As much as I love Amazon and hate people harassing CS for credit, a complete ban without any warning is far too draconian. They should have "restricted" account that disables returns/customer service support. This is especially important going forward since the account is tied to so many digital services (kindle, mp3, game downloads).

Bans without the reasons are psychological warfare. I cancel a ton of pre-order games (before they go into shipping soon) and I'm scared those count as negative marks against me. I created this thread earlier this year.

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=298060

Also, no offense but the OP sounds like a pain in the ass. Using an inaccurate *customer* image as the reason for demanding credit? I find it hard to believe that the OP would complain about such minor things just this month and not have a long history of doing so.

Originally Posted by Antipodes As much as I love Amazon and hate people harassing CS for credit, a complete ban without any warning is far too draconian. They should have "restricted" account that disables returns/customer service support. This is especially important going forward since the account is tied to so many digital services (kindle, mp3, game downloads). so.

Ive considered this but is it legal to restrict returns on a subset of customers?

Originally Posted by exaznkid Well, I was excited to play Fatal Frame 2 since i never actually got to finish that unique game that i liked so i guess i was too giddy to expect this much failure since i thought like new meant it would at least be in working condition, I did try wiping off the smudge but not surprisingly it was permanent and it wouldn't come off and i doubt my xbox 360 managed to solidify the smudge in the 3 minutes it was trying to read it, even if it worked I would still feel disappointed that my like new (I'm liking these red letters ) game is actually not even close to good, and was actually defective, a proper reason why i should return it, now back on topic (kinda) I am more worried that they might call bullshit on me for not returning a like new game, mostly because what I received was far from like new

Excellent use of the emphasis with the RED letters. Either way, I likely would have returned it too. What third party seller was it from, if I may ask, as I know there are some which are fulfilled by Amazon that are known for overstating condition.

That sucks you got no warning, but thanks for sharing it with us. Without any defined limitations, it will definitely influence my Black Friday purchases (busy shipping = things more likely to break and Amazon could respond with more bans).

I'd definitely never buy any cloud-based media from Amazon, that's for sure after this.

And maybe I'll also stop asking for Amazon giftcards on CAG too (if I don't plan to use them right away). I will stop offering them as an alternative to PayPal, that's for sure.

OP im sorry that you lost the GC on your account. i dont get why when you called them on the phone, they didnt say you were banned but they told you via email.

this makes me a little paranoid since i have about $244 in GC that i really need to get rid of

Originally Posted by IAmTheCheapestGamer Excellent use of the emphasis with the RED letters. Either way, I likely would have returned it too. What third party seller was it from, if I may ask, as I know there are some which are fulfilled by Amazon that are known for overstating condition.

thank you very much, compliments are always appreciated regardless of intentions , I bought them from textbooksrus-fba,they seemed legit because they were sponsored by amazon, and they sold textbooks(the hidden doorway to college success) as stated by their name

but now i can see how the screw up is possible, because they are a third party seller and they sell textbooks (the greatest college scam)

You guys that have a few instances spread out over a long period of time have absolutely nothing to worry about.

As someone else had already mentioned, it's performing this bad CAG behavior in a relatively shorter period...likely a month or a year.

During their regular reconciliations performed in/out of house, there's likely a threshold of material nature to call centers, agents, or without respect to materiality to customer accounts over a period of time to which those with credits over this threshold trigger potential for a closer look...not all...but all that passed the threshold have potential to be selected at random.

This isn't make believe...it occurs every day & everywhere by individuals (accountants) charged with monitoring / auditing. It's accountants in some shape or form that initiates these bans...I can assure you that.

It's business...nothing personal...the OP pressed their luck.

Amazon doesn't have the time, money or care to look at all of their customers activity at line item...it's not cost beneficial or realistic.

It would take an accounting staff 30 times their current size to even attempt to do such.

Not gonna happen...but if you keep putting your name in the pot...don't cry when your name gets pulled.

It could be likely each of our incident are tallied to date, but I doubt it, it would be bad business practices for that to get out, and it would have.

---------

If you think their customers are the only audience they have, you are foolishly mistaken.
Their largest audience are their investors, those willing to dump millions/billions of capital in their company.
They could care less about less than 0.01% of their customers being banned for bad behavior...drop in the lake.
Whomever banned you got a pat on the back...deserved from my perspective.
You hurt their bottom line...you WILL get their attention...simple solution...don't get in the hat.

