Amazon: we're not here to help

Dec 06, 2006 11:35

So . . . I went over to Amazon to order up my brother's Chanukah gifts. I checked his Wishlist and selected a few things for him. I go to complete the order and I get the following error message on one of the items: "We're sorry. This item can't be shipped to a Wish List or gift registry address." There's no other explanation. The only option the user has is to delete the item from the shopping cart. I doublecheck the item to be sure it's in stock: yep, there it is, all free and clear of any apparent blockages. And yet, there it continues to sit on my brother's Wishlist, an item that can't be shipped.

So first I scour Amazon's Help files to see if there's an explanation. Nope. No explanation.

So then I try to find a customer service number. Well, this is like searching for the Holy Grail.

Then I remember that I actually have the Super-Sekrit (tm) Amazon Customer Service Number in my PDA: (1-800-201-7575). Write it down and share it with your friends. Really.

So then I call customer service: ta-da! A free call to India. He takes all my information and asks me to wait. I wait for ten minutes. And what am I told? "Were sorry. This item can't be shipped to a Wish List or gift registry address." The guy's got no other answer for me. And when I tell him that this is a poor user experience, his only response is, "I'm sorry, ma'am. Some items can't be shipped to a Wish List or gift registry address."

Note: When I went to the item's page without going through my brother's Wishlist, I was able to order it and mark it for shipment to him directly without a single problem. To suggest that I'm baffled by this behavior is to put it mildly.

hate, venting

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