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Amazon.com



Tu of Fountain Valley CA (07/20/08)
I just open a retail store selling video games. In early July, I started selling video games on Amazon.com. Everything went fine for a week until I got an email from Amazon that my account is closed permanently and my fund is holded for 90 days. Amazon stated that the reason for closing my account was that I had an old account with Amazon that violated their policy. I responded to Amazon that I had never open any account with Amazon and that my store just open a month ago. I requested Amazon to reinvestigate this matter and release my fund. However, Amazon declined my requested.

Amazon's decision greatly affect my business. In my line of business, the marginal profit is very thin, therefore, the money I acquire from purchase must be used to restock inventories. In addition, selling online account more than 35 percent of our total sales. Amazon's decision to unjustly closed our account and freeze our fund may cost us our business. Is there anyone out there can help us to seek justice in this matter? Thank you.

Richard of Carlisle PA (07/17/08)
I was a loyal Amazon customer since the very year they opened for business. Now Amazon is [bad], in my opinion. Two primary complaints: 1. The credit card they issue under their name (the bank is, in my case anyway, Chase, but the name on the card is Amazon, and the person who answers when you call the customer service # on the card says, Hello, Amazon.com!) engages in the scandalous practice of opt-out change-in terms notifications. That is, you receive a notification that, for no reason at all - not because you've been late in making a payment, not because you're credit rating has changed - your APR will be raised substantially (in my case, from roughly 11% to 16%!) unless you take the time to notify them *in writing* that you opt out of the change in terms. Your choice is either to do nothing and allow the APR to rise, take time out of your busy day to write and post snail mail to opt out, or have your account closed. This is a notorious practice of usury and blatant hostility toward the consumer that Amazon is complicit in by putting its name on the Chase card.

2. Censorship of negative reviews. This is a well-known issue among Amazon consumers, so I won't go into the details of my specific case. I'll just say that Amazon removed a review of mine that clearly did not violate the posted review guidelines. (In fact, to ensure that I would not violate the guidelines, my review modeled itself very closely after the Publishers Weekly review that appeared on the page for the book I was reviewing.) I ended up speaking with a supervisor in (so-called) Customer Service who found my removed review, read it, agreed that it couldn't possibly be seen as violating the posted guidelines, and promised to look into it and call me back within the next hour. Do I even need to say that he never called back?

The contempt that Amazon shows for even its most loyal customers is par for the course for greedy American corporate culture, especially the aspects of that culture that involve credit and financing. In the case of Amazon, the effective form of protest is simple and straightforward: buy local.

Robert of Collingwood, Ontario OTHER (07/16/08)
The ad on amazon said Tight Little Island, VHS, format NTSC, seller in New York. I ordered the movie expecting to get what was advertised. WRONG. I eventually received (Whisky Galore, The original movie released in the UK, while the North American release was called Tight Little Island and I knew at once I was in trouble. Sure enough it was in the UK format PAL and it was not compatible to play in North America.

I complained to amazon and was told it was not their fault and to contact the sender in England which I did and got an instant reply, an apology, and an offer to refund when I returned it. They also sent me copies of the amazon.ca ad and their ad on amazon.uk. The amazon.ca ad clearly said the seller was in New York, title Tight Little Island and that the format was NTSC which is the North American format.

But Some genius at amazon.ca took it upon themselves to change my order without telling me. (I would have known a UK tape wouldn't work here). Not only did amazon.ca pass the buck and deny any responsibility but did not offer the simplest of apologies. I might have quietly eaten the sipping costs both ways if they had not so arogantly dumped me. I have emailed them again and they just ignore me.

With all respect to the gentleman in England they will give me a refund when they receive the item back, but they are stuck with making it an amazon credit, a company I have sworn never again to deal with. I guess I will have to do one more purchase. How can these [people] stay in business with that kind of attitude?

R of Sa TX (07/16/08)
Purchased Vocopro Gigman Karokee 1-2008 from Amazon.com for $229.99: On 5/2008 unit started smoking & smelled of electrical wires burning inside: took unit outside house, removed unit out of cabinet to make sure unit was not smoldering which it still was: I called Vocopro for instructions to a local repair shop under warranty: Avalanche Pro Audio started wrk on 5/27/2008: I calledrepair shop 2 times a week for status: everytime,they said was still wrking on it:

finally cld Vocopro 7/10/08 to pressure Avalanche to speed up repairs: Avalanche response ITs Fixed: Next day Avalance wants $170.60 for repair work says Vocopro won't honor because I took unit out of the cabinet and also an illegal converter had been installed in the electronics: Cld Vocopro and they said they stand by thier outsourced repair techs and that maybe Amazon.com sold me a used unit and not new: that's why the illegal converter was found OR sometimes the manufacturer substitutes parts not in their diagrams:  Also Vocopro states once unit is opened, warranty is nullified, I said even if the product is smoking and smells of burning electrical fire, so that it is allowed to smolder inside my home and catch my home on fire?
again Vocopro claims Amazon.com may have sold me a used unit under pretense of it being a new unit also.

Called Amazon.com cust service..first they said becuase of the bad experince i had suffered, they would pay the repair cost,,,then changed their minds...they washed their hands clean and stated they were out of the picture..talk about a CUT AND RUN OUTFIT...I even called their corporate headquarters...nice voice recording said to punch 5 on my phone for a corporate customer help rep...no one answered after 15 minutes of ringing. Amazon.com WILL NEVER GET ANYMORE OF MY BUSINESS, VOCOPRO WILL NEVER GET MY BUSINESS EITHER; AVALANCHE REPAIR, I WON'T EVEN TOUCH THEM WITH A TEN FOOT POLE... thats a given.;

I am going to report Vocopro with the BBB,FTC,STATE ATTRONEYS OFFICE IN CALIF, and also with the CPSC that this product is dangerous and tends to catch fire while in use: I am going to report amazon.com for bad business pratices,bad customer service and fraudulent sales practicies of stating the product was sold in new condition when the manufacturer is claiming it was sold used: PLUS THEY MADE A PROMISE TO HELP ME THEN TURNED AROUND AND RAN. it all on my email.

Kristina of Cary NC (07/15/08)
On July 6, 2008, I placed an order on Amazon.com for approximately $100.00. The order was allegedly shipped on July 9, 2008 via UPS. However, on July 10, 2008, prior to my receipt and unbeknownst to me, the package arrived in Greensboro, NC damaged and empty. Amazon.com thereafter took no further action to contact me nor did they issue a refund. Meanwhile, I received an email stating I should receive my delivery on July 11, 2008. When the package failed to arrive on July 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15, I contacted Amazon.com to see how they intended to proceed.

However, Amazon was oblivious as the shipping damage and was skeptical about how I knew it was damaged if I never received the goods. I explained that the Amazon.com site showed under Where's My Order that the package was shown as damaged. I also explained that the UPS.com site reflected the same details. Because the details were ambiguous, I was hoping Amazon.com would clarify whether there was indeed a shipment forthcoming or not. Instead, Amazon.com was slow to react and insisted on repeatedly placing me on hold to verify and treated me as if I was stealing the goods.

To date, I have not received the goods or a refund. Apparently Amazon.com does not have a procedure in place to ensure a buyer receives their ordered goods. Amazon clearly had notice the goods were not delivered (as indicated on their own website) and they failed to make any attempt to cover or remedy the situation. When I looked up Where's My Order on the Amazon.com site, the tracking referenced that the order was damaged on July 10, 2008, however it also stated that as of July 11, 2008, the order was out for delivery. I have yet to receive confirmation on whether I will receive the goods I paid for.

What is most concerning is that Amazon.com was possibly never going to investigate these circumstances. While eager to accept the sale price, Amazon.com otherwise abandons the buyer. The Seller has a duty to make sure the buyer receives the goods. Not only does Amazon.com's customer service need a serious overhaul, but it also needs to have a system in place to proactively detect shipping problems. Of course, a non-accusatory method would be nice as well, but as for right now I'd just like the goods I paid for on July 6, 2008.

Scott of North Lauderdale FL (07/09/08)
They never tell the truth on when they ship a product. When I was purchasing my item they said that I would receive it on July 8th. They were wrong it did not ship until July 9th

Charity of Wichita KS (07/09/08)
I was searching for a specific book to go with my set and the only place I found it was ADVERTISED on amazon.com. So I purchased it with a credit card and they said I would recieve it July 1st, 2008.

So, July 1st came and past and I got a little irritated so I logged back in to amazon.com and looked under my account and under my orders and it said I had no orders, so I called my credit card company and they said that they accepted the money. So, I tried to contact amazon, but I can't find out where to contact them at besides email, so a couple days later I checked my email and no reply. So I called my credit card company and now I am disputing it. It may be only $5.00, but that's a gallon of gas that could go in my vehicle instead of someone's pocket without sending item. I will NEVER buy ANYTHING from amazon. I will stick with my ebay!

I am disputing the charge on my credit card. I have waited 2 weeks for this item, put my reading on hold for this dispute and now it's gonna take longer.

