A-Z Claim Granted Even With Amazon Buy Shipping
I continue to be baffled when we receive an Amazon message that they granted an A-Z Guarantee refund to an APO customer when we shipped on time, purchasing postage through Amazon Buy Shipping program. We shipped the order same day it was received, yet tracking shows 'delayed in transit'. We were never notified by the customer. We just receive notice from Amazon of an A-Z claim that will count against our ODR.
I thought customers had to reach out to seller first? We would have refunded.
I thought as long as packages are shipped using Amazon Buy Shipping that we were covered? None of those factors appears to be in place any longer. And we are well aware that when A-Z goes against our ODR we are in danger of losing buy box eligibility.
What more can do to protect ourselves as sellers?
A-Z Claim Granted Even With Amazon Buy Shipping
I continue to be baffled when we receive an Amazon message that they granted an A-Z Guarantee refund to an APO customer when we shipped on time, purchasing postage through Amazon Buy Shipping program. We shipped the order same day it was received, yet tracking shows 'delayed in transit'. We were never notified by the customer. We just receive notice from Amazon of an A-Z claim that will count against our ODR.
I thought customers had to reach out to seller first? We would have refunded.
I thought as long as packages are shipped using Amazon Buy Shipping that we were covered? None of those factors appears to be in place any longer. And we are well aware that when A-Z goes against our ODR we are in danger of losing buy box eligibility.
What more can do to protect ourselves as sellers?
42 replies
Seller_LTNvvFJ2jqJOv
You have to open a case, then after they don't help you come back to the forums and ask for help from moderators, stating the case number.
The Amazon system is ignoring the APOAE address I'll bet.
Sometimes AI just isn't enough.
Yes customer is supposed to contact you first per Amazon policy, so state that in the case as well, because overseas seller support will forget.
If you used Amazon Buy shipping and package is delayed it is covered by Amazon if you shipped it on time, they just make you work for it.
Seller_f4a7xAPCCSMqD
You have to buy shipping through Amazon and ship on time to be covered. Ship on time means that the carrier's tracking needs to show a scan on or before the ship-by date on the order, and them scanning a SCAN form doesn't count. If USPS's tracking does show a scan, then I would appeal using a form response like this:
A-Z for INR
This claim meets all requirements to be covered under Amazon's Buy Shipping Guarantee.
* ship-by date on the order was X
* order was shipped X with shipping purchased from Amazon (X tracking XXXX)
* carrier scan shows they took possession of the package on X, so the order was shipped on time
* carrier tracking shows that the order was delivered on X, so the order was delivered on time -
Since the order was shipped on time and shipping was purchased through Amazon's buy shipping, it qualifies to be covered under Amazon's buy shipping guarantee. A-Z claim should be funded by Amazon and not count against our ODR.
Seller_kNAboD6kRgVt7
Amazon has not followed this policy overall for about a year now. I have seen a statement by one of the Forum Mods that they know this is happening, but you can see what got done about it....
Seller_g7PbGX1YRsgM8
Welcome to communism. You have no rights with Amazon. Based on THERE RULES. You should not even had an issue with an A To Z claim. Amazon has all of the information on there system that you shipped on time etc.
Ed
Seller_yuUCf8yrkSfAr
I haven't had an A-Z claim in over a year. About 2 weeks ago Amazon granted 8 A-Z claims for items that were shipped on time but were scanned by the USPS days later.
I spoke to my mail carrier about the problem and he told me that if a large bag of items goes the post office many times they just send the whole bag out to the next facility without ever scanning the items. So days later they finally get scanned into the system.
What's great is that I have spoken to 4 of the people that were granted claims and they felt bad and said they would contact Amazon to have it removed. Out of those 4 only one person could be bothered to do it. So Amazon took the 1 claim off and then 2 days later put it back on. The same buyer contacted Amazon again and it was removed again.
This A-Z claim issue is an absolute nightmare. Customer service couldn't care less what they are doing to sellers. By all means, give the buyer a refund but leave my metrics alone.
