Amazon centralizes product recall management
Amazon is offering a dedicated page on its website to inform customers about recalls and safety notifications.
The new “Your Recalls and Product Safety Alerts” page enables customers to view product recalls and safety information for items they purchased in Amazon’s store.
Amazon proactively notifies customers about product recalls and safety alerts, but this provides a a dedicated location for shoppers to view these communications in one place.
If a recall is announced or a product safety alert is issued, Amazon customers will receive a personalized email with details about the recall and see an alert banner on top of their “Your orders” page. This banner will link to their personal “Your Recalls and Product Safety Alerts” page for more details about potential safety hazards, as well as to the recall notice for options such as a refund, return, or repair.
Previously, Amazon customers had to rely on third-party websites to learn about a product recall and were required to submit personal information to receive instructions on what to do with a recalled product. With this new feature, Amazon says it is able to directly reach 100% of customers who have bought a recalled product in our store and provide clear instructions on what to do next.
“With the ‘Your Recalls and Product Safety Alerts’ page, we aim to make it easier for customers to be aware of recalls on products they have purchased in our store, navigate to get more information about recalls, and view available refund or return options,” Amazon said in a corporate blog post.
In the event of a recall, Amazon’s selling partners also have an option in the U.S. to leverage Amazon's Recalls Logistics Service (RLS). By opting into RLS, in addition to notifying customers who purchased the selling partner’s products on its site, Aamzon also can issue refunds on behalf of the selling partner and manage return logistics.
Amazon guards consumers against defective products
Amazon has long offered customers protection against defective or faulty items sold via its site. The retailer pays customers for claims of property damage or personal injury under $1,000 caused by defective products. The policy covers all products sold on Amazon, and the $1,000 metric accounts for more than 80% of cases, according to the e-tailer.
Under the policy, Amazon's customer service will facilitate property damage and personal injury claims between the customer, the seller, and their insurance provider. Customers can contact Amazon customer service, and the company will notify the seller and help them address the claim.(Previously, if a customer wanted to file a similar type of claim, they had to work with the seller.
The policy is an extension of Amazon's A-to-z Guarantee, which it launched more than 20 years ago to ease the return process for products sold and fulfilled by third-party sellers, to protect customers in the event a defective product sold through Amazon.com causes property damage or personal injury, regardless of who sells it.