Amazon: we're not here to help

[scarlettina]

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.

Comments

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it would ruin the surprise, but you might want to tell your brother about this. Especially if he thinks having those items on his wish list means someone will be able to ship them to him from Amazon.

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

I'll mention it to him with regard to the other items I couldn't order (this was actually much more protracted experience than what I recorded here). I won't mention it with regard to this one because, as I said, I did manage to order it.

[kyrelle.livejournal.com]

Maybe it could be given as an early Channukah present. Otherwise, its still sitting on his Wishlist, and he could potentially get duplicate gifts...