It's easy to see the obvious...because the obvious is obvious...try visiting the outside of the box.

PS - Jeez their stock over the last 12 month period...wish I rode that gravy train.

Originally Posted by confoosious Ive considered this but is it legal to restrict returns on a subset of customers?

I'm sure there would be a new user agreement to sign, but I don't know how well it would hold up in court if it came up to it.

For those that are calling this a pity party for me, I have nothing to say to you. Nothing in my posts illicits that. I just wanted to share my experience to fellow CAGs of my own experience of being a little too cheap.

I have nothing to gain by sharing my story.

Nothing.

Ever since I posted this, I've gotten 4 PM's so far of other CAG-ers who also have their Amazon accounts closed. So I know I'm not the only one it's happened too.

I admit I was sort of a PITA, not in the way I communicated, but my "PERSISTENCE" to keep trying if I don't get the deal I deserved to get. Because I was never rude, my previous posts here and on SD cautioned and implored other members to be nice in dealing with Amazon's CS.

Looking back, I think I did raise a "red flag" for my persistence.

Here's my experience on what I did, so people can see how everything happened since I know a lot of you guys have done something similar.

1) Sucker Punch - Amazon misadvertised the right set, using a customer uploaded pic that says BR+DVD+DC, but really only shipped the BR copy. Result = Offered me a $5 credit. http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...=301660&page=3

I had no issues with this. I just simply showed the Amazon CS the link with the picture and he/she gave me $5 in credit for me to keep it.

2) Motorolla Smartphone - Amazon wouldn't allow me to cancel an order I placed a week before, because the price of the Smartphone I bought had gone down $17. Result = Offered me a $17 credit. http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...27#post8790227

This took me 2 requests, basically the 1st chat said he/she couldn't cancel my shipping soon order. I asked if they could at least apply the price difference, they said sorry it can't be done since price changes all the time.

Person then said I can just refuse the shipment with it arrived and place a new order. I said well, what's the difference between just giving me the price difference now rather than wait to ship it back and replace the order?

I even mentioned that this process would cost Amazon more money to do to pay for the return shipping expense. Person said sorry. So I sent an email instead. I got a reply that basically said, okay I'll apply the difference for you, no problems.

3) Deus Ex Human Evolution - I basically pre-ordered this months before release for $10 credit. Amazon changed their pre-order credit to $20 in August, but when the item was shipped out to me, I only received $10, negating their price pre-order guarantee. Result = Offered me a $10 credit. http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...77#post8785777

This one was what caused me the "red flag" maybe. I basically told them that I only received $10 credit and not the $20 credit which was advertised a month later. Person said he couldn't find "proof" it was $20. Since I couldn't find any proof either, I basically asked him to check this item's history and even linking him to the CAG thread about it (above). He still wouldn't budge.

I then sent an email asking the same thing. I got a response saying that this would be forwarded to the marketing team and I would hear back within 48 hours. A good 5 days later, still nothing.

I chatted with them again, pointing out that I haven't received an email response. We got into the whole sorry but the $20 promo never existed. I asked them to check their records check anything and the guy simply said he can't do that. I had to find links to forums here and SD that basically talked about people getting the $20 credit. Guy finally said he would speak to a manager, and after 30 minutes of this chat, finally gave me the extra $10 credit.

4) Foldable Table "with Bag" - (Okay this isn't in CAG) but basically the title was Foldable Table, but the description says "with Bag" and yet I was just shipped the table. They said the Bag was a limited time offer. True, but I showed them the link that description still says "with Bag" (they forgot to take it off) btw the bag was selling for about $20 by itself. Result = Offered me a $15 refund (not credit - fine with me).

People from SD who complained about this too got anywhere from $20 - $25. I just got $15 for it. This I had little to no problems with. Just showed the link containing the description and yet the guy kept pointing out that it was a limited time offer, but since that wording was no longer on the site, but still had the "with Bag" listed on the description, he simply said he would need to speak to supervisor to approve the deal, and offered me a partial refund for me. I honestly wanted the bag more since it's been OOS since.

It was me complaining basically at least once or twice a week in such a short span that got me the boot.

