I ordered an item from Amazon on January 8, scheduled to be delivered on January 9. I got an email the next day saying there was a hangup and it would be delivered a week late. Two weeks later I looked at the Orders page on Amazon and saw it was still stalled at the last step. "Looks like it's lost" I concluded.

So I went looking for a Contact Us link anywhere on amazon.com. I spent 15 minutes going all over the place, for a $12 item, btw. No luck. So I posted a question on Twitter, and nine hours later, after claiming the link was obvious, an ex-Amazon PM gave me the link. I filled out the form. And within minutes got a reply back from an Amazon rep, apologizing and saying the package obviously is lost and they were refunding my money. Then they asked me to evaluate the service. This is what I wrote.

I had to ask on Twitter if anyone could find a way to raise an issue with Amazon, and only after many hours did anyone find a link on your site. I spend thousands with Amazon every year, check your records. If I have an issue to raise with you, it's something like this. I am offended that you make it so difficult to even send an email to Amazon. There should be a Contact Us link on every page. And I have to ask why did I even have to contact you for this? The package was stalled at the endpoint for weeks. Why didn't your computers pick this up and fix the problem on your own, without making me go through the misery of having to find a way to contact you. Something is wrong with your service. You make it so easy to buy, but when there's a problem it's virtually impossible to find a way to communicate with you.

I'll add here, this is probably a legal issue. To sell to the public yet have it be so difficult to report problems raises a serious question about the honesty of the company. Perhaps something for the FTC to look at. 

PS: For future reference, here's a link to the Contact Us page. 

PPS: It's situations like this that make me seriously doubt whether the tech industry should be allowed to make self-driving cars. Can you imagine how you will ask for help when your car drives you to a dark place, at night, and just stops there, like my package did. You look around for a Contact Us link in the car, and find there is none. Now what.