KJ_Amazon
Hello @Seller_Lxv57WhcjmRJQ. I am following up on your question about A-to-Z Claim and Buy Shipping protections.
If you purchase Amazon's Buy Shipping and ship on time, you are protected against claims where a customer reports problems with delivery. Amazon will cover the cost of these claims and they will not affect your Order Defect Rate.
For that claim, what was the reason given for the Claim being granted? Does the tracking for that order show that it was shipped on time? Did you appeal the A-to-Z Claim with that information?
KJ_Amazon
Seller_Lxv57WhcjmRJQ
Hi, KJ, Thank you for reaching out. Yes, we purchased shipping thru Amazon, the package was shipped on time, but it has apparently been delayed in transit through the post office. We appealed the A-Z and were denied. I will attach the Amazon response.
Hello,Thank you for taking the time to provide us with more information regarding your claim on order 113-2587110-4593047. Upon further review, we have decided to uphold our original decision.Why was my appeal denied?We have reviewed all available information and have determined that your carrier appears to have lost the package. The tracking information you provided shows no update since March 7, 2024. You may be able to recover the value of any lost items by filing a claim with the carrier.For more information about the A-to-z Guarantee policy, please refer to our help pages: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201889250Thank you.-Amazon
Again, I'm confused as why we are being held responsible when the carrier misplaces the package? As sellers, we've done all that we can possibly do, other than hand deliver the package (!)...and this is a military address out in the ocean :( No way for us to deliver that!
I appreciate any insight or help you can provide, and thanks for your time!
KJ_Amazon
Thanks for that information @Seller_Lxv57WhcjmRJQ.
You are correct that delivery issues should not affect A-to-Z Claim decisions. I asked our partner team to review your claim and that decision.
Buy Shipping benefits and features
"A-to-z Guarantee claims: If you purchase Amazon's Buy Shipping and ship on time, you are protected against claims where a customer reports problems with delivery. Amazon will cover the cost of these claims and they will not affect your Order Defect Rate."
Seller_Lxv57WhcjmRJQ
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate your taking the time to check into this, and I'll wait to hear what they determine.
Seller_Ub9yVIGO81btP
Hi KJ, I have the same issue, customer ordered 2 custom products, we made them and shipped using Amazon shipping the very next day. A-Z filed and accepted, we were never notified, I appealed and received the following response:
Customer issue: Package didn't arrive
Customer comments:
Never received. If package cannot be located or a replacement made, then please issue refund.
Order details: USD 38.09 (113-5386152-7229032) March 5, 2024
Refunds: USD 38.09
Shipping details:
Package 1 - USPS March 6, 2024
Package 2 - USPS March 6, 2024
Why is this happening? The customer has not received their package and our records indicate you shipped this order after the maximum handle time. Show less
Your Appeals:
March 25, 2024
Order came in March 5th, we shipped using Amazon shipping on March 6th and it was a custom order with two products. That's as good as you can get to customize and ship orders. It appears the issue was USPS not seller.
Seller_r9wMm8LrE5iKj
Would Amazon PLEASE stop making these over-simplified claims: " Amazon will cover the cost of these claims and they will not affect your Order Defect Rate."
If this was as true as it appears to be, then we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place. Every statement by Amazon should end with IN THEORY or IF YOU HAVE AN INFINITE AMOUNT OF FREE LABOR TO THROW AT OBTAINING WHAT WE PROMISED IN THE FIRST PLACE.
It ticks me off that Amazon is constantly (and generally incorrectly) pointing at the documentation and TOS to say that sellers are doing something wrong, and punishing them for it, yet there are no repercussions when Amazon effective lies by saying one thing and doing something else.
Seller_57oUh42enptFy
I had the exact thing happen to me over the last three days: 5 A to Z claims granted, no customer reach out from any of the 5 customers before they submitted the claim and I used Amazon's Buy Shipping for all and all were shipped on time. USPS states for all "Package delayed in transit" I filed 5 appeals yesterday and haven't heard back yet. In addition to the ODR being comprised, Amazon also dinged my Late Shipping Rate!
