Amazon UK

Company Overview

What customers complain about

Complaint categories

1. 1
   Faulty, damaged or not-as-described goods

   Complaints that an item arrived faulty, damaged, incomplete or materially different from the listing. For 'sold by Amazon' items your Consumer Rights Act claim is against Amazon EU S.a.r.l.; for Marketplace items it is against the seller, with the A-to-z Guarantee as a fallback.

   Amazon's returns and A-to-z Guarantee pages explicitly cover items that are defective, damaged, incomplete or significantly different from the listing.
2. 2
   Non-delivery or late delivery

   Orders that never arrive or arrive after the latest estimated delivery date. This is one of the core scenarios the A-to-z Guarantee is designed to cover for Marketplace orders.

   Amazon's A-to-z Guarantee help pages list non-receipt and delivery past the latest estimated date as valid claim grounds.
3. 3
   Refund and seller-response problems on Marketplace

   Difficulty getting a promised refund from a third-party seller, or the seller not honouring Amazon's return policy - the situations the A-to-z Guarantee exists to backstop.

   Amazon states a claim can be filed where a returned item's refund is not issued or the seller does not honour Amazon's return policy.
4. 4
   Fake or misleading reviews

   Concern that product star ratings are inflated by fake reviews or 'catalogue abuse' (reviews from one product attached to another). The CMA investigated this and Amazon gave undertakings in June 2025.

   CMA press notice, 6 June 2025, on Amazon's undertakings to detect and remove fake reviews and catalogue abuse.

Latest statistics

We could not identify publicly available official complaint statistics for this company.

Contact methods

• Amazon UK Customer Service (all complaints)Amazon's official route. Sign in, choose 'Something else' then 'Contact Us', and request live chat or a callback. Phone callbacks and chat are available 6am to midnight daily. Amazon does not publish a general complaints phone number or email address.
• A-to-z Guarantee claim (third-party Marketplace orders)Contact the seller first and allow 48 hours; if unresolved, open a claim from 'Your Orders' (Problem with order). Generally up to £2,000 per claim; since May 2024 also covers property damage or personal injury from a defective product.

Complaint journey

1. 1

   Identify the seller and make contact

   Check whether Amazon or a third-party seller sold the item, then contact the right party.

   Typical responseSeller: 48 hours
   What happens

   Check your order and the product page for 'sold by'. If it says 'Amazon' (Amazon EU S.a.r.l.), contact Amazon Customer Service via the online portal (chat or callback, 6am to midnight). If a third-party seller is named, message the seller through your Amazon account first - Amazon expects sellers to respond within 48 hours.

2. 2

   Request a return, refund or repair

   Use Amazon's returns process or your Consumer Rights Act remedies for faulty goods.

   Typical response30-day returns window
   What happens

   For most items Amazon offers a 30-day returns window. For faulty goods, your Consumer Rights Act 2015 remedies apply - a short-term right to reject (usually 30 days), or repair/replacement, then a price reduction or refund. Ask clearly for the remedy you want and quote the Act if needed.

3. 3

   Escalate with an A-to-z Guarantee claim

   If a Marketplace seller fails to resolve it, ask Amazon to step in.

   Typical responseVaries
   What happens

   For third-party Marketplace orders, if the seller has not resolved the problem after 48 hours, open an A-to-z Guarantee claim from 'Your Orders' (Problem with order > Request an A-to-z Guarantee refund). Amazon reviews the claim and can refund you directly, generally up to £2,000.

4. 4

   Use your card protections

   Claim through your card provider if Amazon or the seller will not put it right.

   Typical responseVaries
   What happens

   If you paid by debit card you can ask your bank for a chargeback. If you paid by credit card and the item cost more than £100, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes the card provider jointly liable with the retailer, so you can claim from them directly.

5. 5

   Report or take legal action

   There is no retail ombudsman; use Trading Standards, the CMA, or the small claims court.

   Typical responseNo individual resolution
   What happens

   General retail has no statutory ombudsman. Report unfair practices to Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice consumer service; report systemic issues (e.g. fake reviews, misleading practices) to the CMA. For an unresolved money claim you can use the small claims court (money claim online).

Response times

If your complaint isn’t resolved

If Amazon UK can’t put things right, you can escalate — free of charge — to an independent body:

• Citizens Advice consumer service

Recent news

• 6 June 2025

  The CMA announced that Amazon had given formal undertakings to tackle fake and misleading reviews, committing to robust detection and removal, sanctions for offenders, and clear reporting mechanisms for consumers and businesses.

  Read more
• 1 May 2024

  Amazon expanded its UK A-to-z Guarantee so that claims can cover property damage or personal injury caused by a defective product bought from a third-party Marketplace seller.

  Read more

Earlier cases

• 3 November 2023

  Historic: The CMA accepted binding commitments from Amazon over its Marketplace, addressing how it uses third-party seller data, how it selects the 'Buy Box' featured offer, and letting sellers negotiate Prime delivery rates independently.

  Read more
• 25 June 2021

  Historic: The CMA opened its consumer-law investigation into whether Amazon was doing enough to protect shoppers from fake reviews - the case that culminated in the June 2025 undertakings.

  Read more

Know your rights

• Consumer Rights Act 2015

  Goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. For items 'sold by Amazon' (Amazon EU S.a.r.l.) this claim is against Amazon; for Marketplace items it is against the third-party seller. You have a short-term right to reject (usually 30 days) for faulty goods, then repair/replacement and, failing that, a price reduction or refund. This is general information, not legal advice.

• Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013

  For most online orders you have a 14-day right to cancel from the day you receive the goods, for any reason, and a further 14 days to return them. Amazon's own 30-day returns policy is more generous than this statutory minimum for most items.

• Consumer Credit Act 1974, Section 75

  If you paid by credit card and the item cost more than £100 (and up to £30,000), the card provider is jointly liable with the retailer, so you can claim from them if Amazon or the seller does not put things right. Debit-card payments are not covered by Section 75 but may qualify for a chargeback.

Frequently asked questions