Yukiharayuuko of Los Angeles CA (06/25/08)
Whoops, we sold something for too low a price, so we're not going to actually sell you the product. I bought an eliptical around May and have yet to receive the actual product by the end of June because Amazon claims to be out of stock. Funny thing is, they're still selling the EXACT product online. Amazon's explanation is that because the product was on sale by Amazon, Amazon has to get the product in stock to give me the sale price.

The issue here is that they're no longer keeping the product in stock and instead lets a third party merchant fulfill the order. So why can't they fulfill my order through a third party seller? Well, since the sale price listed by Amazon is $100 lower than the third party merchant's, Amazon says that the product must come from Amazon and not a third party seller. Huh. Couldn't they have told me that a month ago?

I seek the actual product I bought at the price that was listed onsite. I do not wish to cancel my order, however, I also do not wish to wait 6 months for this order to be complete just because Amazon doesn't value the time of its customers. And I do not appreciate the fact that Amazon continues to offer the same product online to other customers but refuses to provide me the same product for the price that Amazon had listed at the time.

Laura of San Jose OTHER (06/24/08)
On the night of the 2nd of June I tried purchasing several items via Amazon.com. That night we had connectivity problems therefore I recieved an email from Amazon saying they had trouble charging my card. Next morning I check my bank balance and there was a tripl charge of $455, a double charge of $441 and one of $109 where Amazon tried to charge my card. I called Amazon and explained the situation and they replied that the authorizations they attempted were going to be released in 10 days. I explained that since this is Central America, (my current location being Costa Rica) the banks take 45 business days for that purpose. I politely asked them to contact my bank and send them a fax stating that they didnt charge the total of aproximately $2300.

Emails cambe back and forth (which Is till have) and phone calls from here to the US were made. I asked them to cotact my customer service rep, I asked them to email him, I asked them to fax a letter and this is the date where they havent done anything. They lied in the emails saying they couldnt contact my bank representative at the moment and then on the same email they ask me for the phone number I provided several times before.

It is outrageous that Amazon has such a poor customer service that a person can not be transfered to the representative which answered the phone in the first place. It has to be someone else. They cant transfer back to the Supervisor since they gave such a big call center. They cant make international phone calls to solve this type of issues, nor send emails. Only the Billing Department can solve this matter and Im still waiting.

My debit balance has minus aproximately $2300 for almost 1 month. I live under a budget and therefore the lack of cash affects me and my family.

Stephanie of Augusta GA (06/20/08)
I shopped the local stores and internet for the best price on a Motorola T505 blue tooth and finally oredered it from Amazon.com. They advertised for weeks a price of $89.99. My local store had it on sale for $99.99 but since Amazon.com also had free shipping I went with them. this was suposed to be a Father's Day gift but ended up with a shipping date the week after, which was okay.

I recieved an email earlier today that the item would be end of July before being available and then a couple of hours later another email telling me that my order had been canceled because they had advertised the price wrong. I think they should have to honor the price. I am really disappointed with Amazon.com for their false advertising and then not honoring the merchandise price. I could've bought it for $10 more locally but now it isn't on sale.

Stephanie of Augusta GA (06/20/08)
I shopped the local stores and internet for the best price on a Motorola T505 blue tooth and finally oredered it from Amazon.com. They advertised for weeks a price of $89.99. My local store had it on sale for $99.99 but since Amazon.com also had free shipping I went with them. this was suposed to be a Father's Day gift but ended up with a shipping date the week after, which was okay.

I recieved an email earlier today that the item would be end of July before being available and then a couple of hours later another email telling me that my order had been canceled because they had advertised the price wrong. I think they should have to honor the price. I am really disappointed with Amazon.com for their false advertising and then not honoring the merchandise price. I could've bought it for $10 more locally but now it isn't on sale. They should have to honor the prices they advertise and the quality of the product.

Kathleen of Nixa MO (06/12/08)
Purchased a toy lawn mower @ Christmas. It was in Spanish. I returned - multiple requests for refund. totally ignored. I'm so glad I didn't purchase a very pricey item. I will never buy from Amazon again.

Bernard of Roswell NM (06/03/08)
I made the mistake to try to do business with them. For over two hours I tried to get with them because their system tried to tell me that I don't know what my address is. In two hours I got hung up on 5 times, once by a supervisor that had no idea what they were doing and once after waiting on hold for 23 minutes.

Their system absolutely refused to let me in. One intellectual couldn't get through her head that I didn't have an account because their system refused to let in and we had to go through it three times and she still had less comprehension than an amoeba. Finally after a supervisor hung up on me while we were trying to figure out the problem (probably because she had no idea what was going on) I called back and requested a return call from someone in authority in the next two hours. Oh yea, before I forget, try to find a contact us icon on any of their pages, they care less about you. It is 3.5 hours later and no call.

Gracie of Peshtigo WI (05/26/08)
I sold over 5000.00 worht of items have delivered all and have delivery confirmation showing this but Amazon is still holding all of my money.

I need to pay my suppliers and order new product so I can sell on E-bay since they at least give you your money! I have paid postage and just need my money!

Cynthia of Sterling MA (05/24/08)
i purchased an expensive hair dryer from Amazon (T3micro.com) just before Christmas for a gift. When i received this $125. item it said that it could not be warranteed because Amazon was not a registered dealer. Not guaranteed for even a day! i wrote to the company and they said that they are looking into this and would be taking court action.

The dryers were not taken off the site and even to this day you can still buy one. NOWHERE beforehand do they give you this info so you could make an educated decision on whether you want to purchase this new item with NO guarantee! Consumer fraud at it's worst!

Waste of time,money

Lucia of Ben Lomond CA (05/16/08)
I purchased a Kodak EasyShare Z612 through Amazon, from Techsummit. The camera took a few good photos, and then no good photos. I sent it to Kodak to have it repaired under warranty, only to find out that I was not the original owner. I am out the $235 I paid for the camera and the $30 I paid to have it shipped to Kodak. Techsummit has been completely uncooperative in helping to resolve this problem. What a rip off!!

Economic. Not only did I lose all the bad pictures I took, I cannot afford another camera.

Patricia of Johnson City TN (05/15/08)
I had hoped to address this issue directly to amazon.com but their website does not seem to provide a valid contact us link. My complaint and concern is that, I have only placed one order w/ the company and was very satisfied w/ the price, service and delivery and ever since placing my order, I am receiving 6 spams a day. I have to believe that they sold my e-mail information and now I am being bombarded. I can't verify this is true since there isn't any valid way to contact the company. Guilt by association, maybe. Am I likely to order from this website again, NO.

Cassandra of Country Club Hills IL (05/08/08)
Is this unfair business practices or just bad business? Once again, how can amazon.com charge me $2.74 for an item that sold for $2.46. Do not send me another breakdown like before. That does not explain how you charge me more on commission than the book sold for. If you cannot explain this to me, please send my email to someone who can.

The shipping credit is just that. It is the amount of money required to ship the order so basically I lost money, amazon made money, and a person now has a new book. I reiterate, I would like to know how I can sell a product on amazon.com and you charge me more in fees than the selling price of the item.

Amazon.com Customer Service

Mawidza of Suwanee GA (04/29/08)
ordered a book from Amazon for school I did not receive it on time (almost 2 months later) emailed them no response I dropped the class and ask I finally received the book, emailed Amazon and J Garcia and ask for a refund Garcia said ok, since 3-08-08. I emailed them asking them if they received the book neither Amazon nor Garcia respond. Amazon emailed me and told me that they are still processing my refund. it is going to be May (almost 2 months) it does not take that long to process refund.

Wayne of Amityville NY (04/22/08)
I am the author of a book titled In Lieu of Light. I self-published in 2004 in which my book was posted on Amazon.com Last year I was signed by a small tradional publishing company with an new ISBN# and I signed a contract with them that I would discontinue my contract with the vanity press (AuthorHouse). My agent, AuthorHouse and myself have sent Amazon.com several e-mails asking them to discontinue the advertisement of the book since it is not available at this time for purchase. (Print on demand).

Since they are still listing the book and it is being re-released June 1, 2008 I can not book any signings or have preorders made because Amazon still has it listed with the old ISBN# which is linked as a vanity press (authorHouse). Amazon.com has not replied to any of our e-mails or made any effort to contact myself, my agent or AuthorHouse to resolve this matter for over 6 months.

Godfrey of Oxnard CA (04/13/08)
This order was returned to Amazon in October 2007 because the Canon camera was defective. Canon EOS Rebel XTi Camera Rechargeable NB-2LH Battery Pack Tiffen UV Protection Filter Canon Field Guide Book Tamron Lens Compact Flash 2GB Card (from Blue Proton)

Amazon kept these returns in their warehouse for 5 months, and now have now returned the battery pack to me in March of 2008 in the same package as a SanDisk 4GB compact flash card from a different order from Blue Proton. I made a complaint by telephone call in late March 2008, at Amazon.com Customer Service. They promised refunds on both items. I have yet to receive these. Also there is no way for me to obtain a refund address label from their returns web site (the site crashes). Blue Proton has refused in an e-mail today to accept the return of this order. Why in heavens name did Amazon keep this return on hold for 5 months! They are inefficient & unreliable. Their secondary vendors are bad.

