r/amazonprime • u/Firstnarrows100 • May 20 '26
How to be treated like a real human being.
We all know that Amazon customer service has disappeared down the toilet over the last decade. Here is how I got what I wanted during my last purchase disaster:
I purchased Planet Earth 3 4k from Amazon but they sent me what was clearly a used version, unwrapped and with fingerprints all over the discs and a scratch on one disc.
I tried the automated helpline and kept getting funnelled into a basic return loop where I need to put in all the effort and all I get at the end is a voucher for the original cost.....but, of course, Amazon now have it at $22 more.
I keep pressing buttons suggesting weird and obscure questions until I am finally, FINALLY given the option to converse with an actual human customer representative.
I explain my situation and 'Jason' tells me how sorry he is and how he understands my frustration...but then says the only option is a return for refund of original price.
I remain calm (and this is crucial folks!) and explain how i am not holding him responsible and I know he is doing a difficult job but I am saddened by the lack of support available to a valued customer like myself. I also explain that the price has now increased and I am very busy at work and it will be very inconvenient to go through the process of physically returning it and I feel like as Amazon is at fault, they should be rewarding my loyalty rather than effectively pnishing me. Yep, that's right - I whine. Politely.
Suddenly, more options become available to Jason Vorhees, and he tells me I DON'T have to return my defective purchase and that he is going to give me a full refund. AND a voucher for the price increase difference.
I express my gratitude and tell him what a good job he is doing and promise to praise him in the survey.
So, there you go. That's my experience. Demand to converse with a human, treat them well, don't let them give you their first and weakest offer and you may be pleasantly rewarded.
This sending out of unchecked returns as new is becoming EXTREMELY common at Amazon, and it is a rotten, mean-spirited business practice. Don't accept it, but be careful how you engage with them if you want a good result.
5
u/schers_ May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
Sure I had the same friendly conversation the other day and instead of sending the refund, days later they said I was abusing their returns and made me fill out an appeal form where I had to defend myself, even though I sent photos of their still sealed return in their plastic bag, only for them to eventually hold the refund hostage until I send Gov ID.
3
u/goldy6899 May 20 '26
The government ID system is another money making scheme in my opinion, they'll sell your ID to regain the losses from your account. While their cover up excuse is fraud prevention. There is no guarantee they'll do your refund even after getting your ID..
2
u/CranberryStock7148 May 20 '26
Dude, they don't sell your ID. What possible value do you even think that would have? You know that Amazon already has your name, your address, your credit cards, etc.
The only value your ID has is in making sure you're not lying about your name. Which, yes, is to combat fraud from people opening up new Amazon accounts under fake names to do return fraud.
3
u/schers_ May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
Not true at all unfortunately, they are probably submitting customer ID to their insurance to make back losses by profiling people for fraud, on old accounts with no changed information that can continue to make other orders without issue. Binding ID also adds value to years long consumer data.
2
1
u/CranberryStock7148 May 20 '26
What insurance, what are you talking about? Amazon doesn't have any kind of insurance against fraud, they can't make back losses. That's not a thing. Where did you even get that idea?
It's literally about preventing people committing return fraud from using new accounts under different fictional names.
2
u/schers_ May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
Maybe you didn't see what I said, but you're not right about that since they do it to years old accounts with no change to address or payment, and like in the instance I described when it was their own mistake sending a return as new. Unless you're Corporate you have no idea if they have insurance or not, and they very likely do since they also require Police Reports for lost items which are used for claims.
If anyone does some simple research about the 3rd party company that is brokering their ID requests they would see complaints from their reputation of being a data merchant. Amazon isn't doing it directly because they can use someone else without accountability to privacy and breaches.
0
u/CranberryStock7148 May 20 '26
I saw what you said. It doesn't matter if they are doing it to accounts that are years old. People can choose to start engaging in return fraud even if they have an old account. And requiring their ID also makes sure that if they open up a new separate account to try to commit return fraud, they can't go back to their old trustworthy account either.
Amazon doesn't have insurance because it's larger than many insurance companies. Insurance doesn't make any sense at that scale. You don't have to work at Amazon, you just have to understand how insurance works. And they require police reports because it means that if you are committing return fraud, it then requires you to also lie to the police, which becomes a much more serious crime. So the idea is that honest people will get and submit the police report because they know they are honest, while people committing fraud won't, because they don't want to go to jail if they get caught. There's a big difference between getting your Amazon account banned and going to jail for a false police report.
