Assist! Amazon despatched me the unsuitable water heater

QUESTION: I bought a tankless scorching water heater from Amazon a month in the past. They despatched the unsuitable scorching water heater — propane as an alternative of pure gasoline.

Amazon permitted my return, and I despatched it again the following week. Amazon acquired the merchandise, however I haven’t acquired a refund but.

I contacted Amazon by chats a number of occasions, asking about my refund so I might order a alternative. I’ve talked to 12 completely different so-called customer support reps — some claimed to be supervisors — and not using a decision from any.

Once I examine my account, there’s now no proof that I’ve a return despatched, acquired or being processed. That info was taken off the location. The merchandise was there earlier than.

I can’t afford to buy one other heater till they refund my unique buy. To say the least, this example is now and continues to be insupportable, and their actions point out they don’t care. Please assist me get my $496 again.

— Marshall Haney, Lockport, NY

ANSWER: Amazon ought to have despatched you the right heater. But when it couldn’t, it ought to have despatched you an instantaneous refund after you returned the heater — together with its apologies. As an alternative, it pretended you had been by no means a buyer. Come on.

Amazon’s return course of normally works properly. I’ve heard from clients who get their refunds in hours as an alternative of days, which is nice. For you, the system didn’t work because it ought to have. Amazon permitted your return, acknowledged it, however then erased all information of your transaction from the system.

Bear in mind how I like to speak about holding a paper path? That additionally contains screenshots with acknowledgments of product returns. Why? As a result of this might occur to you. The corporate might merely delete all of its information, leaving you with no proof that you just ever returned a product. And even ordered a product.

Now, to make certain, you would have cobbled collectively some forensic proof out of your bank card invoice and electronic mail correspondence. This shouldn’t be needed with a complicated firm like Amazon.

Reviewing your correspondence, I see two points. First, your whole messages had been in all uppercase. While you’re on-line, that’s thought-about yelling. I might perhaps ease up on that and disengage your caps lock. Additionally, it had solely been a couple of weeks since your return, and I feel Amazon would have ultimately resolved this downside. Since chatting wasn’t actually serving to, perhaps you would have despatched a quick, well mannered electronic mail to one of many Amazon customer support executives whose names I publish on my client advocacy website, Elliott.org.