Amazon refund

[Hotrodder]

Most of my shopping here is for fuel and food items. Everything else is mostly bought online, and since Brexit that is limited to EU countries only. For the things I usually need they are either not available here or would waste too much time locating them or end up too expensive in fuel to go and collect. Occastionally when something can only be located from a UK source I have it sent to a friend there to fetch over on their next visit.

Last week I decided to replace my fine-toothed tenon saw and found one on ebay(UK) but the purchase would not go through unless I went through some ridiculous verification of my age. As usual this type of crap requires a smartphone so I had to abort the purchase. I suppose a tenon saw is now considered a potential weapon. What next, banning nail clippers? All while street thugs have no problem getting hold of machetes these days. I noticed that Amazon(France) also had what I wanted but although I don't usually buy from them because of their delivery charges this time I was willing to pay. I was promised delivery on Saturday which was fine. Then got an email on Friday saying the saw had "taken the wrong delivery path" and would not be delivered until the following Wednesday. Then on Monday it turned up! Then on Tuesday I received an email promising a full refund of my postage costs. Is this normal? I might see Amazon in a more favourable light if it is.

[demi]

I have amazon prime with Amazon France. It's worth the 6 euros a month to me as I moved into this house only 18months ago & have used Amazon for a lot of things, curtains, curtain rails, lights....................

I have found them to be really good, on time with deliverys & returns are simple. However I do live in a town which might make a difference.

[p4psb]

Yes, Amazon are very good with customer service.

My wife has Amazon Prime so (almost) all of our deliveries are free. However, if I have a problem with delivery, I can get onto them through their chat (they have English chat if your Amazon is set to English) and they usually give a 5€ voucher onto my account.

They are also very good with faulty items, returns etc.

[exile]

We too have Prime. I was very sceptical but when our built in oven failed, they had just the model we needed at a discount price, but only available (at any price) with Prime. Delivery 2 days later, which Darty and Boulanger could not match let alone the price.

Since then I have used them a lot for little things, that while not urgent, allow me to get on with jobs that would otherwise go on hold until the next visit to the Rhone Valley. I have had no problems, so cannot comment on the repayment of delivery costs, but they do seemvery efficient and when that efficiency goes wrong, I could well imagine they make amends.

[curtis]

Don't question it. Just take it.

[Polly]

I also use Prime and have found them very easy to deal with and reliable in France and the UK. I used them a lot during covid and have used them a lot more recently when we can’t go out and about as much. Never any problem about returns and useful to have purchases sent to various addresses - family members buy through our account and we all appreciate the excellent value of Prime.

[Hotrodder]

I have long understood the value of Prime for those who buy enough from Amazon to make the monthly fee worthwhile. I have the time to shop around and find that either the items are often too specialised to be offered on Amazon, or the search function on their site is too random or inaccurate to make finding the right item too frustrating. I find the real saving grace of Amazon is as mentioned by many above, Customer Service, which is a rare treat to find here.

[Loup-garou]

We are rural in 52 in a village of 70 with no facilities in our, or surrounding, the nearest shop being 17k away.

I used to run a list of little trucs I needed until I got up to the free delivery threshold. Frequently, I would wait a number of weeks for some items and then not remember what I needed them for. So I joined Prime and a bonus is that, when at the other house, I can pick some films in English (never bother at the main house), the downside is that the films are always shite!

Customer service has always proved excellent and I can't fault it. Returns are simple, especially as you don't need to parcel the return item up; they will do it at the relay point (does mean a 17k trip).

The only complaint is that, if I tick the box to have multiple things delivered at the same time they ignore it and sometimes use various deliverers. Also, things are delivered in advance of the promised date and we may not be at the correct address to receive it (so, again 17k when we get back) and they frequently use La Poste/Colissimo which around us is rubbish and staffed by liars.

[Sparkle]

Amazon have been excellent several times issuing a refund. A few weeks ago I ordered two items to be delivered to our local drop off point. Why the order was split I have no idea but one item turned up at the local drop off point which I collected wondering where the other item was. I got home to find an email from La Poste saying that there was a change of drop off for the other item confirming it had been delivered to a drop off point 35 km distance ! I contacted Amazon saying I was not able to collect it as I don't drive. The reply came back to say how very sorry they were and not to worry leave it there as if not collected it will be picked up by a certain date and returned to Amazon. Meanwhile they refunded the money immediately for my order - that is the complete order so I got one of my items for free which had a value of nearly 30 euros. That is not the first time I've had problems ie with broken items - money refunded immediately. I also received an email from Amazon to say the parcel had been collected and returned. Usually everything arrives intact - I've been using Amazon for years.

[exile]

Having had a somewhat disappointing trip to the Rhone valley, I have again to sing the praises of Amazon.

With a lot of pets ( and wild animals) our floors quickly become in need of cleaning and we have several Swiffer Wet Jet mops to clean tiled and wood floors. Our local supermarket does not stock the range at all (they did); and the in-valley Hypermarket is still selling starter kits, replacement clothes but not it seems the cleaning fluid.

I use 2-part epoxy glue in my model making, using 2xtube to allow me to add a drop of the resin + a drop of the hardener mixed in a very small plastic tray. Our DIY shed had, after much searching, combined dual syringes with a fancy mixing attachment that will deliver me 60ml of mix. But with 2 mixing heads that leans 30ml per use when I use at most 2ml per use.

Green peppercorns - just for something very different - Not in the local supermarket, not available at all in the local hypermarket, available in the specialist greengrocer but only in brine, and I prefer dried whole corns.

So disappointed. There were other disappointments that can be solved in time or with other replacements.

Solved in 5 minutes on Amazon.

I am happy to support local business but sometimes they do not help themselves. Selling kit for which you do not carry replacement items should be seen as an abuse.

We are the prime greengrocer, but don't have a wide range of useful herbs and spices.
We are THE DIY shed but only cater for people who will throw away 95% of the glue

To all of them: start smelling the coffee, I am moving slowly away. If that reduces my descents to the Valley by by say 4 times per year, that is probably 3k€ expenditure that collectively you will not get.