Amazon announced Thursday that it would offer a form of restitution to its aggrieved customers after shipping problems prevented orders from being fulfilled in time for Christmas.
The online retail giant is offering $20 gift cards and waiving shipping charges to customers who did not receive their gifts in time for the holiday, as was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The delays, however, were out of Amazon’s hands. Both UPS and FedEx admitted fault, saying the volume of packages this season far exceeded their expectations. “Demand was much greater than our forecast,” a UPS spokesperson told the Journal. The company also cited inclement weather as a factor in the delays.
The snafu comes as retailers like Amazon reported some of the biggest holidays sales seasons ever — though, as always, Amazon declined to give any hard numbers.
Daily deals site Groupon also provided an ad hoc form of apology to its slighted customers, offering $25 gift cards to those who didn’t receive their Groupon-related gifts in time.
