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Whether your Amazon seller account has been suspended, you’ve had a product suspended, or you’ve simply received a performance notification requesting a Plan of Action, writing an effective POA is critical when Amazon requests one!
A Plan of Action needs to be a concise, point-by-point written explanation of why a problem occurred and what steps you have taken to fix it and to ensure it never happens again.
What NOT to do:
- Don’t hit reply immediately after receiving a performance notification
- Don’t waste time trying to get Seller Support to tell you what the problem is
- Don’t write a long, rambling message
- Don’t bring emotion into your reply
- Don’t shift blame away from yourself whatsoever…don’t blame customers, your suppliers, Amazon, a competitor, or anyone else
- Don’t try and get Amazon to take action against malicious competitors…not yet
- Don’t complain about Amazon policies and procedures
- Don’t write to Jeff…unless it is absolutely, positively your last resort after exhausting every other avenue
What to do:
- Be sure to reply
- Do your homework and identify the problem
- Embrace the opportunity to improve your products, systems, processes
- Be professional and courteous
- Write clearly and concisely…focus on objective facts and actions
- Make it easy to read…use lots of bullet points, not long paragraphs and blocks of text
- Identify exactly what caused the problem…don’t state what the problem is, but why it happened
- Take full responsibility for the problem, and do not make excuses…even if you don’t believe it was your fault
- State in a very clear numbered list the specific actions you have taken to rectify the problem
- Consider holding just a little bit back, in case Amazon asks for more information
- Make sure you follow through and consistently implement the actions outlined in your action plan
- Report abuse by competitors only after you have been reinstated
- When in doubt, hire a 3rd party with expertise in dealing with Amazon suspensions
Need Help?
Have you been suspended by Amazon or received a performance notification, and you want input on how to handle it? We can help! Click here to request a free 30-minute discovery call.