No refund. Weeks of work. Aggravation.

Daniel of Monteria OTHER (04/05/08)
I have placed many orders but did not receive order number ----. I have emailed them over 15 times and they refuse to respond. I am only asking that they credit my credit card for the full amount of this order as I did not receive it.

Lovepreet of Richmond Hill NY (03/23/08)
i sold my book online through Amazon and was charged $19.83 for expedited shipping by USPS. I got only $6.99 from Amazon. One month later I got an e-mail from Amazon that the buyer has never recieved the book, and that is why they are taking money back from my account. When I contact them and told them that I will provide them with the receipt from the post office as a proof of my mail, I was informed by Amazon that buyer never recieved it means I never mailed it. So it simply means that buyer is always right--doesn't matter that he/she is lying and is having the book for free.

Linda of South Lake Tahoe CA (03/21/08)
I bought a Kindle electronic reader and several books and subscriptions from Amazon.com in January. Suddenly they started refusing my digital book orders (around the middle of February), and the only explanation that they give for it is that: My credit card, which is the one linked to my Amazon account and the one used to buy the Kindle and everything else, was not issued by an American bank. It took me weeks to obtain that explanation, which makes no sense; and since then I haven't been able to get anyone to explain why they sold me the reader and a bunch of stuff for it in the first place if there's a rule about selling to people with cards issued by foreign banks.

One rep actually tried to tell me that Amazon isn't allowed to sell any digital media to people with foreign cards, which is amazing given that I have been using one to buy digital media from Amazon for over 10 years. Now they tell me to just use another one, as if I could ask my husband to please put his money in another bank for Amazon's benefit!

I now have a (much needed, due to failing eyesight and frequent travels with a husband who works overseas) digital reader and no source of reading material. I chose the Amazon reader because of the enormous resources at Amazon.com; but the format it requires is unique to Amazon and they refuse to sell to me. I bought the Kindle instead of the Sony even though it cost more. Now I have a $400 electronic reader that is useless, and they say that I can't even return it for a refund because I've had it for over 30 days! I don't understand how they can do that. How can they justify letting someone buy an expensive, much-needed item and then callously cut off the source of supplies and tell the buyer to get lost when s/he complains? In my case, this reader is practically a medical appliance; I have trouble reading many newspapers and books with small print. I was thrilled to finally have found a solution. The emotional damage is the biggest issue. I keep asking myself why they are doing this to me, WHY they would do it to anyone? Why don't any of the people who I have contacted care? How can Amazon justify selling to me in the first place if they weren't supposed to? Isn't that illegal? Didn't they use false advertising and sell to me under false pretenses?

Peter of Perth OTHER (03/17/08)
On 22 July 2007, I purchased an electronic midi master keyboard through the Amazon website from a firm called Electronica Direct based in New York. When I received the item ,it did not function properly. I notified the seller, Electronica Direct, and they told me to check with the manufacturer if it was a setting up problem rather than a fault. I did this, and it was concluded that the product was defective. After lodging a claim through Amazon, I returned the keyboard to the seller using their Fed-Ex account to pay for the return shipping. I was reimbursed with the cost of the keyboard and the original shipping costs, but the seller refused to pay for the return shipping and consequently Fed-Ex billed me $340. I wrote to Amazon through their customer complaints, and I was sent a response stating that Amazon would pay for the return shipping provided that I faxed them a bank statement indicating my payment to Fed-Ex. So I paid Fed-EX and faxed my bank statement, clearly showing my payment.

Amazon then emailed me to say all return shipping to Market Sellers shall be borne by the customer, and they refused to refund me. I am astonished that Amazon allows their so-called Market Traders to send defective goods to customers and expect them to pay for the return shipping. I am not seeking compensation, but I would like to make people aware that if an item you purchased from an Amazon Market Trader is defective, you will foot the bill to send it back; and if you live abroad, think twice. Amazon take profits when everything runs sweetly, and the customers take the rub when it goes pear-shaped. I will never purchase a single item from them again.

James of San Antonio TX (03/01/08)
I ordered the following items from Amazon in December 2006 as a Christmas present for my wife: ZK186 Zack 20755 SICURO electric peppermill shipped: 12/14/2007 ZK205 Zack 20855 SICURO electric Stainless Steel salt shaker. Ship Date: 12/14/2007. I received the items and discovered that one of them was broken and had batteries in it that were of different brands. It was obvious that the piece was used by somebody as the stickers were missing--in addition to it still having batteries in it which the new product doesn't include.

I sent it back promptly and requested a refund from Unbeatable sales who is the vendor for that item. Unbeatable sales said that I would have to get Amazon to credit my account for the $154.70. They agreed to return the shipping cost also, due to the error being on their part. Today is the first of March, and I have yet to see the refund. I tried to contact Amazon; however there's no process or link on their site to inquire about this refund. Unbeatable sales has told me twice that they sent a message to the warehouse responsible for the shipping--as if they are supposed to refund me.

I've spent hours on line trying to find a method to contact Amazon. I've spent time emailing Unbeatable sales. I'm also out $154 and have no merchandise to show for it.

Elizabeth of Lisbon Falls ME (02/28/08)
I listed my items on amazon.com, and did what the policy required. All I asked for was the gift card because I do not want to put my checking account on line. I was selling and using the Gift card just fine for the first 3 weeks. All of a sudden I got an email stating that I could no longer get a gift card from Amazon.com and that they needed my checking account, and to forward that information in the email. I finally got a number to call their so called customer service dept. They should take their own advice that they dish out to their sellers.

Not even Amazon's supervisor's would tell me the reasoning behind being denied a gift card and demanded and bullied me, swearing that my information would be safe, and not even I could see what information would be on file.THAT IS A BIG LIE AND JOKE! They not only had the banks name printed, they also had all but 2 number's of my checking account listed. Amazon's customer service reps claimed that no one can get into their websites; that also is another lie.

I am not only out of $130 worth of merchandise that I have sold, my banking and credit card info has been compromised. I had to change both my checking, savings and credit card accounts, and I never received the additional $57 worth of merchandise that I ordered because of these blokes. MY advice: Stay away from Amazon, period!

Greg of Lindsborg KS (02/26/08)
I placed an order at AMAZON.COM for a total of $587.00. At check-out a box came up saying "apply for a AMAZON.COM Chase credit card and get instant approval and receive $30.00 off this order!" So I applied and was instantly approved. I completed the transaction, the order went through, I received a conformation E-Mail with order # and the expected shipping date, which stated the next day! The next day I received an E-Mail from Amazon stating the order was on hold, and the account was on hold. I e-mailed Amazon several times and called them at customer service. I just got the run-around time after time; they even stated it may take up to 30 days to process my order! I could not get anyone to e-mail me or verbally tell me that I could cancel the order or close my Amazon account. I WANTED TO CANCEL THE ORDER so I could buy the LCD TV from somewhere else on the internet rather than wait 30 days. I have never had problems with other on-line purchases.

It ended up I canceled the Amazon.com credit card with Chase! This is the only way I could be sure the order would not be shipped some 30 days later when they resolved THEIR mistakes or problems! Bottom Line: Be very careful about doing business with amazon.com. Be very careful about filling out credit card applications at AMAZON.COM!

Delay in receiving products. Not knowing if your credit card will be charged 30 days down the road.

Frank of Lake Forest CA (02/24/08)
Amazon is charging higher Verizon plan rates for the same plans. The rates on the unlimited access are $10 a month higher than verizon normally charges. Also, on the standard plans for data phones, they REQUIRE getting a data plan for the phones yet they do not offer the correct plans for the data phones. The data service must be purchased separately from the phone service. And the data plans offered are limited in amount of data transfered each month. The purchase agreement of Amazon contains a $250 penalty should the consumer change to another service plan within the 1st 6 months following purchase, making the change to a correct plan very costly to the consumer.

Consumers are unknowingly being forced to pay excessive fees on the unlimited plans at $10 each month. On the other plans, the cost is over $24 for a lesser plan that does not even support the phones data / text capabilities.

Christopher of San Antonio TX (02/20/08)
I'm a geek and have loads of electronic stuff that I never use, and so I decided to put it on Amazon.com instead of trying to make money with a yard sale. I sold over $1000 worth of stuff in a week and got an email from Amazon saying I was under review, and it is not necessarily a bad thing. I continued to sell my PDAs and Hard Drives, and the next week went over $2000. I attempted to edit my inventory to reduce the prices since I was just about done selling, and I discovered I couldn't edit an item or list a new one. I called Amazon and was told my account was under review, and that I couldn't edit, list or sell any items and that the $2200 that I had sold, my cut was $1976, would not be transferred to my banking account until the review was complete in about 45 days.

