Amazon.com has the absolute worst customer service I have ever seen
Written: Mar 08 '07 (Updated Mar 08 '07)
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About a month ago I ordered an item from Amazon.com using my bank card. All seemed fine and I assumed the order went through without a hitch until about a week later. I noticed I still hadn't received a shipping confirmation. I tried to log-in to my account to check on the status of my order but I kept getting a message that said my e-mail address was not found in Amazon's records. I searched for an unreasonable amount of time for Amazon's customer service number until I finally gave up and resorted to searching google for the number. I actually had to type in "Amazon.com customer service number" which immediately brought up several pages detailing that Amazon.com does not want people calling them so they try to hide their number. What a horrible thing to do to an upset customer, or any customer for that matter. On the same note, I e-mailed Amazon twice (I was told this is their preferred way to deal with customers) and have still received no reply. I even checked my spam folder and nothing still. Amazon absolutely must do something about their customer service first and foremost.
When I finally called I got practically no help from the operator as they told me they were not authorized to open my locked account. This was apparently because "the address I gave on the order didn't match the address my bank had on record." That is all the information they could give me. They then said "We are very sorry but we are going to have to forward this onto our account's specialist who will get back to you within 3-5 business days." I said that was fine. After all, it was my only option because nobody there was authorized to help and they were not allowed to transfer calls to anyone who could. No wonder they hide their phone number. Anyway, before the conversation ended I requested that my order be canceled because I wasn't going to give my money to a company that had decided I was guilty without allowing me to prove my innocence. I called my bank that day and tried to find out what the problem was because I had received a 'returned statement fee' on my statement. I knew this had to be a mistake because two days after I moved I went to the bank and changed my address. They fixed the problem, assured me it was totally their fault, and refunded the return statement fees applied to my account. The Amazon order was eventually canceled and because these elusive "account's specialists" never called I assumed I had fixed the problem with both my bank and Amazon.
A few weeks later I ordered two items from Amazon with my mother's card on a different account which I had been using since the problem with the other account. These orders went through beautifully so I had the courage to go ahead and use my own bank card. Again, I never received any call or e-mail from Amazon so I assumed the problem with my bank card and my billing address was worked out. A few days later I even received a shipping confirmation so I was certain everything was fine. Soon after though I tried to log-in to check my purchase and my seller's account and I kept getting that same message that my e-mail address was not found in their records. I checked to see if my bank card was charged (it wasn't) so I called Amazon.com's customer service and I was told that even though I got the shipping confirmation, the order was on hold and was not going to be processed or shipped until an account's specialist reviewed it and contacted me. I was absolutely assured that the order was not going through. The operator's reassurance coupled with my previous success in canceling an order made me think I was in the clear to spend the the money in my account on the item I was trying to buy from Amazon in the first place. Three days later and much to my surprise the Amazon item showed up at my door and my bank called to tell me I had overdrawn.
I am so extremely upset that I have been treated this was by Amazon. They don't call or e-mail me to inform me of any problem. I am kept in the dark and treated like a leper on something that is 100% my business. Then I am forced to call their intentionally hidden phone number only to be given no help and no options. I am told simply to wait 3-5 business days even though it is imperative that I get help ASAP. I am assured the order is on hold and other than that I am given nothing else and told to wait, and wait, and wait. I am not even able to log-in to cancel my order on my own. I am left completely helpless. Then despite despite Amazon suspecting me of fraud and despite all the reassurance I am given that the order will not go through, they go ahead and charge a card they think is involved in fraud or possibly stolen. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE? Way to compound an already horrible situation, Amazon. My order is allowed to go through and they're perfectly fine taking my money even though I am no longer in good standing with their company and I am completely unable to access my account either on the web or by phone. Also, I told them specifically they no longer had permission to charge my card because I didn't want to give such an awful company another dime. I should have learned my lesson the first time around.
I have yet to work this issue out as they have still failed to contact me either by phone or e-mail. Hopefully I can be refunded every penny including what it will cost to ship the item back. I will also be asking Amazon to pay my $32 overdraft fee. I will scream until my voice is heard if that's what has to be done.
Amazon is great when your order goes smoothly, but if there is even the slightest issue...you will be so sorry you ever attempted to deal with Amazon.com.
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