3 On Your Side: Amazon Cancels Subscription Due To Frequent Returns
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- When it comes to online shopping, without a doubt Amazon is king! But depending on how shop, you could get you exiled from the kingdom.
One local man found out the hard way and then reached out to 3 On Your Side for help.
When Paul Seletsky unexpectedly had to furnish an entire home after his divorce, surgery for cancer and a broken wrist he turned to Amazon for help.
"I needed a tv. I needed pots and pans. I needed everything," said Seletsky.
But shopping exclusively online made it harder for him to decide which styles or brands he preferred.
"So typically I would order, let's say three sets of pots and I would select one that I wanted and I would return the two. And I have Amazon Prime so I thought there's no problem. I have 30 days to return whatever it is and that's what I did. And I was able to comparison shop," said Seletsky.
Just when he thought everything was going well in the midst of his shopping he was locked out of his account.
"Totally, totally locked out," said Seletsky.
Paul learned via email that Amazon canceled his subscription for making too many returns.
Amazon wouldn't speak with him by phone, so in an email, he explained the reasons for his excessive returns.
"And I wrote to them, okay I've been a bad boy but I've had this situation, I wasn't ambulatory and I was, you know had all these injuries," said Seletsky.
Amazon sent the following response via email, "after a careful consideration, we've determined that our business relationship must end."
Disappointed Amazon wouldn't restore his subscription, he also couldn't access any of the electronic books he'd purchased with his new iPad.
When he asked contacted Amazon they wrote, "...you will only be able access the digital content with the device which has already been registered to your account."
That's when Paul contacted 3 On Your Side for help.
After we reached out to Amazon, Paul got an unexpected email from the company letting him know they reinstated his Amazon account.
"I was thrilled," said Seletsky
Making it another 3 On Your Side, problem solved.
We asked Amazon how many returns might trigger a subscription cancelation and a spokesperson told us, "unfortunately these are not issues we can discuss."