Amazon may be one of the biggest retailers in the world today, but that doesn't make it infallible. Although it generally dominates most of its competitors, it still faces the same problems as the competition, including damaged goods, wrong items sent and sometimes packages are simply not delivered.
Amazon and other retailers are constantly striving to make shopping online incredibly convenient. Yet more internet shopping means more opportunities for your purchases to be lost or even stolen. Having your Amazon package go missing can be an absolute nightmare, but there's no need to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.
What if your Amazon package hasn't arrived yet?
With the rise of online shopping in recent years, package theft has also increased. Unfortunately, the more purchases are made online, the more likely you are to become the target of such theft. One of the ways Amazon is trying to combat the wave of lost and stolen packages is through the A-to-Z Guarantee.
1. Use the Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee for Third-Party Orders
So what is the Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee and how exactly does it work? Let's first assume that you recently purchased an item from a third-party seller that is not covered by FBA protection. A seller without this means there is no package tracking available through your Amazon account portal. So any seller could go rogue, charge you for the product and pretend your package is on its way when in reality it hasn't been shipped at all.
The above situations are where Amazon's A-to-Z Guarantee kicks in. This warranty applies to all third party purchases on Amazon that are not processed or sold by Amazon. The warranty terms state that any item purchased from a seller through the Amazon website is eligible for compensation. Of course, a few conditions must be met before you can make a claim from A to Z.
You will first need to contact the seller through your Amazon account and provide them with 48 hours to respond.
Things to know:
- You can only file a complaint once you have contacted the seller.
- You can contact the seller through your Amazon Payments Account.
- On the 'Transaction Details' link, you will see an option to 'Contact Seller'.
- You must give the seller 48 hours to respond.
If the seller's response is not satisfactory, then you can pursue a complaint.
To submit a claim from A to Z:
- A claim may be submitted no later than 90 days after the estimated maximum delivery date.
- If the item arrives broken, faulty or misshapen, you will need to file a claim within 14 days of arranging the return through the seller.
- To file a complaint, go to your Order List and select "View/File a Complaint" on the order.
- Follow the on-screen instructions, which will require you to select a reason for the claim.
The five reasons to file a warranty claim from A to Z:
- You have not received the item within three days of the latest estimated delivery date.
- Your item was damaged, defective or materially different from the one you ordered.
- You returned an item to Amazon but did not receive a refund.
- You need to return an item internationally, but the seller did not provide a US address or an international shipping label.
- The seller miscalculated the customs and/or shipping costs, and you had to pay these costs upon delivery.
You will need to provide explanations and documented evidence of the reasons for the claim. For more information, see the Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee.
Once the complaint is submitted:
- You can view the complaint on your Amazon Payments Account.
- If the seller has resolved the issue before the complaint decision is finalized, you can withdraw the complaint by replying to Amazon's confirmation email.
- Amazon will make a decision. If the claim is approved, you will be reimbursed.
Amazon has the right to deny your claim if one or more of the following circumstances exist:
- Item received was the same as described by XNUMXrd party seller.
- Item has been received and third party seller has provided delivery verification.
- You did not respond to a request for additional information.
- The claim was filed due to buyer's remorse rather than an actual issue with the item.
- You filed a chargeback with your payment processor or bank.
- You were unwilling to return the item to the third-party seller.
Either way, if your request is denied, then you can appeal the request. Amazon may then choose to further investigate the situation. Additional evidence to support your claims that you may not have produced for the original claim would help resolve the case.
If you bought something but the Amazon package never arrived, what can you do? What dispute channels are available to you? Keep reading to find out.
2. Other Solutions to Delivery Issues with Third-Party Sellers
Some delivery issues occur more often than others. Before you start panicking, take a look at some of the most common issues you might face when dealing with Amazon sellers and the best way to fix the situation before taking extreme measures.
An item has been ordered but not yet shipped
A quick Google search of Amazon delivery issues will reveal that this particular problem occurs relatively often. What can you do if you placed an order, but the seller still hasn't shipped after several days, weeks, or even months?
Do not panic. There is a simple solution to your problem. Amazon will not charge your credit card until the order has been confirmed. This means that nothing will appear on your bank statement indicating that you paid for a product that was never even shipped. As long as it's still the case, and you're tired of waiting, you can always cancel the order by:
- On the way to Accounts and Lists.
- Clicking on Your Account.
