What is A-to-Z Claim Amazon - Complete Guide for Sellers

‍Amazon shoppers can file an A-to-z claim when they are unhappy with the purchase and can’t resolve the issue directly with the seller. In such a case, customers can make a claim directly to Amazon, deciding if a buyer is eligible for a refund.

If an Amazon seller receives numerous A-to-z claims, that negatively impacts their Amazon account health. Therefore, avoiding such claims and settling the customer's problem before they file claims is preferable.

Keep reading to find out what is an A to z claim on Amazon, how it works, and tips to handle A-to-z claims.

What Is An A-to-z Claim?

An A-to-z claim is a customer complaint they file directly to Amazon when they are unsatisfied with the product and can’t settle the issue with the seller. To cover such cases, Amazon offers its customers an A-to-z guarantee, which means that a shopper can make a claim to Amazon, and they’ll determine if a shopper should get a refund.

It refers to both the timely delivery of a product and its condition.

These claims apply to the products Amazon shoppers buy from third-party sellers.

Note. Shoppers can contact Amazon A-to-z customer service from their account. They can also use Amazon A-to-z claim phone numbers for their country.

An A-to-z claim is a customer complaint they file directly to Amazon

How long can a shopper file an Amazon A-to-z claim?

According to Amazon's A-to-z guarantee procedure, to be eligible for a guarantee, a buyer should first contact the seller directly and wait for 48 hours until that seller responds.

If a shopper and a seller can’t resolve an issue with the seller within 48 hours, the shopper may be eligible for a refund.

The buyer will be eligible for a refund if:

• 90 days from the estimated delivery date hasn’t passed;
• 3 days have passed since the estimated delivery date, and the product hasn't arrived.

After the shopper files a claim to Amazon, the seller has 72 hours to respond.

The A-to-z claims are typically resolved within 90 days.

When Is a Shopper Entitled for A-to-z Claim?

A shopper is entitled to an A-to-z claim if:

• the product is delivered 3 calendar days after the estimated delivery date or 30 days after the order was made;
• the product is damaged, defective, missing parts, or not as ordered;
• the shopper returned the product but didn’t get a refund; 
• the merchant didn’t accept the return request;
• the shopper is willing to return an international shipment, but the merchant hasn’t provided a prepaid label or return address or didn't offer a full refund of the item without requesting the return of the product;
• the shopper thinks they were overcharged.

How Does A-to-z Claim Work?

• If the customer is unhappy with the product, they should contact the seller and try to agree with them directly. 
• If they can’t settle the issue within 48 hours, the shopper can file an A-to-z claim to Amazon.
• Once the claim has been submitted, the seller has 72 hours to respond.
• If the seller doesn’t respond, the shopper is granted the claim, and the money is refunded from the seller’s account. 
• If Amazon needs additional information, they email the seller, who should provide the necessary data within 72 hours.
• If the claim is granted to the shopper, the merchant has 30 calendar days to appeal. 

How Does A-to-z Claim Affect Amazon Seller Account Health?

To determine customer service performance Amazon uses Order Defect Rate (ODR). ODR is a metric that influences Amazon account health. If your Amazon account gets an «unhealthy» Account Health Rating, Amazon may suspend your account.

ODR is measured over 60 days and includes the percentage of negative feedback, successful A-to-z claims, and credit card chargeback.

If a buyer wins the A-to-z claim and gets a refund, this negatively impacts ODR. Sellers are expected to keep ODR below 1%.

Related: Amazon Account Health – A Guide for FBA Sellers in 2023

How To Cancel a Request for A-to-z Guarantee Refund?

When a seller receives the notification of an A-to-z claim, they can ask a shopper to cancel it. A shopper may select to remove the A-to-z claim if they settle an issue with the seller or for other reasons.

How to remove the A-to-z claim step by step?

• Step 1. Go to Your Orders.
• Step 2. Find the order.
• Step 3. Select Problem with the order.
• Step 4. Select Cancel request and leave your comments in the text field.
• Step 5. Select Submit.

What Is a Denied Amazon A-to-z Claim?

If an A-to-z claim was denied, it means that it was successfully closed in a merchant’s favor. In that case, the amount will not be debited to the seller account, and account health is not damaged.

When Amazon denies a buyer’s A-to-z claim, they can submit an appeal within 30 calendar days.

How to Handle A-to-z Claim Amazon?

If you don’t deal with an A-to-z claim and don’t react to Amazon’s request within 72 hours, the shopper will win the claim. In that case, your account will be debited for the claim amount. Also, this will negatively impact your account health and ODR.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to settle the issue with the buyer before they file the A-to-z claim.

It’s a good idea to settle the issue with the buyer before they file the A-to-z claim

How to handle A-to-z claim step by step

• Step 1. Research the claim and see whether it is fair. If the claim is legitimate, respond to the shopper within 48 hours, apologize, and try to settle the claim. You can offer a full refund.
• Step 2. If you didn’t manage to settle the problem and the shopper files the claim to Amazon, respond within 72 hours. Attach any information you think is relevant. If you believe that the claim is not fair, give your proof. If a product was damaged, upload proof of commercial liability insurance.
• Step 3. If Amazon needs additional information, they will contact you. If the issue concerns delivery, they may ask you to give proof of delivery, carrier details, tracking number, and dispatch method. For returns claims, provide shipping details, return address, and eligibility of the return request. Amazon can also ask about your correspondence with the shopper regarding the order. Provide the necessary information.
• Step 4. If the claim is denied, you shouldn’t do anything. If the claim is granted to the shopper, appeal it within 30 days. 
• Step 5. Proactively avoid A-to-z claims by improving your shipping and fulfillment, providing the best customer services, and responding to your buyers in a short time.

How To Avoid Products Triggering A-to-z Claims?

The best way to avoid A-to-z claims is to stay away from problematic products. Seller Assistant App helps identify such products. Seller Assistant App’s Advanced IP Alerts can immediately tell you if a product has previously triggered problems with account health. It marks products and brands generating account health issues with a red triangle icon. Data is collected daily.

Seller Assistant App’s Advanced IP Alerts shows if a product has triggered problems with account health

Final Thoughts

Amazon shoppers can file A-z claims about Amazon sellers if they are unsatisfied with the products or services and can’t resolve the issue directly with the merchant. If they make a claim directly to Amazon and win a refund, that negatively impacts the seller’s Amazon account health. Avoiding such claims and settling the customer's problem before they file A-to-z claims is preferable.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to avoid products that trigger Amazon account health problems, including A-to-z claims. Amazon seller tools can help you with this task.

Seller Assistant Аpp is one such tool. It’s an all-in-one extension that incorporates all features vital for product research. Advanced IP Alerts can immediately tell you if a product has any sales restrictions or has led to problems with account health in the past. It combines an FBM&FBA profit calculator, Quick View, Stock Checker, and Restrictions Checker in one tool.