Report Amazon for theft?
Discussion
I really don't want to do this but I am at the end of my tether.
Background... I have an online retail business that uses some 3rd party fulfilment services including 'Amazon FBA'. This is where Amazon hold stock on behalf of the retailer and ship it for them. As part of the service, the retailer (i.e. me) can request that items are removed from Amazon's warehousing and returned. Their published Ts&Cs charge £1 per unit for delivery anywhere in the UK. Their published service level is 14 days from the date of requesting the 'removal order'.
I have a sizeable quantity of electrical goods held at Amazon's warehousing. 350+ items with a retail value between £100-£150. This was two truckloads when delivered to them last November. A change of trading style on this item has resulted in me wanting them back in my warehousing.
On 28 April I followed Amazon's procedures and submitted a 'removal order' for 383 of these items.
I chased on 13 May for an ETA. They replied that it was being dealt with that day. Funny that...
Checking later that day I saw that they had processed 11 items and 'cancelled' the remainder.
I raised that with their customer service rep through their online helpdesk. The rep was 'looking into it with the warehouse' and could 'understand my disappointment'. Not receiving £40k of one's inventory is a little disappointing.
I received the identical response on 16 May and also 19 May.
On 19 May I asked for an update. They suggested that I re-try the 'removal order' process. I did. They also told me that Amazon is 'very complex and involved handling thousands of orders per day'.
On 20 May the same result occurred and the 372 remaining items are 'cancelled'.
I have consistently and simply asked their online support to deal with this. I have emailed our 'on boarding' contact that helped set up the facility. I have even cc'd jeff@amazon.com (apparently this creates escalation from their executive office).
Nothing.
I have told them with reasonable deadlines that if I don't hear constructive or positive news I'm left with no alternative other than to report the theft of my inventory. This is ridiculous. I don't want to do that. It's a total misuse of police time and my own. I simply want them to do their job, stick to their procedures and service levels and return my products to me. In the absence of communication or escalation however, what would be wise to do (as a powerfully built company director with a goatee)? Pared down to the bone, I have entrusted Amazon with my goods; I have followed their procedures to have them returned; I have escalated through their support systems when their procedures failed and I have no response, no commitment to resolution and am missing £40k of goods, qed at this moment in time, they have effectively stolen my property.
Background... I have an online retail business that uses some 3rd party fulfilment services including 'Amazon FBA'. This is where Amazon hold stock on behalf of the retailer and ship it for them. As part of the service, the retailer (i.e. me) can request that items are removed from Amazon's warehousing and returned. Their published Ts&Cs charge £1 per unit for delivery anywhere in the UK. Their published service level is 14 days from the date of requesting the 'removal order'.
I have a sizeable quantity of electrical goods held at Amazon's warehousing. 350+ items with a retail value between £100-£150. This was two truckloads when delivered to them last November. A change of trading style on this item has resulted in me wanting them back in my warehousing.
On 28 April I followed Amazon's procedures and submitted a 'removal order' for 383 of these items.
I chased on 13 May for an ETA. They replied that it was being dealt with that day. Funny that...
Checking later that day I saw that they had processed 11 items and 'cancelled' the remainder.
I raised that with their customer service rep through their online helpdesk. The rep was 'looking into it with the warehouse' and could 'understand my disappointment'. Not receiving £40k of one's inventory is a little disappointing.
I received the identical response on 16 May and also 19 May.
On 19 May I asked for an update. They suggested that I re-try the 'removal order' process. I did. They also told me that Amazon is 'very complex and involved handling thousands of orders per day'.
On 20 May the same result occurred and the 372 remaining items are 'cancelled'.
I have consistently and simply asked their online support to deal with this. I have emailed our 'on boarding' contact that helped set up the facility. I have even cc'd jeff@amazon.com (apparently this creates escalation from their executive office).
Nothing.
I have told them with reasonable deadlines that if I don't hear constructive or positive news I'm left with no alternative other than to report the theft of my inventory. This is ridiculous. I don't want to do that. It's a total misuse of police time and my own. I simply want them to do their job, stick to their procedures and service levels and return my products to me. In the absence of communication or escalation however, what would be wise to do (as a powerfully built company director with a goatee)? Pared down to the bone, I have entrusted Amazon with my goods; I have followed their procedures to have them returned; I have escalated through their support systems when their procedures failed and I have no response, no commitment to resolution and am missing £40k of goods, qed at this moment in time, they have effectively stolen my property.
The police will tell you to get knotted, and rightly so, as the ingredients of the offence of theft are not present here. This is not dishonesty, it's incompetence. You could not prove dishonest appropriation of goods with intention permanently to deprive.
Your beef is a civil law beef. Being shouty won't help. Writing polite but firm letters may help. Ultimately , you could sue for return of the goods or payment of their value, but jaw jaw beats war war. If need be, instruct a lawyer to send a letter for you, but only if it is worth the cost of doing so.
Edit: 40K worth of goods. You should not be asking here. You should be instructing a lawyer. That's all from me on this thread.
Your beef is a civil law beef. Being shouty won't help. Writing polite but firm letters may help. Ultimately , you could sue for return of the goods or payment of their value, but jaw jaw beats war war. If need be, instruct a lawyer to send a letter for you, but only if it is worth the cost of doing so.
Edit: 40K worth of goods. You should not be asking here. You should be instructing a lawyer. That's all from me on this thread.
Breadvan72 said:
The police will tell you to get knotted, and rightly so, as the ingredients of the offence of theft are not present here. This is not dishonesty, it's incompetence. You could not prove dishonest appropriation of goods with intention permanently to deprive.
Your beef is a civil law beef. Being shouty won't help. Writing polite but firm letters may help. Ultimately , you could sue for return of the goods or payment of their value, but jaw jaw beats war war. If need be, instruct a lawyer to send a letter for you, but only if it is worth the cost of doing so.
