I WONDER how many people think, as I did, that if you buy something from a company listed on the Amazon website, it goes wrong and the seller cannot solve the problem, then Amazon's guarantee covers it – it doesn't.

A few weeks ago I needed a new set-top box for my TV. I clicked on Amazon, found one which suited me, and ordered it using the password and payment details already in their possession.

The box eventually arrived and worked well for almost three months. Then it stopped working.

I tried to contact the seller and was eventually told they had ceased trading so contacted Amazon who initially said it was covered by their 'A to Z' guarantee.

They then changed their minds on the grounds that the item had been delivered and I had not complained within 14 days.

This is, of course, ridiculous given the circumstances. They suggested I should claim on my credit card but there is a lower limit of £100 on such claims. They also suggested I should contact the manufacturer but there is no name on the box – merely 'Made in China'.

I have written this episode off to experience but Amazon have lost a fairly regular customer. Cheap prices are not much good when the service is also cheap.

– B. C. Baker, Lydney.