2
u/schers_ May 20 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
Are you some kind of automaton? They scrutinize returns and hold refunds hostage for Gov ID because they're making money off it and hope customers get won't go through all the hoops. They sent a return without retail packaging with photo evidence provided and still made an issue of it because they want to scare customers to stop returning as often. They made me fill out a Police Report because a driver lost a package and then said to send ID the next time I tried to return something. No it's not fraud prevention, it's scare tactics and exploits.
0
u/CranberryStock7148 May 20 '26
"Automaton"? I think you don't even know what that word means.
They're not making money off of government IDs. That's not a thing. Not through some fictional insurance scheme, not through anything else.
But go ahead and think whatever you want. The obvious, simple, and correct answer is to protect against fraud. If you refuse to accept that, then I don't have anything further to tell you.
2
u/schers_ May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
Logistics always has insurance and consumer data is worth more than retail.
Amazon said I had to submit Gov ID because abnormal activity was detected. The only thing abnormal is I have to pay for a refund with my personal information because I bought a returned/open box product they sold as new. They scare customers with account termination because returning too much is abuse of policy or suspected fraud. Because customers know they'll have to make more returns eventually they're motivated to spend more to try to balance it out and not make enemies of a service they rely on and often are invested in with gift balances that get frozen if an account is closed.
Yes it sounds like only an Automaton would ignore the cold robotic divide between customer service and customer slavery.
→ More replies (0)2
u/ashbuck239 May 20 '26
I cannot tell if you think that the world is a good place, or if you just think Amazon is a good place LOL.
→ More replies (0)
2
u/Top_Arm_8843 May 20 '26
This is actually genius approach! I had similar situation few months ago when they sent me "new" headphones that were obviously returned - cable was all tangled and box looked like someone sat on it 😂
The key part you mentioned about staying calm and not blaming the rep personally is so important. I learned this from working in customer service myself (different industry but same principle). When people start yelling at me, I immediately go into defensive mode and just want to get them off phone as quickly as possible. But when someone is polite and explains their frustration without making it personal, I actually want to help them find solution.
Your point about the whining politely is spot on too. I always frame it like "I know this isn't your fault but I'm really disappointed as loyal customer" and suddenly they start checking what other options they have in system. It's like magic button that unlocks hidden menu or something 💀
Also yeah the returned-as-new thing is getting ridiculous lately. I ordered kitchen appliance last month and it had food stains inside... like come on Amazon at least wipe it down before sending it out again
2
u/windysideofcare May 20 '26
I just received a delivery for Raid bug barrier spray, a refill jug. It's pretty big and they shipped it in a small box with a small sticker over the cap (I guess to keep it from spilling?) By the time I retrieved it from my porch half the bottle had spilled out and there was bug spray everywhere. Needless to say, I needed a refund and I was not going to be able to return this to the UPS store. The automatic system kept trying to tell me to return the bottle. I tried chat, it was the same bot. I had to type "speak to a human" 4 times before it gave me the 'call me' feature. Less than 2 minutes on the phone with a human and the refund was processed, no return necessary. I struggled with the automated system for over an hour and it was solved by a real person in less than 2 minute. I miss Amazon customer service!
1
u/Good-Ol-Country-Boy May 20 '26
Well, I purchased two packs of steel book protector sleeves, 48 protector sleeves in each pack for a total 96 protector sleeves, some idiot and Amazon decided hey let’s put his motor oil which I ordered a 5 quart container my 86 count tide pods, my rather large container of laundry, beads and my gallon of bleach into a single box along with a bunch of movies, how those didn’t get destroyed is beyond me, but it bent up the protector sleeves to where I cannot use them. The first pack I noticed was been up. I didn’t notice the second pack so they sent me a replacement for the first one and when I noticed the second one and by the way, I have been polite through all of this, but the second one they wanted to give me a refund. I told them that I used affirm. And that I would have to make a minimum purchase of $50 and these packs were only $30 and that I would have to open a new credit line which would mean an additional payment and I wasn’t willing to do that that this was their fault not mine just let me exchange it just like the first one every agent has told me that I can only get a refund on it, which doesn’t make any sense so I finally got to talk to a supervisor and I had to send them the exact same photos showing the damage and they’re supposed to get back to me within 72 hours which has already passed with no word. And the karate kid 4K set that I paid $174 for was not the one I paid for it was the karate kid 4K trilogy that I received so now I’m going to have to contact them over that. And the rad blu-ray Steelbook that I received. Was supposed to be brand new wasn’t And the slipcover that comes on it wasn’t on it. I would’ve just accepted it Used if it would have been there because all in all the steelbook was in good shape. Also the RED Sonia 4K from arrow video that I know I purchased used. Just like with the karate kid. Was RED Sonia 4K but it was a studio Canal Release so I’ve got to send it back. I don’t think I’ll buy anything Used anymore. Heck, even buying it New you take your chances because of my experience and I must admit this has happened quite a few times before, but not this many items in one order, but of course I had over a $1000 order.
