Amazon may be one of the most reliable e-commerce companies, but it has its fair share of customer complaints due to delivery delays, lapses in service, and other issues.
One of the most common issues when ordering with Amazon is that books tend to arrive damaged. If you’d check community forums about Amazon, numerous customers would complain that the book they have received is damaged.
How often does this happen? And how can you get a resolution for this?
Here’s What You Can Do When Your Amazon Book Arrives Damaged:
When you order a book on Amazon that arrives damaged, you can contact them through their customer service department. You can either call Amazon’s customer service number or file a complaint online by logging into your Amazon account and navigating to your orders to report the issue.
How Common is This?
It is quite common for Amazon books to arrive damaged, especially if you read community forums about Amazon orders.
A huge bulk of complaints that Amazon gets from customers are due to books that are already damaged upon delivery.
Books arrive damaged for several reasons:
- Insufficient packaging – Some Amazon books aren’t packaged well, which causes damage to them while they’re being transported.
- Storage conditions – The way these books are stored in warehouses can also cause damage.
- Road Conditions – Poor road conditions, animals on the road, lack of lane markers, and other issues can cause drivers to maneuver irresponsibly and can damage Amazon books.
- Other packages – Since books are often shipped with other Amazon packages, the contents of other packages can damage books, especially if they are liquid.
The way that these books are loaded into delivery trucks can also cause some damage, especially if the trucks are not fully loaded and the items are not securely placed.
They may move around inside the vehicle, which can cause them to have dents or distort their form.
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How Do You Complain About Damaged Books from Amazon?
It can be annoying to receive a damaged book you ordered from Amazon.
Even though it won’t go unresolved, jumping through hoops can be a hassle just to get the assistance you need.
To complain about damaged books from Amazon, you can call their customer service number at 1-206-922-0880 or report the problem online.
Here’s how to do it online:
- Log in to your Amazon account.
- Click on the top right button that lets you navigate to Your Orders.
- Look for the book order that you want to complain about.
- Click on the “Problem with Order” button on the right.
What Are Your Options?
When you receive a damaged book from Amazon, you have a few options for resolution.
You can keep the damaged book, return it and request a full refund, or you can ask Amazon to send you a replacement.
Keep the Book
If the book is only slightly damaged and you can still read it, one of your options is to keep it.
The damage could be a small tear on the paperback cover or one of the pages, a dent in the hardcover, or maybe the cover has been folded.
If the book is still usable, you can choose to keep it and just file a complaint to see if Amazon offers any resolution or compensation.
Request for Refund
This is one of your options if you receive a damaged book. You can simply ask for a full refund for the damaged item and return it.
Here’s how to request a refund:
- Log in to your Amazon account and go to Your Orders.
- Find the order for the damaged book.
- Click on “Problem with Order.”
- Choose your specific problem from the list.
- Click on “Request Refund.”
- Enter any additional details in the text box.
- Click on “Submit.”
Take note that the book has to be shipped back to Amazon so that you will get a refund.
Generally, the refunded amount may take a few days to reflect in your account. It usually takes 3 to 10 business days, depending on your payment method.
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Request a Replacement
If you get a damaged book from Amazon, you can also request a replacement, and Amazon will send you a new book.
Here’s how to do it:
- Log in to your Amazon account and navigate to Your Orders.
- Find the order for the damaged book.
- Click on “Return or Replace Items” on the right.
- Choose the item you want to replace and select a reason from the list.
- Then follow the prompts to complete your request.
After you’ve successfully submitted your request, a replacement order will be created. It will have the same shipping used with your original book order.
You’ll also need to return the damaged book within 30 days so that you won’t be charged for both the damaged book and the replacement one.
Can You Ask Amazon to Ship in Stronger Cardboard?
Since insufficient packaging is one of the main reasons why Amazon books arrive damaged, you may be wondering if you can ask Amazon to ship these items in stronger cardboard.
This generally depends on whether Amazon or the seller fulfils the order.
If Amazon fulfils the book order, then there’s really nothing you can do about it. Amazon uses its own packaging and shipping materials to prepare items for shipping.
Technically, you can’t make a request and ask them to use a different box. Amazon uses standard shipping boxes for all orders being fulfilled at their warehouses.
If a third-party reseller fulfils the book order, you can request a different packaging by contacting the seller directly.
However, there’s no guarantee that they will agree to your request. Ultimately, they have the final word on what type of box or packaging to use.
Sources:
All The Different Ways To File An Amazon Complaint And Have Your Issues Resolved