Unmerited Expired Product Claims for Getting a Refund
We have recently launched a new line of grocery product, i.e. candy. The shelf life of the candy is above 1 year and we have shipped 2 batches with expiration dates on or after March 2025. It is simply not possible to have an expired product mixed in our batch as this is a new line of product. Besides, the product has had a successful launch with over 100 sales a day with strong customer feedback and reviews.
With that said, a customer left a feedback and a product review and asked for a refund from Amazon, claiming that the product they received was expired. Below is a ss from Voice of Customer.
It is clear that the customer has either mistaken 2025 for 2024 in the expiration date label OR simply wanted a refund, knowing that the easiest path is always put the blame on the seller. Amazon initiated the refunds, supposedly never asking for a proof to see if the items were indeed expired.
Amazon also left a warning in our Account Health section for the "violation" and asked for an explanation.
As a mindful seller, I tried to appeal the violation, knowing that there is simply no violation but an abuse or misunderstanding at customer's end. To do so, I followed these steps:
Simply put, Amazon wants an affirmation from customer's end that they are at fault reading the labels. And I need a communication between the customer so I can prove that I did not violate the rules. I tried to reach out to the customer to clear things out. As expected, no response for the last 5 days.
My listing is still active but the warning persists under My Account Health section and I need to address it. Amazon structured the "address violation" part in a way that sellers are induced to acknowledge the "violation" with no access to produce proof. I am fine with refunding the order but smearing my seller performance is something else. The burden of proof falls onto Amazon when customer comes with an allegation. And I know that Amazon does not have any proof but simply accepted the customer allegation at its face value and put me in a position where the only viable choice is to accept the so-called violation.
Amazon needs to reconsider how it handles expiration date claims from customers. It should not be so hard to ask customer to send over images of the "expired products" and move on from there.
What do you think?
Unmerited Expired Product Claims for Getting a Refund
We have recently launched a new line of grocery product, i.e. candy. The shelf life of the candy is above 1 year and we have shipped 2 batches with expiration dates on or after March 2025. It is simply not possible to have an expired product mixed in our batch as this is a new line of product. Besides, the product has had a successful launch with over 100 sales a day with strong customer feedback and reviews.
With that said, a customer left a feedback and a product review and asked for a refund from Amazon, claiming that the product they received was expired. Below is a ss from Voice of Customer.
It is clear that the customer has either mistaken 2025 for 2024 in the expiration date label OR simply wanted a refund, knowing that the easiest path is always put the blame on the seller. Amazon initiated the refunds, supposedly never asking for a proof to see if the items were indeed expired.
Amazon also left a warning in our Account Health section for the "violation" and asked for an explanation.
As a mindful seller, I tried to appeal the violation, knowing that there is simply no violation but an abuse or misunderstanding at customer's end. To do so, I followed these steps:
Simply put, Amazon wants an affirmation from customer's end that they are at fault reading the labels. And I need a communication between the customer so I can prove that I did not violate the rules. I tried to reach out to the customer to clear things out. As expected, no response for the last 5 days.
My listing is still active but the warning persists under My Account Health section and I need to address it. Amazon structured the "address violation" part in a way that sellers are induced to acknowledge the "violation" with no access to produce proof. I am fine with refunding the order but smearing my seller performance is something else. The burden of proof falls onto Amazon when customer comes with an allegation. And I know that Amazon does not have any proof but simply accepted the customer allegation at its face value and put me in a position where the only viable choice is to accept the so-called violation.
Amazon needs to reconsider how it handles expiration date claims from customers. It should not be so hard to ask customer to send over images of the "expired products" and move on from there.
What do you think?
0 replies
Seller_rI7BZIczK8iAC
"Amazon needs to reconsider how it handles expiration date claims from customers."
I agree. In this specific case the customer did NOT see the YEAR, she just saw March 31. Maybe it's not even bad will or the attempt to get a free product, it's just a misfunction of her brain...
Mee too, I find Amazon should ask a picture. Today, everybody owns a smartphone and takes pictures of anything. That should not be too difficult. We (or Amazon..) need at least a proof that the product is REALLY expired.
Seller_7rHM3jcViv2rt
I feel you pain. We just encountered the same issue. Customer claimed refund with "product arrived expired" and we got policy violation notice. Our product was a new launch with expiration well into the future. We indicated manufacture date, shelf life and corresponding expiration date. It is all clearly visible. I reached out to customer but they won't reply because it will invalidate their claim for refund. This customer already did us dirty by claiming that the same product arrived damaged and got a refund. So this is a second time customer getting refund for our product. Our product is FBA too, so we didn't get any information or proof from customer about their claim which is 10000% wrong. Contacting Account Health Support, providing email sent to customer, providing pictures of the product with clearly visible valid manufacture and expiration dates, invoice from manufacturer with packing list and detailed explanation essay from us still didn't get it resolved. There is no way to escalate this issue to supervisors. We submitted appeal 3 times and after third appeal Amazon sent us threatening letter that if we get another complaint with expiration they will deactivate our account. This is absolutely wrong! Customer is defrauding Amazon and Amazon punishing Seller. Where is the fairness here?
Troy_Amazon
Hi @Seller_w8pLYBTOzW50L,
Thank you for your post and the screenshots you have shared. The screenshots in particular are incredibly helpful in explaining your situation. I understand you are dealing with an expired complaint from one of your listings.
"And I need a communication between the customer so I can prove that I did not violate the rules."
While communication from the buyer with a photo of their exact product would indeed be helpful, you may provide photos from other items within the same shipment to show how the expiration date is displayed. You can request an FBA bin check to do this. You may also provide additional information showing how your product adheres to the expired products policy.
Other factors to consider would be if there is a manufacturing date as well as an expiration date on the product that may have lead to buyer confusion. Additionally, if the date was formatted with European rather than US dates (dd/mm/yyyy rather than mm/dd/yyyy), this may have also caused customer confusion. If either of these fit your scenario, you may want to consider adding a written explanation to your appeal explaining these items.
"My listing is still active but the warning persists under My Account Health section"
Given the listing is still active, it is likely this violation is not impacting your Account Health Rating score. Based off of this (as well as the provided screenshot showing the actual score) your account currently carries no risk of disruption as a result of this issue. While I certainly recommend taking the action you have shared along with submitting the results of the bin check as part of your appeal, the account itself appears to not be at any kind of risk at this time.
Please feel free to reach out with any further questions or account updates, and we will assist you as best we can.
Regards,
Troy
