Amazon Bans Customers for 'Abusive' Returns

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/CBS Local) -- Retail giant Amazon may take action on accounts it believes are abusing its return policy, according to a spokesperson.

Customer complaints found online indicate the company has shut accounts down because of flagged returns.

Amazon officials gave WCCO this statement:

We want everyone to be able to use Amazon, but there are rare occasions where someone abuses our service over an extended period of time. We never take these decisions lightly, but with over 300 million customers around the world, we take action when appropriate to protect the experience for all our customers.

It also said any customers whose accounts have been banned should reach out so a team member can review their account.

Amazon did not specify what constitutes as abusive behavior or where it draws the line.

According to The Retail Equation, a firm that monitors customer returns for several other companies, abusing companies' return policies is a very-real, very-expensive problem. Many other retailers will also ban customers deemed abusive.

When it comes to red flags, the Retail Equation factors in the frequency of returns, much money the returned items cost, whether the user sent a receipt and the user's purchase history.