Royal Pet Kingdom International, Case Study (suspension case)

Problem:- The account was suspended due Forged documents violation

Clients Requirements:-

to understand how to write an appeal and explain the Root cause, Immediate steps taken and also future plans to avoid the violations from happening again

Solution:-

We help the seller create a detailed POA as below and the
account was activated

PLEASE NOTE:

As advised by the Amazon seller support team, we are addressing the below issues to reactivate our account:

— An explanation that justifies why you provided documentation that appears to be forged or manipulated–Unfortunately, our new employee had previously uploaded a ‘CANCELLED’ order invoice in error for the reported item. We take complete responsibility for the Error made and try to avoid repeating this violation in the future. We have also submitted the correct invoice as requested by the Seller account health team.

— Evidence that demonstrates that the documents you provided are not forged or manipulated–NEW INVOICES WERE MARKED INVALID as the items were purchased Through an online auction, therefore they have refused to provide us with an LOA by the supplier. we acknowledge that our team was not acquainted enough with the sourcing procedure that must be monitored and inspected regarding the essential documents including the supplier letter of Authorization and product authenticity verification before an item may be listed on the Amazon marketplace.

NO FUTURE INVOICES ARE FORGED.
We take complete responsibility for the suspension. Our account has been suspended as our supplied documentation to Amazon appears to be forged or manipulated, and we are working by Amazon guidelines for its elimination as soon as possible. We would like Amazon to address our appeal, and we are willing to provide any further information without delay if required.

ROOT CAUSE:

THE ROOT CAUSE: We acknowledge the mistake we made as we did not provide an inspection on the account management and the Uploading Invoices procedure led to the mistake made by our recently employed Virtual Assistant (VA) who falsely submitted a canceled order invoice from the following company. This is the main reason why the invoice appeared to be forged and we take full responsibility for the mistake made as we did not provide an inspection to double-check before submitting the invoices.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE RESUBMITTED THE ORIGINAL INVOICES WE HAD REGARDING THE REPORTED PRODUCTS, BUT THEY WERE MARKED INVALID AND WERE NOT ACCEPTED BY AMAZON TEAM.
We acknowledge that we failed to provide adequate training and put procedures in place to avoid this happening. Our newly employed staff was not fully trained to understand the correct procedures and processes to get Brand Approval and sourcing procedure.
An Inconsistent filing system for invoices. We did not have a correct procedure to file our invoices, and we did not stay on top of keeping the paperwork filed. This has led us to this mistake. We place many orders a month with our various suppliers, and when you’re running a business, it can sometimes feel like you’re drowning in paper.
Sourcing Issue—Why OUR ORIGINAL RECEIPTS and SUPPLIER LOA COULD NOT BE VERIFIED BY AMAZON: We source products from what we believe were verified sellers, We were not very well acquainted with Amazon Policies and Sourcing Verification. We acknowledge that our sourcing procedure did not include checks related to supply chain verification to verify product authenticity or Right Owners Authorisation Documentation (LOA). We acknowledge that we had incomplete knowledge of vetting suppliers and inventory to avoid infringement and violations.

PLEASE NOTE THAT: We acknowledge that we failed to appoint a verified supplier for the reported item and ended up listing items without checking whether they require authorization in order to sell them on Amazon.

Supplier Details (Invoices Marked ‘INVALID’)
PEDIGREE WHOLESALE LTD | www.petproducts.co.uk
Pedigree House, Ambleside, Gamston, Nottingham NG2 6NQ
Tel: 0115 982 3900 | Email: sales@petproducts.co.uk

IMMEDIATE, CORRECTIVE MEASURES:

