A thriving family business has been devastated after a disgusting mistake by an Amazon worker resulted in a customer receiving a used swim diaper, its owners claim.
Paul and Rachelle Baron, owners of Beau and Belle Littles washable swim diapers, say the mistake sparked a scathing one-star review, which in turn sent sales plummeting.
The couple allege their million-dollar empire, which was even featured on Rachael Ray’s show, is now $600,000 in debt because the mistake is putting off other clients.
The Barons’ nightmare began when Amazon accidentally sent a customer a used, feces-covered diaper that had allegedly been returned by another buyer.
The disgruntled shopper then posted a one-star review along with a stomach-churning photo of the product. It read::’The diaper arrived used and was covered in poop stains. Nothing could have been more disgusting!!!
‘I guess someone returned it after using it and the company just didn’t check the item and then sent it back to us as if it was brand new. They weren’t any small stains. It really grossed me out.’
The couple claims the review is the reason for the drop in sales.
Baron told Bloomberg: ‘The last four years have been an emotional disaster.
‘Shoppers may think that returning a dirty diaper to Amazon is a way to get their money back without suffering casualties, but we are a small family business and this is how we pay our mortgage.’
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Despite the Barons’ pleas, Amazon refused to remove the damaging review.
“We are sorry to hear that a seller feels their return was not properly evaluated and resulted in a negative review,” Amazon spokeswoman Maria Boschetti said in a statement to the outlet.
‘We encourage our seller partners to reach out to us if they have any concerns and we listen to their feedback to help us continue to improve the selling experience.’
Now, Amazon’s returns inspection process is under scrutiny as similar incidents come to light.
Amazon insiders told Bloomberg that warehouse workers, pressured to work quickly, often don’t have time to conduct thorough checks.
If the package appears sealed and unused, it is often not checked, the source said.
The Barons established their business a decade ago after enrolling their son Beauregard in swimming lessons.
They found that his swim diapers were too tight on his legs and had to be removed like underwear, making cleaning difficult.
They came up with the idea of a reusable swim diaper with snaps that made it adjustable and easier to remove.
At their peak, they reached a million dollars in sales, appeared on the Rachael Ray Show, and were even featured in Forbes.
Her entrepreneurial dream arose from Rachalle’s desire to be able to stay home to raise her children.
The review was first published in 2020 and received over 100 “upvotes” from buyers who found it “helpful.”
It negated the hundreds of positive reviews the company had received and meant the algorithm was now working against its business.
The Barons worked all year to get the review removed without help from Amazon. They even tried to contact founder Jeff Bezos directly.
A month later, they received an email from another customer who also claimed to have received a used diaper, although they did not publicly share their story in an official review.
“Amazon talks a lot about helping small businesses,” Paul told Bloomberg. “But they don’t really do that. We started this as a dream to make enough money so Rachelle could stay home.
“It should be common sense,” Rachelle added. “Why would you put something like a diaper back into inventory to resell it?”
