Illustration by Dustin Elliott

By Christopher Elliott
Guest Columnist

When Bret Taylor finds a cheaper gaming keyboard online, he asks Amazon if it will price-match. A representative says yes — three times. And then the company refuses.

Christopher Elliott

I recently was shopping for a gaming keyboard online. I found a SteelSeries APEX 7 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard for $159 on Amazon. I noticed that I could buy it elsewhere for about $32 less.

I initiated an online chat with Amazon, asking if they would price-match. A representative told me three separate times, in writing, that Amazon would match the other price. Amazon advised me to place the order and then file a price-match claim.

I ordered the keyboard and then asked Amazon to match the price. But it is refusing to give me a refund for the price difference. Can you help me get the $32 Amazon owes me? — Bret Taylor, Duncan, Okla.

Amazon should have promptly credited you the $32, as agreed. But wait a second. Did Amazon specifically agree to give you $32? Actually, it only gave you a vague promise to price-match, but you got it in writing, and as they say, a promise is a promise.

It looks like something went sideways with your order. I can see that you initiated several online chat conversations with Amazon representatives, and they not only told you they would price match but they encouraged you to place your order through Amazon. Then they said they would price match.

But Amazon does not price match. According to its site, it is “constantly” comparing its prices to those of its competitors to ensure its prices are as low as or lower than all relevant competitors. “As a result,” it says, “we don’t offer price matching.”

That’s nonsense. Amazon is saying, “trust us, we have the lowest prices,” but clearly, it does not always have the lowest prices, as you found out. Then it says it doesn’t do price matching, but it secretly does. It’s confusing.

You were smart to get Amazon to put its promise in writing. That makes it so much easier to resolve a complaint. A quick, polite email to the company should have gotten this fixed. I publish the names and numbers of Amazon’s executives on my consumer advocacy site.

I contacted Amazon on your behalf. A representative contacted you and said the company had been wrong to offer you a carte blanche price matching guarantee when, in fact, it doesn’t offer price matching. But there’s a useful lesson for you here. If this ever happens again, make sure the company is specific about what it will do, right down to the dollar.

To those of you who say, “Why didn’t you just order from the cheaper online store?,” I think you already suspect the answer. They are not Amazon, a company with a strong reputation for customer service. Personally, I would pay a little extra to order through Amazon because I know they would take care of me if something goes wrong. The other guys? Maybe, maybe not.

Amazon offered you a $50 gift card instead of crediting you $38, which you accepted. But you still have reservations about your resolution.

“I’m still a little concerned that they can put things in writing and feel they do not have to abide by that,” you told me. “I’m still trying to find out if that is even legal.”

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at [email protected] or get help by contacting him.