The A to Z policy is part of Amazon’s guarantee policy to the extent a customer purchases a product from their website. A to Z claims count towards sellers defect rates which help determine whether or not he wins the lucrative Amazon Buy Box.
These are the three situations that are covered by the guarantee:
1. Credit Not Received: The customer claims to not have received his agreed upon refund from the seller.
2. Charged Greater Amount: The customer is charged more than the amount he authorized for the purchase.
3. The condition of Item+Timely Delivery: The item sent to the customer was not in the condition as described (damaged, defective, incorrectly described, misclassified, misrepresented, missing parts and pieces) or wasn’t delivered in a timely manner.
How does it work?
First, Amazon encourages customers to contact the seller directly before making a claim; however, if communication was attempted and the customer didn’t receive a response within 3-5 days, then the buyer can submit the A to Z claim 30 days after the order date or 3 calendar days from the maximum estimated delivery date. Amazon sends the claim to the seller, and the seller is given three days to represent his side by email. To the extent he doesn’t respond within this time frame, the seller is considered at fault, and the refund amount will be taken from the seller’s amount, and the seller’s rating will drop.
How to avoid A to Z claims:
1. Check your items: Check your items before sending them to make sure they are not missing any parts and are in the condition as described to your customer. Consider using Amazon FBA to help you package and ship your items correctly.
2. Improve your customer service: Send a follow-up email to your customers after delivery and respond to emails from customers no later than 24 hours after it was sent. Check out our blog about why customer service isn’t optional in eCommerce.