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Amazon Refunding The Overcharge Experiment
MDMurphy writes "Got this in the email just now. Despite reports I'd read that you had to write Amazon and ask for a refund if you saw they charged others a lower price, it seems they are letting their customers know proactively:
Greetings from Amazon.com.
Thank you for your recent purchase from our DVD store.
As you may be aware, we occasionally test various aspects of our
web site--design, layout, and other features--for brief periods to
determine how they resonate with customers.
Recently, we tested the discounts we offered on selected DVDs, so
that different discounts for certain titles appeared to individual
customers chosen at random. Because you placed an order for the DVD
"The Big Blue - Director's Cut" during this period,
we wanted to let you know that we will be refunding the difference
between the price you paid and the lowest test price that we offered
on that DVD during the test period, in your case, $1.49.
We also wanted you to know that if we conduct any price tests in the
future, all customers who order items affected by these tests will
automatically be refunded any price difference at the conclusion of
the test, thereby ensuring that they will pay the lowest available
price.
We value your business and appreciate the trust you have placed in us
by being a customer. Thank you for shopping at Amazon.com." You can see another news report about the havoc the "experiment" has played on things.
Dear potential Class Action Lawsuit participant,
Thank you for your recent purchase. As you are aware, our Market-droids recently came up a plan for ripping-off our customers without them being aware of it. As we are desperately out of touch with public opinion, and woefully ignorant of illegal trading practices, we decided to implement their plan. Unfortunately someone spotted this and we're now in some really deep shit.
In an effort to place some spin on this situation, we're refunding the money that we ripped you off for. Not only that, but we promise that if you notice us ripping you off in the future, we'll refund that money too.
We value your business and appreciate your trust; after all, without your complete and total trust we'd never have a hope of pulling off anything as underhanded as this. We hope that you will continue shopping with us. Really. We need your business, 'cos we're hemorrhaging cash faster than we can possibly hope to sustain and sooner or later our Venture Capitalists are going to notice.
Hugs and kisses, Amazon.con
P.S. You're not using any '1-Click' technology in any of your software, are you?
--
The gift of death metal does not smile on the good looking.
Perhaps I'm just cynical, but isn't this just a nice PR exercise by Amazon, along the lines of, "Oh hell, they spotted us, if we give them back their cash, perhaps they'll say we're still OK people, except for that one-click thing, anyway".
*shrug*
It could, of course, be completely genuine.
I noticed that Amazon.co.uk had reduced the price of an item that I'd pre-ordered, and emailed asking them to reflect the price change in my order, which they have done.