Amazon, We Have A Problem!

There was a time not long ago that one could trust Amazon. For all its faults, at least you knew that if there was a problem with anything one purchased from the mega online retailer, it could be returned fairly hassle-free for a full refund or exchange.

Warranty terms were clear and unambiguous, and at least in my experience, with return shipping paid by Amazon or the seller.

Now it is full-on Caveat Emptor, Buyer Beware!

Amazon has decided that it would allow sellers to list stuff with questionable return policies, and fraudulent claims as to the products themselves. Plus it appears that they are turning a deaf ear toward any complaints regarding these items.

I was recently searching for a portable oxygen concentrator. I had researched machines like the Inogen which was recommended by a doctor. These machines range in cost anywhere from around US $1400.00 to over $4000.00! So I was startled to discover a range of concentrators priced anywhere from about $300.00 to $450.00. Fortunately, these too-good-to-be-true prices set off my Spidey Sense big time!

The first thing glaringly apparent was that there were only about four different designs, but many were being marketed as differently named products. Another thing you'll notice is that none have very many reviews, and what reviews there are seem to be 4 + 5 star and are likely posted by the sellers, but around a quarter of them are overwhelmingly bad! From machines that don't work to reviews that actually checked out the machine and found out that they are nothing more than cheap air filtering machines. Some with a humidifier built in. There seems to be NO warranty. When one clicks the link regarding warranty, a page appears telling you to check the manufacturer's website, but there is no link to same anywhere. Lastly, if shipping times are mentioned, it is pretty obvious from the long delays that the products are shipped from far away, likely China. I can't say for sure because there is no way in hell that I would order one!

I was stung mildly by an offer on Face Book for a pair of so-called progressive multi-focus computer glasses usually not found for less than around US $100.00. So I sprung for the $25 offer. What I got after a month-long shipping delay was a pair of 2.5X cheater reading glasses of the type one can purchase at a Dollar Store. The seller offered to refund my money subject to some pretty severe restrictions like they must be received by them in an unused condition and in the original packaging. Plus they had to be shipped by either UPS or DHL with tracking and at my expense. No reimbursement for the forty plus dollar shipping fee was offered. Obviously, I still have the cheapo glasses.

There's no recourse for you if you get stung by these creeps either. I even reported my problem to Visa, thinking they would reverse the charge to no avail. Visa's position was the as the seller had offered a refund, they were done. No matter that returning the glasses would have cost more than I paid for the damn things, even if I thought there was a hope that the seller would accept the glasses when they got them as the "original" package was damaged when I got the glasses and I had to rip it open.

Amazon, this is a terrible move by you. We all know your failings, but if you cannot be trusted as an online retailer that would stand behind its products and sellers, your buyers will soon lose confidence in everything you sell!