Amazon Spring Offers, how returns work and what consumer rights are

Amazon Spring Offers

Spring has arrived, and the Amazon Spring Offers are about to return on time, the marathon of discounts that the e-commerce giant had already offered last year in this same period. This year, the discounts will be concentrated from March 27 to 29 and will concern hundreds of product categories, from electronics to toys through to household products: it can be considered a Prime Day, however, open also to users who are not subscribed to the service First. Assuming that there will be thousands of consumers who will want to take advantage of the Amazon Spring Offers discounts to complete purchases, it is useful to review the rights consumers have when they buy from the ecommerce platform. What is the legal guarantee and how does it work? How am I protected when a defective product arrives? And how do returns work? Let's go in order.

What is the legal guarantee? How long does the legal guarantee last? Is it for everyone? What to do if I receive a defective product? How do returns work?

What is the legal guarantee?

The legal guarantee is the tool that protects consumers who purchase goods with lack of conformity. Amazon introduced it four years ago, in 2019, following two directives from the European Union. Concretely, the legal guarantee protects us when the product we ordered on Amazon has differences from the description provided on the site at the time of the order, is not delivered with all the accessories provided or is for other reasons unsuitable for use. for which it was intended.

Be careful though, because if Amazon warns us that a specific product feature is different from the description provided on the platform before we make the payment, and we decide to proceed with the purchase anyway, the guarantee no longer applies to that feature. Of course, this does not imply that we cannot enforce it on the same product for another characteristic, but it is necessary that Amazon has not warned us before ordering.

How long does the legal guarantee last?

The legal guarantee is valid for two years: we are protected for all conformity defects that occur within the first 24 months from the moment of delivery of the product. Not only that, Amazon's regulation provides that it is assumed that all defects that appear within the first year from the delivery date were already present on that date. Our advice is therefore to always keep the purchase receipt and the shipping and delivery confirmation documents of the goods, because they may be needed for two years to assert one's rights and obtain compensation.

Another thing that should be specified is that even if the warranty is valid for 24 months, Amazon provides that the procedure through which a consumer can claim it can last a maximum of two months. Consequently, from the date of delivery, the consumer has 24 months to initiate a procedure and 26 months to conclude it.

Does the legal guarantee apply to everyone?

No, the legal guarantee applies only to customers. In other words, buyers who purchase goods for professional purposes are not protected by the legal guarantee. Furthermore, it should be specified that the consumer has the right to assert the legal guarantee not only directly against Amazon for products supplied directly by the platform, but also against other sellers if he buys from third parties on the site's Marketplace.

So what do I do if a defective product arrives?

If a product arrives at home with a lack of conformity, our suggestion is to contact Amazon Customer Service directly starting from the appropriate page and explain what happened, taking care to provide the order number of the shipment and describing the defect. If the operators believe that the situation falls within the regulatory framework of the legal guarantee, they will automatically open a file in your name complete with a code that can be used to proceed with the compensation. The regulation provides that compensation can take various forms. You can request the repair or replacement of the goods (unless the costs for the seller are too high, in which case you will be notified), a reduction in the price proportional to the lack of conformity present, or a more drastic termination of the contract of purchase resulting in a refund.

How do returns work?

To make a return, simply enter the order number of the purchased good - which is sent to us via email together with the order receipt at the time of checkout. purchase – on the Amazon Return Center page, print a return label and ship. Returns must be made within 30 days of notification of shipment of the replacement item.