 How to lose a customer, Amazon style
Tuesday, 22 August 2006
Having been assigned the job of transferring some 20-odd kilograms of VHS-C and Video8 tapes to DVD, I set upon the task of researching video capturing, editing and authoring software.
And what a task it was.
A few weeks later, having downloaded, installed and played with DVD Movie Factory, Easy Media Creator, MyDVD Studio, PowerDirector, Premiere Elements, ShowBiz DVD, VideoStudio and WinDVD Creator, I finally decided on Premiere Elements, available from Amazon at $84.99 (US) which became only $54.99 (US) once you got your $30.00 (US) rebate from Adobe. Even though the Amazon product page didn’t list any exclusions or conditions for the rebate, I nevertheless decided to take a closer look at it, just to make sure there’s no disappointments stemming from misunderstandings. The rebate clearly stated what I wanted to see:
“To claim this rebate, please use and mail in the form that will come inside your box of Adobe Premiere Elements 2 for Windows.”
In other words, no, there are no exceptions or special conditions attached to this rebate. Simply fill in the stuff on the form which comes with your software and you’ll get your $30.00 (US) within (presumably) a few weeks.
Around five minutes later, I complete my order and pay my money. About a week later, I get my software. The only problem is, as my daughter so eloquently put it at the time:
“Dad, you’re stuffed. The rebate only applies if you live in mainland Amerika or some of it’s colonies!”
A closer look at the box confirms what I already suspected: the girl’s not only got an active imagination, a firm grasp on phraseology and my sense of humour, she’s right about me being stuffed. The sticker clearly states that unless I live in the USA or Puerto Rico, I’m not worthy.
Even though my money smells the same and is worth just as much.
A handful of email exchanges with Amazon later, and a flat refusal by Adobe Australia to honour the rebate, I am given the choice of either keeping my software and forgetting about the rebate or sending the whole thing back for a full refund, including my return postage expenses. Now, those who know me will attest that I have the occasional propensity for irrational behaviour once principles are involved, and will probably guess what I did next.
I let them keep it.
“I don’t have to use Adobe software”, I thought. A company which is that inflexible probably won’t miss and certainly doesn’t deserve my business anyway. What surprised me however, was Amazon’s rigid and short-sighted stance on the whole thing: they would rather give me a full refund, including my return postage expenses of $31.00 (US) than absorb the $30.00 (US) rebate. Even though the fault lies clearly with them due to their negligence or inability to warn customers that rebates only apply to a tiny select list of countries.
Goodbye Amazon, nice doing business with you over the years. But no more.
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