Anyone who shops online through Amazon, one of the largest online retailers, knows that there are Amazon issues from time to time. Many of these shoppers make purchases and leave Amazon reviews regularly. Unfortunately, some Amazon reviews left on PissedConsumer outline what customers feel are Amazon Prime scams.
Customers often call the Amazon phone number for support, but don’t always get the help that they need. Sometimes the number they thought was the Amazon phone number is answered by scammers. Other customers complain about fraudulent charges, fake employees stealing money, and some just leave Amazon reviews about how frustrating it can be to reach a company employee.
From Amazon scam calls to unsatisfactory interactions with customer service representatives, customers are frustrated.
- Common issues with Amazon
- Amazon defective item scams
- Amazon Prime scams
- Amazon scam calls
- How to protect yourself
Common Issues With Amazon
With more than 61,000 Amazon reviews on PissedConsumer, customers have a lot to complain about. Only 495 issues have been resolved when customers go through the steps to contact Amazon support.
Some customers have trouble with Amazon customer service. In one of the reviews, people complained that they had a lot of difficulty simply getting connected through the Amazon phone number. It took three tries for the customer to use a connection code, and they were more than ready to “stop using Amazon and prime!!!”
This case is just one of the thousands of PissedConsumer reviewers frustrated with an Amazon call. According to Amazon reviews left on PissedConsumer.com, consumers have lost a combined total of more than $24 million. Only 16 percent of customers who call the Amazon phone number through the review platform have led to resolution. Even with some issues resolved, many other complaints have not been addressed to a customer’s satisfaction.
Other commonly discussed Amazon issues include:
- Amazon account activity;
- Amazon defective items;
- Amazon customer service issues;
- Amazon scam calls;
- Amazon security scams;
- Amazon email scams.
Unfortunately, many customers wind up even more frustrated when they contact Amazon and discover there isn’t a simple answer to their issue.
Amazon Defective Item Scams
One commonly discussed Amazon scam is defective items. Customers leave reviews about their Amazon issues that happen when an item is delivered very differently than it was promised.
Bindu V. left a written review about her experiences with Amazon customer service. Later she explains the situation in more detail in an update through video review. In her original Amazon review, Bindu explained that “5 times and two different sellers (two different brands) delivered defective/broken machine.” She is convinced that Amazon India “runs a scam of selling products that are not genuine.”
In her video review, Bindu adds a bit more explanation to her story. Bindu ordered a vacuum cleaner during a special Amazon sale. The vacuum arrived broken. When she called the Amazon phone number for a replacement, they initially told her she was stuck with the purchase because the sale was over.
After pushing back in her Amazon call, Bindu was able to get a second item delivered, which also turned out to be defective. Bindu repeated these steps five different times, and each time she was sent a bad product from a variety of different companies.
Each time this consumer called the Amazon phone number, she was helped by customer service but she felt the middlemen who work with Amazon India were sending her defective products. Finally, Bindu gave up, sent back the last defective vacuum, and got a full refund. She recommends that customers “Buy only books on amazon india.”
Bindu was able to find a financial solution to her problem with Amazon like another Amazon customer who complained about the product quality. Fortunately, she claims that Amazon customer service “fixed the issue and I have been provided with full refund.”
Amazon Prime Scams
Not every customer leaving reviews on PissedConsumer can mark their issue as resolved, however. Many more customers are like this person who canceled Amazon Prime but was charged for the service anyhow. Acording to review #4541225, even after canceling the debit card, the charges kept coming through a customer’s bank and then the daughter’s account. They “spoke to 2 different agents at 2 different times and both said the same promise.”
Another customer from Texas became a victim of the Amazon Prime scam even without being a member. They called to get the issue resolved but weren't very successful. A customer stated they still haven’t “received a refund” and are “wondering if I need to call back.”
Amazon Scam Calls
With a retailer as large as Amazon, it’s easy for a scammer to take advantage of likely Amazon shoppers by making Amazon scam calls. Scammers rely on customers being very likely to have made an Amazon purchase recently. They use this likelihood in Amazon calling scams to gather personal information.
One customer fell prey to the typical sort of Amazon calling scams. According to review #4517826, somebody “disguised as Amazon employee scammed me out of $5300.” The customer further explained that they had received one of the Amazon scams calls whensomeone “stated he was an Amazon employee” and then “made 2 Venmo purchases…$2499 & 5000” The title of the review states that neither Amazon nor Amazon customer service “has helped to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
Another customer from New Jersey had a similar experience. In review #4210582, people explained that they “received a phone call stating there is a big change on my Amazon account.” The customer then asked the fake Amazon representative about how they could resolve the issue and was “told to go to my bank and get $15,000.00, go to a Target store, purchase $5,000.00 of gift cards at $500.00 each, go to my car, and scratch the bar code and give them each card ID and access code.” The customer’s review wasn’t clear if they fell for the scam, but readers can hope they did not.
How to Protect Yourself From Amazon Scams
The Amazon business model brings buyers and sellers together, and that doesn’t always go smoothly. There are ways you can protect yourself and your money while shopping on Amazon. Practice these simple steps to stay protected while you shop.
- Do not call phone numbers or click on links in emails. If you think Amazon is trying to get in touch with you, visit the official website and find the correct ways to contact Amazon customer service. Calling numbers or clicking links in emails to contact Amazon support may take you to a scammer’s site or number.
- Buy only through Amazon Prime. It sends items that are stored directly in an Amazon warehouse and the company is able to work with refunds and replacements through Prime. This isn’t always true for items purchased without Amazon Prime.
- Read Amazon reviews. If a seller or product has no or only a few reviews, it is highly suspect. Look for items or sellers with hundreds, if not thousands, of reviews to show that they are a legitimate seller.
- Look for odd grammar or spelling. Legitimate sellers work hard to make listings attractive to buyers and will proofread for grammar and spelling issues. If a listing barely has any information or there are many obvious grammar and spelling mistakes, move on to a different listing before buying.
- Do not pay with a gift card. If anyone asks you to pay for something using a gift card or by giving them information on a gift card, you’re being scammed.
- Do not leave Amazon’s website. You shouldn’t have to leave the Amazon website to make a purchase from an Amazon-authorized seller. Don’t leave Amazon for third-party sites.
Online shopping should make your life easier, not harder. Be careful when shopping online through Amazon and take simple steps to keep yourself – and your money – safe.
Legal disclaimers:
- While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide any legal, medical, accounting, investment or any other professional advice as individual cases may vary and should be discussed with a corresponding expert and/or an attorney.
- All or some image copyright belongs to the original owner(s). No copyright infringement intended.
