Church of the Customer Blog
« Amazon's phone number invisibility | Main | Mastering media »
December 20, 2004
Amazon's phone number invisibility
One topic of our Marketing Wonk dinner discussion: Amazon's phone number invisibility.
Clearly, Amazon works hard to make its web-based purchasing (and return system) so easy that a phone call is unnecessary. By most accounts, its user interface succeeds. But I know of several un-savvy Internet users who have found the process daunting and would rather have placed their order with a person. A few others wanted an actual person to handle a post-purchase question.
But you won't find a phone number on the company's Contact Us page. Also: During the purchase process, when Amazon asks for a credit card, a line of very small type says, "Having difficulties? Please visit our Help pages to learn more about placing an order." Yet there's no hyperlink to "Help" or any other navigational aid on the page to "Help."
Here's the question: Does phone number invisibility hurt its customer service reputation?
Is Amazon creating bad word of mouth among a customer segment that likes V2V (voice to voice)? Does Amazon's long-term strategy involve training customers to not even think about telephone-based support? In the big picture, does phone number invisibility help the company'?
I think the answer is no, (and it seemed most of my fellow marketing wonks agreed) but I'm curious about your opinion.
BTW, Amazon's (corporate) phone number is (206) 622-2335. (Courtesy of Directory Assistance.)
UPDATE: Effern says Slate wrote about this last week. (Time to add Slate's RSS feed.) It turns out Amazon does have a toll-free customer service number: 1-800-201-7575. But good luck finding it on Amazon's site.
UPDATE 2 (Dec. 29): The New York Times picked up on this, calling it an "underground movement to publicize Amazon's customer-service number." I'm not positive it's underground; blogs allow customers to put issues, ideas (and phone numbers) on the examination table for everyone to see. The issue for Amazon (and the other companies mentioned in the Times piece) is that it's increasingly difficult to hide from customers.
Other blogs that reference Amazon's phone number invisibility:
» Amazon's phone number invisibility from Mel Riffe, another voice...
An interesting article about a company's contact number. I never thought about it directly, but I do expect to find phone numbers when I visit a Contact Us page. Read the article for complete details.
My opinion: I think it is bad form to expect all [Read More]
» Do You Know Where Your Customer Service Phone Number Is? from Dana's Blog - Internet Marketing and Sales Technology Ideas From the Trenches
At the marketing wonk dinner in Seattle, we were discussing the fact that it was beyond difficult to get a phone number for Amazon. Ben proceeded to call 411 and did get a local 206 number, which we called and were informed that we had to go back to th... [Read More]
As told in my most recent "podcast", Amazon has a toll-free customer service number. Slate.com spilled the beans last week, which could by why it came up in your meeting.
At the risk of shameless self-promotion, the "podcast" features my ruminations on the subject. (Less to type) :-D
Effern, what's the number? Where is it on the site?
Doh! I found the Slate article (and Amazon's toll-free number). I'll post an update.
On a few occasions I have tried to find a phone numbers on internet retailer sites (Amazon included) and gave up. It's not that I mind corresponding via email, it's just that sometimes you want a resolution now, not in 48 hours. I can certainly understand online companies using email as the primary form of customer communication as it is much less costly for them to manage. But, when a customer really prefers to call, and is willing to wait during what will surely be a long hold time, they should be able to. What all these companies need to remember is that it's about what the customer wants, not what the company wants.
I had much the same experience with the New York Times today. I was shuttled via email to three different people before someone indicated that I couldn't change my subscription via email or on the Web. I had to call their service number. I went back to the Web site and had a darn old time finding the number. My solution? I picked up the day's newspaper.
Aren't you assuming that Amazon wants the customers that prefer a live human voice? It seems likely to me that they've determined that they can never profitably service customers that want to call in orders, so they make it virtually impossible to do so. I can see your point with after the sale problems, but I've spent thousands of dollars with Amazon over the years and never had a real need to call them.
Heath, we've had the same experience with the NYT, too. In the end, we had to go analog -- the paper -- to find the solution.
I sure like the solution 800-CEO-READ came up with: The company name is the phone number and website address.
Chris, given Amazon's intent to be a lot of things to a lot of people, i.e, a mass merchandiser, does phone number invisibility still make sense to the masses?
