I always assumed I’m the ideal Amazon customer. I pay $139 for Amazon Prime, make 15 to 20 purchases per month, spend over $5000 per year, use an Amazon Visa for purchases, and use Amazon Pharmacy for my prescriptions. So I was surprised to receive the following email from Amazon this week about canceling my account because of too many returns:
Hello,
You received multiple refunds or replacements for some of your orders. We know that occasional problems with orders are expected in the normal course of business. In these instances, a refund or replacement may be issued.
Why did this happen?
You claimed refunds for returns and the number of refunds in your account exceed the expectation and is in violation of our Conditions of Use. To learn more about our policies, go to “Amazon.com Conditions of Use”:
https://www.amazon.com/conditionsofuse
Has this message been sent in error?
If you believe that there has been an error, reply to this email to reach an Account Specialist. Our Customer Service team cannot reverse this decision or share more details on this matter. They can only confirm that this message was sent to you and they can help you with technical issues.
Account Specialist
Amazon.com
https://www.amazon.com
In violation of Conditions of Use? What does that mean? I went to the multi-page legal “conditions of use document” it referred me to, but there was no mention of a return policy relating to return frequency. I even put the entire document into ChatGPT and asked it to find that information, and it came back confirming nothing could be found.
Next I combed through my orders for 2024 and 2025 and found I had returned 31 items out of 281 orders or 11%. The reasons I gave for each return were clearly stated and accurate. I never gamed the system, such as buying multiple items in the same category to compare and returning all but one, or buying an expensive item to use once and return.
I wondered, whether they were about to cancel my account, or was the email just a warning? It wasn’t clear. How does this make sense from a company that is supposed to be obsessive about providing a positive customer experience. In fact, at the bottom of some of their correspondence is this statement: “Your feedback is helping us build Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company.”
I responded to their email as follows:
I am surprised to receive your email. I make so many purchases that occasionally I return items that do not meet expectations, are defective, or not as described. If this message is telling me you no longer want my business, please let me know and I will take my business elsewhere, close my Amazon account and cancel my Amazon credit card. I don’t consider the number of returns to be excessive considering I buy based on a description from the seller and user reviews, some of which are not always accurate. The products are occasionally very different in person. In addition, you advertise that the Prime annual fee I pay is intended to provide the convenience of quick deliveries and easy returns.
If you don’t want me to leave, please give me some guidelines as to what is acceptable for returns. My account is under the mail xxxx@xxxx.xxx
Phil Baker
A day later I received this response:
Thank you for writing to us.
Why are we writing?
We are contacting you so we can better understand the activity on your account and learn how to improve your shopping experience. In this process, your account remains open and available for your use.
Has this message been sent in error?
Contact us if you believe that there has been an error with this action. To reach an Account Specialist, go to the appeal form:
https://account-status.amazon.com/customer-appeal-form
Our Customer Service team cannot reverse this decision or share more details on this matter. They can only confirm that this message was sent and can also assist you with technical issues.
If you have any concerns about your orders or your account, go to “Amazon Customer Service”:
https://www.amazon.com/contact-us
Our Customer Service team will not be able to answer any other question about the refund on your order .
Account Specialist
Amazon.com
https://www.amazon.com
https://www.amazon.com
I contacted them once more at the first address provided, explaining that I thought there must be an error and reiterating my buying history. This was their response:
Hello,
We are contacting you so we can better understand the activity on your account, and learn how to improve your shopping experience.
Why are we writing?
We re-examined your account, and your order history to ensure that the decision regarding your account was made according to our policies. This decision is final.
We cannot issue a refund for this order until we receive the correct item.
To learn more about our policies, go to “Amazon.com Conditions of Use”:
https://www.amazon.com/conditionsofuse
We will not respond to further emails about this issue. If you have any questions or concerns regarding a different order, refund, or your account, go to “Amazon.com Customer Service”:https://www.amazon.com/contact-us
Account Specialist
Amazon.com
https://www.amazon.com
This made even less sense than the first response. I have no returns in progress, so what is it referring to when it says it cannot issue a refund until it receives the correct item?
Then it hit me.
Am I communicating with a bot that doesn’t understand my questions? Are these answers simply a poor attempt at using AI? Is this simply what things have come to in this age where companies want to eliminate the human in the chain and rely on AI generated responses, secret algorithms, and a lack of interest in assisting an individual?
I did a web search and found numerous other examples of customers puzzled by Amazon’s emails similar to mine, so my experience is typical and not a one-off. Frankly, it’s shocking that Amazon cannot clearly state a return policy that would allow us to follow if they use that as a criteria for canceling an account. I know of no other retailer that has such poor communications and such a confusing policy.
Perhaps this is what we get for expecting overnight deliveries, free returns, and a large selection of merchandise. Even more frightening is that this is the same company wanting to provide us with medical services. If they can close my account at anytime with no notice, no explanation, and no clearly written policies, I don’t want to do rely on them for anything medically related. I may continue to use them on occasion, but they no longer will be my go to retailer of choice, much as they have been for the past decade.