KJ, can you please help me with my situation as well?
KJ_Amazon
Hi, KJ, Thank you for reaching out. Yes, we purchased shipping thru Amazon, the package was shipped on time, but it has apparently been delayed in transit through the post office. We appealed the A-Z and were denied. I will attach the Amazon response.
Hello @Seller_Lxv57WhcjmRJQ. I asked our partner team to review your order and the claim decision. The team has upheld their original decision for the A-to-Z Claim.
However, the reason originally given to you for the claim decision was wrong, and I shared that feedback with the partner team and asked that they provide more accurate information in the future.
I followed up directly with you with more details about the Claim.
KJ_Amazon
Seller_Lxv57WhcjmRJQ
Thank you KJ. I received your response, and I will check into it further to see if I understand the reasoning. What a waste of time on our part in appealing this...again, it's not about the 10 bucks. It's the hit to our Order Defect Rate, which ultimately determines whether or not we are Buy Box eligible. That greatly dictates how many orders we receive (or lose). Lastly, it makes me rethink shipping APO/FPO orders, as they are continually being 'delayed in transit' by the carrier for whatever reason, and if we as sellers are going to receive an Order Defect Rate hit for this, then why would we ship the order? Thank you again for looking into this situation for us.
KJ_Amazon
I had the exact thing happen to me over the last three days: 5 A to Z claims granted, no customer reach out from any of the 5 customers before they submitted the claim and I used Amazon's Buy Shipping for all and all were shipped on time. USPS states for all "Package delayed in transit" I filed 5 appeals yesterday and haven't heard back yet. In addition to the ODR being comprised, Amazon also dinged my Late Shipping Rate!
Hello @Seller_57oUh42enptFy. Thanks for checking in with me about those A-to-Z Claims.
I am not able to escalate A-to-Z Claims until they go through the full process, including the appeals. Please check back with me after those appeals have been processed.
However, based on your post, it sounds like those orders are not showing as being shipped on time.
The late shipment rate (LSR) represents orders ship confirmed after the expected ship date as a percentage of total orders.
If orders are not scanned/tracked as shipped on time, that will affect how A-to-Z Claims are decided. Have you had a recent change in how you are processing orders?
KJ_Amazon
Thanks for checking back @Seller_Lxv57WhcjmRJQ.
If you have questions about that claim/appeal decision you can respond either here or in the direct case.
I would like to be clear that the reason originally given to you for the claim decision was wrong, and that the decision was not due to the shipment being delayed in transit.
KJ_Amazon
KJ_Amazon
Hello @Seller_Ub9yVIGO81btP
What was the specific reason for the claim to be granted in favor of the buyer? What information shows for you for that claim?
Shipping details:
Package 1 - USPS March 6, 2024
Package 2 - USPS March 6, 2024
For the above, can you specify what is shown for those packages as happening on those dates?
One common reason that I see for A-to-Z Claims to be decided for the buyer is tracking not showing the order as being shipped on time. More details will help me investigate.
KJ_Amazon
Seller_nbFlR7fQZzn77
I've had this happen 2times recently and they were shipped on time. Amazon went with the buyer.
Seller_ynT9EBcDZ6aY3
I purchased the shipping label through the seller's center, I sent it before the deadline, I requested the usps receipt and kept it until today, the customer received it 4 days before the deadline for delivery... and guess what: The customer said that I had done dropshipping from Walmart (it was another seller trying to harm me and he succeeded). So, even with all this (the evidence), Amazon blocked my right to sell on my own
[Moderator Edit: Removed Personal Information]
KJ_Amazon
Thanks for the reply. Tracking shows carrier picked up the packages same day (March 6th) then there is a shipping delay from the carrier. We take our orders to the post office every week day and this was no exception, ordered Monday, shipped Tuesday, tracking shows USPS had them that day, then they had a delay.
Thank you for that update @Seller_Ub9yVIGO81btP.
I reviewed the order and do not see that USPS tracking shows that it shipped on time. If you would like, I can open up a direct case for you to share that information.
KJ_Amazon
