Amazon’s new return policy change could see people buying from physical stores instead, says shopper

In its quest to stay a step ahead of other retail giants such as Walmart and Costco, Amazon adopted a generous return policy in addition to great deals. As part of this, the e-commerce platform gives customers as many as 30 days to return products free of cost. However, one TikToker named  Lauren Paige (@kindergartenthoughts) has claimed that this is going to change and some customers have already been hit with an updated policy that requires people to partially pay for their return and wait 30 days to get a refund.

Tracking the Supposed Changes

In the clip, which has been viewed over 1.3 million times, the creator starts by mentioning that Amazon has been spoiling its customers with its generous return policy. She says the company has always been quick to issue refunds and pick up returns for free, but adds that it is going to change soon. According to her, an updated return policy will require customers to accept a possible return fee and wait for a longer time for refunds.

She says that this is likely to change consumer behavior as more people will now prefer walking into a store to buy products instead of ordering them on Amazon. She says that one of her friends bought an Apple charger from Amazon and had to return it. It had been more than 30 days since they sent it back but they are yet to get a refund. She says if they had bought the charger from the store and taken it back the next day, they would've received the refund instantly. 

In the end, she mentions that this isn't happening to every customer. Not everyone has to accept the updated return policies so she suspects that it is part of a slow rollout for the company to test the waters and see how consumers react. Several people in the comments echo the creator's thoughts claiming that Amazon would lose customers if this goes into full effect.

"Nothing comes in 2 days anymore. If I can’t do Amazon returns for free anymore I will just go buy in the store and buy a lot less on Amazon. Simple," @jessrasine commented.

Several others mentioned that the new policy has driven them away from the e-commerce giant. "Amazon Prime keeps becoming less and less worth it. We’ve had it for about 12 years, and we’re considering canceling for the first time. Walmart premium or whatever it’s called is a better value," @littlesuncat shared. 

Returns to Cost More?

According to CNN, Amazon possibly charges a $1 return fee when customers return the items to UPS stores even if a Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh grocery store, or Kohl’s is closer to their delivery address. According to Amazon's website, the company still offers free returns for most items, and a fee is only charged if the customer "misrepresents the condition of the product" when it arrived or if they tamper with, or damage products before returning them. 

For more updates and informative content, follow Lauren Paige (@kindergartenthoughts) on TikTok.