Over two days have passed and, like they said they would, Amazon.com, Inc. has ignored my communication from 2015-09-22.
Today, 2015-09-24, I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau of Alaska, Oregon & Western Washington, and send Amazon.com, Inc. this email, informing them of the tenacity they can expect from me regarding this matter.
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Hello,
Refusing to refund my Amazon gift card balance of $451.20 is not an acceptable answer, regardless of how many further inquiries you ignore.
While these tactics may work with a typical customer, they will not work with me. I am not going away and I have many other avenues of recourse besides the Washington Attorney General’s office.
I submitted a complaint to the Better Business Bureau today. I have many other agencies I can contact:
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Federal Trade Commission
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
Local police
Local news agencies
Informing other Amazon customers of Amazon’s fraud via blogging, social networking, and online forums
You can expect that I will be pursuing all of these avenues and more over the coming weeks, months, and even years if necessary. I may even be willing to exert efforts disproportionately large to the amount in question, to reveal Amazon.com, Inc.’s fraud and bring this matter to justice.
As a resident of Florida, I am afforded additional protection under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
You can also expect small claims litigation originating from Volusia County, FL, for which you will have to send a representative from Seattle to contest.
Sincerely,
Richard Thripp
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Here is my complaint to the Better Business Bureau of Alaska, Oregon & Western Washington (DuPont, WA), sent 2015-09-24:
Tell Us About Your Problem: Amazon has terminated my customer account and acknowledges, but refuses to refund, the gift card balance on the account of $451.20. Amazon has stated that they will not discuss the reason for my account being terminated due to the “proprietary” nature of their business, that their decision to withhold the gift card balance is final, and that they will not respond to any further contact from me. They actually have the nerve to say on record to the Attorney General of Washington that my account termination and the failure to remit my gift card balance is valid under the section of their Conditions of Use saying “Amazon reserves the right to refuse service, terminate accounts, remove or edit content, or cancel orders in its sole discretion.” I have received nothing but misdirection, obfuscation, rudeness, and patronizing statements in reply to numerous emails and calls to Amazon since noticing my account was rendered inaccessible as of 8/25/2015.
Desired outcome: I request a refund of $451.20 for my gift card balance. I also request a textbook return shipping label for my outstanding textbook rental, due back 12/19/2015. Amazon is in violation of their textbook rental terms, since it was advertised that they pay for the return shipping, but Amazon has said on record that I will be responsible for the return shipping costs due to my account being terminated.
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I also left a voicemail with Amazon’s legal department on 2015-09-22 and sent them a fax at 206-266-7010 on 2015-09-24. They have not replied.
Hypocritically, a representative at Amazon.com, Inc.’s corporate offices refused to speak with me when I announced I was calling on a recorded line. He said as a matter of policy, Amazon does not accept recorded calls. However, they record all calls on their end.