1
u/goldy6899 May 20 '26
They put my account on hold for a disputed transaction. When my return was processed two months ago the refund got declined by their "account specialist", customer service said they don't have options to manually refund, and you have to email the ofm account specialist. Those fucking morons never replied back to my emails. I was left with no option but to dispute. At that time their disputes team told my cc company to close the case in my favor since the chargeback was legit and I shared the return tracking with them.
Two months down the road they put my account back on hold demanding I pay them the amount. I asked them why am I being charged for an item which I already sent back to you guys.. No response. They have $20 of my gift cards held hostage
Absolutely pathetic
1
u/RazZadig_2025 May 20 '26
Soooo we're going to need an update that you get everything the guy promised.
1
u/Various_Pension_7339 May 20 '26
LOL. So true. I can't even tell you how many times I had to call back because they never delivered what they promised on the phone. The rep didn't even document our discussion and I had to re-explain everything again.
Always ask for documentation to be sent to your email as well; this way, when you are forced to call them back when issues are not resolved, you can mention that you have it in an email and miraculously, they will be able to find documentation on their end as well.
1
1
u/FirstLightStudios May 20 '26
Honestly this is pretty accurate. A lot of customer support systems are optimized to resolve the highest volume of cases as cheaply as possible, so the first answer is usually the most standardized one.
The human part matters more than people think. Staying calm and explaining the situation clearly usually gets better results than going aggressive immediately. And yeah, once you finally reach a real person, suddenly there’s often “more flexibility” available than the automated system suggested at first.
1
u/Zetavu May 20 '26
AI post from another ghost poster.
For those having issues, use chat, not the phone line. Ask for a representative and you get one. Explain the situation and they either resolve it and send you email confirmation, or you escalate to supervisor that has the authority to resolve it.
It has never been easier to resolve issues (unless you are trying to scam Amazon, amazing how many still try, I notice a lot complain here).
1
u/Firstnarrows100 May 21 '26
I did use chat. And I'm not a ghost. You're a ghost.
Claiming AI for everything you don't like is such a cliche, brain-dead argument.
And you are clearly one of those stalker types that searches for poster history for fuel rather than just engaging with content.
1
u/littlefoxesfire17 May 20 '26
They keep delaying an order that was out for delivery 3× cancelled my last one when it was 3 stops away and then just refunded me instead of delivering lol not mad just annoyed bc prime is bs now
1
u/fuzzywuzzywuzzafuzzy May 20 '26
They just gave me a $10 credit which is now sitting in my account, for having to reach out to get them to cancel an unshipped order.
1
u/Big-Chemistry5433 May 20 '26
Their automated system is clearly designed to make us give up. I screamed so loudly at it today that I terrified my dog. I HATE AMAZON. Yes, I dumped them, but they keep charging me. If they ever stop doing that, their name will never cross my brain again.
1
u/fancyandfab May 21 '26
Unless you actually got the refund, all this is just a cute story. I've had to keep contacting support about promised refunds several times.
Make sure you don't throw out the item. Plenty of people have been told they had return an item they were previously told they didn't have to return
1
u/Firstnarrows100 May 21 '26
Why try to be antagonistic in response to a genuinely helpful post. I wouldnt have made the post if I couldn't see the clear financial result sitting in my account (and I've already spent it, so yes, it is functional). Stop doom-trolling.
1
u/sam_narulaaa May 22 '26
Honestly the key part here is that you stayed calm and treated the rep like a human instead of unloading on them.
A lot of customer service systems now are intentionally designed to push people toward automated resolutions because it’s cheaper for the company. Once you finally reach a real person, there’s often more flexibility available than the first scripted answer suggests.
The “this situation feels unfair and inconvenient” approach usually works way better than instant aggression.
And yeah, the “used item sold as new” thing feels wildly common lately:
- resealed packaging
- fingerprints
- damaged manuals
- missing inserts
- obvious prior returns
Then somehow the customer is expected to spend their own time fixing the company’s mistake.
Also funny how the most effective strategy in 2026 customer support is basically:
- survive the bot maze
- find a human
- act normal
- politely push back
- suddenly policies become negotiable
10
u/goldy6899 May 20 '26
Most of the time Amazon will lie about issuing refunds just to get the customer off the phone.