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Help needed - amazon customer services (ha!)

14 replies

Graphista · 03/02/2020 15:41

On my 4th call today trying to get help with an issue I'm having with my echo dot.

First 3 call handlers couldn't understand me even enough to open account - even when I spelled out details using NATO phonetic alphabet and I spoke slowly and clearly.

Last call they are very clearly simply reading from a script, they haven't even come across the problem I'm having before anyway and their answer was to factory reset both the echo dot and my fire tablet which is in my opinion excessive and unnecessary for a fairly minor issue!

What's happening is when I am streaming tv (on any app) occasionally/intermittently the echo dot will beep, a blue line appears at the bottom of the screen on the fire tablet, streaming freezes either temporarily or altogether. Sometimes I can "press play" and it will restart but sometimes I'm having to close the app altogether and restart.

It's also happening intermittently when I ask Alexa a question - before the most recent Alexa update if I asked a question while streaming tv it would mute but continue streaming tv while answering the question then return the volume and continue streaming after the question was answered.

Also very oddly when streaming radio it's occasionally playing as if 2 different radio stations streaming but it's the one station but a delay on one stream so eg a song will start playing then a few seconds later it will start playing again - both through the dot as a speaker (at first I thought one stream through speaker and one through tablet but then I turned tablet off altogether and could still hear it)

Ironically a sort of "echo" occurring digitally.

The only way I've found of fixing this is asking Alexa twice to stop playing that radio station leave it for a few mins then try again.

I've only had the tablet and dot a few months why are they performing so badly?!

And to then get precious little technical support is most frustrating!!

Can anyone help?

Either with tech side or customer service side.

I genuinely have no problem dealing with call handlers from other countries IF they can do the actual job, I've mostly had good even excellent experiences with other Amazon non-uk call handlers but today's have been dreadful!

OP posts:
SistersOfPercy · 03/02/2020 15:48

Go for Live Chat. They only ever seem to want to replace the items so I suspect they will issue you a return label and send a replacement.

I had issues with a show last year, spoke to live chat and received a replacement the following morning. Sent the old one back in the new ones box.

See if a replacement dot fixes it first.

dontgobaconmyheart · 03/02/2020 15:51

Just use the Live Chat option OP, much easier, or request a return of you believe the device to be faulty.

Graphista · 03/02/2020 15:55

I really think replacing the device is very excessive!

Plus I'm housebound so it would be difficult if not impossible for me to return device.

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

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Graphista · 03/02/2020 15:56

I'm on live chat now 2nd person - 1st person was also useless.

Why are they all so rubbish at the job they're supposedly trained to do?!

OP posts:
Doyoumind · 03/02/2020 16:02

It's hit and miss on both the phones and the chat imo. There are some very good people at the one in Ireland.

icelollycraving · 03/02/2020 16:05

I find live chat pretty good.

Graphista · 03/02/2020 16:10

Yes if I get through to Ireland, USA or the Caribbean the service is excellent but today's people no idea where they're based but they're very much going by a script which has little to no relevance to my particular issue!

Most of the time they're pretty much immediately saying to factory reset both devices which is a faff and a half and I think unnecessary for a relatively minor issue!

OP posts:
Khione · 03/02/2020 16:28

I've had the echo echo when playing the radio. Stopping it and starting again fixed that for me too.

The only thing I can think of for the other is to make sure voice activation is off for the fire tablet so that she isn't listening on that device but only on the dot. Not sure if that's a possible issue or not but I don't have any other ideas.

Graphista · 03/02/2020 16:47

I'm not sure that would work (turning voice activation off on tablet) as I think that would deactivate voice activation on dot.

Why can't these companies simply make devices that work - and not keep fiddling with them?! It was fine before the last software update was released so that's clearly buggered it up!

OP posts:
ImGoingSlightlyBrad · 03/02/2020 17:03

Type up a short but consider summary and email Jeff Bezos. [email protected].

He has a team that deal with escalated complaints and when I emailed them, they were very efficient and fair.

Shinygoldbauble · 03/02/2020 17:06

I have a fire tablet and an echo. I think a previous poster is correct. The blue line and freezing is Alexa thinking you are asking a question.
I turn off the voice activation on the tablet when I am in the room with the echo.

Graphista · 03/02/2020 17:27

Tablet and echo dot always in same room right next to each other, in using the dot as a speaker for the tablet.

How would I turn it off on tablet but it stays on for dot?

OP posts:
Stevienickssleeves · 03/02/2020 17:29

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

Shinygoldbauble · 03/02/2020 17:30

In the options on the swipe down at top there is an icon like a head with lines. Tap this icon.

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