This document describes a customer's negative experience with Amazon's customer service when trying to return a dishwasher. Over the course of a week, the customer contacted Amazon customer service numerous times but received no help in resolving the issue. Each representative seemed unaware of the previous communications and history of the problem. The customer grew increasingly frustrated as the issue was passed between teams without being addressed. The poor customer experience resulted in a loss of trust in Amazon and its claims of being customer-centric. The document criticizes Amazon's lack of empathy, communication, responsiveness, and decisive action in handling the return request.

1. Amazon
October, 2021
A Case Study on Customer- Centric Approach: What could have been done?

2. The Case in point…
Amazon declares itself to be a highly customer-centric organization.
This experience illustrates – a factual account of non-customer-centric
approach by the Amazon Team, and we need a response as a customer.
Factual details are shared in the subsequent slides.

3. What makes an organization customer-
centric?
• Empathy
• Communication
• Digital connectivity
• Real-time data
• Interoperability
• Design Interface and Experience
• Decisive action
We are talking about BASICS not big things like Customer is GOD!

4. The Mistake
Ordering of Dishwasher from Amazon, Brand- Godrej

5. Sequence of EVENTS - 1
9 Oct
Dishwasher ordered via Amazon
app
9 Oct
Delivery by Amazon- perfect
9 Oct
Godrej Service Centre connects
and declines installation request
on Sunday, 9 oct. We had booked
because it was mentioned same
day installation as delivery.
10 Oct
Godrej technician does not come
on 9 oct but comes on 10 oct and
declares Dishwasher installation
cannot be completed by him.
10 Oct
Return request placed for
Dishwasher, as we don’t want to
hold onto any product any longer
10 Oct
Customer Care Executive at
Amazon is uninformed and
disinterested and connects us to
their Large Appliance Team
10 Oct
Large Appliance Team is equally
disinterested and after much
persuasion by us( as if it is our
mistake) says – that they shall
revert in 48 hrs
13 Oct
No one responds from Amazon.
We share an escalation mail to
Jeff Bezos and Amit Agarwal
hoping they will be more
customer-centric.
15 Oct
We again speak with the call –
centre, and get same 48 hrs fake
commitment

6. Sequence of EVENTS - 2
16 oct
I connect again with Amazon
customer service, this time through
chat. Interestingly I am informed,
that this is the first time there is
documentation of my concern
16 oct
I am promised that there will be a
revert in 24 hours
17 Oct
Going by past response, I once
again place my request on the chat
connect.
17 oct
I am connected with 10 executives
in a span of 1 hour, each of them
wanting to know what the problem
is. None of them – knowing the
problem, having attempted to find
the problem.

7. The Original Problem
Request for Return of Dishwasher

8. After escalating this
request for last 5 days,
every time a customer
executive joins, the
problem aggravates.
Sweet, programmed talk
has no meaning if there is
no effort, record to
attend to the customer
and understand the
problem.
Processes are meant to
facilitated the customer
not create more
impediments.
Transferring to
appropriate team is an
easy way to pass the buck
From one executive to
another- the baton of the
issue keeps on getting
passed.

9. Customer irritation is
rising, it has been 27
minutes on this particular
day of raising an issue
which has not been
resolved since last 6 days
Same communication
(auto command) goes on
endlessly. Executives
keep joining and leaving,
making the customer
even more exasperated.
Everyone wants an easy
way out, easy reference
and response.
For every new executive
who joins- this is a new
information, but the
customer has mentioned
this 21 times and is now
fedup

10. Another executive joins
the chat, and disappears
in exactly 2 minutes.
Why did he join? Is this
some kind of game? Is
Amazon losing it
completely?
Customer is completely
livid now.
No reply
No attempt to respond
No effort

11. Customer decides – if
amazon does not have
courtesy to resolve, we
will take this up as a legal
case wit the consumer
court and also put this on
social media.
The story continues
exposing the pathetic and
degrading standards of
AMAZON
Customer- centricity by
AMAZON is a farce and
the people should know.

12. The effect of mishandling of the problem
Loss of faith- completely
Was a very simple
problem
Had a very simple
solution
Became completely a
different problem
• NO Empathy
• INEFFECTIVE Communication
• Digital NON-connectivity
• NO Real-time data
• LACK OF Interoperability
• POOR Design Interface and Experience
• NO Decisive action

13. Loss of Value- TIME IS MONEY
• Time:
• Number of minutes SPENT IN ONE DAY IN ENGAGING WITH AMAZON TEAM = 60
• NUMBER OF DAYS = 7
• Effort
• Cost of repeat effort
• Health
Anxiety, stress, unnecessary mental taxation
Customer demands compensation

14. https://www.aboutamazon.in/news/workp
lace/amazon-offers-an-opportunity-to-tap-
into-indias-potential-and-transform-lives-
and-livelihoods-says-amit-agarwal
https://www.livemint.com/ind
ustry/retail/deliberate-effort-
to-discredit-amazon-s-
business-in-india-amit-agarwal-
11613927521682.html
Customer EXPERIENCE to be respected
Let us see what Amazon does ?