Just to chime in on my issues with amazon reviews....

So I recently had an problem with an item sold on amazon from a third party, Tenergy Corporation. This is a LARGE seller on amazon.

The item I bought was a bathroom scale. It had amazing reviews, and was low priced. The scale showed up dead on arrival. I emailed the seller asking for help, even though I know I was doing nothing wrong. They did not respond to my message. After a few days, I decided to return the product to amazon. I left negative seller feedback because they did not respond, and then left a negative review of the item, the first negative review of the item so far. (worth a note outside the scale not working, the back of it was garbage, cheap plastic electronics, that even if it worked would have had me worried)

My review got 5 likes withing 24 hours. Then it was removed. I was confused. I left another review, it was removed. Then I noticed my negative review of the seller was removed. While looking at the sellers page I noticed 12,400 positive reviews the last year, with ZERO negative or neutral.

This seller is removing ALL negative review of themselves and of the products they are selling. Amazon allows this.

I did not let this go. I continued to contact customer service until I at least had ALL reviews removed from the bathroom scale. The problem I am having now is getting customer service to understand my issue with the seller and their reviews. I have been in contact with someone higher up at amazon, an I will continue to push this issue until I feel some sort of resolution.

The end result of this is I now don't buy any third party items from amazon. Amazon is so strong and so in my life it is just impossible for me to cut them off, but I can chose not to buy cheap items sold by third parties. At least on ebay I know my feedback is final. Amazon has a real problem on their hand if they don't make dramatic changes asap to their feedback system. I know a lot of sellers hate ebay feedback, but giving a seller total control to remove all negative feedback on all items and themselves is very anti customer, and bad for business.

^ Glad someone shares the experience.

Now, try to post another review. Are you allowed to post new reviews? Have all of your reviews been deleted?

I was caught in the same scenario. Though I didn't leave a negative for the seller. Just a bad product review. And Amazon decided to delete all of my reviews, and restrict me from writing new reviews.

The seller can't just delete reviews themselves. They either have a friend/rep working at Amazon. Or they just get angry and pressure Amazon until they make adjustments.

I like you idea about not buying from 3rd party sellers anymore (even if it's Fulfilled by Amazon). I think I'll start doing the same. I also started re-buying products (ie, a whipped soap I buy a lot) on the sellers' websites, instead of Amazon.

Amazon's ultimate goal is to analyze SKU's that are selling, and overtake the 3rd party sellers, if they find it profitable. Then that'll cut out the dealers and manufacturers selling the product. But they better get moving if they want to do it before their 3rd party system collapses.

I don't see how 3rd party sellers can compete on new items anymore as it is. When you could use Amazon fulfilled sellers to avoid tax, they were useful. Now not nearly as much. Better of just buying from Amazon direct when possible.

I'll never understand Amazon bullshit Smile URL. Why can't we just sign up for the shit and have it always work. I shouldn't have to look for a browser extension to automatically put me at the fucking smile URL every time. It's stupid.

#2. Why the fuck don't they fix their computer system. The bullshit way the pre-order price guarantee works is ridiculous. Charge full amount then refund difference when the fucking lowest price is already displayed and they already know it. Fucking do it right.

It’s a few things... Obsolete models, private labeled products, manufacturers stocking their own products, and sneaky sellers reselling thrift goods and store returns (which is actually against the rules).

Amazon also continues to block sellers from brands and categories.

I can still leave reviews...one thing I will say as I monitor this seller...they are removing negative reviews by the dozens every day...so if it is not some inside connection, something has changed that gives some sellers even more power over their reviews than before.

Ultimately it is all good though. While places can't compete with a lot of what amazon provides, when it comes to third party sellers of cheap import items you are actually likely to get a better deal if you shop around than use amazon. Also, the main draw of amazon, impulse 2 day free shipping, is usually not an issue when I am buying something that is obviously a cheap knock-off of higher end goods. When I am buying headphones from a brand I have never heard of, I can wait a few extra days from ebay and save some money.

Are you talking about Lasership? Amazon started using them in my area last Christmas, and I've had constant problems:

• Packages delivered days or weeks late (sometimes after I've had Amazon send out a replacement, forcing me to go through the trouble of shipping it back).
• Drivers scanning packages to meet a deadline and then delivering them the next day.
• Packages scanned as delivered and never showing up.
• A package delivered to me by mistake -- and I don't mean a package meant for a neighbor; this wasn't even meant for my state.

I've gone through Amazon customer service, but all they ever do is send out replacements. I contacted Lasership directly once and never got a response, though the package in question mysteriously appeared on my doorstep the next morning.

Then this week I had $60 worth of merchandise not show up despite getting a delivery notification, so I decided to email Jeff Bezos directly with a detailed list of the problems I've had. Within eight hours I had an email from customer service saying they'll stop using Lasership for my packages.