Now, I've already shipped over $2000 of my items and paid for the shipping and have gotten 5 feedbacks of 5 stars each, and yet I am helpless to do anything. I emailed merchant-approval@amazon.com and got an automated email that says they will contact me in 5 business days. In the interim, my inventory list of items has disappeared, and I am in limbo while waiting for some type of assistance. I am seriously thinking about filing a legal claim.

Jason of Rockford IL (02/12/08)
First of all, about a year ago I went on Amazon to browse through books. I found one I wanted. The page said they had 30 or 40 ,I can't recall exactly, in stock new and used. I ordered the book, got confirmation, they took my money out of my account and never sent the book. I could not find a customer service email address or phone number anywhere on the site. When I finally sent them an email I received no reply at all. I sent them several emails demanding my money back and still no reply. I had no recourse so Amazon stole my money!

Now a year later against my better judgment, my wife wanted to order some things, and I reluctantly said OK. Well now they are doing it again. One item from Amazon itself and another from a private seller have not been delivered when they were supposed to be. I have yet to receive my items, and once again both Amazon and the private seller (with excellent feedback I might add) have taken my money and shipped nothing to me. I guess I have learned my lesson the hard way. If anyone reads these complaints do yourself a favor and do not shop on Amazon.com

The consequences to this have been that I am out about $50.00 so I am pretty lucky actually to have not ben ripped off for more than that. But even though it may not be much money who says Amazon or anyone using their site has the right to steal peoples money?

Donald of Louisville KY (02/08/08)
I filed a complaint with amazon with their 24/7 guarantee. I received a broken television from a company that has a whole web site dedicated with complaints against it but are allowed to continue to sell on Amazon. Amazon knows of the complaints but continues to take no action against them. Amazon guarantees consumer protection but gives none. Their answer to me was to get the product company to fix or replace because of warranty. No warranty will cover something that is broken beyond repair, and Amazon knows this. The TV arrived with bottom broken and the circuit broken in two places. It was "pass the buck to someone else".

With thousands of people dealing on Amazon, I would say buyer beware. If a company like Amazon knows a company has a bad reputation and continues business with them, then what protection will they offer? They give lame excuses or pass the buck to another to avoid refunding your money. I'm out $269.01 and stuck with a worthless junk television. The 24/7 guarantee is one, in my experience, that they will do nothing for you as a consumer.

Margaret of Sun Valley NV (01/31/08)
I purchased from Amazon, and it went on a Chase Card. I didn't think I had a Chase Card. I received one bill 3 months later...with a whopping 29% interest rate and $80.00 worth of fees. I will never shop at Amazon again because they are stooping to this level. Chase is the the shameful party, but Amazon has bought into it.

They cheated me and misled me. I am going to pay because I don't want them to ruin my credit. Blackmail is what this is. I know I am not the lone person that has had this experience. I would be willing to be a party in a class action.

Octavia of Houston TX (01/31/08)
My credit card was charged 46.00 for a product i did no order i contacted the seller through email she is very rude and unproffesional.

Not only was my credit card charged it over drew my account now i have to pay overdrafts fees for her mistake and not only that now i have to pay for the product to be shipped this so unfair i will never order from the web site ever again.

Mary of Havertown PA (01/29/08)
I started selling on Amazon.com in December and within two weeks they put my account on hold with no explanation and held my funds. They expected me to ship my orders with no money coming in. I did this. After much begging and providing all requested information, they opened my account up. Two weeks later put on hold again for no known reason. After three weeks of begging and providing more of the same information they opened my account. Two weeks later they closed my account permanently based on an accusation of Bootleg DVD. This person never contacted me with the complaint, just feedback after having the item for 11 days. I offered a refund if the person would provide tracking number when shipping item back, expediting refund by not making them wait until I actually received the DVD back. Amazon refuses to review, simply says I am banned permanently from selling and my money is again on hold for 90days but I am expected to ship the items! I'm not made of money, I need the funds for the purchased items to afford shipping them out.

I've lost income and now have orders in limbo. I don't have the funds to ship my orders but Amazon and buyers expect me too. This was income I was attempting part time to afford mounting medical bills. This is a defamation of character by Amazon supporting an irrational complaint. This damaged my future attempts to sell by supporting a completely unsubstantiated claim against me.

Margaret of Hunt TX (01/28/08)
Amazon and its merchants profit from high shipping rates that gouge the consumer by charging a PER ITEM shipping-and-handling fee plus a per-pound fee. For a $22.17 order of 3 electronic items, I was charged $14.97 for shipping and handling. Each item weighed 1 pound or less. I used Amazon's handy but deceptive 1-click option, set up for my son to order books for law school. With 1-Click, you aren't given shipping and handling charges before placing the order. I tried figuring it out from the multiple web pages on both websites for Amazon and the merchant, but didn't know which explanation superceeded another. I thought that ordering everything from one merchant would save on shipping. Now, I realize that it doesn't matter because I was charged a whopping $4.49 for EACH of the 3 items in my $22.17 order. One item cost less than its separate, per item shipping charge!

Here is the message I sent the merchant: I think these shipping charges are outrageous and will no longer be ordering through Amazon Marketplace. I accept responsibility for not reading thoroughly the shipping explanation before placing my order. My complaint is the policy itself - that there is a PER ITEM charge - in my case, $4.49 for a standard, domestic shipment of electronics - is highway robbery. What was the point of my carefully selecting three items from the same seller, erroneously thinking that I would save money in the long run by paying only one shipping and handling charge? Not so with the handy per item shipping policy! So this is where the seller makes his profit on Amazon Marketplace! That's it for me. The only reason I had this account was so my son could order books, using the 1-click feature on Amazon. You can be sure I'm sufficiently burned that I'll get my books and electronics some other way. Do what you want with this information. I'm sending the same message to Amazon as well.

Yj of Singapore OTHER (01/24/08)
I placed an order with Amazon direct as well as with a 3rd party seller on Amazon. My orders with the 3rd party went OK and were processed immediately. My order with Amazon direct, however, kept being rejected at credit card approval step. I kept getting a message to retry entering the credit card details or change to another credit card. I gave another credit card number and got the same error again. I called my credit card company, and they claimed no attempt was even made by Amazon to get the transaction authorized. They gave me a phone number to pass on to Amazon, to call if they need approval. I gave all this info to Amazon, but I still get the same standard messages. Nobody really cares to investigate on the Amazon end. I have since given them a 3rd credit card number. I pray for some result. If anyone from Amazon reads this, please tell me how to fix this problem. Else, you lose a customer forever, and I will also discourage my friends from buying.

Am unable to get the order through, which is necessary for the item to reach a friend by a certain date. So, no deliveries made by Amazon.

Gayle of Pittsburgh PA (01/19/08)
In December I came out of a trauma hospital frantic to find a winter coat and winter boots. I decided to order through Amazon.com. The items did not fit and were not the quality expected when I got them. I followed all procedures to return the items back to either amazon.com or the seller, if that is what was necessary. Amazon.com stated that they received the returns. And then on Jan 3 and Jan 8, for 2 separate orders, processed my refund. After waiting 10 business days plus the time it took for shipping back to Amazon.com or the seller, I still have not received a refund for the Jan 3 order, and am still waiting for Jan 8 refund. I had to call to get Amazon.com's customer service phone number because they don't list it on their website. Numerous attempts at both emailing amazon.com as well as phoning them about the refund, and they act as though they've already submitted it to my bank. 

I contacted the Better Business Bureau which is assisting me at this time. Just today I received an email from another c/s representative at amazon.com stating that they processed the refund - but this time this particular c/s rep got the order number and amount of refund incorrect - and she only responded to one out of the two refunds they owe me. They owe me $66. and some change for one and $131. and some change for the other. Almost $200.00. I'm on social security disability, suffer from a bit of agoraphobia, and cannot afford any mistakes, delays, etc. As it is, I might have overdraft fees, and I cannot afford food. I've had to take out an online loan just to cover some expenses, including bank fees, and I still don't have the full refund back for me to be able to afford food for the rest of the month. I will never shop through Amazon.com again and I hope that I will get my refund soon. I'm still waiting, and since the date I mailed my return back, it has been about 4 weeks. They don't even follow their own policy of 10 business days to post refunds back to your bank account, I think so they can accrue interest on your money.

A of Langley OTHER (01/18/08)
I purchased a music CD meant to be a Christmas gift from booksandmusicusa hosted by Amazon.com on December 13, 2007. The email that I received form the site as confirmation for my order stated: typically shipped within 1-2 business days. On December 28 I contacted the site and the seller, since I didn't receive the order. The seller apologized, stated that the package should arrive shortly and offered a 10% rebate as a compensation. I accepted and waited. The package didn't arrive, and I kept contacting the seller and asking for a delivery date. I rated the seller unfavorable stating that they debited my credit card but that I did not receive the merchandise. I kept emailing the seller asking for a delivery date, and he kept offering rebates to me for removing the unfavorable comment.

