Online retail giant Amazon has joined the list of retailers that are banning customers for constantly returning purchased products.
Along with such retailers as Sephora, Best Buy, the Home Depot, Victoria’s Secret, J.C. Penney and more, Amazon now tracks down shoppers who take advantage of the brand’s return policy. And in certain cases, the retailer terminates the accounts without notice.
“There are rare occasions where someone abuses our service over an extended period of time. We never take these decisions lightly, but with over 300 million customers around the world, we take action when appropriate to protect the experience for all our customers,” said Amazon spokesperson in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
Even though Amazon is known for its ‘one-click’ ordering and easy returns, the retailer is willing to protect itself from return abuse that according to Racked, “costs retailers in the US up to $17.6 billion in losses.” Using a special algorithm, Amazon tracks down and flags accounts that ask for too many refunds or if a customer returns the wrong product. Before deciding whether an account should be closed, an Amazon employee will review the customer’s return behaviour.
“If your behavior is consistently outside the norm, you’re not really the kind of customer they want,” former Amazon manager James Thomson said to Racked.