- Then click Your commands and select cancel the order.
Shows as delivered but has not yet arrived
Amazon publishes guidelines for precisely this type of situation. Some of them may seem obvious, but they are still essential to check:
- Make sure the shipping address that was provided was correct on your order.
- Look for any notices that may have been left indicating an attempted delivery.
- Check near the intended delivery location.
- Check with your neighbors to see if they have accepted the package on your behalf.
- Do you own Amazon Locker?
- Look in your letterbox as some deliveries will use multiple carriers, which includes standard postal service.
- Give it about 36 hours before you escalate your concern. Sometimes packages may appear as delivered while still in transit.
After waiting 36 hours, you can contact Amazon directly if your package is still not shown. If there's still no sign of your delivery, here's how you can contact Amazon directly:
- Log in to your Amazon account.
- Scroll down to the footer and select Help, which you will find in the “Let us help you” section.
- In the "Browse Help Topics" section, in the left menu, select Need help?.
- Then, in the main window, click Contact us.
- You should see all of your recent orders right there on the screen.
- Locate the specific command that is giving you trouble.
- Scroll further down, just below the command, until you see a drop-down menu.
- It will be located just below the “Tell us more” section.
- From the drop-down menu, choose "Where's my gear?" ».
- Then, in the new drop-down menu that appears, choose Tracking watch delivered but shipment not received.
The site will then allow you to contact Amazon via email, phone, or live chat. Choose the option that suits you best. Amazon will then investigate the case and, in the majority of cases, issue you a refund.
False sellers
This is definitely one of the most common issues on the official Amazon website. It has become so easy for fake sellers to scam people through fraudulent methods in recent years and Amazon, and its customers, have seen their fair share of this disturbing trend.
The problem is that a criminal can easily open a new Amazon seller account and start selling popular items. It literally only takes a few seconds when using Amazon's seller platform so it can be done easily.
What happens is that they will list items for less money than other retailers are selling them in order to get more reviews. Once an unsuspecting buyer has made the purchase and the criminal has received the order, they will immediately notify the buyer that the item is on its way to the courier. This means that the purchase is accepted and the funds for the product are released to their account.
By providing an estimated delivery date of four weeks, the sleazy merchant can beat Amazon's two-week payment cycle and be gone before shoppers start complaining about the product never showing up. It's a pretty complicated situation.
Luckily, it's actually quite easy to avoid fake sellers trying to make a quick buck off your misery. Feedback scores tend to be a great way to tell if the seller is trustworthy and not out to steal your money.
To check a seller's feedback ratings:
- When viewing a product, click on the seller's name.
- You can find the name in the same place as the Fulfilled by Amazon tag.
- It will appear as: Sold by et Fulfilled by Amazon.
- When you're on the seller's profile page, make sure you're on the "Feedback" tab.
- It should be open by default.
From this page, you will be able to see the seller's lifetime rating. This also includes product reviews provided to the seller by previous customers. To the right of these you will find the overall seller score covering the last month, three months, twelve months and lifetime.
3. Use the Amazon Delivery Guarantee for Prime Orders
What to do when Amazon Prime packages are missing
Amazon Prime members whose orders have not yet arrived will still need to follow all of the processes outlined earlier in this article, unless you have purchased items sold and fulfilled by Amazon or purchased third-party items that qualify for Prime shipping. These items fall under the Amazon Delivery Guarantee rather than the A-to-Z Guarantee. You will work through Amazon and its customer service to rectify the situation.
Notes: If a third-party item was eligible for Amazon Prime Delivery and changed after you placed your order, it will still be subject to Amazon's delivery guarantee policies.
Amazon will be responsible for any delivery claims and will reimburse all associated shipping costs (shipping fees, service fees, customs fees, etc.).
Your Best Option: Buy Only From Fulfilled by Amazon Sellers
You can find items sold by both Amazon and third-party sellers when you search for products on the website. When using a third-party seller, be careful in your dealings with them, as you may notice a message stating Fulfilled by Amazon on the product.
An FBA message implies that even when sold by a third-party retailer, Amazon will be the one delivering it to your doorstep through one of its Amazon fulfillment centers. This means that you will be able to track the progress of the package using the Amazon portal from your account. This also means that Amazon takes responsibility for customer service and any product returns that may occur.
Buying a product from a third-party seller whose items do not contain a Fulfilled by Amazon tag poses a greater risk to the future…
