Nothing Amazing about Amazon (amazon.co.uk)

Member Name: pensilva

Product:	amazon.co.uk
Date:	14/07/05 (103 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Competitive prices

Disadvantages: Lots of stock not available, customer service very poor, no contact number

The great success story of Amazon being the largest retailer on the net makes them a very tempting choice when using search engines and price checkers they fill so many slots, offer free delivery over £19, but believe me they are not all they are cracked up to be.

One thing about the site that in many cases long lists of products are offered and only about 25% is available that’s still a wide choice, but an awful lot of pages to navigate.
I have been a customer of Amazon for years and have received some great service, and some very bad.

The trouble with Amazon is that they say they believe in customer service but that’s as far as it goes, when things go awry they blame the customer, and never offer to enquire why things have gone wrong, for instance,if the item has been returned to them because they are told by the delivery agent it could not be delivered, the customer is at fault because the computer says so.

I have been victim of this just recently, a DVD player returned because no one was in, no neighbours available to take it in, what RUBBISH, eight people live at home and I am disabled and I am always at home, Amazon still believes the delivery agent, even though NO communication was left by the agent, (thats because they did not attempt to deliver).
Amazon are in the habit of giving a refund without asking the customer what would they like to do, I think it is very rude of retailers to refund money rather than ask customers first, in my case I wanted the order, but they just wanted to get rid of a problem, rather than sort it.

When an order is placed it states ‘dispatched in 24 hours’ then you get a confirmation e-mail saying dispatch will be three days hence, and delivery in about five to seven days, but sometimes the items do turn up next day.

How is it that a large so called professional e-tailer can be so vague about something which they do have control over, so the customer in the end can expect a delivery… well…anytime, not very good when your expecting some expensive item to arrive.

When the customer tries to help him or herself they go round and round the site getting the same useless information, from their account information, and when you finally find out how to e-mail them the answer received relates only to what is already on the screen, and what you already know, these e-mails are often addressed to ‘Dear Customer’ which I think is bad form when they are replying to a specific enquiry.

I have been told to chase the order with DHL who delivers some of the orders, but I ask, why should the customer chase their own order, with someone they do not have a contract with.

After losing two orders recently I thought I would see if I was just an isolated case, not so, several consumer sites have long lists of similar complaints and with similar outcomes. I ordered three items between july 1st and 6th, one was delivered 8th, two have problems, perhaps this level of success is Amazons goal.

I am rather tired of Amazon but until someone comes along to give them true competition we are stuck with this American giants lack of customer care. I have helped them in the past identifying bogus sellers in their Marketplace, which incidentally, bona fide sellers there often offer much quicker and cheaper options.

Amazon does not publish a customer service phone number on the site, I wonder why?

There is a number for Amazon on this site http://www.grumbletext.co.uk/vt.php?t=96 mind you their call centre could be in India, as many are. When I called I was kept waiting for nine minutes, listening to a conversation going on in the office, then someone hung up.

There are also many similar grumbles on the site too; so, dear patient reader, if you are about to become one of their customers I hope you find it Amazing.

Futher information 18th July 2005

In the words of Victor Meldrew “I don’t believe it”
Amazon again has done the impossible; they dispatched on Sunday and delivered the next day.
These items were given up as lost on the 15th July, (after being dispatched on the 6th) yet the packing note is dated 13th July, and items on it (the tapes) have a 2-3 week delivery on the sales page. Estimated delivery 22nd-29th.
Confusing isn’t it.
Anyway Amazon came through eventually.
BUT.
We are still waiting for the earliest order (the DVD player, ordered on 1st)
Come on Amazon restore my faith in you, I might order the new Harry Potter from you.

Summary: Very poor customer service,deliveries can take ages