IMMEDIATE STEPS TAKEN TO AVOID FUTURE ISSUES:
- We have immediately ‎trained our staff with all submission and sourcing procedures. We do not modify invoices or request suppliers to make any modifications to match Amazon requirements.
- We have implemented an invoice inspection with two additional dedicated staff to monitor the invoice submission process and to do the final check on invoices before submission.
- We have immediately ‎trained all our employees again to ensure this does not happen again. We will provide VALID invoices to verify the product authenticity when requested by Amazon.
- We deleted the entire PREVIOUS inventory from seller central.
- We have appointed another verified supplier who can provide us with proper invoices instead of receipts. (NEW INVOICES ATTACHED).
- A Dedicated Management staff has been hired immediately to ensure our business is compliant with amazon policies, and we have made every effort to resolve it by taking all the necessary steps and putting a plan of action in place.
Successfully trained and acquainted ourselves with the following Amazon Seller University guidelines:
- learn about Amazon’s policies along with best practices in sourcing products to sell on Amazon: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/learn/courses?moduleId=138e5124-b70b-43b6-85ba46c2a54f8465&ref_=su_refined_search&modLanguage=English&videoPlayer=youtube
We have ceased SOURCING from suppliers who fail to provide the supply chain verification and the right owner’s authorization documentation. All our suppliers are now vetted to ensure we only buy authentic goods.

Supplier for future inventory (INVOICE CAN BE SUBMITTED)
CATEGORY: Events & Party supplies

Party Delights Limited | www.delightsdirect.co.uk

Units 3-4 Tallow Way, Fairhills Road, Irlam, Manchester M44 6RJ

UK VAT No: GB798195656 Tel: 0333 900 9000

We have immediately acquainted ourselves and our team with Selling Policies and Seller Code of Conduct and implemented a policy in place to ensure that NO future invoices are forged.
https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/external/G1801
We understand that all documentation we submit to Amazon must be genuine and unaltered, with the exception of the removal of prices, and I promise to obtain and present only authentic and unaltered invoices from our suppliers.
Prohibited Seller Activities and Actions https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/200386250

We want to assure Amazon that in the future, if Amazon requests any documents, we will submit original documents ourselves and will make sure all documents are submitted unaltered.
From 23rd December, we ensure that we source all the products that we wish to sell on Amazon directly from the manufacturer or through authorized distributors – who will be able to provide Right Owners AUTHORIZATION LETTERS AND LICENSES. This will be verified by calling the Manufacturers or Right Owners Directly.
We will also ensure that the products which do not have the supporting documents will not be listed on our inventory. we have created a checklist to ensure that the following documentation is obtained prior to signing up with any suppliers or listing items for sale on our inventory:

Invoices (Clearly identifying the product – with supplier information, i.e., Company number, contact details and web address.),

Supply chain verification / Invoices,

Letter of Authorisation from Rights Owners (Must showcase that we are authorized to sell the relevant items
We have employed staff who will work from our office, and there will be access allowed to anyone outside our office to make sure that all tasks conducted on our account and the account are monitored at all times, so such errors do not happen again from our account.
When we list products for sale using, we will make sure that the product being offered is accurately described and matches the data currently visible under that ASIN including the EAN or UPC Barcode, product title, brand, manufacturer, and part number. All product will be inspected and reviewed before approving them for sale on my Amazon seller account by checking that it has Brand Authorisation Letters.
In addition to the above steps, we work in full compliance with the following policies and guidelines:

Product Detail Page Rules https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/200390640
Condition Guidelines https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/200339950
Amazon Anti-Counterfeiting Policy https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/201165970
We have acquainted ourselves with Categories and products requiring approval https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/external/G200333160. We have new listing and sourcing procedures in place to avoid violations in future.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES:

Every item we sell on Amazon will be sourced directly from the authorized Distributor. We will individually check this information with the manufacturer with regard to purchasing from authorized distributors.
We genuinely understand that allegations of authenticity are a severe matter, and the affected customers are not just ours; they are Amazon’s customers too, and our carelessness can hamper Amazon’s image. As a seller on Amazon, our prime goal is to have good communication with our customers and ensure they are satisfied with the experience.
We will make sure there is no remote access given or allowed for our account, and if amazon requests any documents, they will be submitted by the owner, making sure all documents are Original and unaltered before submitting them to Amazon.
THE STEPS WE CARRY OUT TO CHECK THE SUPPLIER VERIFICATION DOCUMENTATION: The following steps will be conducted to validate the suppliers and authenticity of the items we intend to sell Prior to any purchase:
- We now reach out to the right owners directly, making sure the supplier we are purchasing the products from is authorized by them to do so.
- We now request letters of authorization directly from the right owners asking for permission to sell their products on Amazon.
- we are seeking advice from independent solicitors www.vwv.co.uk and when required to ensure, we request necessary documentation with the Manufacturers, and that they are verified.