Walmart will begin enforcing stricter customer service requirements on Walmart sellers starting July 25th 2017.
The key takeaway of the below is: You will have 24 hours to respond to customer emails, process refunds, and provide accurate order tracking information
On June 15, 2017, we emailed you about the upcoming change regarding Walmart Marketplace customer service adjustments. The change will formally go into effect on July 25, 2017. As set forth in your Marketplace Retailer Agreement, Walmart may provide a customer service adjustment (not to exceed the total amount paid by the customer, including taxes and shipping) to the customer if you fail to meet Walmart’s customer service requirements.
As a Marketplace Seller, you have agreed to respond to customer emails within 24 hours, to process refunds within 24 hours and to provide accurate order tracking and carrier information for delivery purposes.
To reduce the likelihood of Walmart Customer Service Adjustments, we highly encourage you to implement these best practices into your business for Walmart Marketplace:
Ensure your customer service phone number and email address are accurate in Seller Center at all times.
Include your hours of operation under the Customer Service section in Seller Center.
Respond to and resolve all customer inquiries within 24 hours with high-quality responses. Auto-reply messages do not qualify.
Keep records of customer emails for up to 12 months.
Provide accurate tracking and carrier information for all of your Walmart Marketplace orders. For more details, read Providing Valid Tracking Numbers for Shipments.
For documentation purposes, send customers an email summarizing the resolution, especially conversations concluded by phone.
High-quality responses to all customer inquiries are paramount to providing exceptional customer satisfaction.
Reporting on Customer Service Adjustments
You can access your seller payment report directly in Seller Center. The next payment cycle after July 25, any adjustments made by Walmart Customer Care will show in the reconciliation report with an Adjustment Description of “Walmart Customer Care Refund” (in column BD). Adjustments will be marked as “Refund” for Transaction Type (in column F). Your reconciliation report is located in Seller Center under Insights & Analytics > Summary Reports > Payment History.
How do I appeal a Walmart customer service adjustment?
Create a case through your Seller Center account for review. In the case, you will need to provide proof that resolution took place before Walmart Customer Care processed a refund. Walmart Marketplace Sellers must include the following order points for all appeals:
Order Number
Dollar amount being disputed
The reason for the refund (as displayed in your Payment Report)
Evidence of a resolution validating that no service failure occurred (e.g., communication with the customer)
If the returned item is materially different from what you shipped to the customer for the order, you must provide the following:
Photo of the item
Proof of the serial number of the item shipped and the item received back (e.g., photo)
Any additional supporting documentation
Where is my product if Walmart Customer Care processed a customer service adjustment?
If you fail to support a return by providing Walmart.com customers with clear and prompt return instructions, Walmart cannot be responsible for products or continued support for Seller return instructions (e.g., labels). When you fail to resolve customer service inquiries, customers may choose to not return the product. Walmart is not responsible for ensuring customers ship the product back to you.
Can Walmart Customer Care cancel my orders?
No. Walmart Customer Care cannot cancel Marketplace orders. We urge you to process cancellations as they arrive. We understand that orders may move into your fulfillment process quickly. If you are unable to cancel or stop shipment, notify the customer that you are unable to cancel the order and that they will need to follow your return process or refuse delivery. In these cases of attempted cancellation, do not charge Walmart customers a restocking fee.
Thank you for your ongoing partnership to deliver excellent customer service on Walmart Marketplace.
Best Regards,
Walmart Marketplace
Brian Roizen is the Cofounder and Chief Architect of Feedonomics, a full-service feed optimization platform that optimizes product data for hundreds of channels. He has been featured on numerous podcasts and eCommerce webinars, and regularly contributes to Search Engine Land and other industry-leading blogs. Brian graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
