Dealing with Feedback on Amazon: What to do when the Beast Rears its Ugly head…

By Sharon Fussell, September 2, 2011

Feedback on Amazon can be a very contentious subject and I know it can become an all-consuming bugbear if you are left an adverse comment by a customer.

It so easy to focus on one or two adverse comments, but always remember that the vast majority of comments and ratings are good.

Now, I have long since come to the conclusion that no matter how conscientious you are, no matter how good a service you provide there will always be one or two buyers that will not be satisfied with their transaction.

In most cases buyers do no leave feedback at all, which is probably a double-edged sword – after all it may not be complimentary!

Should you ask for feedback on Amazon?

I often get asked if it’s possible to gee customers along to leave feedback. You could always send a couple of emails to customers asking them kindly to leave a comment, but I’m not really sure how successful this would be – Amazon already send out a feedback request email to your customers and you don’t want to seem like you are harassing them!

As I recently made a few purchases from the Amazon site I noticed that Amazon have changed the feedback process so that comments will default to a positive rating. Buyers have to manually change options if they do not want to record a positive experience; perhaps this may help to ensure that in the main feedback is positive.

Buyers are asked to fill in the following information:

How did the seller do?

• Item arrived by… (date when order is expected)
• Item as described by the seller?
• Prompt and courteous service? (If you contacted the seller)
• Seller Rating (1 to 5 stars): 1 is awful 5 is great

The following information from Amazon gives advice and explains their feedback process:

“FAQ: Responding to negative feedback

FBA Sellers have been asking our Seller Support team how to address negative feedback from an Amazon.co.uk buyer. […] FBA’s Feedback Strikethrough policy is designed to help deal with negative feedback relating to customer service. When a buyer rates an order fulfilled by Amazon on your behalf based only on the service they received from Amazon, we can remove the rating and strikethrough the buyer comment.

If a buyer says the order was received on time but that the condition is not as described or the seller has not responded to a request for a VAT invoice, the rating will not be removed and the feedback will remain in place. […] In your seller account on the Manage Orders page, you can communicate directly with the buyer using the Contact Customer tool.”

More information and tips on communicating with angry customers can be found here: Feedback FAQ

Leaving feedback about a seller

Posting feedback about your seller works just like a personal referral. Here’s how to leave feedback:

1. Go to http://www.amazon.co.uk/feedback
2. Log in.
3. You’ll see a list of your recent orders.
4. Find the order you want to leave feedback for and click the “View Order” button.
5. On the next page, you’ll see a “leave feedback” link.

The rating is one to five stars, with five stars being the best. You have 90 days after the close of your transaction to leave your rating and comments.

If you don’t leave feedback Amazon will send you an e-mail reminder.

Leaving feedback about a buyer

I am often asked if leaving a comment for buyers is worthwhile. Personally I think not as it’s unlikely any sellers would read comments relating buyer, although it may be prudent in some cases.

Removing Feedback

Amazon can remove feedback but only in the following cases:

• The feedback includes obscene language.
• The feedback includes personally identifiable information.
• The entire feedback is a product review.
• The entire feedback is regarding fulfillment or customer service for an order fulfilled by Amazon.

Remember if you are left a bad comment/ rating you can take the following steps to attempt to get it removed:

• Ask Amazon to remove any adverse comment. (You never know they may do).
• Email the customer and try to resolve the issue and if you are successful ask them to remove the comment.
• If they do not respond to your email, write a snail mail letter, give a brief explanation regarding the issue and ask them to remove the comment.
• If all fails leave a response comment below the buyers comment.

Again, try to remember that in most cases buyers are generally happy with their purchases and their transaction experience!