AMEX Return Protection: Did They Make You Return The Item?

[etech0]

So amex wants me to go to the store even though I know they won't take it back?

I've done return protection many times and never did that.

[kickballrubber]

I think a “return attempt” could be documented by making a statement document. Possible saying you called the store, verified the return policy and found out your item could not be returned. That is certainly an attempt.

This feels similar to how other carriers such as Asurion require you to submit “loss report.” Fortunately, there are sites like reportmyloss.com to help you create such documents.

[kickballrubber]

I am finding the "proof of return attempt on the stated date" a bit odd. If a retailer has a clear return policy and it has lapsed, I don't go into the store and try to return the item unless there is something clearly wrong with the item and I didn't notice on time to make the return. Otherwise, do people actually drive to stores to attempt to make returns when they clearly cannot, or call customer service when the website states the return period has lapsed? I imagine that, in most cases, they do not --- it's a waste of one's time. For this reason, I interpret the "date of return attempt" as the date you decided you wanted to return the item and realized it was too late (unless, of course, the store does not have a clearly stated return policy -- in that case, you do try to make the return). If I am indeed misinterpreting this, then Amex should rewrite its policy to state that you should document return attempts if you want to file a claim and what they consider to be appropriate form of documentation. While maybe there are people who do go into stores to try to return items they clearly cannot, I do not believe they actually document it and it sounds rather difficult to provide such proof -- who is going to remember you?!

By the way, have you got your return protection approved for those four claims? The one where you had to do video call.

[shmooz]

I have had them call the store asking if it’s true. Don’t wanna lie to assurance company.

My suggestion is to actually call the store and ask, you could even record it if legal and upload and write in your letter to amex recording of return attempt is available.

[jl75]

My suggestion is to actually call the store and ask, you could even record it if legal and upload and write in your letter to amex recording of return attempt is available.

The suggestion of recording made me curious so I checked and here are the U.S. states where you can record a call without the other party's explicit consent, as long as you are an active participant in the call:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas
Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia
Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky
Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri
Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina
North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island
South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah
Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

The states where both/all parties must give their consent in order for recording to be legal are California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington.

As long as both you and the other party are in one of the one-party consent states, then you can record the call without the other person's consent. Strange thing is, though, that I've often recorded calls to businesses whose automated system informs you that they're going to record the calls for customer service training purposes or whatever, and one time, I made a call to complain about a problem with a hotel I was staying at. The recording clearly stated that the call would be recorded, so I recorded it, too. The customer service agent ended up getting rude with me, so I told her to be careful what she says because I was recording the call, and she told me that she would end the call if I didn't stop recording. Not sure what the legality is of the second party recording a call if the first party has already stated that the call was being recorded. Just another example of how businesses and the government like to do things that they don't like us doing back to them. But I digress...

A variation of your suggestion for people who want/need to make the return attempt in-store would be to use their cell phone to record the discussion, whether a video recording or audio recording. On the one hand, it seems pretty pathetic that we're even considering having to do things like this just for a Return Protection claim when we never had to do anything like this before, but on the other hand, I guess if it helps expedite our claims and protects us from any accusations that we've lied about our return attempts, maybe it's not such a bad idea?

[etech0]

I want to know if they're getting picky like this for everyone, or just for people who submit a large volume of claims.

[petun]

By the way, have you got your return protection approved for those four claims? The one where you had to do video call.

Hi, yes, they got approved about a week and a half later.

[LoLo]

I want to know if they're getting picky like this for everyone, or just for people who submit a large volume of claims.

I submitted a claim for a laptop a couple weeks ago, this is all they asked for:

- Itemized Store Receipt(s)
- Please complete the Refund Request Form in its entirety and make any necessary corrections.

Was approved a week later. It was from Dell though, so they're likely very aware of their return policy.

[etech0]

I submitted a claim for a laptop a couple weeks ago, this is all they asked for:

- Itemized Store Receipt(s)
- Please complete the Refund Request Form in its entirety and make any necessary corrections.

Was approved a week later. It was from Dell though, so they're likely very aware of their return policy.

Thanks!