Learned so much about Amazon's policy during this experience. Everytime you log on to contact Amazon, not only will they keep a record of it, but they will compile those records which gets reviewed by Supervisors on a weekly/monthly basis. Guess my name popped up one to many in that 1 month.

For those that have their complaints and contacts spread out, you guys shouldn't be too woried.

If anyone would like a good read, their last letter to their shareholders in the 2010 AFR has a nice surprise...throwback letter from 1997!

If we were all forced to read public company AFRs, there would be no 99% or 1%...

Originally Posted by Ratchet & CAG Ever since I posted this, I've gotten 4 PM's so far of other CAG-ers who also have their Amazon accounts closed. So I know I'm not the only one it's happened too.

Are others ashamed to share their stories of being shafted by the man?

Originally Posted by Ratchet & CAG I admit I was sort of a PITA, not in the way I communicated, but my "PERSISTENCE" to keep trying if I don't get the deal I deserved to get.

Ding ding ding...we have a winner!

Originally Posted by Ratchet & CAG Amazon misadvertised the right set, using a customer uploaded pic that says BR+DVD+DC, but really only shipped the BR copy.

Please show me where Amazon states they stand behind customer uploaded images.
I read it's in Beta and not official...

I also am inclined to believe you ordered it knowing you would contact them afterwards...the sole reason you purchased it was to dispute it later and net it at a lower price.

How do they know you didn't upload the image?
How does it make sense to you that you would have a valid leg to stand on?

Would you also have countered a dispute upon a comment someone made as a review that wasn't in line with the product...preposterous!

Originally Posted by Ratchet & CAG Motorolla Smartphone - Amazon wouldn't allow me to cancel an order I placed a week before, because the price of the Smartphone I bought had gone down $17. Result = Offered me a $17 credit.

I seriously doubt they extended the offer first...

In your head:

"Hello, I purchased an item last week, I see you have it cheaper now."

"Sir, say no more, I've already deposited a $17 credit to your account."

Reality:

"This telephone I got last week is cheaper now...that ain't fair...I spend a lot of money...blah blah blah...I deserve a difference in price...blah blah blah...I spend a lot of money...blah blah blah."

"Sir, I understand your frustration, unfortunately our prices constantly change (image that) and we do not have a policy for post purchase price changes."

"Aaargh...(20 minutes pass while that poor CSR listens to your bullshit)"

...And you eventually get what you demanded so the CSR doesn't get chewed out for their average time per call doubling for the day.

Originally Posted by Ratchet & CAG Person then said I can just refuse the shipment with it arrived and place a new order.

This is their honest (albeit being of no benefit to Amazon) attempt in helping you if you are truly concerned about being overcharged.

See, they stepped outside the box...just for you!

Originally Posted by Ratchet & CAG Deus Ex Human Evolution - I basically pre-ordered this months before release for $10 credit. Amazon changed their pre-order credit to $20 in August, but when the item was shipped out to me, I only received $10, negating their price pre-order guarantee. Result = Offered me a $10 credit.

This was not a flagged item if it was legitimately an error on their part.
As they would have discovered this soon enough and extended it as they do many times.
This is one of the largest online businesses after all...they kind of know what they are doing.

Originally Posted by Ratchet & CAG I had to find links to forums here and SD

This should be an automatic ban in my opinion.

Originally Posted by Ratchet & CAG and after 30 minutes of this chat, finally gave me the extra $10 credit.

See above ^

Originally Posted by Ratchet & CAG They said the Bag was a limited time offer.

See above again ^
or do yourself a favor and thoroughly read their guidelines on promotional offers.

Originally Posted by Ratchet & CAG they forgot to take it (image of promotion) off

You can read can't you?
Surely the terms of the promotion were stated?
And you didn't see the offer in your cart?
Yet you continued with the purchase that you reviewed and confirmed?

Were you trying to get one in after the fact, relying on those soft CSRs again?

Originally Posted by Ratchet & CAG People from SD who complained about this too got anywhere from $20 - $25. I just got $15 for it.

Boo-hoo

Originally Posted by Ratchet & CAG ...and yet the guy kept pointing out that it was a limited time offer...

As he should have.

Originally Posted by Ratchet & CAG but since that wording was no longer on the site...

YOU CAN READ...I was worried for a moment.

