Below is what I put in the 'description' box of the second Amazon Seller 'support case' I filled out after sifting through heaps of obscure help links and pages. If you have experienced similar problems with Amazon, please take the time to type up your frustrating experience and post it - if not in the comments here, then somewhere else. If we have learned anything in recent years, it's that even small predatory practices should be called out. Better late than never :-)

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Second Amazon Support Case, opened 30 Sep 2020:

I know you just work for Amazon and are only their messenger, but please review the correspondence below, read my message in its entirety, and refund the $39.99 that Amazon tricked out of me immediately. If you cannot do this, please put me in touch with a person who has that authority - by direct email or telephone, not by a series of confusing 'help' links and webpages.

As instructed by Amazon's correspondence below (18 Aug 2020), I immediately downgraded the 'professional' account, which I was tricked into signing up for, to the (free) individual account I intended to sign up for. I have yet to receive a refund for my charge of $39.99 (per month!) for the professional account.

And now Amazon is making me start the whole process over again!

I want a resolution to my complaint this time.

I have spent far more than $39.99-worth of my time on this, but the principle is worth more than that to me.

Please refund my $39.99 immediately, or I will respond to the next email I receive inquiring whether I feel Amazon has harmed my business.

Sincerely,
Melissa (Rooney)
Melissa Rooney Writing

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Original Amazon Support Case, opened 18 August 2020:

I just signed up for an Amazon seller account, including entering my credit card and banking information, and I am awaiting verification before I can start selling.

• I need to make SURE that I am signed for an individual account ($0.99 listing fees), NOT the Professional Seller account that requires a $39.99 monthly fee. I will likely only sell a couple of items (my books) per month.

Please confirm that my seller account is set up as an individual account and that I will not be charged a fee of $39.99.

Thank you,
Melissa B. Rooney
Melissa Rooney Writing

Seller has provided a call-back number +********** in the country United States. If Seller Support associates need additional information to resolve the case, the above number can be used to call the seller during business hours in the country\'s time zone.

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Amazon's Response to Initial Inquiry (18 August 2020):

From: Amazon Seller Support merch.service05@amazon.com
Subject: RE:[CASE 7282685991] General account issues
Date: August 18, 2020 at 9:58:49 AM EDT

Hello from Amazon Selling Partner Support,

After reviewing your e-mail, we understand that you want to open an Individual Selling account instead of a Professional account.

In order to keep the email address that you initially used to register, you have to complete the registration for a Professional Seller account. While registering, you will be charged an initial subscription fee of $39.99. However, once the enrollment is completed, we can refund this amount to your Seller account balance.

Once you have finished setting up your account, downgrade your account to the Individual selling plan by following the steps outlined in the following help page:

https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/help/201710030?referral=A1BJGTLRY4P1OI_AJJ28VZ9DXND9

After completing this step, please contact us again requesting reimbursement of the Professional selling fee of $39.99. It will take 3-5 business days from the date of reimbursement for the funds to appear. The fund will then be transferred to your bank account on the next payment date.

Alternatively, if you would like to start the registration process over, please follow this link and choose the Individual plan after clicking on ’Sign up to become an individual seller’ by scrolling down on the page:

https://sell.amazon.com

In order to start over, you have to use a different email address. When you click on the ‘Sell as an Individual’ button, if it still brings you to the middle of your initial registration session, please clear your browser cache and cookies and try once again.

Thank you for contacting Amazon Selling Partner Support.

Thank you for selling with Amazon,

Zach N.

MORE WAYS TO GET HELP:

Visit our Seller Forums for help from other sellers: http://sellercentral.amazon.com/forums
Browse all Seller Help topics: http://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/help

To contact us again about this issue, please use the Contact Us form in Seller Central using the following link:

https://sellercentral.amazon.com/cu/case-dashboard/view-case?caseID=7282685991

Please note: this e-mail was sent from a notification-only address that cannot accept incoming e-mail. Please do not reply to this message.