Just a heads up on Amazon

[Bakersfield Quad]

Just wanted to tell you about my experience with Amazon, buying a Racing Drone.
Bought the drone, it took a week to get here, then I opened it and attempted to get it to work. It did not work properly, so I asked for a return label. Not only did I not get a return label, but had to wait for a few days for Amazon to tell me to send the item back to the vendor, at my expense.
I was ordered to send it back, with tracking and insurance, it was a $506 drone purchase, I was not happy to return it to a vendor that refused to refund, but Amazon A to Z claims, insisted that I do it. So I sent it, the vendor either refused to sign for it or he was not there for 2 attempts at delivery.
Amazon calls, tells him to accept it, he does then promptly offers 50% refund and issues it. Amazon does nothing, just says they are looking into it, the vendor is being talked to about it. But in the end, no money and I am being told it could take several more weeks on top of the 16 days I have been waiting.
So, if you think that Amazon is a safe place to buy, rethink that and read carefully the NEW return policies and 3rd party vendor requirements before you buy. Also be aware that all things marked PRIME are not PRIME and are not covered by Amazon and must be returned to the vendor and a 3rd party decides refunds. 2 types of PRIME are this way. Unless Amazon is the seller and the one to FULFILL the order, it is NOT PRIME, even if it is marked as such.
So, Amazon has changed, it has different rules and requirements now, hell it even tells you that MOST of the items you buy can be returned within 30 days, if it is PRIME, real PRIME, not one of the other 2 FAKE PRIMES.
Very disappointed and now wary, I am no longer a happy Prime Member. You must be very careful about purchases, do not accept anything without reading the fine print.

 

[msinger]

If you want to take advantage of Amazon's no hassle return policy, then make sure Amazon fulfills your orders. It doesn't matter who is listed as the seller.

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

If you want to take advantage of Amazon's no hassle return policy, then make sure Amazon fulfills your orders. It doesn't matter who is listed as the seller.

THAT is where you are wrong and misinformed. If the seller is listed as say Hobby Lobby, then Amazon is the fulfilling party, it is NOT PRIME at all, it is a 3rd party purchase. Believe me, I know what I am talking about, I have spent 10 hours on the phone with Amazon Supervisors over this. If there is a 3rd party listed as the SELLER, it is NOT PRIME.

 

[msinger]

If there is a 3rd party listed as the SELLER, it is NOT PRIME.

Interesting, but that doesn't make much sense.

Who was listed as the fulfiller for your drone purchase? Got a link to the item you purchased?

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

Interesting, but that doesn't make much sense.

Who was listed as the fulfiller for your drone purchase? Got a link to the item you purchased?

I understand your confusion, as I too was under the impression that Prime was Prime. However, having been educated on this, there are 3 types of PRIME, but only one is really covered by Amazon by your PRIME Membership privileges.
If a 3rd party is the seller, it does not matter if Amazon is the one fulfilling it, it must be returned to the 3rd party seller for them to evaluate the situation, if they refuse to refund and you file an A to Z claim on that purchase.

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

It is about the same as buying from a seller that is not prime, really. The only thing different is that the seller has sent items to the Amazon Warehouse and they send it out for them. So you get PRIME shipping, but you will not get an instant label for return and you will have to request one from the seller. If they refuse to send a label you must send it in, at your expense, cost me over $30 to return the drone to the seller. I will not get back the shipping, pretty sure of that. I also am not confident that I will get the other 50% of my money, no matter how long this is drawn out.
I just wrote this to inform others, that what you think you know about Amazon, you don't. Get informed, before you get stuck, like me.

 

[msinger]

Got a link to the item you purchased on Amazon?

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

I can provide one, but they have since changed the page, no longer shows PRIME. That was another thing I learned in this, take a picture of the page where you ordered with every order, so they cant change it after you complain. Now I can't prove a thing, even though Amazon records show that it was shipped PRIME, according to a supervisor. Which means that they knowingly do this, ship with the impression that it is PRIME, but it is not.
There is not much explaining this in their information. But if you read the return policy, you can see references to this. Even PRIME says you car return MOST things, but does not tell you what will not be eligible for a return, just MOST things, very vague.
But, when explained to me by a supervisor, it became clear that PRIME is not always PRIME. It must say that AMAZON is both the SELLER and the FULFILLER, or it is not Amazon PRIME.

 

[msinger]

even though Amazon records show that it was shipped PRIME, according to a supervisor. Which means that they knowingly do this, ship with the impression that it is PRIME

The fact that it was shipped "PRIME" doesn't really mean much. Was it shipped by the seller or from an Amazon warehouse?

 

[GMack]

Amazon Prime used to claim two-day shipping too and even one-day in some locales, but now that they opened up to third parties I've gotten some items via China Post from China that took two months. Boat seems to add 18 days, ime. Amazon Prime was a good selling point, but it has changed a lot. My stuff is averaging 3-4 days now as some vendors are too lazy to get it out of shipping, but still better than a week or more.

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

The fact that it was shipped "PRIME" doesn't really mean much. Was it shipped by the seller or from an Amazon warehouse?

