Amazon.com FAIL “so sorry about the inconvenience” just isn’t enough

I’ve been an Amazon.com customer for YEARS – since 2004 and have spent thousands and thousands of dollars there.  They are the first place I look for products and one of my main resources for Christmas shopping.

Until now.

Maybe I am over-reacting.

You tell me.

The other day I ordered a $60 Radio Flyer bike for my daughter that was going to be from Santa.  Her “big gift” from the big, jolly man.  The product page indicated the item would be shipping in its original packaging (I always look for that) and to mark it as a gift if you want it concealed.  Cool.  I marked it as a gift, and made the purchase.

Yesterday, my kids and I came home from the store and we were half a block away when my son said “Radio Flyer, what’s that?” after spotting the NOT CONCEALED box sitting on our porch.   I quickly scrambled and told him to distract Abby so I could put it away, but the problem still remains.  My 6 year old is too smart for me to be able to put this under the tree from Santa now.

And I am heartbroken.

I know we can give it to her from us, and she’s too young to know the difference, but I was just excited for it to be from Santa.  This isn’t ALL about the kids you know.  The parents get into this Santa thing too.

I doubled checked my order in my account and it clearly says it was marked as a gift, so I wrote to Amazon.com explaining the situation and also that the box was damaged and re-taped (I haven’t opened it yet to see if the bike is damaged I wanted to hear back from them first).  They wrote back with an apology for the damaged box and a $5 credit to my account for my trouble.  They made no mention about the mistake they made about the concealed package.

So I wrote back.

I got yet another apology:

Hello,

I’m sorry for the delay in responding fully to all of your questions in our previous correspondence.

I understand your order didn’t arrive concealed although you marked it as a gift. Unfortunately, on rare occasions, fulfillment centers make a mistake when assembling a package. I’ve forwarded your message to our fulfillment team to make sure they’re aware of this incident.

I realize this is a gift order for a special occasion, and I’m so sorry about the inconvenience.

We’ll consider your feedback as we plan further improvements.

Customer feedback like yours really helps us continue to improve our store and provide better service to our customers.

One of our aims at Amazon.com is to provide a convenient and efficient service; in this case, we haven’t met that standard. I hope you’ll give us another chance to serve you better in the future.

It is our absolute commitment to provide you the best possible customer service. Should you need any further assistance with this order, please click the link below to tell us when and where to get in touch with you, and a dedicated customer service representative will contact you by phone to provide resolution.

http://www.amazon.com/rsvp-n?c=hawdaudh3238273931&q=sn

Best regards,

Vijay P.
Amazon.com
We’re Building Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company

But I just don’t feel like it is enough.

This was a big deal for me.

What do you think?  Am I over-reacting?  Should I let it go and just move on with my life?  Should I push it further and ask to speak to a customer service rep?  If so, what should I even expect them to do to remedy it?

1. 52

   

   I think it is important to know what you want when dealing with an issue with a company. I have spent the majority of my work life addressing customers complaints. I have always found it helpful to know what the expectation is. I would call the representative and tell them what you would like to be done that would make you feel as though they have “made it up to you.” When I was handling an issue I asked the customer “What can I do that would make you feel better?” If the customer was asking for something unreasonable I had a starting point at the very least. To this end I would like to know, what could that company do to make you feel better? I agree that a $5 coupon was not the answer. I would have, if time permitted, returned the item and found another gift for my child. I would have told the older child it was shipped to your house by mistake and found another gift for the daughter. I think one of the problems with our youth is that parents do not go the extra mile to preserve childhood fantasy. And the next time you order a product to be shipped, ask a neighbor or friend to intecept the item for you and save yourself the angst.

   Posted by Brenda | June 9, 2010, 10:46 pm
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2. 51

   

   And what came of this? I am never one to take a stand in these kinds of situations and sadly would have let it go. I have a feeling you went a step further no?

   Posted by Amy | April 2, 2010, 5:09 pm
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   • 51.1

     

     No I did not take it further. We decided to let the bike be from us and she got other stuff from Santa. Ironically Jake didn’t remember anyway but still…

     Posted by Kim | April 2, 2010, 6:55 pm
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