Problems with Amazon

[Quillan]

Mrs 'Q' and I buy from Amazon UK, FR and DE depending on the best price. We have had a few problems with items not being delivered although in fairness we have received an automatic refund.

On the 11th I ordered a timer for our hose from Amazon UK (I have a 'drip' type irrigation system in the garden for flowers and plants) because the unit in the loacl shops is too long and you can't bend the hose round enough to plug it in to the bottom. This morning I received an email to tell me they were raising a credit not as they could not deliver the item. Later on I got an email confirming the refund had been made then several (like five hours later) I got an email to say they had tried to deliver the item but couldn't.

I have been to La Poste and they did a trace. It never got further than their (Amazons) courier and their distribution hub, it never got in to France. This item was bought direct from Amazon and not through one of their suppliers.

I have just been on the phone to them and asked for this issue to be escalated as the only answer they could give me was the same that I have in their email "not able to deliver". The lady, who had such an accent I could barely understand her, offered the following few possible reasons. The address was wrong, well it's the same as we always use, it's correct in it's format and other stuff arrives OK. The ink was smudged on their label, don't they use waterproof ink or whatever. The address was in France and the person does not understand French, well that's the cherry on the cake excuse, the only response I could give was "rubbish".

I should point out that this is the forth time this has happend over the last 18 months (or less).

So I now waiting for a confirmation email that this has been escalated although I think I am in for a long wait.

I am just wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem?

[YCCMB]

Sorry to hear that. It does sound very odd. Doubly so, because of all the "customer service" centres I've ever dealt with, I would say that Amazon have invariably been head, shoulders and most of the upper body above the rest. They are normally absolutely excellent at sorting things out.

[cooperlola]

I had a little spate of this about six months ago, Quillan, when a couple of things went straight back whence they came without getting near me.  I re-ordered and they duly turned up and it's not happened since....... (touch wood.) 

Like Betty I must say that, in general, Amazon's customer service has been superb - even when intervening with third parties.  For instance, I got a £350 bit of kit the other day for £110 when the seller put the thing on the wrong page.

[Quillan]

Thanks for the comments.

I can't fault the refund policy for none delivered items that are returned. It is very rapid.

Well I did get a reply, I didn't think I would so thats another plus point for them. The only thing is that they say it's La Poste that is at fault yet on the La Poste website (where you type in the Colissimo number for tracking) it still says it waiting for the item to arrive at their distribution depot. In other words something happened from when they raised the ticket at Amazon and it arriving at Le Poste.

So it seems one is or other is 'confused'. In the end I bought it on Ebay UK and with delivery to France it was about £2 cheaper. The thing is however you can't always get everything you want from Ebay so it' still a bit annoying.

Next time I shall try your idea Coops.

PS  Coops shame about Lola ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18089584 

[Panner]

We've been buying from Amazon for the last three years. Last year we had a spate of failed deliveries i.e. package got to Le Post main depot, then sent back to Amazon!!!!

As you we were only told it could not be delivered! As nothing had changed from our part and having had lots of deliveries prior, we were bemused. I went onto my Amazon account deleted and re entered our address. We have had no further issues.

[Quillan]

Well Mrs 'Q' has the same address format on her account and does not have a problem so perhaps when mine 'comes out' at the other end it's scrambled or something so I will try your suggestion, thanks.