We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It's our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.
– Jeff Bezos (CEO, Amazon)

Most every single purchase I've ever made via Amazon has always been an extremely positive experience, however, I felt that not only was it necessary, but also my responsibility in a sense both as a consumer and to notify Amazon even more so, including their CEO Jeff Bezos about this absolutely HORRIFIC experience on all levels! Since I worked for close to 12-years for a billionaire, Mark Cuban, that was also concerned with how our customers personally felt about our product, which was a national television network, HDNet (now, AXSTV), AND he often personally responded to emails or through other forms of social media from viewers directly, I hope in some ways that this blog entry will effectively cause Amazon to review these MASSIVE flaws in their system, even as just one consumer, because paraphrasing a quote from the fictitious character, Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara), from the iconic Netflix show House of Cards, "now days you are just speaking to one person, but to a thousand!" And this, is the age we live in and this is also to show how I have ALWAYS documented each and every customer service experience going back years including how well-organized I am in general when it comes to business. I feel that this is partially innate to my character as well as has been instilled in me more so from my previous boss, Rachael Weaver, Senior VP of Network Programming, that I had the pleasure of working with for more than a decade and learned a lot about business management and how each thing I do typically serves a specific purpose whether or not others notice or see it at that particular time. Therefore, this is my documented horror story of utilizing the world's largest online shopping site, where I also received one of the world's WORST customer service experiences I have EVER endured!
#1. How poor my experience was overall.
#2. The massive amount of time wasted, especially as I have an urgent timeline.
#3. Being blamed as a so-called "IGNORANT" customer!
#4. And, lastly, being BLATANTLY lied to, which was confirmed from the last person I spoke with that FINALLY resolved this entire situation within 30 seconds! YES, 30-seconds it was resolved, when I spent more than two-hours on the phone, numerous emails, as you can see, and barely given ANY type of compensation!
This was PROBLEM NUMBER ONE! Continue to read about what the second and overall major problem was, and currently still is in my opinion...
Therefore, after ordering this purchase, once again because of my previous great experiences with Amazon, I took several hours in creating a "Public Wish List" of very detailed and specific items that I researched, thus the reason for spending several hours in creating this Wish List and this list totaled MORE THAN $1,000 USD! I even took the time to email Amazon customer service with a simple question, which I tried to find on their website–again trying to be an intelligent consumer–which my question was, "If I were to create a Public Wish List, and if I were to send this link to family and friends, would it be similar to a Wedding Registry–meaning once someone maybe purchased an item for me from this list and sent it to the shipping address I sent to family and friends in the United States, would their system automatically populate to remove the item purchased thereby not allowing for duplicate purchases of the same item?" Pretty simple, right? NOPE! And this is where PROBLEM NUMBER TWO began!
and shameful Amazon!
#1. I have tried this on both a PC and MAC using both Google Chrome and Safari.
#2. I have reset the cookies and cleared the history on both.
#3. I have tried this on my iPhone, also doing the same clearing the history and resetting the browser.
Michael V. immediately apologized and said, obviously you have done everything correctly on your end, but then researched through whatever HORRIBLE detailed notes I'm sure are listed in my so-called calls to various nameless–practically–unidentifiable Amazon CSR Reps. I told him I could no longer continue to just sit and wait on the phone while THEY–AMAZON–took their sweet time investigating this issue. Plus, notice the date and time stamp again!
–and have experienced both sides. I was professional with them in my speech but VERY DIRECT in both my complaints and concerns as a consumer, business professional, and business owner!
*The reason I chose to do both the text and screenshots if because over time of course, companies change and update their site and I wanted, just as you can see from this entire blog, that I keep very accurate records and not only do I try to encourage and inspire others through my travels, but also, to educate! And this is a lesson in education and awareness in my opinion.*
AMAZON'S LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES:
Whether you are an individual contributor or the manager of a large team, you are an Amazon leader. These are our leadership principles and every Amazonian is guided by these principles.
Customer Obsession (*LIE, from my personal experience*)
Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.
Ownership
Leaders are owners. They think long term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say “that’s not my job."
Invent and Simplify
Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by “not invented here." As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time.
Are Right, A Lot
Leaders are right a lot. They have strong business judgment and good instincts.
Hire and Develop the Best
Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognize exceptional talent, and willingly move them throughout the organization. Leaders develop leaders and take seriously their role in coaching others.
Insist on the Highest Standards (*Lies, again, from my personal experience with NUMEROUS Amazon representives*)
Leaders have relentlessly high standards - many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and driving their teams to deliver high quality products, services and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.
Think Big
Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results. They think differently and look around corners for ways to serve customers.
Bias for Action (*Really, speed matters? Well, apparently in my situation it was NOT a priority*)
Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk taking.
Frugality (*Well, you wasted a lot of my time and now you may be losing my business and future business because of exposing Amazon's MASSIVE FLAWS*)
We try not to spend money on things that don’t matter to customers. Frugality breeds resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, and invention. There are no extra points for headcount, budget size, or fixed expense.
Vocally Self Critical
Leaders do not believe their or their team’s body odor smells of perfume. Leaders come forward with problems or information, even when doing so is awkward or embarrassing. Leaders benchmark themselves and their teams against the best.
Earn Trust of Others (*Trust is diminished in my opinion*)
Leaders are sincerely open-minded, genuinely listen, and are willing to examine their strongest convictions with humility.
Dive Deep
Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, and audit frequently. No task is beneath them.
Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit
Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly.
Deliver Results (*What results were delivered? I had to request and negotiate the MOST basic and MEAGER of customer service reassurance to save me as a potential future customer, and in FAILING to do so, this is WHY I made it a point to write this blog and post EACH and EVERY documented aspect of my HORRIFIC EXPERIENCE WITH AMAZON*)
Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never settle.