A-Z Claim is a topic that makes many sellers cringe when they hear it. Why? Because of this unique Amazon compensation, its terms are very overbearing. The overbearing thing is that as long as the customer files a claim, unless Amazon determines that the customer has lost, the original claim will be included in your ODR no matter what.
According to Amazon’s customer-first principle, the probability of Amazon judging customers to lose is really low. And there are many times when there is basically no way to judge the customer as a loser. Let’s explain in detail below.
1. Under what circumstances can the customer initiate A-z
(1) The customer has not received the goods. The buyer can submit a claim within three working days of placing the order at the earliest or 30 days after the order is placed (whichever is earlier), and within 90 days from the estimated latest delivery date at the latest. Submit compensation. This is divided into two situations, one is FBA and the other is self-shipping.
If it is self-shipped, Amazon will investigate the shipping status of the order after the buyer files a claim. If the status is “Signed for” and the package requires the signature of the recipient, Amazon will reject the buyer’s compensation request as long as the signatures are consistent. If the signatures are inconsistent, Amazon will still reject the buyer’s claim request and require the buyer to verify the identity of the signer. If the seller does not need to sign for receipt, the seller may make unforeseen errors (sending the wrong goods, shipping the wrong goods, etc.) If the address is wrong or the delivery person fails to perform his or her duties), Amazon will hold the seller responsible. If a buyer raises questions about whether the package can be delivered on time and opens a dispute, Amazon will determine whether the package will be delivered within the estimated time. If it is judged that it cannot be delivered within the estimated time, the seller will need to bear responsibility.
For FBA, if the customer indicates that he has not received the product shipped by FBA. All responsibility lies with Amazon. Even if a customer opens a claim dispute, Amazon will not count such claims into the seller’s ODR performance.
(2) The actual object does not match the description or damaged goods are received. If the goods received by the customer do not match the description, or the goods do not meet the customer’s psychological expectations, the customer will use this reason to open a dispute. One thing to note is that many domestic sellers habitually brag and exaggerate the functions of their products, which can easily cause confusion in choice for customers. If customers are deceived by your exaggerated features and purchase your product, they will end up with claims and disputes, which is not worth the loss.
While we do not exaggerate the product, we must also write clear instructions for using the product. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be more unfair if a dispute arises because the customer does not know how to use the product and the product does not match the description? In addition, when we package goods, we must choose reliable packaging. Be sure not to cause damage during shipping, otherwise it will be just as troublesome if customers complain about receiving damaged goods.
(3) The buyer has completed the return, but the seller has not refunded the buyer. This situation is usually caused by the seller’s negligence. So the A-Z method to avoid this is very simple, just understand the status of each order. Of course, if you choose FBA shipping, don’t worry about this. Amazon’s customer service is very proactive in refunding.
(4) The seller refuses to return the product. If the buyer initiates a return or exchange request for reasonable reasons, but the seller refuses. In this case, the buyer can open a dispute. However, the average seller should not do this, and just communicate with the customer as much as possible.
2. The buyer cannot open a dispute
(1) The buyer is below After placing an order, if the date is less than the seller’s Handing Time, A-Z cannot be opened. The seller can set a different processing time for each product, that is, Handing Time. If this time is three days, then the customer cannot open a dispute within three days. Of course, Amazon has also set rules to prevent anyone from abusing this right. When your processing time is set to 30 days, customers do not have to wait for 30 days.
(2) When the customer is about to receive the package within the specified time. If the order is still within Amazon’s prescribed time limit, and the express delivery record shows that the customer is about to receive the package, if the customer raises a dispute at this time, it will not be approved, and Amazon will ask the customer to wait for the delivery of the express.
(3) If the buyer refuses to accept the package but cannot provide valid tracking records, the dispute cannot be opened. This is done to prevent some malicious buyers from abusing this rule.
(4) Customers cannot open disputes for orders that have been refunded.
3. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the customer to open a dispute
(1) The customer must have communicated with the seller through the contact seller button in the account.
(2) The communication lasted two working days, but the problem was not resolved.
(3) The buyer’s dispute must meet Amazon’s compensation terms.
4. The adverse impact of A-Z disputes on sellers
There is no doubt that disputes have a great impact on sellers. And when it comes to disputes, Amazon mostly thinks from the perspective of the buyer. Therefore, it is very difficult for sellers to win. Especially for some novice sellers, if a dispute arises when there are not many orders, there is a risk that the account will be reviewed, frozen, or even closed. Therefore, every customer must be treated with caution.
5. What is the process for handling disputes?
No matter how reluctant we are to see disputes, once they arise, we must actively respond to them.
When a customer claim dispute occurs, Amazon requires a response within 7 days. Otherwise, the customer will win the dispute by default. In any case, the claim will be deducted from your account. Money is deducted from the customer. Such a result will certainly not be what we want. Therefore, the first step is to respond to the dispute with the customer. Of course, we must first figure out the specific reason for the dispute.
If the customer replies and states the real reason for the dispute, a judgment needs to be made. If the reasons given by the customer do not comply with Amazon’s regulations, we will write the content clearly and hand over all the information to Amazon for judgment.
If the reason for the dispute fully complies with Amazon’s regulations, we need to communicate patiently with the customer to see if the customer can close the initiated dispute within the 7-day response period, so as not to affect our performance. If a customer never responds to you after initiating a dispute, try multiple ways to contact the customer. If there is no reply after several days of contact, we can only collect as much material as possible that is beneficial to us, and then submit it to Amazon for arbitration.
Of course, there are some customers who simply cannot listen to anything we say. If we encounter such a customer, we can only try to collect some evidence that is favorable to us and ask Amazon for arbitration. But at this time, please prepare for the worst. Because in most cases, Amazon will favor the buyer, and the outcome of the arbitration is likely to be that the seller loses.
What needs to be noted here is that you can only take the initiative to contact the buyer at this step, and you must not harass or threaten the buyer. Otherwise, if the buyer complains to Amazon, your account may be threatened.
6. There are several types of refunds from A-Z
If Amazon determines that the seller loses, Amazon will refund the full payment to the buyer. But this money may not be paid by our sellers, Amazon will decide based on the situation. If the error is not caused by the seller, such as the customer not receiving the goods due to FBA shipping, such losses will be compensated by Amazon.
If Amazon determines that the buyer loses, the seller does not have to pay compensation at all. However, Amazon may compensate customers on its own, because A-Z is a shopping guarantee on Amazon, and Amazon will give sub-buyers confidence based on this guarantee.
If Amazon determines that the seller has lost, and all the evidence points to the seller’s responsibility, Amazon will not hesitate to deduct the money from the seller’s account and return it to the customer.
7. Other A-Z matters
Each order can only open A-Z once, so we don’t have to worry about customers being closed by Amazon and opening it a second time due to disputes.
After the buyer opens a dispute and needs to return the goods, if the seller cannot provide a return or exchange address in the United States, Amazon will default on the seller’s loss.
There is an upper limit for each buyer to enjoy the protection of the A-Z terms, and the amount of a single account does not exceed US$2,500.