Amazon chaos averted for Jersey customers after technical issue fixed

Tuesday 22 August 2023

Amazon has resolved a technical issue which left islanders unable to order items.

The Jersey Consumer Council had previously issued advice that those experiencing problems when ordering from the online retailer should list their country as the UK, after it received reports that the online retail giant was unable to deliver to Jersey or items set up as repeat orders through ‘Subscribe and Save’ were no longer available.

Now, they have shared the news that customers in Jersey are able to place orders as normal, and that the problem has been fixed.

A spokesperson for the JCC said: "We’re delighted to hear that the delivery issue that was affecting Amazon customers in Jersey has been resolved. We understand that it was simply a technical issue that caused it, which Amazon say has now been fixed."

Issues with online retailer Amazon have been reported since GST changes were brought into effect in July.

These changes meant that all products ordered from large online retailers are now subject to 5% GST.

The JCC had previously said they were "in touch" with Amazon "to see if they can shed any light on this issue and are awaiting a response."

They continued: "We have also had lots of messages from Islanders who are experiencing an issue with Amazon where they are now being charged GST in addition to VAT. But again, this doesn't seem to be affecting all Amazon shoppers in the Island."

Social media users responded to the JCC's post with their own experiences, with one commenting: "Amazon changed their programming. They don't just rely on your given address, they also use IP code identification. Mine does not work at all, I can't even order a Firestick, something that Amazon makes and sells. It says only available to UK addresses. Same for every product."

Another wrote: "It's an IT glitch apparently and Amazon are looking into it. Best fix is seemingly to add your address again based on postcode lookup and accept the way Amazon formats it with UK selected as country. VAT will still be removed and GST added based on the postcode."

One islander even shared their correspondence with Amazon's customer service (below):

Deputy Sam Mezec, who has previously criticised the Government's decision to introduce GST to all online orders, also wrote: "Seems a really strange and annoying inconvenience that lots of people are suddenly facing."