I wouldn't count on that:

https://forum.dvdtalk.com/store-foru...-feedback.html

Lasership is DOA in most cities. You might be in an area where they're hanging on. OnTrac picked up a lot of that work. But they're typically not much better.

Amazon now has a few premium shipping options ... 1) an Uber-style delivery service. Almost anyone can sign up. It's pretty competitive and you get canned (no more work offers) if you're not meeting the expectations of their automation. And, like Uber (or other delivery services, like automotive couriers), Amazon underpays per mile, and the driver will usually end upside down with a big car loan and 100k miles on their new car after a year. 2) Amazon Flex, which is pretty-much the same, only for small courier companies. 3) Amazon's internalized courier delivery ... which they're not investing much in anymore, as it's more profitable to lure in unsuspecting private drivers, and force them take the loss. Welcome to the Amazon economy!

They're headquartered in Northern Virginia. I'm in Northern Virginia.

I don't think so. Amazon lists the carrier as "AMZL US"

if I get this kind of crap service again, I'd like to demand that I never use their service again. Not sure if they'd honor that without emailing the CEO like you did though.

Then that's probably shipping from a local Amazon warehouse via one of their contract shippers.

Had an order show up a day early last week. It was a nice change.

Ordered some CDs a few days ago and they shipped in two separate orders - all sold by Amazon. All the jewel cases arrived with cracks because they stuffed several CDs inside of a bubble mailer and they obviously slid around a lot during shipping since the mailer was way too large. I contacted Amazon directly and they refunded me $10.

It was pretty cool getting the money back but it's not about that to me. I shouldn't have to return something because they don't know how to properly package things. They said they'd pass along the packaging feedback and I will continue to hold them accountable for stuff like this until I actually see change.

FWIW that message goes to Jeff’s personal team. I think I read he has around 100 people answering the jeff@ emails.

They likely have an internal setting that can remove certain carriers from your account. Customer Service can probably get to the same setting. Shame they don’t let prime members handle it themselves as an added feature.

Just verifying that I'm still the only person here regularly plagued with


Cause it's baaack...

Conscience that doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different outcome is a sign of insanity, that jeff@ email address is looking pretty sweet right now.

Are you constantly using public computers to sign in? I'm pretty happy they have a service like that, to ID potential fraud. I've never received a message from them to verify but I use my phone app to place most/all of my orders.

Yeah, I don't get that. Do you regularly clear or otherwise lose the cookies on your browser?

Incognito/private browser tabs would do it too.

No public computers. Typically it's my laptop, desktop, or phone (www). I don't save cookies between sessions on the computers, and would do the same on the phone if there was a simple option for it.

The thing is, it can go away for up to a year. MY BANKS aren't this anal, so Amazon's system does seem like it could use some tweaking.

If you don't allow cookies to be saved, that's your cause. My bank certainly is. I have to verify my ID any time I log in from a machine that isn't confirmed with them.

I know some banks work like that. I had a contract job a couple years ago helping a regional bank migrate their backend servers (and Internet banking) to use Intuit's system, and that required saving a cookie. They then fielded lots of calls from perplexed, older customers whose browsers had been configured by somebody else with limited cookie support, apparently over privacy concerns. I currently bank with BB&T and have an Amazon Visa with JPMorgan/Chase, and the worst case scenario is that Chase pauses my login 2 or 3 times a year while I fish for an emailed code. Somehow they manage, and I really shook my head that Intuit was in some ways a step backwards. I don't use my Discover card often, but don't recall any issues there either. There are better ways.

My Amazon account can go for up to a year before they get fussy, so I think my complaint still stands. If they want me to save a cookie, they need to publish a support document with a window grab like mine above, explaining exactly why. As it stands, every time I contact support, they usually have no clue what I'm talking about.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/m/e5...t-selling.html

Amazon is going to sell live full sized Christmas trees. They can't even get a CD/BD to me without the case being shattered so how are they going to deliver a Christmas tree without having it have shed all of its needles?

They’ll farm out the service to local suppliers and delivery services. Third parties will handle it. Don’t picture Amazons warehouse filled with trees coming and going. They probably just arranged deals with existing seasonal tree suppliers ... same guys that setup shop in parking lots during the Christmas season.

Isn’t picking out a live Christmas tree something you want to do in person?

Going through Amazon, I think you’d run the risk of getting a lopsided one, or one with a big bare spot. Or it would arrive at your house brown and beaten up.

They probably got that covered. Doesn’t do the 3rd party much good if they are taking returns.

There was a company on Shark Tank a few years ago that was doing high quality tree deliveries. It’s probably just amazon partnering up with someone like that.