Business & Tech
Amazon Sent A Dirty Diaper To A Woman In CA: Report
A negative review about the experience tanked the seller's business, but Amazon handles resale of returns, not individual sellers.
![It is Amazon, not individual sellers, that inspects each return before it is resold, Bloomberg reported.](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/920517/20240717/114535/styles/patch_image/public/202107-ped-prime-truck-wi-anderson-1___17234051431.jpg)
REDLANDS, CA — A swim diaper ordered by a California woman was delivered “encrusted with feces,” according to Bloomberg.
Erin Elizabeth Herbert of Redlands left a negative review stating that the diaper was “covered in poop stains” leaving her “extremely grossed out,” complete with pictures, the outlet reported, adding Herbert got a refund and ordered a replacement from a different seller.
But the review, posted in 2020, has haunted sellers Paul and Rachelle Baron ever since, with the couple saying their diaper was once a best-selling item on Amazon, but sales dropped after the incident and they are now $600,000 in debt, according to Bloomberg.
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It is Amazon, not individual sellers, that inspects each return before it is resold, the outlet reported, adding the company claims it does not allow reviews about product condition or damage.
“When we learned about this incident four years ago, we quickly made improvements to our product returns process to prevent this type of used item being returned and sold as new,” Amazon spokesperson Chris Oster told Bloomberg in an emailed statement.
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“During the returns inspection process, our teams are instructed to open the box every single time and validate the integrity of the inner seal. … More recently, we have updated our policy so that no returned products of this type can be resold under any circumstances.”
Amazon took down the review just hours after the Bloomberg story was published, the outlet reported.
“Amazon talks a big game about helping small businesses,” Paul Baron told Bloomberg. “But they really don’t.”
The Barons contacted Herbert and explained the situation, she told the outlet, adding she had intended to revise her review but “life got busy” and she forgot.
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