Amazon’s BBB Report Card and Some Surprising Consumer Complaints For Others
Part 3 of a 3 part report
Amazon Gets An A+
One of the largest booksellers in the U.S. is Amazon.com so it may be surprising to some to know that the number of complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau about Amazon, in the Books-New category, have actually “decreased in 2011 by 14%” according to BBB representative Niki M. Horace of the DuPont, WA. BBB office. With 169 complaints filed in 2010, all of which were resolved, Amazon.com saw a decrease in 2011 TYD with only 95 complaints.
Amazon.com received an A+ rating from the BBB based on several factors, some of which include the high rate of complaint resolution, the number of total complaints for a business of that size and the length of time the business has been operating.
Amazon Complaint Types
Amazon.com complaints included delivery issues, refunds and advertising issues. Some examples are below.
Delivery issues:
– Large orders coming in separate packages and not being delivered on-time or all at once
– Packages that were not signed for at the door, were returned to Amazon.com and the consumers cards were not refunded
Refunds:
– Taking ‘too long’ or credit cards being charged more than once if the card was initially denied
Advertising Issues:
– A consumer places a large order and Amazon does not have enough product to fulfill the order. The order is cancelled and a refund is issued.
BBB’s Mission
The BBB’s mission statement indicates that they are working at being the leader in advancing marketplace trust and they state on their site, “The BBB Standards for Trust are a comprehensive set of best practices for how businesses should treat the public in a fair and honest manner.” However, the BBB is not the only customer complaint reporting option. There are many online, but most reflect the same categories of complaint. And though categories may reflect the same or similar name between BBB and other complaint services, but may in fact have different definitions.
Additional Consumer Complaint Sites and Reports
Below are links to other consumer complaint sites where you can read exactly what the consumer has written and about whom. The sites do not say whether or not there was resolution nor do they indicate if the complaints were validated. But it is interesting to read the complaints as they were written by consumers.
Delivery-
Undelivered books – Chegg http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/chegg-c485590.html
Doubleday Book Club- http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/doubleday-book-club-c483495.html
BooksChristian.com http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/bookschristiancom-c483136.html
eBook delivery: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/online/ebooks.html
Billing-
BBV Discount Books – http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/bbv-discount-books-c485120.html
Discountbooksale- http://www.consumeraffairs.com/online/discountbooksale.html
Bottom Line Books: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/misc/bottom_line.html
Rodale Books: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/misc/rodale_books.html
Sales Practices
Borders- http://www.consumeraffairs.com/retail/borders.html
In Conclusion
Whether the publishing industry has the capability to look at the trends in complaints and see a way to improve a customer’s overall experience is unclear. With a number of consumer complaint options for customers there may be no need for further action at least not by the industry. But, knowing the frustrations of readers while they try to consume books may give some businesses in the industry insight to better practices or even new opportunities. And for readers, to know where to look for trouble could help keep trouble away.
Read part 1 of this report here- BBB Complaints on New Books Part 1
Read part 2 of this report here- BBB Complaints on New Books Part 2