Edit: 40K worth of goods. You should not be asking here. You should be instructing a lawyer. That's all from me on this thread.
Agreed with you on the theft angle. I was stung in a scam, and I lost a car as a result. The person that did it didn't even need to hide their name/address etc, because the police simply told me it was a civil matter. Your beef is a civil law beef. Being shouty won't help. Writing polite but firm letters may help. Ultimately , you could sue for return of the goods or payment of their value, but jaw jaw beats war war. If need be, instruct a lawyer to send a letter for you, but only if it is worth the cost of doing so.
Edit: 40K worth of goods. You should not be asking here. You should be instructing a lawyer. That's all from me on this thread.
Very strange how they process 11 of them but then cancel the remaining 372. I wonder if these 372 have actually been "sold" and hence they don't have them in their warehouse but the payment to you for those 372 items has somehow gone astray along the line.
Apologies if i've not understood the concept of all of this - it's been a long day!
Apologies if i've not understood the concept of all of this - it's been a long day!
Nezquick said:
Very strange how they process 11 of them but then cancel the remaining 372. I wonder if these 372 have actually been "sold" and hence they don't have them in their warehouse but the payment to you for those 372 items has somehow gone astray along the line.
I wish! At 12 units per pallet, I suspect they dealt with the easy 11 loose units, then someone thought "Oh. Organising a dedicated truck is hard. <Delete>". Definitely sounds like a poor show from Amazon.
Just out of interest, when you place goods with Amazon to be fulfilled do they remain uniquely allocated to you as a supplier or do they effectively get placed within the Amazon "pool" of stock. I'm just wondering if they have sold them, and are having trouble getting replacements to cover your stock - like some elaborate stock financing scheme.
Just out of interest, when you place goods with Amazon to be fulfilled do they remain uniquely allocated to you as a supplier or do they effectively get placed within the Amazon "pool" of stock. I'm just wondering if they have sold them, and are having trouble getting replacements to cover your stock - like some elaborate stock financing scheme.
98elise said:
Agreed with you on the theft angle. I was stung in a scam, and I lost a car as a result. The person that did it didn't even need to hide their name/address etc, because the police simply told me it was a civil matter.
Did you voluntarily give them the car?My former business partner lost a Merc ML after lending it to a mate who he later fell out with never to see the car again. Police weren't interested because he'd given him use of the car.
Oakey said:
98elise said:
Agreed with you on the theft angle. I was stung in a scam, and I lost a car as a result. The person that did it didn't even need to hide their name/address etc, because the police simply told me it was a civil matter.
Did you voluntarily give them the car?My former business partner lost a Merc ML after lending it to a mate who he later fell out with never to see the car again. Police weren't interested because he'd given him use of the car.
The police told me that because the bloke hadn't tried to hide his identity, and had used a legitimate cheque (ie not stolen etc) it would not be fraud. It was simply him not paying me.
In retrospect the guy had obviously done it a few times, he didn't knock me down on price etc, he was only interested in if I would take a cheque (for the full amount) and was happy to wait for it to clear. It was all just too easy.
egomeister said:
when you place goods with Amazon to be fulfilled do they remain uniquely allocated to you as a supplier or do they effectively get placed within the Amazon "pool" of stock.
As a marketplace supplier, one has the option to 'co-mingle' goods. I'd hope that Amazon's systems allow for accurate stock control in this regard!After emailing jeff@amazon.com I had a response from 2 humans based in the UK. I'll see if they uphold their commitment to an ETA on Wednesday morning. Internet legend has it that emails to this address get forwarded with a "?" from Bezos (I guess his executive team) and God help anyone that then screws up. Crazy that following published processes one has to resort to such measures
12lee said:
Internet legend has it that emails to this address get forwarded with a "?" from Bezos (I guess his executive team) and God help anyone that then screws up.
I have read it in many places that indeed the emails go to his inbox and he does personally read them take action where appropriate (presumably he deletes a lot) and that when forwarded, people drop everything to sort the problem.Do amazon also sell this item? (Or did they once) ? If so I bet you they have sold them.
We have been on FBA since day one and this has happened several times. They pay compensation eventually but it's poor.
Never send such an amount to them better little and often to less risk but more cost.
Good luck - keep us posted
We have been on FBA since day one and this has happened several times. They pay compensation eventually but it's poor.
Never send such an amount to them better little and often to less risk but more cost.
Good luck - keep us posted
Breadvan72 said:
The police will tell you to get knotted, and rightly so, as the ingredients of the offence of theft are not present here. This is not dishonesty, it's incompetence. You could not prove dishonest appropriation of goods with intention permanently to deprive.
Your beef is a civil law beef. Being shouty won't help. Writing polite but firm letters may help. Ultimately , you could sue for return of the goods or payment of their value, but jaw jaw beats war war. If need be, instruct a lawyer to send a letter for you, but only if it is worth the cost of doing so.
Edit: 40K worth of goods. You should not be asking here. You should be instructing a lawyer. That's all from me on this thread.
^^^ this, Through appointing independent accountants, I was able to locate monies owed to me, that my then management agents had mistakenly paid into their own bank account, rather into mine, their client's bank account. Your beef is a civil law beef. Being shouty won't help. Writing polite but firm letters may help. Ultimately , you could sue for return of the goods or payment of their value, but jaw jaw beats war war. If need be, instruct a lawyer to send a letter for you, but only if it is worth the cost of doing so.
Edit: 40K worth of goods. You should not be asking here. You should be instructing a lawyer. That's all from me on this thread.
I reported my concerns to both the Police and HMG's National Fraud Authority, and was met with the response "what was my problem, the agents had refunded the monies"
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