Amazon Marketplace

Full review
I wanted to share my trying experience with Amazon.

I've had an account for 10 years with them and have ordered my share of stuff from them.

Usually everything arrives in order, but this case was rather challenging.

I place an order for a western digital drive. I put it through one of their marketplace vendors. My credit card declined it because of a random security audit. I receive a note about my credit card being declined, and a second subsequent note about my order also being declined.

I phone my credit card company over something else, but end up being transferred to the security department to have this matter cleared up. Which they did.

Nonetheless, I decide it's time to update my email address on amazon. Previously I was with my ISP's email but have switched to gmail and would like to use that as my primary from now on. So I update my email address. Make a note of this later.

I log back into Amazon.com using my updated email address, and see my order isn't there. Odd I think to myself - must have cancelled my order.

Well the next day I decide to purchase this item again as I really wanted it, so I place an order again. Success! It appears on my current orders.

On day three I receive a notice at my ISP email address saying my order was shipped. Odd - I updated my email address. Wholly smokes the order numbers don't match. I get on the phone with Amazon.com as soon as I notice. The guy on the phone assures me my purchases are guaranteed by amazon, and that I need only contact the seller through Amazon.com and they will cancel my second order not process it. I know full well things aren't going to play out that way, but I play along. I find the vendor's web site, but there's no phone number to contact them on it.

Well sure enough, the next day, the vendor ships my item, and responds to my email that there's nothing they can do as they've already shipped it. I need to refuse delivery.

I thus call Amazon and explain them what happened. Oh this first order is under your old email address.

Yeah they say. What really happens when you change your email address is a new account is created and the old one is kept in there.

But alas, even though the web site was deceptive and I wasn't really updating my email address, it's my fault for ordering the item twice. Even though my first order did not appear in what I thought was my amazon.com account, it's my fault. The customer service rep explicitly tells me that there's nothing he can do and he's sorry.

I find that unacceptable and insist I talk to a manager. He puts me on the phone with a team lead who parrots the sentiment of the customer service rep. I apologize he says, but it's my fault for putting through two orders. He then asks if there's anything else he can help me with and I ask his name, and he then hangs up.

I find my treatment by amazon.com deplorable. Their customer service stinks, and their web site is deceptive in its behaviour. A web site that allows you to update your email address should do just that in the database; update your email address. It's a majour deficiency that has caused me some grief. "There's nothing I can do" is simply unacceptable.