.