Clarification on A-to-Z Claims for Delivered Orders

@Ricardo_Amazon @Lucre_Amzn @Sunnie_Amazon @Jurgen_Amazon @Ka_Amazon @Christine_Amazon @Josh_Amazon @JiAlex_Amazon

Hi Amazon Support and fellow sellers,

I’d appreciate some clarification on how A-to-Z Guarantee Claims are handled when packages are marked as delivered but later reported missing by the customer.

1. Order #702-9561328-5052230

The customer claimed that they included special delivery instructions during checkout (specifically, to leave the item at their back door). However, we as the seller never received these instructions, nor are we able to view them. From what we understand, such delivery instructions are only visible to Amazon logistics drivers.

We confirmed this with Amazon’s own policy:

"Delivery instructions entered on your Amazon account are only visible to Amazon Drivers. If your package is being delivered by a different carrier, please contact them for assistance."

In this case, the order was fulfilled using a third-party carrier. We shipped the product to the address provided at checkout, and we have valid proof of delivery. The customer later reported the package as missing and held us responsible, despite acknowledging that the instructions may not have been followed due to being handled outside of Amazon's delivery network.

The A-to-Z claim was granted to the customer, and the message we received was:

"The customer reported an issue with delivery. In this case, the tracking information indicates delivered, but the customer did not receive the package. Because you provided sufficient information that proves that the order was actually received by the customer, we will not count the claim against your Order Defect Rate."

We’re confused by this outcome. If sufficient information was provided to confirm delivery, why was the refund still issued? Is it Amazon’s policy to refund customers even when sellers can demonstrate that the item was delivered to the correct address?

2. Order #701-4676599-6371424

This case is similar. The package was confirmed as delivered and placed on the customer’s property. The customer later assumed it was stolen and filed a claim. Once again, we received the same response from Amazon: that the claim wouldn’t affect our Order Defect Rate, but the customer would still be refunded.

Questions:

Why are refunds issued even when valid delivery proof is provided?

What is Amazon’s policy on post-delivery theft?

Are sellers expected to absorb the cost of issues that result from delivery theft or miscommunication between Amazon’s systems and buyers?

Is there any recourse or better way to handle these cases?

Looking to understand how to protect our business while supporting customer satisfaction. Thank you!