Today is January 18, 2007, and I still haven't received the package. I contacted Amazon.com in regards to this, and they directed me to a part of their site to obtain a refund for the CD I never received. I filled in a form and got an answer back that they will not refund me because I already got a 10% refund. I have copies (datestamped) of all my correspondence. I am posting my story so that buyers know and beware of Amazon and booksandmusicusa. If anybody can help me to recoup my $80.00, I thank him.

I lost $80.00 and a lot of wasted time corresponding with customer service--also have the disappointment of missing one Christmas gift that would have made a loved one happy.

James of Panama City FL (01/17/08)
I have two accounts to buy books from Amazon. For my birthday, fellow employees gave me a $100 gift certificate to Amazon. I ordered over $200 worth of cd's and books and checked yes, I have a gift certificate. Amazon acknowledged that the certificate had been registered and was ready to use. I received the order and a bill for over $200. After many attempts, I reached a real person who told me I would have to order more merchandise to apply the gift certificate because they cannot do refunds.

In December I wished to order more books but the gift certificate had disappeared. They sent me an email wanting certificate number, etc. The person who actually ordered the gift certificate no long works here and is gone I-don't-know-where. The point is, Amazon's records should contain that information. They have put the burden of proof on me and not on their record keeping--if they have any.

I am out the $100 extra I had to pay on the original order and an additional $100 from the gift certificate I will never use.

Kevin of Eastport, NY (01/13/08)
I recently had an order shipped from Amazon that I did not place. Apparently a person with an e-mail address containing my last name placed an order and it was charged to my credit card and shipped to my address. Amazon is claiming that it was an unauthorized charge, but I don't think so. Why would someone use my credit card to order something and then have it shipped to my address. I think Amazon had a foul up with their computer system.

Their customer service department has been a disaster. They put the burden on you to ship the product back and they play coy when it comes to giving you any information about what really happened.  This is scary, to say the least.

Winona of Hobart OK (01/11/08)
My daughter came home to Oklahoma from Phoenix, Arizona for Christmas break where she has been a research assistant as she works on her degree. She received an email from her supervising professor that informed her that she will be teaching a college subject beginning this January. He instructed her to get 2 books from with which to teach. My husband immediately ordered these books through Amazon.com on January 7, 2008 to be received on January 9. Amazon shipped the package via DHL Express. After the package didn't arrive as promised we began tracking and were informed that the package was refused and then sent on to USPS. DHL made several errors which resulted in USPS getting incorrect information.

After several tracking attempts that we were assured that the package would arrive and my son literally waited outside the front door from 8:00am to 5:00pm today without a delivery, a rep from DHL finally confirmed that the package was sent back to Amazon. She apologized stating that there must have been some sort of problem with the address. If this were the case, we should have been notified immediately. Amazon.com should also check into finding more reliable delivery as the DHL Express is unreliable and has waisted our time, caused my daughter excessive grief and anxiety and forced her to make new arrangements to get back to college early enough to locate and acquire the books and read them prior to the first day of teaching class.

Under the assumption that the package was coming, my son lost a day's pay waiting for it to arrive. In addition to purchasing duplicate copies of these books in Arizona, my daughter will have to pay for lodging tonight as she is going back to Arizona early. Furthermore, she did not receive her books early enough to be adequately prepared for her first class. This lack of preparation will not only hurt the students in the class she is responsible for, but will appear unprofessional. This damage to her repuation with the college and her professors may potentially hurt her chances for admission into a doctoral program.

Edward of Mountlake Terrace WA (01/06/08)
I decided to set up an account with Amazon.com to be a pro seller. It worked for about 3 weeks and then the account started having access problems. I couldn't check my stock or check my orders. After about 2 weeks they finally fixed it. Then it happened again. This is the third time, I cannot cancel my account because I can't access it, but they can charge my card for the 40 dollars a month. I can get no where. They send emails stating that my email address is not listed with them and they can't do anything until I have an account. They can find my account when they run the monthly charge.

I lost sales through Christmas with them because they offer a service that doesn't work. They refused to reimburse me for the time it was not working. I cannot stop them from charging my card monthly for 40 dollars. Basically I am paying them 40 dollars a month for nothing.

Rebecca of Overland Park KS (12/31/07)
My husband was looking for an electric train set for my 6-year-old. He found Fisher Price GeoTrax on www.Amazon.com for $40. Great! The next day, I logged onto Amazon.com to order the item. I was stunned to see it was $172! There was no way we would pay $172 for a plastic battery operated train set for a child. I called my husband who was equally shocked. I checked Target and discovered the SAME product, same box, same everything was only $40! I looked at the screen for 15 minutes hunting for the gold that made it so much more valuable than Target's $40 item. There was NO difference. It was the same exact item. We ended up buying the toy from Target.

Out of curiosity, I kept checking Amazon to see what they charged. The price went UP to $199.99. At this point, I attempted to post a review of the item to state it wasn't worth $200. I included that I paid only $40 for the same item at Target. They said to give them 48 hours to post the review. The review never posted (3 days now), but they did drop the price to $119.99. I called Amazon.com to complain about price gouging and that the review didn't post. They didn't even post my 1 rating.

I wasn't out the money on this item since I didn't purchase it from Amazon. However, there are likely others who paid $200 for a $40 item. My trust with Amazon is extremely low at this point. Makes me wonder what other items they are grossly overcharging. I buy from them all the time. Also, if they refuse to post reviews that they consider to be disparaging, makes me wonder about the value of the reviews you CAN see. I feel lied to, cheated, discounted, and angry.

Deomattie of South Ozone Park NY (12/27/07)
I purchased a gift card valued $50. in January of 2007 and also one on Dec. 20th 2007. Amazon gives the option to email the gift card, so I choose this option. My friend never received the gift cards, however my Credit Card was charged for the 2 transcations. These were Christmas Gifts to my friend. What kind of rip-off is this?

I payed for something that was never given as promised. It is nearly one year, and she has not received her January gift card.

Lisa of Thomson, GA (12/27/07)
Amazon.com has withheld my money, basing the suspension on a customer who had cold feet and kept changing the story. My money is being withheld and account blocked permanent with no avenue of appeals.

I shipped all of the products sold and they said my feedback was not good enough.  Sellers have no rights. Now I'm stuck with no money for three items and I am expected to ship an item that I will never see the money.

Monica of Shreveport LA (12/27/07)
Amazon.com doesn't have any contact info listed on their site and here's why: when you request refunds, they will stall you, coming up with all sorts of reasons why it takes so long. They have items published on their website for purchases from other merchants, that are not even in stock. This is the first reason why I'm needing a refund. It was their fault because I never received the order and I still haven't recieved my refund, going on four weeks now. I have written email after email and nothing. The customer service emails recite those same scripts that's sitting in front of them. Amazon.com will deduct from your account very fast, but if you need a refund...it will take months to receive it (and I still haven't received mine). Also, Amazon.com does not even exchange merchandise. You have to submit a request for a refund, send the item back, and reorder the item all over again and suffer thru this same dreadful process. I am done with this company and will never shop there again.

Ben of Bosque Farms NM (12/23/07)
I ordered a book, No Slack, by Michael Cooper, and Amazon sent me a bill for two of these books, plus two more books that cost a lot more (Railroads in New Mexico). It's true I looked at these books, but I'm not a dunce -- I didn't click any buttons that would have obligated me to buy them. I'm out $50-$60 bucks if I decide to pay for them. I'll probably cancel with my credit card company in the morning. If they make that much money off every American, it's no wonder they are doing so well.

The real crooks are not the people who work for Amazon, but Amazon itself. The worst sin is not having a way to correct this -- if you order it you get it and have to return it if you're not satisfied, according to their website. They hide real people behind recorded numbers. Never buy from someone you can't talk to. I've had good luck buying books until now....I'll probably never buy another one, and you can count me among those who might be denigrating Amazon's reputation for another 30 years.

Lisa of Wolcott NY (12/22/07)
I have awakened in the early hours 4 days prior to Christmas only to find a (what I believe to be illegal) charge on my credit card from Amazon.com Prime Shipping for $79.00 which I DID NOT AUTHORIZE. When speaking with an Amazon representative at their phone center, I was told that Amazon charges their customers automatically. I have not ordered from Amazon.com since December 2006! The representative apologized and stated that they would refund my money, and it would be reflected on my account within 2-3 business days. I will not receive my money back most likely until after Christmas. Real nice! I requested to speak to a supervisor and was initially told that the supervisors were very busy taking calls. The representative basically refused to transfer my call and said to call back in an hour.

Of course this is a financial burden! My card that was charged is attached to my checking account; it's a debit card. Therefore the money was deducted from my readily (or should be) available money. I will not be able to access that money until after the Christmas holiday. Money is tight these days, and I certainly can't afford to have my money used for a service that I did not request.

