Amazon's Blanket BAN On TOO MANY RETURNS

Amazon has gone to war with customers over returns, shutting down accounts without warning. Paul Fidalgo, a longtime Amazon shopper, was permanently banned after returning several smartphones in a short period. His experience highlights a growing issue—Amazon is cracking down on excessive returns, blacklisting users for what it deems problematic shopping behavior.

Amazon is known for its customer-friendly return policy, but behind the scenes, it aggressively monitors return activity. If an algorithm flags a customer’s account for too many returns, unusual refund claims, or violations of its return guidelines, they may find themselves permanently banned. And it’s not just high-volume returners—some customers claim they were banned for minor refund requests, such as reporting damaged or missing items.

Unlike traditional retailers, Amazon’s bans are nearly impossible to reverse. Even appealing to customer service rarely works. The company employs advanced tracking to prevent banned users from creating new accounts, cutting them off from Prime, Kindle purchases, and all other Amazon services. This policy, while designed to curb return fraud and abuse, leaves many customers feeling blindsided.

Retailers across the industry are facing increasing return fraud, leading companies like Best Buy and J.C. Penney to adopt strict measures. Amazon is no different. Former employees have confirmed that Amazon uses algorithms to flag suspicious return behavior, with human reviewers making final account closure decisions. Customers who frequently claim items are defective, provide inconsistent return reasons, or return high-value products repeatedly are at the highest risk.

Some banned customers have taken to social media to share their frustrations, claiming Amazon's policies are unfairly strict. A former Amazon investigator revealed that some bans aren't even due to refunds but because a customer is flagged as problematic in other ways. Even reviewers have been targeted—one blogger was permanently banned from leaving reviews after Amazon deemed her review activity suspicious, despite her claims that she always disclosed free products.

With retail fraud costing companies billions, Amazon is taking no chances. But are innocent customers being caught in the crossfire? The company’s vague return policies and sudden account closures leave many wondering—how many returns are too many? And could your next refund request be the one that gets you banned?
0:00 Paul Fidalgo Amazon Account Closed
0:50 Amazon Declares War on Returns
1:25 The Customer Who Got Banned
2:10 Why Amazon Closes Accounts
2:51 Lots of Account Closures
3:47 Amazon Targets Problem Customers
4:00 Banned for Paid Reviews
4:50 All Retailers Cracking down