I haven't filed a claim in a while, I guess I'll see what happens next time I do

[chff]

Got now this on an amazon claim

What documentation do we need from you?
Itemized Store Receipt(s)
Please complete the Refund Request Form in its entirety and make any necessary
corrections.
Please provide a screenshot of your Amazon account showing no returns.
Please provide tracking information for claimed item.
Please provide pictures of the item which must include pictures of the front, back, sides,
bottom, top and any and all serial numbers, logos and packagin

non amazon claim

What documentation do we need from you?
Itemized Store Receipt(s)
Please complete the Refund Request Form in its entirety and make any necessary
corrections.
Please provide tracking information for claimed item, if item was shipped.
Please provide pictures of the item which must include pictures of the front, back, sides,
bottom, top and any and all serial numbers, logos and packaging.

[chff]

I submitted a claim for a laptop a couple weeks ago, this is all they asked for:

- Itemized Store Receipt(s)
- Please complete the Refund Request Form in its entirety and make any necessary corrections.

Was approved a week later. It was from Dell though, so they're likely very aware of their return policy.

got this as well, then 48 hours later

What documentation do we need from you?
Itemized Store Receipt(s)
Please complete the Refund Request Form in its entirety and make any necessary
corrections.
Please provide tracking information for claimed item, if item was shipped.
Please provide pictures of the item which must include pictures of the front, back, sides,
bottom, top and any and all serial numbers, logos and packaging

[jl75]

got this as well, then 48 hours later

So they're obviously getting a lot stricter for more people, but whether this is just for people who've filed a certain number of claims or not is unclear. I never had them ask for photos the first several years, and then just this past three months I've had them ask for photos for two items (but not this "front, back, side-to-side, top, bottom, logos, serial numbers and birth and death certificate") that they're asking you for. I'd imagine that more of us will be seeing that in the coming weeks and months though.

[petun]

I find asking for pictures reasonable, though the whole front, back, top, bottom, etc. is definitely quite laughable! What is one supposed to submit for tracking? One isn't always given a tracking number. Does Amazon provide this?

[szportsphan218]

1st time using AMEX return protection.
Submitted a claim for a final-sale item from an online store.

They requested:
- Itemized Store Receipt(s)
- Please complete the Refund Request Form in its entirety and make any necessary corrections.

Claim was approved exactly 1 week later.

[jl75]

I find asking for pictures reasonable, though the whole front, back, top, bottom, etc. is definitely quite laughable! What is one supposed to submit for tracking? One isn't always given a tracking number. Does Amazon provide this?

The tracking information is always listed on Amazon.com on your Order Details page, and if you click on the number (it's right around the middle of the Order Details page), it'll open the shipment details from shipping to delivery, and if you click again on the number in that window, it'll take you to the FedEx, UPS, or USPS page for your tracking number. BUT--and this is a big BUT!--it seesm to go away after three or four months, so make sure to print that (or take a screenshot of it) BEFORE the 90-day mark (probably a good thing to do by default for any item that you might be even remotely considering submitting a Return Protection claim for. I know you only asked about Amazon.com, but eBay also displays the tracking number as long as the merchant you bought it from uploaded it to your account. 99.9% of merchants do upload that information right away (even before actually dropping the package off, since they get the tracking number when they pay for the shipping using their eBay merchant account), but I got (un)lucky buying something a few months ago, the merchant never uploaded the tracking number, so it still says "Awaiting shipment" four months later. I messaged the merchant via eBay, and they messaged me the tracking number, but I'm waiting to see if AmEx is going to accept that (I guess if worse comes to worse, AmEx Assurance can call the merchant to verify that the details I've given them are correct).

[jl75]

I find asking for pictures reasonable, though the whole front, back, top, bottom, etc. is definitely quite laughable! What is one supposed to submit for tracking? One isn't always given a tracking number. Does Amazon provide this?

It just dawned on me that the tracking number is probably also on the shipping label when your package comes, so now that we know that AmEx Assurance is asking for all sorts of extra evidence nowadays, it probably would be a good idea to take a snapshot of the shipping label and entire package before throwing away the boxes that things were shipped in, if it's anything that you think you might possibly need to file a claim for later.

[kickballrubber]

Amazon or some other seller?

[eternity88]

For return protection what if we buy it for a gift for someone would it still work? the receipt has their name but paid using your own amex card

[1najol1]

IME the name doesn’t matter

[LoLo]

IME the name doesn’t matter

+1