Customer service. Or not.

I recently bought something on Amazon, which order was filled by another vendor. That second vendor screwed up part of the order, requiring some more email correspondence on my part.  The error was fixed, but I left negative feedback on the transaction at Amazon. My feedback was honest: the original transaction went perfectly, but when I tried to redeem a $20 coupon the vendor sent me the transaction was error-prone, and I was charged the $20 instead of it being credited.

Today I got this email:

Dear Kathryn,

Thank you for providing an opportunity to be of assistance.

This is with regard to your order number [123456789].

We express our profound apology for the complexity you have experienced during the purchase process from our online store. We are sorry; it was purely unintended.

We would like to inform that the $20.00 gift coupon issue was resolved on the order number [123456789].  We have applied the gift coupon and provided the refund to your credit card on 6/26/08. 

We request you to remove the negative feedback posted on Amazon and we will be more than happy to refund on the shipping charge ($6.95) on the order number [123456789].

Please feel free to contact us for further assistance.

Sincerely,
xxxxx

.

to which I replied:

Thanks, but no thanks. My honest feedback is worth more than $6.95. Your company had the opportunity to do this right the first time and largely blew it. Your time would be better spent training the customer service people in India with whom I dealt. If my experience is an isolated instance, your overall feedback rating will still be fine; if it is more common, future customers deserve the warning.

.

What say y'all? Did I do right, or should I have accepted their apology and removed my negative feedback? I will stand by my action, but I'd like to hear some more opinions.

Here is a little more information. After I sent my reply I checked the vendor's ratings on Amazon.

Their feedback ratings are definitely improving. Is it because they are doing a better job or because they are buying the approval of dissatisfied customers?

Comments

[Helen]

Your comment says that they fixed the problem in the end right? So it's honest and valid information. I think they're buying their positive rating.... I'd keep mine the way it stands. AND... I'd forward the email correspondence to Amazon. THEY should know that they're trying to buy their way out of negative feedback.

[mary lou]

That is a bribe! No way, you did the right thing.

[Dorothy]

I believe that any sort of bribing or meddling with a customer asking for change to feedback is expressly against their terms of service. Definitely forward the email to amazon.

[Mel]

You done good.

[Chris]

Good for you!!

[Cookie]

I think the insinuation that issue with redeeming their coupon was somehow your fault is insulting as is their sad and cheap attempt to bribe you.

You were honest in your review and that's the point of systems like that. Or it should be.

[Jeanne]

Yes, you did right. I agree that you should report them to Amazon.

[dale-harriet in WI]

Yep, I'm with Helen and Jeanne; good on them for fixing it, - the most I would do is to say that you notice their status improving and would like to think You had a hand in that. I've never removed a negative feedback, nor would I expect anyone to remove one if I got it. You done right. (My opinion)

[Erika]

I'm with everyone else! And I too suspect that their feedback has been improving because they've been bribing people off.

[marianne]

Oh yeah, I'm with everyone here, and Amazon should be aware of what's gone down.

[Cindy]

I think your response was very well put.

[Stacey]

you did it right. I think they are buying feedback.

[Heather]

Blech. I hate it when online retailers do stuff like that. I agree with leaving the negative feedback.

[Diane]

I like your style. Go with the notifying Amazon.

[Jocelyn]

You are a principled person, and they probably don't know what to do with that. Personally, I think I could have been bought, but it'd have taken a lot more coupons and free shipping and maybe some fuzzy slippers before I'd have capitulated.

[Cynthia]

You did exactly the right thing.

[gayle]

You did the right thing. Let it stand. And give Amazon a heads-up.

I think you're right about them buying off the negative feedback.

[Vicki]

Right on.

[Nora]

Wow - that is so lame!! You did the right thing, for certain.

[deb]

Go girl!!

[Kym]

I definitely think you did the right thing. I actually read reviews on amazon before making a purchase, so I appreciate honest comments like yours. And now, of course, I will be faced with the reality that some of the honest comments I MIGHT have read are. . . gone.

[Carrie K]

My guess would be because they're buying their feedback ratings. Gah. I'd let it stand too. We're hitting a bizarre point.

[Sheepish Annie]

Those feedback thingies are there for a reason and the vendor has no right to punish you for using the system as it was meant to be used. Can you report them to Amazon? This is, at the very least, unethical use of the Amazon Marketplace.

[Julie]

Wow - how smarmy is that for Amazon to bribe you! I had no idea they did that sort of thing.

[soxanne]

Your feedback and your response to the attempt to rescind it were both perfect.