Paul of Columbia SC (12/20/07)
I ordered an Import CD as part of a two item order on October 27 with the understanding from the listing that it would take 4-6 weeks. I received an email from Amazon on December 16 stating that the item was not available. I subsequently found the item on Caiman.com (one of Amazon's sellers) and placed an order with this seller, stating that they could have the item to me in 5-6 days, even thought it would be shipped from Europe. The question is: If one of Amazon's sellers could deliver this easily, why not Amazon? Presumably Amazon has access to the same sources as their sellers. I lost out on Super Saver Shipping on the remaining item in my original Amazon order because they couldn't obtain this CD.

Rui of Milheirós De Poiares OTHER (12/17/07)
I ordered a book from Amazon that was supplied by an other bookstore. I've never gotten a receipt and Amazon refuses to send me one saying that they cannot do it since the book was sold in fact by others. But it was Amazon who charged for the book on my credit card! They charged the money, took a percentage of it, and paid the rest to the other book seller, as confirmed by the other book seller.

Without a receipt, I cannot be paid from my school since the book is for the school's library.

Shirley of Moore, SC (12/13/07)
I never received merchandise but they took the money from my bank account.  They are saying I never ordered it.

They have request bank information and I have now faxed it twice because they said they didn't get it the first time. They don't know what they are doing and no one from the finance dept has contacted me as they said they would.  This was July 17, 2007.

Jenifer of Boise ID (12/11/07)
I have an annual membership for what is called Amazon Prime. It costs $79 annually. This year when Amazon charged me for this membership, the card that I had used last year had expired.  Amazon then randomly chose a card from my past purchases to use for this charge and happened to pick a debit card from a bank account that I keep a low balance in. I did not authorize this particular card to be used for this charge. The charge overdrafted my bank account and caused two other overdrafts that day.  $105.00 in overdraft charges

Nora of Lafollette, TN (12/03/07)
I ordered a portable DVD player with accessories. The site stated this was eligible for FREE SHIPPING.  My total showed only the price of the item, but when I received the conformation there was a shipping charge.

I have had numerous correspondence with this company. They admit that the FREE shipping was in effect, however, they did not have the product so it came from another company, thus the shipping charge. It is up to the company that shipped the product & I should contact them.

They did admit that they removed the item from the site after I called.

Jerry of Myrtle Beach, SC (12/03/07)
On 10-26-07 I ordered a CD from Amazon.com from a merchant dba as cddv4u.  As of 12-03-07 have not heard from Amazon or cddv4u. 

Reading the feedbacks on cddv4u on10-26-07 all were good, but now since 11-28-07 there have been 56 complaints against this merchant. I have requested a refund since 11-20-07 to no avail. The negatives are either never receiving item and paid for, or arrived in bad shape. The seller cannot be reached through e-mail or through Amazon.

This is not very much but multiply it by the 103 people who have not received their refunds and it mounts up, and this is only for 43 days.

Davis of Fullerton CA (12/02/07)
Amazon will not honor its 1 Day Black Friday advertised sale. This was a 24 hr special sale for a Logitech MX Revolution mouse. (Which I ordered 23 seconds after midnight when the sale began.) It advertised Normal Price $69.99 Black Friday Special $36.99 includes shipping & handling.

My Order gave estimated shipping Nov. 28th. The on Nov 29th I received an email giving the shipping date has been moved to Dec. 4th. Now on Dec. 2nd I received an email stating: We regret to inform you that an error caused the following item(s) to be displayed at an incorrect price. The correct price is $69.99

This is a gross misnomer since the correct price was displayed and they simply ignored the 1 Day special which was not only advertised on amazon but multiple other sites (including www.dealnews.com) [[PS: I also received for the same order # another email stating the same except for a different item ({Which I never ordered)} namely for a Logitech QuickCam Communicate Deluxe which also states that correct price should have been $69.99

Further: This Logitech Mouse MX Rev. is being advertised as new on amazon.com (at this very moment 12-02-07, from $53.98 and up by half dozen or more sellers. Therefore it appears amazon never intended to follow through on its special 1 day sale.

According to Amazon Customer Service they have received Lots of Calls as of Dec 02, 2007 when amazon decided not to honor their Black Friday 24 hr special sale. Amazon benefited by bringing buyers to their web site, and is now backing out giving a reason which is absurd in that the correct amount was shown, but purposely forgetting the price was reduced for the 1 day only sale.

Economically I suffer 1st by having to purchase at a much higher price. By not being able to take advantage of an additional Logitech coupon which will expire and become worthless without the UPC code. The printing expenses of dozens papers to re-construct this purpose if court action becomes necessary. Lack of sleep and mentally and emotionally exhausted. 7 phone calls to Customer Service run around. Loosing work time because I spending time on this instead my job which I must do because this appears to be fraud by amazon affecting many amazon customers which must be addressed.

Agnes of Dorr MI (11/27/07)
Here is another case of AMAZON.COM indefinitely suspending a seller account and holding monies due for 90 days. Their reason for this is that the account was somehow linked to another account that was suspended. My account had no issues or rating problems. I am owed $800 for the last 10 days of sales and have hundreds invested and now will have to wait 90 days for this money.

Also, selling on amazon.com has been my primary income and is no longer available. Let me stress the fact that I did nothing wrong on amazon.com; rather my account was in some way linked to an account that was once suspended for a violation. They do not and will not supply who or how they are linked. It is A VERY UNFAIR PRACTICE.

Mike of Slc UT (11/23/07)
Their Black Friday ad showed, without a doubt, a countdown timer for items on sale. Low and behold there were no such deals, rather a note to come back in 6 hours. This was absolute consumer fraud just to build anticipation and to make people avoid other businesses who actually had items on sale.

Ethan of Colorado Springs CO (11/15/07)
I have been selling movies on Amazon.com for close to five years. On 20 OCT 07, Amazon suspended my account for no reason. On 24 OCT 07, they closed my account. Their general reason (with no specifics) was The feedback, claims and/or refunds submitted to your seller account profile indicate that a number of buyers have been dissatisfied with the service you have provided.

My approval numbers are outstanding. I have not had had a single A-Z Guarantee Claim, my lifetime positive feedback rating is 95% (exemplary compared to most of the other sellers on Amazon), and I have not received a single instance of negative feedback for over a year. After the 20 OCT 07 notice, I emailed them back asking for specific reasons for suspending my account. They gave no explanation.

If Amazon is closing accounts for positive feedback ratings of 95% or less, close to HALF of the sellers on Amazon should be shut down. I have trouble believing they are in the process of doing this. They have singled me out for some reason. I have never had an issue with Amazon until now, but this is a big problem.

Have many DVDs still left in inventory, hundreds of dollars lost in sales

Marika of Garfield NJ (09/24/07)
Was looking at a camcorder that was listed for about $200. Showed the link to a few friends of mine. I suspect that amazon.com uses their computers to track active items. After 1/2 hour of looking at the item and discussing it with my friends, amazon.com suddenly raised the price to over $1,000. I think they use their computers to track popular items and raise the price if it appears someone will be interested in buying it.

I didn't get the item I wanted by at the same time, Amazon.com lost the sale.

Amy of San Francisco CA (09/11/07)
I established a merchant account with Amazon in May '07 and had been receiving a slow and steady stream of 3-5 book/video game orders per week. Each order was shipped promptly and I've only received 5 out of 5, 100% seller feedback. When I finally had a large order totalling more than $1,000, Amazon froze my assets. They claim they are conducting a 'merchant review'. However, this process has now taken 45 days, I've received only standard form letter responses regarding my account and still have not gotten access to my sales proceeds, now totalling more than $1,700. To this day, no one at Amazon has sent a direct response to my email queries, only automatic replies. It's completel reprehensible that Amazon is just holding my money for a month and a half, without cause, client communication, or interest accrual. It's outrageous.

I was counting on my sales proceeds to pay my montly mortgage and purchase a 70th birthday present for my father. I've been flat broke for weeks, having to forgo other expenses to compensate.

B.a. of Singapore (09/08/07)
Recently, I have placed order about USD 108 to Amazon.com for 2 books related to project management. The order was due for delivery on 31 Aug 2007. When I submit where is my stuff to Amazon.com, got reply that it may deliver 31 Aug + 5 business days, about 7 Sept.

On 8 Sept 2007 10-11PM SG time, I called Amazon.com CSA and asked where is my stuff. Is it in Singapore or somewhere at source. I also asked any nbrs, like shipping manifest nbr, consignment, air way bill nbr -- which all these are standard practice on posting services. Amazon.com CSA replied that they don't have the nbrs, in one occassion the CSA mentioned they cannot share this nbr to customer. I then asked what is the packing slip nbr -- which is common printed on the packing slip of Amazon.com box. The CSA also refused to provide the nbr and mentioned they don't have the nbr.

Instead of providing customer on the information which helps customer to trace their paid package, the CSA simply acted hands-off simply as once off from Amazon.com it's not their responsibility anymore. Yes, just stop there. On my years as Amazon.com customer, this practice is disgusting. The CSA simply doesn't understand that Amazon.com business is established based on customer relationship and trust. By providing options of refund or replace (even without question) it does not replace customer's lost of time and trust damage in the relationship.

