I don't think there even is a problem, from Amazon's point of view. CSRs can't tell you the truth ("we will try to avoid refunding you or will delay it as much as possible"), they can't stay quiet (because then delaying won't be as efficient) and they can't blame the company (because... well, they can't). So lying is basically all they can do.
They should speak the truth, citing the Amazon policy on the matter, and provide the path for escalation.
As it stands, I will vote negatively for any CSR interaction that doesn't resolve my issue immediately while the conversation is still active, irrespective of whether they say they have addressed it.
In any high-churn job environment like customer support it's easier to assume people will leave rather than fire them. Most of the time you'll be right. That means there's no incentive to manage bad workers.
Well they must give the stateside CSRs a different script because whenever I win the lottery and get an American on the phone it's a night and day difference. Notably they seem capable of solving complex problems without lying or smoke and mirrors.
An actual example, I recently had an issue that while straightforward and not that difficult to solve, was likely "off script". After being handed off between 4 different chat agents, and subsequent phone calls with two different Indians (who lied and made promises that weren't kept), my problem was not solved. At my wits end (and nearly 2.5 hours of my time wasted) I called back one more time. Inexplicably, I got a lady with a Southern accent. She solved my problem in under 10 minutes (and that included the approval she had to get from her supervisor).
