TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Kathryn Plummer’s “smart” house is up and running again this week, weeks after she called Better Call Behnken for help when her Amazon account was unexpectedly put on hold without explanation.
“It’s bizarre and we still don’t have answers,” Plummer said. “They haven’t offered us really anything for the inconvenience or anything. They haven’t offered any sort of explanation or compensation or anything.”
Plummer says she was first asked through the app and through emails to confirm account information. Then she was told her account will remain closed because the account was determined to be in violation of Amazon’s terms and conditions, but she complains no one with Amazon will tell her what term or condition she violated.
After Plummer came forward about her Amazon account issues, dozens of emails with similar complaints have poured into Better Call Behnken from customers in numerous states. Plummer says there is a Facebook page where people are sharing similar stories and an online petition of about 3,000 who say they too were kicked off Amazon.
Plummer’s Echo Smart Speakers, kids’ tablets for home school and video security system all didn’t work without an Amazon account. Plus, this lockout is cost her money because her account was still charged monthly for subscriptions.
Plumber received an email from Amazon, apologizing for the inconvenience and explaining that they sometime err on the side of caution in order to protect their community.
Consumer Investigator Shannon Behnken has received new emails from others who saw their accounts restored this week. Still, others say they are still locked out, without an explanation.