Would a moderator please intervene on the following re: Order ID 112-6818403-0080214 ?

This seller already represented his clear and convincing case that this claim should be dismissed immediately.  Amazon simply should have told the customer that the extended holiday return period had expired.  Here is what I submitted earlier with more information:

This A-to-Z guarantee claim that the “Package Didn’t Arrive” is false and should result in immediate dismissal of the claim.  This item was purchased on 12/19/23 and received on 12/22/23 with FedEx tracking number.  This seller was contacted by customer service telling this seller to accept a return which proves that the ‘package did arrive’, otherwise the customer would have no item to return.  This Amazon contact arrived on 2/19/24 TWO MONTHS after the item was purchased.   The customer had approximately FORTY THREE (43) days to return the item due to the extended Holidays return period ended on 1/31/24.   This item was FULLY FUNCTIONAL, TESTED, AND WORKING.  

This seller contacted Amazon after receiving an email from Amazon customer service telling the seller to send the customer an RMA after the extended returns period which is against Amazon and seller policy.  Rather than contact the seller with the buyer’s issue with the item, this demand was the first contact from anyone—including the customer—regarding this order. Seller was told by Amazon customer service that he had the ‘discretion’ and could “ignore” the message.  Please contact the customer to explain this and CLOSE THIS A to Z guarantee claim consistent with Amazon policy since the item worked properly and the contact was fully two months after the customer ordered the product.  This seller can not afford to pay for return shipping and refund $488.99 when he is selling barely more than that on a weekly basis and might have to stop selling on Amazon after 12 years of selling.  Thank you.

Furthermore, this seller is being given conflicting information in email versus the A-to-Z Guarantee portal.  This is what the email says:

‘This order is eligible for return. Provide the following information.-- Return address-- Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number, if applicable-- Phone number, if needed by the carrier-- Other information relevant to the return, for example, the tracking information for a replacement item if agreed upon with the customer

The claim was submitted for an incorrect reason. While we understand that the customer has not submitted a return request, you need to provide a return address so that the customer can return the item to you.’

If the customer ‘has not submitted a return request’ and ‘the claim was submitted for an incorrect reason’, why is Amazon even pursuing this?  The Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee portal does not mention any of this and only says:

‘We need your representation on this issue. Below are the details:

A-to-Z Claim Status: Action required

A-to-Z Claim Reason: Package didn't arrive

This claim will impact your Order Defect Rate (ODR) while it is under review. This may change based on the outcome of the investigation. Learn more about how A-to-Z Claims impact ODR here: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/help/G200285170?referral=A1X7C7P65DDODL_A2STFB6P4Z8FMR

What to do next: Respond by: March 1, 2024 3:27:15 AM UTC

If you fail to represent your side, Amazon will grant the claim in favor of the customer and debit your account for the claim amount.

To represent your side of a claim dispute, follow these steps:

1. In Seller Central, from the Performance menu, select A-to-z Guarantee Claims.

2. Search for the claim associated with Order ID 112-6818403-0080214 and select “Respond to Amazon”.

3. Enter your representation details in the text box. Include any information that may help us learn more about the situation. 

4. Click Submit.

Claims can take up to one week to investigate. Selling Partner Support is not able to provide any further information on this claim. We may reach out to you any time during our investigation, in which case you are accountable to respond within three calendar days.’

This seller has seen on Amazon forums that this ‘Package Didn’t Arrive’ scheme is being used against many sellers.  This seller may take advantage of posting in the forum and seek any options possible to prevent the inappropriate refund from happening to him.  If this is not resolved in the seller’s favor, this seller reserves the right to remove all expensive typewriters (and perhaps other items) from inventory and sell them to someone who does not sell on Amazon because it is not worth selling them on Amazon.  We only would sell lower-priced items then.  This will result in $1,000s of missed commissions for Amazon.  This seller has been selling on Amazon for 12 years with 98% feedback.

Apparently, Amazon only rewards seller with feedbacks like 68%, 73%, and others which my competitors have since they win the buy box.  Also, Amazon seems to pick my typewriter sale when someone wants to return one of multiple that they purchased because they think that I will refund them.  This has happened on at least one item worth $1,499.99 which this seller investigated on his side and exposed.  Furthermore, Amazon appears to be providing conflicting instructions to the seller which would cause the claim to be granted if the seller did not follow the one about sending an RMA and/or return address.  Which is the correct instruction of the two?  This appears to be some sort of mind games or trap from which seller can not extract himself.  We are tired of being treated unfairly by Amazon when we are the lifeblood of its’ success.  Please dismiss this erroneous claim immediately so that I may continue to work in integrity with Amazon.  Thank you.