Why Jeff Bezos gives the same terrifying reply to customer complaint emails
Topics: Amazon, Jeff Bezos
Lucy Devine
Featured Image Credit: Getty/Alex Wong/Getty/Michael M. Santiago
Topics: Amazon, Jeff Bezos
If you've ever encountered an issue with Amazon, you might decide to email founder, Jeff Bezos, to try and resolve the problem.
After all, [email protected] has had a pretty good success rate.
One person emailed Jeff after his parcel went missing, then there was the woman who was left in shock after the Amazon founder responded to her message.
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While customers have been left overjoyed to see action taken after emailing Jeff with their issues, Amazon employees reportedly dread a one-character email from the boss.
Turns out, when Jeff, 60, receives an email he thinks needs escalating, he forwards it to the relevant Amazon exec - and gives the same response every time.
One person on Reddit explained that they'd been working at Amazon for a month when they were sent a very short email by Jeff.
It didn't say much, but it was enough to spring him into action.
He explained: "About a month after I started at Amazon I got an email from my boss that was a forward of an email Jeff sent him. The email that Jeff had sent read as follows: '?'
"That was it. Attached below the '?' was an email from a customer to Jeff telling him he (the customer) takes a long time to find a certain type of screws on Amazon despite Amazon carrying the product."
"... While all emails Jeff receives get a response, he does not personally forward all of them to execs with a '?'. It means he thinks this is very important."
Not only did the exec go on to find a solution to the problem, but it became a huge focus for over a year.
Despite the positive outcome, it's probably not what you want to see land in your inbox.
In fact, Madni Aghadi said it's something Amazon employees find pretty terrifying.
"This scares everyone at Amazon," they wrote on X.
Jeff has spoken about it himself, too, during an interview at the George Bush Presidential Center back in 2018.
"I still have an email address customers can write to," he said.
"I see most of those emails. I see them and I forward them to the executives in charge of the area with a question mark. It's shorthand [for], 'Can you look into this?' 'Why is this happening?'"
It's part of Amazon's drive to be customer-focused, rather than competitor-focused.
"We talk about it, customer obsession, as opposed to competitor obsession," he said.
"If your whole culture is competitor-obsessed, it's hard to stay motivated if you are out in front. Whereas customers are also unsatisfied, always discontent, always want more.
"So no matter how far in front you get in front of competitors, you are still behind your customers. They are always pulling you along."
While not everyone gets a Jeff response to their email, it's worth a try if you've got an issue that needs resolving.