Amazon.com Customers Confused by Price Matching
26 May 2016 - 3:06AM
Dow Jones News
By Nathan Olivarez-Giles
Amazon.com reminded shoppers this week it doesn't have a policy
of matching rivals' prices.
Tell that to Amazon's customers.
The online retailer is facing criticism on sites like Twitter
and Reddit for stopping what shoppers say is its own long-standing
practice of price matching. Amazon says no policy ever existed. The
flap was fueled in part by a price-comparison tool that says Amazon
was trying to undercut its service.
As far as many Amazon shoppers believe, the company has long
made up differences between what a customer pays and what the same
items cost at other major stores, or if Amazon itself cuts the
price on something after a purchase. A sampling of their
reaction:
"If they want to change their policy that's fine, it's their
business," Reddit user Jrr6415sun lamented. "But to pretend like
the last 3 years of me getting price adjustments was just my
imagination really makes me angry."
Twitter user @lostintho_ught was also unhappy. "@Amazon it is
despicable that you do not price match online deals." On both
Reddit and Twitter, people stated that customer service reps both
told them there was a policy change, and said no price-matching
policy ever existed.
How did shoppers get here? Amazon shoulders a good deal of
blame. The company does match TV prices, though it applies to only
a few rival online retailers. The practice isn't spelled out in the
company's "terms and conditions" or its "conditions of use"
policies.
Meanwhile, if a customer asks for a refund on other goods, they
might get it. Amazon's "customer service associates" are empowered
to offer price matching refunds if they think it's the right thing
to do for any given customer, said Julie Law, an Amazon
spokeswoman.
It's famously written in Amazon's DNA, mind you, to make the
customer happy.
"Customers may have received exceptions in the past and they may
receive exceptions in the future," Ms. Law said. "It's really up to
the discretion of the customer service associates. But nothing on
our end has changed at all."
To confuse matters more, Amazon offers "price protection" on
items it sells through preorders itself, such as books and
videogames. If the price drops before the item ships, Amazon will
refund the difference.
It's a conundrum for Amazon. What sets the company apart for
many consumers is its fluctuating prices, which usually undercut
traditional brick-and-mortar retailers. When consumers capture
falling prices on Amazon, they celebrate the deal on social media.
But as the current complaints show, many feel burned when they
don't get the deals they expect.
Plenty of other retailers make price matching a matter of
policy. Best Buy Co. price matches within 15 days of a purchase,
online and in stores. Target Corp. does so within 14 days of a
purchase, online and in stores. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. offers it on
its website against major rivals' prices for purchases within 14
days; price matching at physical stores varies by location.
Write to Nathan Olivarez-Giles at
Nathan.Olivarez-giles@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 25, 2016 12:51 ET (16:51 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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