Originally Posted by Ratchet & CAG It was me complaining basically at least once or twice a week in such a short span that got me the boot.

Ding ding ding...you sure like winning don't you?

Can't quite figure out your failure of understanding terms & conditions though with your talent.

Originally Posted by Ratchet & CAG For those that have their complaints and contacts spread out, you guys shouldn't be too woried.

Thanks genius!

But for those struggling:

If your guidance and interpretation of T&Cs don't come from other anonymous douche bags on CAG & SD your not in the dumb ass boat...congratulations!

I dont have time to read all this but I got an extremely similar email from Amazon last year (too many incidents blah blah blah..almost exactly the same). I've posted about it before but I was very fortunate in that they gave me a warning basically and let me off. I asked way too much for credits and discounts. I deserved the warning. I've learned my lesson.

It sucks that they just closed your account without a similar warning. That's all I needed to stop bitching. They can be/are extremely strict with their bans. Good luck.

Edit: 4 complaints in a month is excessive I'd say. How often did you order from them? How many incidents before those? Dont lie. I know it's easy to complain a lot when it's so simple to abuse the CS. You do and you end up paying for it though as we've seen.

Hopefully others see this and realize they're going to end up ing themselves and possibly family members if they dont stop.

Thanks for the warning OP. Sucks you lost your account. I dont know what I would do if I couldnt buy from Amazon. I must get 2-3 packages every week from them.

idk pushing on an amazon rep to get credit or more money is something i dont see eye to eye with, though I can't imagine how that would be grounds for a COMPLETE ban, and since i'm assuming you didn't get a warning than you should probably talk to them about it or maybe it wasnt you that caused the banning and maybe someone you know perhaps, like a brother, sister or cousin that may just be a more aggressive deal seeker than you are
but guys come on, stop busting his chops, i mean the guy is going through enough already and idk, i feel that it is a little rude to assume that he was one of those pushy little folks that yell into the phone when things don't go their way, however if you are you shouldnt be surprised to get banned, if you try pulling that at any retailer you can expect a humiliating escort from security and possibly a ban from the store, the only thing i can really sympathize with you is the lost credit which is actually ur money, until someone here informs me that it is legally yours no longer,
i guess if there is any time to be persistent it would probably be now, anyway good luck to you, i hope things can get better for you OP

I don't recall what the issue was but I remember a CSR "mistakenly" filled out a "concessions abuse" form on me and "accidentally" sent it to me. I think it had to do with a watch, a $2K watch; and I called back and spoke to a supervisor who I'd dealt with before when UPS "lost" my rock band package. He assured me it was accidental because she was a temp. The CSRs signature did say she was a seasonal temp, but since then I've cut back on the number of times I reach out to them for issues. Thankfully, I haven't had many but the thought of not being able to shop at Amazon...

Originally Posted by Muthafodder Are others ashamed to share their stories of being shafted by the man? Ding ding ding...we have a winner! Please show me where Amazon states they stand behind customer uploaded images. I read it's in Beta and not official... I also am inclined to believe you ordered it knowing you would contact them afterwards...the sole reason you purchased it was to dispute it later and net it at a lower price. How do they know you didn't upload the image? How does it make sense to you that you would have a valid leg to stand on? Would you also have countered a dispute upon a comment someone made as a review that wasn't in line with the product...preposterous! I seriously doubt they extended the offer first... In your head: "Hello, I purchased an item last week, I see you have it cheaper now." "Sir, say no more, I've already deposited a $17 credit to your account." Reality: "This telephone I got last week is cheaper now...that ain't fair...I spend a lot of money...blah blah blah...I deserve a difference in price...blah blah blah...I spend a lot of money...blah blah blah." "Sir, I understand your frustration, unfortunately our prices constantly change (image that) and we do not have a policy for post purchase price changes." "Aaargh...(20 minutes pass while that poor CSR listens to your bullshit)" ...And you eventually get what you demanded so the CSR doesn't get chewed out for their average time per call doubling for the day. This is their honest (albeit being of no benefit to Amazon) attempt in helping you if you are truly concerned about being overcharged. See, they stepped outside the box...just for you! This was not a flagged item if it was legitimately an error on their part. As they would have discovered this soon enough and extended it as they do many times. This is one of the largest online businesses after all...they kind of know what they are doing. This should be an automatic ban in my opinion. See above ^ See above again ^ or do yourself a favor and thoroughly read their guidelines on promotional offers. You can read can't you? Surely the terms of the promotion were stated? And you didn't see the offer in your cart? Yet you continued with the purchase that you reviewed and confirmed? Were you trying to get one in after the fact, relying on those soft CSRs again? Boo-hoo As he should have. YOU CAN READ...I was worried for a moment. Ding ding ding...you sure like winning don't you? Can't quite figure out your failure of understanding terms & conditions though with your talent. Thanks genius! But for those struggling: If your guidance and interpretation of T&Cs don't come from other anonymous douche bags on CAG & SD your not in the dumb ass boat...congratulations!