To my disbelieve, such practice even been mentioned as Amazon.com has best system in US... I doubt so. I think Singapore has better system as customer are given access to trace where their post articles. Dell, and all global logistics company practice such nbr.

Does Amazon.com really still have good willing on their customer, specially international ones? It's becoming so big, and their employee just forgot what is the foundation of their business. Amazon.com is really becoming untrustworthy and no willing to maintain good relationship with customer irrespective locations.

Mathew of Charleston SC (08/28/07)
This complaint is in regard to funds that are owed to me by Amazon.com. I began selling products on Amazon early this year and ceased my sales on March 23, 2007. Amazon.com's policy was to withhold certain funds for up to 90 days prior to disbursement to the seller. As a seller, I have yet to receive these funds. It has now been more than 150 days and I have not received the $1369.14 that is owed to me by Amazon.com. These funds are for sales that have taken place and have been completed. I have made numerous contact attempts via email and via telephone, but have only gotten the run around over the telephone and minimal response via email. Aside from receiving emails stating that my funds will be placed in my gift certificate account (even though all disbursements have previously taken place through my bank account - as my requested funding method), I have heard nothing further from Amazon. Despite several requests, as of today, these funds have still not been transferred into my account or to a gift certificate.

Amazon.com has acted as the middleman in these sales, but has failed to remit my portion of these sales to me...in the amount of $1369.14. These have withheld these funds for more than 150 days and have ignored my requests to remit my funds.

Olson of Richland WA (07/26/07)
WEll one I'd like to say for the amount of complaints on this page and the amount of orders that are placed with Amazon.com, they are doing good job...Idon't have a complaint I love Amazon. I order all my books from them using their free shipping after $25 which in a normal case would seem to take longer to arrive and I always receive my packages within 1-2 days. A lot of comments and complaints on here make it appear that you people don't know how to read. when I order something anywhere online I read the fine print, as for the person complaining about his gas powered weed eater, if you can read it says all over the item cannot be returned. so you should know that you are taking a risk of having factory defects Duh!

Michael Clark of Duncanville AL (07/24/07)
I purchased a Weed Eater (Poulan SST25) When I got the item, I saw it was missing a Choke Lever - you cannot crank a weed eater without it. No big, I contacted Poulan first. Unable to help, I contacted Amazon to do an exchange for a replacement weed eater. They told me a gas powered machine cannot be returned. I contacted Visa - since they are supposed to protect the consumer. If Amazon.com has a policy against returns, then you cannot dispute the charge. I am stuck with a broken weed eater that has never been used.

I spent $100 for an item that has become a heavy doorstop.

Frank of Zebulon NC (07/17/07)

I made the mistake of purchasing music during a weak moment from Amazon.com. And, worst of all, I used my company email to do so. After a few Amazon emails and others that showed up with a coded name that I know Amazon provided, I tried and tried to go through the Amazon system to have my name removed from the annoying bombardment of notices.

I have called all the phone numbers which are almost impossible to find. Two different Amazon.com customer service lines disconnected today. So I wrote to the Investor Relations office. We are now checking with the NC Attorney General's Office to intervene.

Michele of Gloucester MA (06/20/07)

Amazon.com is selling a DVD, Cannibal Holocaust, which depicts real and graphic footage of animals being inhumanely killed in a horror film.

Lynn of NY (05/24/07)

Ordered on May 22 for their spring markdown event by May 23, items kept disappearing from my confirmed order bringing it under the $25 so they wanted to charge me $18 to ship the items. I emailed (many times - with no response), then I call and was told there was a pricing error but I would be contacted before anything happens. Eventually, I was contacted and they shipped part of my order. Then another email said my order was canceled but it was not. I received NO response.


Gloria of Alameda CA (05/09/07)

They posted my book on Amazon.com and never told me how many books was sold, they placed a new ISBN number without my permission. I had asked Infinity Publishing to take my book off the market a few years and they did, but the distributor Amazon.com never did.

James of Martin GA (04/19/07)

I placed an order with Amazon for several items totaling $141 with shipping. I used a VISA card to place the order. A few days later I got an NSF notice from my bank for an amount unlike this Amazon order and didn't make the connection with Amazon until the following day when I went to my bank. The single order had been billed to my checking account instead of the credit card, and had been split into four smaller amounts, and had been processing twice a day (each amount) for several days, resulting in an incredible sum in NSF charges! Amazon is unwilling to speak to me about it, saying that once they've turned it over to an agency it's out of their hands.

Jean of Orange Park FL (04/12/07)
I put an item in my shopping cart, when I went to the check out the price on it had almost doubled from what was listed on the item page. I contacted Amazon, and spoke to Al, he directed me to a disclaimer page which states there is no guarantee you will receive the price listed on the item page when you check out. This is the same thing as a department store putting one price on the display and charging more when you get to the register. Buyer beware, double check the price you are being charged. Amazon was not willing to do anything about false price they had advertised.

Joseph of Winchester MA (02/08/07)
On 1/30/2007 we made the following request to a third party merchant of Amazon.com The merchant is Forzieri in Florence, Italy and the product we purchased was Pillola - Diamond Bezel Black Date Watch for $900.00

We purchased the following order through Amazon.com. It was a gift for my wife for Christmas. The watch stopped working on Januray 29, 2007. On January 30, 2007 we requested an authorization to return the merchandise for a full refund.

The merchant offered to repair the watch with the following response. We are sorry that the Pillola - Diamond Bezel Black Date Watch is broken. As there are more than 30 day from purchase, we can't offer you an exchange, but we can repair it for you for free. Please send the item to us with your Forzieri order inside of the package.

Amazon.com boldly advertises to its customers that it offers a satisfaction guarantee for any purchase during the holiday season and will take the merchandise back and refund the purchase price if the return request is made by January 31, 2007. The Amazon satisfaction guarantee does not extend to their third party merchants. However the American Express credit card transaction lists Amazon.com as the merchant collecting the money.

This watch was purchased as a special gift for my wife for Christmas. The decision to select this watch was based on the following seller representation All merchandise sold by Forzieri comes from the finest Italian manufacturers and is guaranteed to be genuine, in new condition, and thoroughly inspected by quality control. All products offered by Forzieri are protected by a 30-Day Full-Satisfaction Policy which guarantees a full refund or product exchange if items are returned in an unused condition.

The seller's Forzieri position is send it back and we will repair it. Our position is we are no longer satisfied with this merchandise it is not as you represented. Within 2 or 3 days of your satisfaction guarantee it stopped working. For $900.00 we want a reliable luxury watch and want our money returned.

Kathy of Newport Coast CA (01/27/07)
On December 21, 2006, I ordered some jewelry from AlleFineJewelry.com via Amazon. They said it needed to be appraised so it would not arrive in time for Christmas. I canceled the order with Alle Fine Jewelry on December 29, 2006 because they emailed me and told me it would not be shipped until Jan. 08, 2007 and did I want to cancel? I answered that I did want to cancel and I asked for a refund.

On January 4, 2007, Alle Fine Jewelry emailed me and said they were over-nighting half of my order. I emailed back and asked them why they would send it since I had canceled the order. They sent me half of the order. When the package came, I returned to sender and I never opened the package. Then I asked them to please refund my money where they had charged my credit card on December 21, 2006 in the amount of $1938.00.

They received the merchandise back on January 10, 2007 according to FedEx and I have the receptionist's signature on file. I have been asking and asking for my refund daily from Alle Fine Jewelry via Amazon only to be met with, "We are still examining the jewelry you returned." Mind you, they only sent half of the order, but they said they are also examining the one they never sent.

The person I have been dealing with at Amazon.com is Peg and she has not been helpful at all, but in fact, now my Amazon.com account has been blocked, which is rather curious since I have purchased hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from them since 2000.

As of January 27, 2006 and they still are "examining" the jewelry I returned unopened which I had canceled before they sent it and they still have not given me my refund in the amount of $1938.00 nor a date when I can expect it. I won't use them again.

Daniel of Coram NY (01/04/07)
In December I placed an order for a Juan Valdez single cup coffee maker which came with 90 free coffee pods. I received the item which was defective. After placing a call to Amazon.com, I was told a replacement would be received within 3-5 business days. When looking at my online acct, it said the prdut would not ship until the end of February! I had to call up again and speak with a team leader who arranged for the product (which was now out of stock with Amazon.com), to ship through the Amazon marketplace via target.com. The next week I received the coffee maker, without any free coffee pods. I called Amazon once again, and after an hours conversation with several people, including another team leader, I basically forced them, against their will to send me a replacement (2nd day air) with the free coffee pods I deserved. Earlier this week I received my shipment, once again minusthe free coffee pods. I call Amazon.com today and was told that there is nothing that could be done for me further, other mailing the item back for a complete refund. The problem is this product was obtained on sale, and if I received a full refund it would not allow me to purchase a similiar product for that price. Amazon insisted that their policy is that they will not replace a product more then 1-2 times, although NO WHERE is that written for the consumer to see, either before or after making a purchase with them.

