sid_donnydarko
Contributor
Onn the night of April 11 IST, i unwittingly purchased the wrong product from Amazon which could not be cancelled via their website after 30 mins from the order being created. When i contacted Amazon CC, they said that in such situations they can intercept the package in-transit through the carrier and have it returned to their nearest facility. Unfortunately the package was delivered within 24hrs, well before Amazon CC could contact them.
I contacted Ms.Anuradha regarding the return policy for such packages and since it was morning of 12th i asked her to send them a priority mail informing the in-charge staff to block the package from being shipped. Again, unfortunately, Ms.Anuradha replied that the package was connected to a flight while on my SnS account it clearly mentioned that the package was in account. She said that it would cost me a total of 18USD+12.36% service tax + 48 USD to have it returned.
What is strange is that she also mentioned that the customer needs to inform them well in advance(before delivery at their NY SnS facility) regarding any packages that have to be returned. But this information does not tally with what Ms.Kerriann Miller(extn# 1255), an SnS dept. staff in NY, offered as an option with one of my earlier packages that i felt needed to be returned, but ultimately never did. With regards to one of my earlier packages(a mobile phone), Ms.Kerriann told me that it would cost me only 15USD(i'm guessing this amount excludes 12.36% ST) to have it returned to the merchant.
Secondly, i was given a totally different story when i contacted two Aramex NY CC reps by the name of John and another lady(whose name i don't remember) of mexican origin. Both CC reps were very sure that the package had not yet left their facility and educated me on how to pay for return packages which involved contacting my local Aramex office in Chennai. Then i called them again and asked them to put me through to someone from their SnS dept. which is when i spoke to Kerriann who informed me that the package was already on a flight to DXB?!? When i asked why is it that my SnS account was not updated, she said that the flight manifest records are generated later. How does a freight forwarding firm ship a package without generating a flight manifest record beforehand?
Thirdly, i tried appealing to Ms.Anuradha's good nature by explaining that as a customer i'd done everything to the best of my abilities and i was right(again as far as the customer is concerned) in asking her to waive 48USD since Aramex/SnS did not update their shipping records on time while excluding the bit of misinformation regarding return packages between NY and MUMBAI(read para 2). From our email, she apparently did her best to grant me a discount but to no avail. Even sillier is when someone fails to recognize a win-win situation - i suggested Ms.Anuradha that in both of our best interests, the wisest decision would be to have the package blocked at the NY office or if it were actually on a flight to DXB then have it sent back to the NY office once it reached there while waiving the 48USD fee - both situations guarantee a win for Ms.Anuradha/SnS since i make a payment of 18USD+12.36% ST, i.e, to have the package returned to Amazon; and i win by having Amazon refund my money once they receive the return package. Hell!, i even offered to give Ms.Anuradha the link for the Amazon Return Label thinking that it would cut her losses.
What is even more ridiculous is that my SnS account shipment details was updated only by the afternoon of April 13 IST?!? This was 20hrs after i brought it to Ms.Anuradha/Ms.Kerriann's attention!!!
I contacted Ms.Anuradha regarding the return policy for such packages and since it was morning of 12th i asked her to send them a priority mail informing the in-charge staff to block the package from being shipped. Again, unfortunately, Ms.Anuradha replied that the package was connected to a flight while on my SnS account it clearly mentioned that the package was in account. She said that it would cost me a total of 18USD+12.36% service tax + 48 USD to have it returned.
What is strange is that she also mentioned that the customer needs to inform them well in advance(before delivery at their NY SnS facility) regarding any packages that have to be returned. But this information does not tally with what Ms.Kerriann Miller(extn# 1255), an SnS dept. staff in NY, offered as an option with one of my earlier packages that i felt needed to be returned, but ultimately never did. With regards to one of my earlier packages(a mobile phone), Ms.Kerriann told me that it would cost me only 15USD(i'm guessing this amount excludes 12.36% ST) to have it returned to the merchant.
Secondly, i was given a totally different story when i contacted two Aramex NY CC reps by the name of John and another lady(whose name i don't remember) of mexican origin. Both CC reps were very sure that the package had not yet left their facility and educated me on how to pay for return packages which involved contacting my local Aramex office in Chennai. Then i called them again and asked them to put me through to someone from their SnS dept. which is when i spoke to Kerriann who informed me that the package was already on a flight to DXB?!? When i asked why is it that my SnS account was not updated, she said that the flight manifest records are generated later. How does a freight forwarding firm ship a package without generating a flight manifest record beforehand?
Thirdly, i tried appealing to Ms.Anuradha's good nature by explaining that as a customer i'd done everything to the best of my abilities and i was right(again as far as the customer is concerned) in asking her to waive 48USD since Aramex/SnS did not update their shipping records on time while excluding the bit of misinformation regarding return packages between NY and MUMBAI(read para 2). From our email, she apparently did her best to grant me a discount but to no avail. Even sillier is when someone fails to recognize a win-win situation - i suggested Ms.Anuradha that in both of our best interests, the wisest decision would be to have the package blocked at the NY office or if it were actually on a flight to DXB then have it sent back to the NY office once it reached there while waiving the 48USD fee - both situations guarantee a win for Ms.Anuradha/SnS since i make a payment of 18USD+12.36% ST, i.e, to have the package returned to Amazon; and i win by having Amazon refund my money once they receive the return package. Hell!, i even offered to give Ms.Anuradha the link for the Amazon Return Label thinking that it would cut her losses.
What is even more ridiculous is that my SnS account shipment details was updated only by the afternoon of April 13 IST?!? This was 20hrs after i brought it to Ms.Anuradha/Ms.Kerriann's attention!!!