You really are a motherfodder ass.

Good job in displaying it too

If you read the Op's original post, most of your questions have already been answered rather than you basing on assumptions.

I just want to say to those talking about smudges on disks and just wiping them off... i hope you guys do it properly. With a high quality microfiber cloth in a straight pattern from center ring to out. I think a lot of the used games i see that are scratched to are from tards wiping discs with their shirts, or god forbid, paper towels.

For just a few light fingerprints i usually run it under some water, wiping outward with my hands then dry it off with a good absorbent microfiber cloth. If it was grungier you can use a tiny bit of mild soap. Just make sure its non abrasive and doesn't have moisturizer or anything. If its really grungy you can spray the disk down with some high % alcohol and wipe it down away from the spindle. That should get rid of any grime or smudges. If it doesnt then there are problems with the disc

With my OCD my process goes:
Rinse under water with a dab of soap, dry, alcohol spray, wipe down, then a final water rinse just to get rid of any residue that may have been left behind... excessive yes, but i dont know where these things have been =P

still, even for most of you out there i would hope you would at least use a proper microfiber cloth when just wiping a disk down. @exaznkid. Im surprised you even tried anything. If i got a disk 'like new' in a generic case like that and smudged to hell i would have sent it back immediately

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Originally Posted by Kenshindono I just want to say to those talking about smudges on disks and just wiping them off... i hope you guys do it properly. With a high quality microfiber cloth in a straight pattern from center ring to out. I think a lot of the used games i see that are scratched to are from tards wiping discs with their shirts, or god forbid, paper towels. For just a few light fingerprints i usually run it under some water, wiping outward with my hands then dry it off with a good absorbent microfiber cloth. If it was grungier you can use a tiny bit of mild soap. Just make sure its non abrasive and doesn't have moisturizer or anything. If its really grungy you can spray the disk down with some high % alcohol and wipe it down away from the spindle. That should get rid of any grime or smudges. If it doesnt then there are problems with the disc With my OCD my process goes: Rinse under water with a dab of soap, dry, alcohol spray, wipe down, then a final water rinse just to get rid of any residue that may have been left behind... excessive yes, but i dont know where these things have been =P still, even for most of you out there i would hope you would at least use a proper microfiber cloth when just wiping a disk down. @exaznkid. Im surprised you even tried anything. If i got a disk 'like new' in a generic case like that and smudged to hell i would have sent it back immediately

I'm the same way usually when I get a used game, though I don't go to quite those lengths. But I DO remove any stickers from whatever store I bought them from. Then I use those same stickers to remove any residue by peeling and resticking the stickers over and over.

As for using "microfiber" cloth versus a shirt or another soft cloth to wipe down the discs I've found that as long as you're gentle there are zero issues with using a shirt or other cloth to wipe discs down....well at least Blu-Rays anyway. If you're talking about a standard DVD or CD, then yeah, anything other than one of those microfiber cloths may scratch the crap out of them.

Oh and FYI: I've seen the folks at places like GS using Windex on a game disc before. I don't know if the chemicals in that stuff does anything to discs, but it sure makes them shine.

I find it funny that you guys are yelling at him for trying to get the best deal possible. This is CHEAPassgamer right? The whole point of this website is to try and get the best deal, and if you are able to make it better, then guess what? YOU DO.

/rant over

Originally Posted by Daw19yoyo I find it funny that you guys are yelling at him for trying to get the best deal possible. This is CHEAPassgamer right? The whole point of this website is to try and get the best deal, and if you are able to make it better, then guess what? YOU DO. /rant over

Good luck with your future ban.