As a result, I am sitting with an incomplete order. All I was asking for is the coffee pods I was promised, and Amazon.com was unable to fulfill their end of the bargain! (False advertising?)

Santiago of Lima Peru (12/27/06)
I purchased the e-book Next by Michael Crichton, and also the audio CD. The e-book I downloaded it, but the CD is the problem. I paid for it and paid the express shipping. It arrived via DHL, but I received a phone call telling me that I had to pay $50 extra in order to receive it. Impossible to contact Amazon.com, they only have fake e-mail addresses.

I lost my money! Amazon.com doesn't care about customers.

David of Park Ridge IL (12/19/06)
I ordered a Magic Circle 13.5 ft trampoline from Amazon.com on 12/17. The trampoline, Amazon stated, was sold thru Amazon by Willygoat.com - one of their business partners - who uses Amazon as a platform to sell their products because of Amazon's hit rate.

After placing the order and receiving conformation of the purchase order, I visited Willygoat's website to track shipment status. I noticed on Willygoat's website that they list the same exact product for $899.99 (Amazon price was $1007.99) and Willygoat's shipping rate was listed at $86.09 (while Amazon charged $103.99).

Willgoat.com is a business partner of Amazon.com, yet they offer the exact same product at different prices an dthe shipping rate differs. I cannot get either company to remedy this situation and am in the process of filing a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General's office.

Amy of Fayetteville AR (12/17/06)
I opened an account on amazon.com. The man I live with already had an account. Because we shared the same address amazon sent us an email saying that only one account was allowed and that they were going to shut down both of our seller accounts and hold our funds for up to ninety days while they investigated both accounts. They email said once 90 had passed the funds would be released.

Guess what. Its been over ninety days and they still have over five thousand dollars of our money. We long ago shipped out the product and paid for the postate. Now we are out the product and the money amazon owes us. This is apparently a really common practice for them. There are several blog spots with many complainers.

I have no idea how to get them to release this money but this is happening to thousands of people. They ought not to be allowed to hold your funds indefinitely. They are making money off money I earned my selling my items on their website. Its stealing outright! some one help

I have not had money to pay my credit card debt for the postage I was out for mailing items .

Kenneth of Napa CA (12/12/06)
Tried to purchase an Epson PowerLite S4 3LCD Projector through North Star Electronic's storefront at Amazon.com. The pulished/advertised price was $6.41. The website, at the time, stated that there was merchandise in stock available for immediate shipping.

I placed my order, received confirmation from Amazon and shortly thereafter was notified that my order had been cancelled because the item I'd purchased was out of stock. I notified Amazon.com customer service. They told me it wasn't their problem because it was North Star's storefront. I contacted North Star to let them know that I would wait for this item to be in stock again and they informed me that they would not be honoring the published price and that it was a mistake on their part.

Do retailers have to honor their published prices?

Judith Duncan of Houston TX (12/11/06)
Several times, when I have proceeded to the check-out screen, items will be included in my order that I did not order. Once there was a camera at $299, and today there was a karoke machine listed. I generally click this pane quickly, and almost didn't check this. The first time I thought I'd accidently added the camera (although I hadn't been looking at them), but this time their addition of the karoke machine was way out of line. This is not something I'd ever order.

This practice is the same as dropping items in a person's grocery basket when they're not looking. It's downright dishonest and manipulative. Thanks for listening.

Almost bought hundreds of dollars of merchandise I didn't want.

Charles of Oklahoma City OK (11/04/06)
I purchased a camera and case from Amazon.com on Thu 2 Nov 06. I used my Amazon Prime membership to purchase discounted one-day shipping for $8. On their webpages, up to and including the last page before I clicked the complete order button, Amazon.com repeatedly stated that the items were in-stock, ready to be shipped that day, and would arrive on Fri 3 Nov 06. The order confirmation didn't show up for some hours after the order was placed.

When the package didn't show up the next day, I checked my email, and saw the delayed confirmation, saying the package's estimated ship date was 6 Nov, 4 days after I placed the order. I contacted customer service, and received a litany of excuses, including The item is in stock, but not at the fulfillment center nearest your home. The item had to be requisitioned from another site and sent to the requisition center near you.

Then they tried to suggest that I did not order the item on Thursday after all, but later. When I asked them why they thought it was ok to ship a one-day shipping item 4 days after the promised date, they said first that shipping dates are estimated, and then One day shipping means the item leaves our warehouse within one day.

When I countered that it had indeed been a day, but that I'd received no shipment confirmation and that there was no shipping information on my account page in amazon.com, I was put on hold for several minutes. When the CSR returned, she said that I did have a shipping confirmation showing the item had shipped that day (Fri 3 Nov 06). And what a surprise! Several minutes later, a shipping confirmation showed up in my email, and an equivalent confirmation appeared in my amazon.com account page. However, the UPS tracking number that was included had no associated data when I tracked it at UPS.com.

Tanya of Medford NJ (10/24/06)
Unfortunately, I do not have an address nor a telephone number for Amazon.com. They don't give that information out since they don't want to deal with customers. I had purchased oriental shades and returned them in September. On October 3rd, the oriental furniture company sent the refund to Amazon.com to refund me. It was through the Amazon.com that I had made the purchase from Oriental furniture company.

I had emailed Amazon 20 times asking for the refund and no response. I had emailed and called the oriental furniture company and they tried to contact Amazon.com but got no where. They cannot refund me since I purchased through Amazon.com and Amazon.com has all my information such as credit card number.

Miriam Arocho of Woodbridge NJ (09/26/06)
On Sept 19th, I purchased an Elmo TMX doll through Amazon.com. I have learned today, a week later that they do not have the toy in stock. This is false advertising!!! Becuase they chose to tell me a week after I 'purchased' this doll, I have no chance of buying it anywhere else. It is sold out.

If Amazon.com was honest and stated they do not have it in stock, I would have purchased this doll elsewhere. I was a loyal customer---not anymore. This is false advertising. I assured my daughter she will have it--now I cannot find it anywhere.

Anise of San Diego CA (09/11/06)
Amazon.com sucks! I purchased a textbook for school in June 2006 but never got it. I emailed customer services through Amazon.com at least three times in a month, but I have never got any responses. I called the customer service number, and they said their investigation specialist would get back to me in 3-5 business days. Liar -- no one ever contact me from Amazon. Meanwhile, my account is in frozen stage.

Because I really needed the book and Amazon.com had the best deal, I created a new account to buy the same textbook and even got the confirmation in email this time. Two weeks later, I still have not received the book so I emailed and called Amazon.com. It was the same deal --- our customer service would contact you in 3-5 business days. Now is September, more than three months after I made the purchases, no one from Amazon.com ever contact me.

I want to cancel my orders but I can't. Amazon.com freezes my two accounts. If I tried to shop with other companies have relationship with them, same issue happened. Now, my Target account is frozen too. Is it because I'm too small in their sales percentage, these big companies can choose to ignore me?

Sara Dustin of Naples FL (08/24/06)
My complaints is in regards to amazon.com and its free shipping policy. They entice customers to their web by offering free shipping of orders of $25 or more. However, what most customers don't know is that when they use the free shipping option, amazon deliberately delays sending their product, no doubt to deter people from using free shipping in the future.

Some of my students have used amazon.com without realizing the extended shipping that would result. They did not receive their books until halfway through the semester, obviously causing a very negative situation in their classes. Amazon.com should not penalize customers who choose to use the free shipping option.

Taanya of Clemson SC (08/03/06)
Because Amazon.com's book inventory is so limited, I listed my item under the closest match and wrote a warning disclaimer that the book was the SAME edition but just paperback, and I also, included the ISBN of the book. The buyer claimed not recalling having seen the note written under description and filed a refund claim. I sent Amazon.com proof that it wasn't my fault but they denied my claim and I had to refund the buyer.

I agreed to refund the buyer upon the return of the purchased item. The buyer stopped responding to my emails, so I assumed that she changed her mind and decided to keep the item/book, so I let go of the situation. However, Amazon.com said that I have a pending claim, so I contacted them explaining the situation listed exactly as above. They replied to me saying that the buyer did not have to return the item but I had to refund the money anyway. I can't get any co-operation from the buyer.

The CSR, Brian L., told me that this was the policy of the Amazon's A to Z guarantee. I visited the link he provided me and such policy is not mentioned anywhere.

Now I am without a book to resell and at loss of $80. This is not the first time I have experienced problems with Amazon.com, but this was the worst situation.

Joanne of Dublin 7 Ireland (05/08/06)
In January 2005 I ordered a set of DVDs on the internet from DVD Video Direct through Amazon.com's website. The cost of the DVDs was $84.74. A few days later I received an x-rated DVD, which I was very angry and upset at receiving, which I duly returned.

I never received my set of DVDs nor did I get a refund. Amazon said it's not their responsiblity and the company - DVD Video Direct - said they sent the DVDs to me.

At this stage I'm incredibilty angry at the situation. This was my first time ordering anything over the internet, or indeed Amazon.


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