Amazon delivery drivers put me off making high value purchases from Amazon

I wouldn’t order high purchases from Amazon because if it goes wrong, you can’t take it back. For example, I love Argos as they seem to be really good of products are faulty and their deliveries are often signed.

I’m grateful I live in a flat as my Amazon driver never knocks and they always leave it in the communal hallway. My neighbours are all great and don’t touch each others parcels and it’s safe from the elements in the hallway inside but that’s not the point - I could be home and get a notification stating it’s been delivered.

I bought one off eBay and Royal Mail left it outside, no packaging, and it was supposed to be signed for....Amazon are actually pretty good in comparison

DH ordered an apple watch from Amazon a couple of years ago. Had to give a code to get the parcel delivered. When he opened it it was a packet of biscuits. Took months to get the money back from Amazon who were incredibly unhelpful. Has put me off ever using them again.

I thought they only know the rough idea of the contents of the packages if they have a lithium battery - this includes a £15 power bank or alcohol as they need to seek ID, regardless of the age of the person.

Unless laptops and iPads are only sent in certain boxes which are coded.

Better is subjective. I’ve always used MacBooks and love them, but part of that is that it’s what I’m used to, I’m fully in the Apple ecosystem and it works for me. For light usage, just browsing, emails, a bit of word processing etc, I doubt it makes much different to be honest. I said above but I’ll say it again here, I’ve always bought AppleCare for my MacBooks and would really advise it. I’ve had three MacBooks since 2010 and two have needed expensive repair work which was done free by Apple because it was covered - one was very close to the end of the three year period. Most recent was about 2018 so could have changed since then but always been painless. Not sure if they sell AppleCare through third party retailers - I buy direct because I customise mine.

This is part of what you are agreeing to by supporting a company that doesn't pay it's taxes and treats it's staff like dirt.

That's why it's cheap.

Why single out Amazon?

I've had high value items stolen by Royal Mail, Hermes, DPD, Evri, etc. Basically it's a risk with any courier/delivery firm.

Worst was maybe 10-15 years ago, I ordered a top of the range iphone from Asda. Empty jiffy bag arrived! Delivered by some dodgy looking bloke in a clapped out old Nissan Micra. I ran after him up the drive, but he drove off. Luckily I got his number plate. Took A LOT of phone calls and complaints before Asda took it seriously and sent a replacement - they kept trying to fob me off saying it was the delivery firm who were liable, then saying it was my fault for signing it without opening and checking the contents, etc.

Another was Royal Mail. Claimed they'd delivered a laptop, tracking showed it had been delivered, but I'd been in all day, and the post man hadn't been near (I have a view of my drive and outside roadway from my front office window). After weeks of complaints/phone calls to RM, they pinged over a photo allegedly showing it was half way through my letter box. Very impressive trying to say a laptop computer could fit through a letter box - it looked more like a small box of chocolates and was clearly not even my letter box! Finally got fed up with RM and just claimed directly against the seller who, again, tried to argue it wasn't their problem and my claim was against RM, but soon saw sense when I started the small claims court case against them!

If at all possible, it's far safer just to buy from a store. These days I tend to get high tech stuff from Currys - yes, choice is poor and prices usually a bit more, but at least I can collect in person so don't have the stress and time wasting of arguing with dodgy delivery firms and online sellers who don't understand the law.

Ah, thanks - that's good to know.

I presume they don't rely on the old trick of having their own 'exclusive' models (i.e. slightly different colour knobs or an additional tiny logo) with an extra letter on the end of the product code, so they can claim that the cheaper retailer is not selling exactly the same item as them?

I've had phones, computers, tv etc from Amazon and never had an issue with delivery or returning faulty items x

I'm not sure you can actually buy expensive things from JL and take them away as they warehouse alot of stock.

We had a nightmare though with delivery from JL who lied through their back teeth that a very large mat costing £600 had 'been delivered yo a neighbour who had subsequently requested they take it back as she had no room to store it' ... wtf?? I know all the neighbours in our small street and this did not happen. They had to apologise in the end saying they actually shouldn't have said that.

There are many things about Amazon I don't like. But I have never had an issue in getting a refund or in them believing me if an item hasn't turned up.
If you are concerned I would get it delivered to somewhere nearby that accepts Amazon deliveries and then open your package while you are there.
Or if it is delivered open it in front of the delivery driver
Also I presume you will pay with your credit card? If so that also gives you a degree of protection

The codes have actually been causing huge issues. Somewhere in the supply chain, someone will swap the laptop for something similar in weight, the parcel is handed to the recipient who gives the OTP, driver drives off and when the parcel is opened there’s a few books in there. Amazon won’t refund because it’s been securely delivered, credit card providers won’t authorise a chargeback because Amazon provide proof of secure delivery and it takes weeks or months of continuous emails to get anywhere with a refund.

Here’s an article about the issue. Not saying all delivery drivers are unscrupulous or that the OP should be concerned they know she has an expensive laptop, but this personally puts me off ordering expensive items from Amazon.

My husband bought an Apple Mac from Amazon, imagine his disappointment upon opening the box to see that it contained 2 boxes of soap powder. He had to return the 2 boxes of soap powder and then go through the tortuous process of claiming his refund.

He was successful in receiving it within 10 days, he was originally told it would take up to a month. He was insistent and perserved but many people would not have the time or the patience to pursue the refund which means that they would be out of pocket of a substantial amount of money whilst it sits in the Amazon bank account.

Happened to me. Ordered an iPad. Gave Amazon guy the code. Thought it seemed awfully heavy. Inside was a bottle of detergent. Also I had to escalate at customer services because the chat man wanted me to send them the detergent back

DS ordered a PS5. When it was delivered and the driver left he opened it and it was a house brick wrapped in bubble wrap.

Amazon refunded but it had put us off.

https://www.johnlewis.com/customer-services/prices-and-payment/price-promise

But it seems it's a refund thing, rather than being able to ask them to match a price before you buy.

They've recently redirected the 'not knowingly undersold' thing, with limited retailers. Amazon is one of them

Do JL still price-match with online retailers?

I thought the dawn of Internet shopping had pretty much put paid to their 'never knowingly undersold' guarantee now?

Many reasons to try to break the Amazon habit but it's peak Mumsnet to do so because you're suspicious of the "sketchy drivers" (is the implication that working-class people are all dodgy?) rather than because the drivers (and other workers) are horrendously treated and underpaid.

If its Amazon selling not a third party via them, its more than likely to be delivered by Amazon.

Surely, though, if they have to cancel the delivery, they reschedule it - and refund you if they can't fulfil it for some reason? They would know that they haven't delivered anything, and thus you wouldn't be charged.

You don't necessarily have to hold your phone under the driver's nose to film them - if you don't have a camera doorbell, you can buy very cheap tiny cameras and could just discreetly attach it next to your door on the delivery day.

If you did get a dishonest driver, there would be more chance of filming them doing something incriminating before you open the door, rather than when they know that somebody is standing there.