Common Amazon complaints... and how to handle them

Amazon is one of the biggest companies in the world – and we frequently get enquiries from people struggling with various consumer issues.

Unfortunately, Amazon won’t respond to Resolver case files – they will only accept complaint made via their own customer support channels. But that doesn’t mean we can’t help you: we’ve collated the biggest issues that Amazon customers experience and offer our insight into how to get your issues resolved.

Common Amazon complaints

The biggest complaints about Amazon in the UK relate to poor delivery service, including late, missed, or failed deliveries and items being left in unsuitable locations. There’s also a high volume of complaints about inadequate customer service, which is often described as unhelpful, inconsistent, and difficult to contact, especially when it comes to resolving refunds or other ongoing issues.

Other major frustrations include difficulties raising official complaints, quality issues with items, and concerns about rotten food or misleading product listings.

As such a large retailer, offering a wide variety of goods and services, each issue area requires a slightly different approach. Here’s how to deal with the most common ones:

Delivery issues

Customers frequently report significant delays, and items not being delivered to the correct address or on time, even when next-day delivery was supposed to be guaranteed.

As well as delays and failure to deliver items, there is also the problem of poor delivery handling: deliveries are sometimes left in inappropriate places or with incorrect people, leading to frustration and lost items.

Read more about common delivery issues and consumer rights.

How to complain:

Act quickly – Report a missing or delayed delivery through your Amazon account within 24–48 hours.
Use the “Track Package” and “Problem with Order” options to start the process.
If the item shows as delivered but hasn’t arrived, check with neighbours and take photos of your property or delivery spot as evidence.
If you receive no response or resolution, try contacting Amazon through live chat or phone support via the Help section.
If the issue persists, and you’ve paid by card, consider a chargeback via your bank or card provider.

Product Quality

Sometimes when the goods a customer ordered arrive, the items are damaged – this is especially common with electronics or fragile goods. In the case of groceries, people frequently report receiving spoiled and rotten food items.

There is also the issue of sub-standard goods – where items that arrive don’t match their online description, or appear to be counterfeit or fake. In this instance, many disappointed customers discover they had relied on what later turns out to be misleading reviews, feedback that was entirely fake or incentivised. (Amazon has made efforts in 2025 to crack down on fake reviews – removing tens of thousands of suspicious reviews and blocking unethical sellers – but this issue persists and customers are still being mis-led.)

How to complain:

Report the issue via your order page using “Return or Replace” and include photos if relevant.
If it’s perishable (like food), take immediate photos upon arrival and request a refund — Amazon usually refunds grocery issues without needing a return.
For fake or misleading products, you can report the seller through the product listing page.
Leave an honest review to help future buyers. Amazon is more likely to flag consistent patterns.
If Amazon does not resolve the issue, again, consider a chargeback through your bank.

Refund and account issues

When something goes wrong, isn’t as described or needs to be returned, many customers find the process for getting refunds can be frustrating and inconsistent.

Many customers report refunds that are delayed, partial, or not processed at all. There also seems to be persistent confusion over whether they need to return the item first or miscommunication about the timeframes for returns and refunds to be processes.

Unfortunately we have heard of a number of cases where returned items are marked as not received, even when the customer has proof of return!

There is also a handful of account-related problems, like accounts being suspended or closed without warning, sometimes with gift card balances or purchase history lost.

How to complain:

Use your Amazon order history to raise the issue directly. To help, make sure always keep return tracking numbers.
If a refund is missing after 5-7 days, chase it via chat or call support. Make sure to ask for a reference or case number.
For account suspensions, go to the Amazon Account Health section or check your email for a reason. You’ll usually need to respond with an explanation or proof (e.g., ID or purchase receipts).
If your account is wrongfully closed or funds are lost, escalate the matter by emailing executive customer service at cis@amazon.co.uk (this is not officially advertised but has worked for some customers).
As always, if you paid by credit or debit card, your bank may be able to help recover funds under consumer protection laws.

Customer service problems

Many customers find Amazon’s customer service lacking, with agents who are overly reliant on scripts, or give conflicting, inconsistent or incorrect information.

People complaining to Amazon are often offered assurances that the issue is being resolved, only to find that promises are never followed through, like refunds that don’t arrive.

And that’s if customers manage to reach a person at all: there are a lot of people who report serious struggles to get in touch in the first place! Unfortunately, as AI chat bots have been made the default for triaging customer care, reaching a real person in Amazon customer service gets harder and harder. The automated system can be frustrating, often looping users through pre-set options with no way to reach a real agent. They also ignore attempts to escalate or formally complain.

How to complain:

If stuck in a loop, go to the Help section on Amazon’s website and select your order, then scroll until you find the “Need more help?” > “Contact Us” option.
Use the live chat feature, we hear that this often connects you to a real person faster than phone.
If the chatbot keeps looping, type “agent” or “speak to a person” repeatedly until you’re redirected.
If unresolved, you can email Amazon’s executive customer support or post publicly on social media (Twitter/X or Facebook), tagging Amazon, as this sometimes speeds up action.
Unfortunately, Amazon doesn’t have an official complaints procedure in the UK but you can report misleading advertising or unfair practices to Trading Standards or the CMA if appropriate.

Final tips for effective Amazon complaints

Keep records: Always save emails, chat transcripts, receipts, tracking numbers, and photos.
Be polite but firm: Explain the issue clearly and state what outcome you expect.
Escalate wisely: If frontline support fails, use executive contacts or social media — but avoid threats or abuse, as it can backfire.
Know your rights: Under UK consumer law, you are entitled to a full refund if a product is faulty, misdescribed, or arrives late and you no longer want it.

While Resolver can’t send cases directly to Amazon, we’re here to help you structure your complaint, know your rights, and take further steps if needed.

If you have any thoughts on this topic, or any other consumer issues you would like us to cover, feel free to get in touch with us at support@resolver.co.uk.