My Amazon account has been closed for a week now. What is wrong with Amazon? Looking on the internet, I'm not the only one who has this issue. @amazon if this is an April Fools joke, just know that April Fools is over by now #AmazonClosed
— Nathan Cho (@HatchCanon) April 5, 2018
Some of the thousands of Amazon users who were shut out of their accounts are reporting that they’re once again able to access their accounts, but some have lost data in the process.
Earlier on Friday, April 6, we reported that thousands of Amazon users say they’ve been shut out of their accounts over the past week with no reason or explanation as to why.
Angry customers took to social media to complain that they were not only unable to access their accounts but that when they contacted Amazon about it, no valid reason for the shutout was given. A private Facebook group created last week called “Can we get our accounts back, please” has more than 3,000 members (although a few posts on the site have admitted to violating Amazon’s policies). Another private group, called “Class action against Amazon” created a week ago has more than 700 members.
Many users on both Facebook groups and on Twitter reported that their accounts were reinstated on Friday. While some were able to carry on with Amazon as normal, others lost some data. Most were angry that they were targeted for removal in the first place.
“I was in the top 1,000 reviewers and never violated my (terms of service),” Twitter user Stylist&Reviewer told Digital Trends. “My account is re-opened, yet my reviews are wiped!”
“I worked hard for a few years to get to the top reviewers list, and to have them wipe it all with no explanation or reason is infuriating. We pay too much as Prime members to be treated this way…” Stylist&Reviewer added in a second tweet.
An Amazon spokesperson said that the company was cracking down on those who might have violated their terms of service, but were evaluating claims that accounts were shut down in error. She confirmed that some accounts have been reinstated.
“Amazon has taken action against bad actors and those who have violated our community rules. If any customers believe their account has been closed in error, we encourage them to contact us directly so we can review their account and take appropriate action,” the spokesperson told Digital Trends.
Almost all of the people affected reported the same thing: They attempted to log into their accounts, only to get an error message with a note saying that the email address associated with their account doesn’t exist. Several users reported spending hours on the phone with Amazon attempting to sort it out without any luck.
The hashtag #amazonclosed has generated dozens of comments from customers who say they’ve received no clear answers as to why they’ve been locked out of their accounts. Those with Amazon Prime accounts often have Kindle books, movies, and music stored in the cloud, making losing all of it a big pain and a big loss.
“Amazon closed my account after 15 years,” Lee Anderson wrote on Twitter. “Prime member, Kindle books, gift card balance. Need answers.”
Updated on April 6: Added a statement from Amazon and to provide more detail on user accounts being reinstated.