An even bigger question: Does Amazon want to talk with customers at all?
Chris,
I don't propose they begin accepting phone orders. But, support is another thing. When I place an order online, I immediately get an email confirmation. My need is to place an order and doing so online fills that need immediately. With support, email does not solve my problem immediately. In some (if not most) cases, that's fine. But, when a problem needs to be resolved quickly or I don't have time for an email back and fourth, the ability to call someone who can assist me would be very helpful. The hold recording would certainly tell me about all the info available online, but if I still wish to speak with someone, I should be able to. Again, I am the customer and the choice should be mine.
This is a pet frustration of mine too. One day, after way too much frustration I finally found the number and decided to make it a matter of public record (via Google of course). Today, my blog post comes up in the top 5 when someone searches Google for the number. And of course I deliver.
(Mine is "Frog Blog")
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=amazon+customer+support+phone+number&btnG=Google+Search
FWIW I offer a couple suggestions to Amazon in my post here. Namely, that they at least include the phone number in the body of the first customer support email reply so that if it's not solved with the boilerplate response, I can call and get to the bottom of it ASAP.
http://blog.frogbody.com/frogblog/2003/12/amazoncom_custo.html
As the author of a single title, Rums of the Eastern Caribbean, I was one of Amazon's target suppliers before I could handle book sales on my own site.
I no longer offer my books through Amazon because they refused to email me orders, even if I would confirm them! I had to have a fax number. Since I live on a sailboat in the Caribbean as was shipping books from Puerto Rico where phone service was sketchy at best, email was the best, and sometimes only, option.
Now I see my first edition books on Amazon's used book sales for about 7 times what I was asking for them.
Ed, with the outdoor temp here in Chicago about 6 degrees, you're breaking my heart by saying you live on a boat in the Caribbean.
Phone number invisibility is a common occurance with large companies. Their knee jerk, old-school thinking is that calls cost money, and the less calls the better.
When I was doing Web dev in the early days, we had clients who would set up a Web site and (despite our protests) shut down their customer service numbers in exchange for an email. That usually lasted about 6 months.
The funny thing is that calls cost money, but they can also make money. Imagine if Amazon had the ability to upsell when people called in to talk about an order problem. They have wonderful mechanisms for making recommendations online... why couldn't they make those over the phone? Why couldn't they create mechanisms to help turn satisfied customers into people willing to turn into customer evangelists? Imagine THAT call...
Apple puts all this effort into their AppleCare system. But iTunes doesn't even have a call-in support mechanism. You MUST email. As far as I'm concerned, when financial transations are taking place there MUST be a real person I can talk to. Period. I had my account strangely cancelled and the horrid customer service was near ineffective until (literally) the 5th email. I repeated the basic message (adding a bit more anger each time) 5 times until someone was able to tell me what the built in iTunes error message meant. Then it took another two emails for me to find out how to get them to fix it. This could have been handled over the phone, and they could have upsold me on one of their other products after they made me happy!
Sony Imagestation uses real time online customer support chat. After the chat session, a transcript is emailed to the customer. If the issue requires another session, a new custom support person can quickly access the online transcript and pick up the discussion.
Real time online chat is much more effective than a phone call because it provides an audit trail.
Lack of phone support is very frustrating indeed. Although one suspects Amazon can only get away with it ny relying on suberb support offered by Samsung etc.
By the way never change your Amazon email address - as you lose all your past history -Aghhhh.
This seems to be another way we, the consumer, pays a high price for low prices. Does it make it right? Nope, not at all. Companies that purport to care about the customer experience should be accessible to customers in the most convenient way a customer decides.
When it comes down to it, Amazon is more an operationally-efficient company than a customer-intimate company. By being operationally efficient, Amazon, like Wal-Mart, can deliver lower prices (and free shipping) to customers. The efficiency gains from sheparding customers to use the online customer service process allows for Amazon to bring us lower prices. Again, this seems to be another way we, the consumer, pays a high price for low prices.
However, as customers, we have options besides Amazon. Like Powell’s Books in Portland. Two clicks into Powell’s website, I found their customer service contact information (http://www.powells.com/info/contact.html).
