I ordered a product from Amazon which was due to be delivered tomorrow. A notification popped up last night to say that there was a problem with the delivery, but that it may still be delivered.
A quick check of the order showed the following message-
'Unfortunately, a problem occurred during delivery. If you have not received your package by 28 November, please come back here for an update. We're sorry for the inconvenience.'
Clicking 'See all updates' (a very small option) showed the following-
'Package is undeliverable and returning to sender because it is damaged.'
OK, no real problem so I asked for a call from support which came back straight away. I was told that I will get a refund in 5-7 days and that I would have to order it again. I persisted and the man advised that they have no other options because of the value of the item (+£1,000 in this case). They know that they have the problem, or at least their delivery company, they know that I will now have to wait to get my item and order again, and even worse the refund is delayed because it is more expensive. Surely this should be a reason to sort it out and just send another one, even if it comes a day later.
The product is in stock on the Amazon site, but the processes force the customer to order twice, be out of pocket for up to a week and to get a much delayed delivery. That makes no sense.
UPDATE: I ordered again and DPD were supposed to deliver yesterday. With only 20 stops to go the parcel was marked as ‘refused’ which was more than a little annoying. I called Amazon who promised to sort it for delivery the next day and I also called DPD direct who promised the same. Today the parcel was returned to Amazon with no explanation. Called Amazon- rep put me on hold and then cut me off, next call was greeted with a rep telling me it would be delivered today despite the Amazon site stating that it was being returned. He put me on hold, cut off again…
Also, I ordered 2 low value products by mistake earlier this week and realised immediately. I tried to cancel one within 60 seconds and the other within 5 minutes- neither could be cancelled and the site stated that I would have to wait for them to be delivered and to then return them.
What a waste of time, money, fuel and the climate! All so that Amazon can streamline their service in every possible way to save money.
Now, I am aware of the huge volumes the company is dealing with and the fact that potentially the need for Amazon has outstripped the capabilities it has. A trip to any local shopping centre offers some evidence- poor customer service, high prices and more often than not the products you want are not even available. Go to Amazon and you can have it next day, or the day after in recent times, and you know you can get a refund if needed.
My concern is that the processes are chasing to fit the company more than the customer which doesn't feel quite right to me.