It was shipped by the seller, in this case the PRIME LABEL on the product, was followed by 2 or 3 sellers names and did not mention whether Amazon would fulfill it or not as I recall, not positive, should have taken a picture.
But, if you see PRIME on the product, it is up to you to look below that and see how and who is handling it. I argue that PRIME should only be used for PRIME, with no other restrictions or implied vendors, so that it is not confusing. They seem to thing this is not necessary. However, they did change the page after I complained. It no longer mentions PRIME on the page.
Just trying to inform people that Amazon has changed the rules a bit, I have been a member since 2003. I used to get an instant Label, no questions asked, if it was PRIME. Now I am not so sure.

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

Amazon Prime used to claim two-day shipping too and even one-day in some locales, but now that they opened up to third parties I've gotten some items via China Post from China that took two months. Boat seems to add 18 days, ime. Amazon Prime was a good selling point, but it has changed a lot. My stuff is averaging 3-4 days now as some vendors are too lazy to get it out of shipping, but still better than a week or more.

Yes, all true, China can be listed as a PRIME item, even though it is shipped by boat. This is what is wrong with Amazon now.

 

[msinger]

It was shipped by the seller

Ah. That's what I was suspecting.

You must always return the package back to the shipper. If the shipper is the seller (like in your case), you must ship back to the seller. If Amazon is the shipper, your returns will be super easy since they have a stellar return process. I don't think that is anything new.

In the future, maybe only buy products that are shipped by Amazon or by sellers you trust.

 

[GMack]

Problem I've run into is that Amazon will change the seller themselves if it isn't at their fulfillment center, they run out, or the website is in error. They do not tell you, but you can see the order getting bounced in your Order Tracking. I've watched orders get fulfilled in Tracy, CA and then they come from Kentucky in a UPS bag. They will drop it out of Prime even if it was there originally. I haven't had a major issue yet, but it could happen - especially if DJI was the seller, but I haven't seen them on the Amazon site a lot of late and maybe their low score took them off it or they are using a third party drop-shipper for the time being.

I've been getting a lot of "Please rate us with Amazon" requests from sellers of late. Maybe Amazon is threatening to drop them due to reported issues.

 

[msinger]

especially if DJI was the seller, but I haven't seen them on the Amazon site a lot of late

They are still selling on Amazon (here for example). They ship their orders direct from the DJI Store.

 

[macoman]

You need to understand Amazon Marketplace... Always and always make sure to buy from a reputable seller, just like eBay. I see a lot of sellers in Amazon selling for the first time and even if it's a trusted seller, I will never buy from. I always buy from seller that have at least 95% positive feedback and have hundreds or thousands of transactions. Never have a single issue like you described. Just because you buy from Amazon does not mean you are protected. Be very careful and you will have a lot of success purchasing from Amazon.

 

[GMack]

They are still selling on Amazon (here for example). They ship their orders direct from the DJI Store.

Good to know. Their score of 92% (Down to 88% past 30 days too.) isn't stellar though compared to others on Amazon and it is actually pretty low. I've found a 90% score may as well be an F in the real world. DJI Store is based in China?

One reason I'm not enthralled with return to sender (DJI Store) as I've had a lot of issues with their products over quality matters and poor assembly like tilted sensors even in their Pro Inspire line. Carson, CA Service is iffy at best according to reviews:
BBB Accredited Business Profile for DJI Service, LLC.
DJI is rated "Bad" with 1.1 / 10 on Trustpilot

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

Ah. That's what I was suspecting.

You must always return the package back to the shipper. If the shipper is the seller (like in your case), you must ship back to the seller. If Amazon is the shipper, your returns will be super easy since they have a stellar return process. I don't think that is anything new.

In the future, maybe only buy products that are shipped by Amazon or by sellers you trust.

You still are not hearing what I have said, you are still mistaken on the policy. You DO NOT return an item fulfilled by Amazon, IF it is listed as sold by a SELLER other than AMAZON, do you see the difference?

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

Problem I've run into is that Amazon will change the seller themselves if it isn't at their fulfillment center, they run out, or the website is in error. They do not tell you, but you can see the order getting bounced in your Order Tracking. I've watched orders get fulfilled in Tracy, CA and then they come from Kentucky in a UPS bag. They will drop it out of Prime even if it was there originally. I haven't had a major issue yet, but it could happen - especially if DJI was the seller, but I haven't seen them on the Amazon site a lot of late and maybe their low score took them off it or they are using a third party drop-shipper for the time being.

I've been getting a lot of "Please rate us with Amazon" requests from sellers of late. Maybe Amazon is threatening to drop them due to reported issues.

Exactly! You can order PRIME and it can be fulfilled by others, that is another issue that I did not mention. BUT, you can be FULFILLED BY AMAZON and yet if it was SOLD by a seller, then you have to return it to the seller not Amazon, even though they fulfilled it and it was MARKED Amazon on the webpage you order from! That is the bait and switch and it is all on you should things go badly.

 

[Mark The Droner]

If you don't want to show us the link you purchased it from, can you show us a link that is similar?