Amazon rant

[Bagnaj97]

I hate hoovering, so I decided to buy a cordless hoover to make life a little bit easier. I thought I'd grab a bargain so I decided to get a used one from Amazon Warehouse, "Condition: Used - Good - The item may come repackaged. Minor cosmetic imperfection on the top, front or sides of the item." Sounds fine right?...

Well... no. I got it out of the box and noticed a wheel had fallen off. Upon closer inspection there's a snapped piece of plastic and it's not easily repairable - probably broken in transit you say, it happens.
Except there were also some sheets of paper in the box. Sheets of paper that happened to be a printout of correspondence between Amazon and the previous owner.
Correspondence requesting a refund because "the wheel has recently started to stick and has now broken off." So now I have both personal details of the previous owner (that's got to contravene the Data Protection Act somehow) and proof that Amazon have literally just re-sold a faulty customer return without inspecting it.






There are some choice bits in there too:

Please be assured that I will pass this issue on to the appropriate department so that this item will be investigated and checked. That way, problems like this will be avoided - if not totally eradicated.

Your feedback is helping us build Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company.

Amazon's returns system isn't great either, their site only offered a £4.75 return postage refund. The cheapest I could find to post it was with Hermes at £7.49 - and that only insures items up to £25. To their credit, after a phone call they've agreed to send a courier to collect it on Tuesday - though the only email I've had since is a self return label and there's no mention of collection under my amazon account either. Now to wait and see if a courier turns up or not...

I wonder if I should put a letter in the box with my contact details to see if it's re-sold again without inspection?

[virtuo]

That's excellent that the previous customer left that note of warning in there, looks like it wasn't even checked when it got back to Amazon and they just restocked it.

Don't think I'll be using the warehouse in future..

[Jonj1611]

Thats a real shame, wonder if it got mixed up on the return?

I personally have always found Amazon returns really good, don't bother paying to send something faulty back, get them to give you a pre-paid label.

I guess things like this do occur though, guess someone at Amazon wasn't doing their job.

[Ferral]

We bought a VAX carpet washer a few years ago from them and after a few days the suction stopped working, few phone calls to VAX for trouble shooting as you do and it turned out faulty.

Contacted Amazon and the following day a replacement arrived and then the day after a courier arrived and picked the damaged one up so all in all a pretty good service. They are better than a fair few etailers, mind you their next day Prime Delivery couriers albeit guarentee delivery but it can be any point 7am till 9pm so you are waiting in all day.

[Bagnaj97]

then the day after a courier arrived and picked the damaged one up so all in all a pretty good service.

But did they just stick your return back on sale in Amazon Warehouse without inspecting/repairing it at all? That's what really gets me about this - clear evidence that they've received a faulty customer return and literally just put it back on sale without any kind of inspection/checks.

[DDY]

I'll never shop at Amazon warehouse again after a similar experience, I bought an item described as being in very good condition which was in fact absolutely filthy. Amazon also didn't refund return postage fees until I made another complaint.

EDIT: Reminds me of this post on HUKD, of an Amazon warehouse customer who ordered a 50" TV and received someone else's old 32" in the 50" TV box. Clearly Amazon doesn't check the contents of some of their returns.

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/amaz...138?p=26542566

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/amaz...138?p=26543396

That thread is full of negative Amazon warehouse experiences too.

[ik9000]

probably worth noting this is Amazon Warehouse - not Amazon standard. It's cheap for a reason...

[Ferral]

I bought brand new from Amazon not warehouse, with regards to Amazon warehouse, I usually only buy media from them like games, bluray, DVD's & CD's, bought Demons Souls from there and it was immaculate, looked brand new.

I have always bought new electricals would never go second hand with TV's, vaccums / washers and so on in any way (except buying retro computers but they to be proved tested and working).