Have you heard of the Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee? If not, this post will just help you with that.
Do you still recall the last poor shopping experience you had? Do you still remember the next thing you did? If you’re buying in a physical store, you can just go back and return whatever it was that you don’t like. But there is another case with online shopping.
That’s why Amazon provides its customers inclusive buyer protection with the Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee.
For the customers, that’s a big advantage. You can depend on Amazon in a warranty claim rather than clarify the problem with the seller. Meanwhile, the A-to-Z guarantee for a seller suggests that Amazon decides on the guarantee case arbitrarily without involving the actual seller.
To make everything worse, Amazon takes warranty claims as well when totaling the seller’s overall performance, lowering their odds of winning the Buy Box should that performance not be compelling.
What Is the Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee?
Shopping on the internet is a small risk for most customers. Does the item match the description? Does the seller have a decent reputation? Will I possibly get damaged or defective products? Those are all factors that could be removed in a physical store. But in eCommerce, that is more likely much complicated.
Amazon has launched the free Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee to take away such issues and establish a foundation of trust. That guarantees the buyer that the online giant company will intervene and refund the purchase cost under specific conditions.
Hence, customers can be certain they will get their money back with the claim. From Amazon’s viewpoint, that’s a smart move, as it helps to boost sales and customer confidence alike.
Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee covers the risks of missed delivery and inadequate quality (read on for more details). This gives the buyer an additional advantage and encourages shopping. Considering that the deadline for filing such complaints in some cases is up to 90 days from the date of purchase, customers are protected reliably from possible losses. What cannot be said about the sellers, as there are often those among the buyers, who try to return the already used goods under any pretext.
When Can a Buyer File an A-to-Z Claim?
Generally, a customer should have bought a physical product from a third-party seller through the Amazon site or utilized the Amazon payment service to buy items from a third-party seller. Also, at least one of the following conditions should be met for the Amazon A-to-Z Claim to apply:
- The seller hasn’t delivered the ordered items yet after the 3 days of the last expected delivery date.
- The buyer didn’t receive the goods, although the delivery service states that it was delivered.
- The goods that the buyer received don’t meet his expectations, including due to its incorrect description, exaggeration of its characteristics, incomplete set, etc.
- Even if the buyer returned the items within the purchase contract’s framework, he didn’t get a refund from the seller.
- The delivered product is damaged or defective.
- The seller has promised a replacement delivery or refund but hasn’t organized for it
- The customer was dissatisfied with the seller's service.
- The buyer was charged with extra costs (customs duties), which the seller refused to pay.
- The customer filed a claim with an appropriate reason for a refund not later than 90 days from the estimated delivery date.
- The item was purchased from an international seller but he did not provide a US return shipping address, there were no prepared labels for returning a product, or the seller refused to cover the shipping costs after receiving the item that the buyer returned himself.
The customer should also give the seller a chance to settle it before applying for the claim. The customer should contact the seller through My Account and give them at least 48 hours to respond.
What Should a Seller who Receives such a Complaint Do?
You may be thinking the best you can do to deal with amazon A-to-Z claims. If a buyer enters a warranty claim against your store, Amazon will alert you immediately. You may get the information about the registered claims by using the A-to-Z Guarantee link in your account.
Often Amazon asks the buyer to contact the seller in order to solve the problem with him directly. If you receive such a request, do not ignore it in any way. If you receive such a complaint, try to contact the buyer as soon as possible. You have 2 days to respond to the claim message. Otherwise, the buyer will have the right to file an A-to-Z claim, which will be worse for you.
First of all, apologize (even if you don't know for sure that you are to blame for this situation) and show that you are ready to resolve the issue in a way that satisfies the client's wishes. Explain that you are making an effort to resolve the situation as soon as possible. And offer compensation options such as partial/full refunds, full product replacements, or missing parts.
If the buyer agrees, satisfy his request so as not to spoil your account metrics. If the buyer does not respond to your message, record this and contact Amazon support to prevent further possible fraud of the buyer.
Take note that you can appeal a claim on Amazon within thirty calendar days of the decision.
If you understand that the situation is your fault, just satisfy the buyer's A-to-Z Guarantee Refund, apologize again and do everything to prevent this situation from happening in the future.
What Is Not Covered by the A-to-Z Guarantee?
If you manipulate or falsify the item’s description to the degree that the condition of the item’s worth is misrepresented, the Amazon A-to-Z refund would apply. That’s because the buyer must depend on the descriptions that inform their buying decisions.
Item descriptions present the given item’s conditions, features, and others. Hence, you are compelled to offer precise and honest info for all items listed.
Nonetheless, the customer receives products that are listed and described correctly, and arrive complete and undamaged, aren’t covered by the guarantee. You are left to your discretion about product returns and refunds if buyers regret their purchases and experience the conventional buyer’s remorse.
In addition, Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee doesn't cover digital goods, services, stored value instruments, and Spot Buys.
Please be aware that if a customer fills a chargeback, he is not eligible for an Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee refund.
How to Handle A-to-Z Claims in the Future?
So, what is the best way to handle a claim and prevent it in the future? Here are practical ways you can consider doing:
It's obvious, isn't it? But not all sellers understand how important this is. Often, they are looking for a cheap product to buy, despite its low quality. They try to sell it at an inflated price, but it doesn’t meet the expectations of the customers. Returns, complaints begin, the seller's rating falls, the Buy Box is lost.
Do you want to sell successfully on Amazon for a long time, don’t you? Then you’ll have to reduce the margin in order to remain competitive and at the same time sell a product of better quality than other sellers. Gradually, you will gain the trust of customers, increase the rating of the product and be able to return to your desired X-point margin.
- Provide excellent shipping and handling services
As a seller, make sure your customers will get their product on time and in top shape. If you don’t ship products on time, it can impact on LSR. It may lead to reducing the chance of winning the Buy Box.
Take note that Amazon covers the item shipped with its shipping labels through FBA. Do you plan to use other shipping services? Then you’ll be charged with handling every claim from buyers.
Consider giving your buyers shipment tracking. Add that solution to your order fulfillment will offer your patrons the ability to trace the package themselves.
Pack the item carefully and add additional protection if necessary, to make the packing material more secure. This is especially important for fragile items, electronics, and any goods containing a large number of parts.
Ensure you give your customers correct details in the listings. After all, they expect to get what they paid for. Hence, the product description itself must be as precise as possible.
Buyers do not see the product; they can rely only on its description and photo. Don't disappoint them with the low-quality products they see in the boxes. Try to give as much detail as possible in the description, avoid inaccuracies, and don’t embellish the product.
- Check and always respond to your emails as quickly as possible
A customer filing for a claim expects that they will get a timely response. That’s why you must respond to such inquiries 24/7 to guarantee a smooth experience. You can also be proactive and refund your buyers directly if you think they’re in the right way. The sooner you respond to the customer, the better you will show yourself. If you can win the buyer's favor, you may be able to avoid complaint and loss of rating.
Summary
To sum up, it’s obvious that when a customer doesn’t get what they paid for, they have the right to file a claim and receive a refund. However, you may also find buyers who will try to fraud and scam you. In that case, you must learn if the cost of the item is worth the trouble. Often, it is better to give a refund than getting into a claim dispute.
There you have it! We hope you find this post informative and helpful.