Amazon's 800 # 800-201-7575 reaches a looped voice activated tree which only allows you to search for merchandise. The direct number, 206-622-2335 tells you that all lines are busy for an inordinate period of time and offers the option of leaving a message in an unknown location. So frustrating!!
I wanted to make a purchase from Amazon, but needed a quick answer to a question before placing the order. Being unable to find a phone number, I typed in "Amazon Customer Service Phone number" search, and found the above information. I have now e-mailed them multiple e-mails saying that, until they display a customer service number that is easily accessible on their main site, I will be doing no more business with them. If they can't provide customer service, I will take my business somewhere else that can.
I,too needed to find their number. My personal info(cc# and checking acct) was not being put through
I got about a half-dozen emails from them saying my order info was not verified thus my order would not be shipped out until it was verified!! LOL..! My order was here already!(duh..)
If you were shut down by amazon alliance you can get a new account. They read your IP address you can get a new account but you need to have a different computer and internet service. Never log into your old account the A team will read the cookies. You will need to use different credit card and address as well as bank account. Always collect your payments daily then the A team cannot hold your payment the 90 days. It works great my account was shut down now seansmarsh I am up an running as wowdeals and there is noting they can do about it.
Apparently, amazon and its at least one of its subsidiaries has a similar MO. It is a waist of time and money to communicate orally with a customer or potential customer. It is also not uncommon to receive an email without the name of the responder...more invisibility and lack of accountability. So, is this part of a business model which has reduced human interaction to keystrokes. We all should have seen this as part of the evolution of customer call centers being moved abroad. One obvious next move is why have them at all...and that is where we are with some of the corporate business models. Question? Will this cost the consumer or will it cost the corporation? Time will tell. I'm betting on a return to "live" customer contact accompanied with the pitch, "Were doing something NEW! We now have customer reps available to speak with you regarding any problems you are having."
Old school traditionalists might call this current "key-speak" practice just another example of corporate laziness and selling on "cheap." Everyone knows that good reps are trained and re-trained which costs $$$. Most will agree that a good rep who is perceived as helpful or resolves a problem, or answers a question, or exhibits a professional demeanor, has kept a customer who will probably come back again.
Amazon isn't the only company who isn't posting their number. I have found trouble with several other companies and found a site that helps with this problem. CompanyDigits.com lists phone numbers, fax numbers, and websites for most any company I've needed to find. Hope this helps someone else as tey helped me.
Mark
I,too needed to find their number. My personal info(cc# and checking acct) was not being put through
I got about a half-dozen emails from them saying my order info was not verified thus my order would not be shipped out until it was verified!! LOL..! My order was here already!(duh..)
Amazon is magnificent until a problem needs to be solved. Even if you find a phone number, problems do not get taken care of. I have a variety of numbers, but the people who answer simply never help.
This is the history of my problem: (minus the order number for security.)
Dear Amazon Billing:
I have been calling and writing Amazon since December 2008. It is now May 6th, 2009. Today I made 10 calls about this issue: three calls to the Philippines, one to India, six calls to Search and Rescue, Corporate Headquarters in Washington. An 11th call was made from my home asking for a call back through the Amazon website. They called and offered to email billing.
Order XXXX consisted of 19 shipments. Of these 17 have been paid for part in December 2008 and finally part in April 2009 when Amazon finally did the necessary chargebacks. Both Masters and Visa cards are involved.
Shipment #2 for $265.46 was never charged to any card as far as I can see from my statements. I asked Amazon to do a 'chargeback' of $153.50 for Shipment #10 which has never been done.
I have paid nearly $3000 yet nothing has been received. This order is for my office.
I have spoken to dozens of persons, all say they will get back to me in 24 to 48 hours .... that the account has been "closed".... that it is "on hold."
I need to print invoices from past orders and can't access the account. We are a US government advising center and US government-approved accountants need this information.
I can give you the list, dates, and names of the people I have spoken with ---- most of them say they that they can't pull up the order on their computers but that they will send an email to billing. Nothing has happened in months.
Where are the 17 Shipments that are paid, and why doesn't Amazon bill me for Shipments 2 and 10 that are part of order Order #XXXX PLEASE REACTIVATE THE ACCOUNT - THANK YOU.
