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Sharing my story

Discussion in 'eCommerce' started by Suspended_by_Amazon, Jun 7, 2021.

  1. #1
    Hello,

    My name is Ken, and I need to share my story. I just registered a reddit account just for this. You ever get so kicked by life that it becomes comical, to the point where if you do take it seriously, you know that it won't end well...

    I had a relatively successful Amazon business. Yes, – it was an 'amazon business' because 99% of it was based on the platform; so not diversified at all. I realize that it's asking for trouble, but I'm not a businessman, I didn't go to a business school, I've been living moment to moment, in awareness, seeing every stranger as a potential friend. And boy did I get punished for it.

    Now I wasn't born yesterday, I have a family, and I knew what was at stake – therefore I made it a point to follow all the rules to the tee: we had great metrics and lots of happy customers who were right even when they were wrong. And it worked.

    It WAS working I should say, that is until last august, when we received an email from Amazon stating that our account was being closed because it was engaging in "deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity". It further stated that should we believe the allegations were in error, to reply directly to the email. With this the account was deactivated completely - not able to login at all, as though it never existed. Another thing that seemingly never existed was the $100,000 stuck in the account (this was the day before a scheduled payout).

    No big deal, must be a mistake. I know for a fact that I'm not engaging in any deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activities - all of our merchandise was sourced directly from the manufacturer, for whom we're an authorized dealer. All taxes were paid, and we would gladly provide any and all documentation to prove our legitimacy. Which is what I told them in my reply. They must be busy, I was thinking... a week went by, two weeks... I wrote back again - nothing.

    Months of sleepless nights went by, I was frantically scavenging the web for pieces of any useful insight to the point where we began MAKING UP violations to include them in our appeals – I was writing plans of action to address ISSUES I DID NOT HAVE. Ok, maybe I missed something, maybe someone logged in from a computer used with another seller account... maybe. By this time I've let go of all my employees, in the middle of the pandemic.

    I've found several agencies online who promised to get it resolved, and ended up paying thousands of dollars to them for their efforts. Most of them wrote different versions of POAs and directed me to send them to different departments, including one where you're supposed to just ask for the money - , and one where supposedly it goes straight to Jeff's secretary or something. I've lost count of the number of POAs and appeal letters we've sent, what I did not lose count of is the number of replies – we've received exactly zero replies. Not one, from all of those , , , etc addresses.

    An actual lawyer told me that Amazon reserves the right to close accounts and keep the money with or without a given reason, so I can spend all the money in the world on lawyers, which I don't have anyway, and would still lose regardless.

    The reason I'm writing this now, is because I am being forced to sell my house to pay off that $100,000 stuck in the suspended account (the merchandise was already sold and shipped, and I'm on the hook for the POs from the manufacturer), and today, I saw a headline that Mr. Bezos is taking a trip to space. And I just wanted to wish him a pleasant and joyful journey.

    Thank you
    Ken
     
    Suspended_by_Amazon, Jun 7, 2021 IP
    JEET likes this.
  2. JEET

    JEET Notable Member

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    #2
    OMG what a sad story.
    I am surprised that you did not received any reply from any department. One would assume that you would get at least some response...
    Very hard to believe this story.
     
    JEET, Jun 12, 2021 IP
  3. sarahk

    sarahk iTamer Staff

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    #3
    You lost me at...
     
    sarahk, Jun 13, 2021 IP
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  4. sarahk

    sarahk iTamer Staff

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    #4
    Following up on this - a strong recommendation I make is to work with local businesses so that you can turn up on their doorstep if something goes wrong.

    Ken is American, according to his IP address. If I had 100k on the line I'd be taking a road trip to Amazon and demanding an in person meeting.
     
    sarahk, Jun 13, 2021 IP
    JEET likes this.
  5. Spoiltdiva

    Spoiltdiva Acclaimed Member

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    #5
    You lost me at this.^^^ Something is fishy here, and you have not told the whole story.
     
    Spoiltdiva, Jun 13, 2021 IP
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  6. Agent000

    Agent000 Prominent Member

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    #6
    Amazon do not want to suspend or ban accounts. They want them. That is how they make money.
    For them to suspend/ban you and not reply to your emails, then they must have had a very very good reason of a very blatant violation that was hurting their brand or their customers. If it was a mistake, they would have replied and reinstated you; as they did not do that, then they must have had a very good reason.
     
    Agent000, Jun 13, 2021 IP
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  7. Đặng Văn Bình

    Đặng Văn Bình Member

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    #7
    You are in a terrible position. Hope you make it out. At one time, I also lost my business, but then I was on the wave of successful trading and this allowed me to pay off my debts. Always have a backup plan.
     
    Đặng Văn Bình, Oct 7, 2021 IP