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AIBU?

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Original poster

Amazon should reimburse me right?

168 replies

TheBlueKoala · 04/02/2026 07:07

Ordered protein bars (16). Came yesterday. Best before limit date 03.2026. Seriously? So in a couple of weeks. Tried to return but they wouldn't have it- since it's "food" you can't return- safety reasons I get this. But shouldn't they atleast reimburse me- I mean I bought these to have for atleast 4 months.

YANBU - Ofcourse you should be reimbursed!

YABU- Just hurry up and eat them all before March.

OP posts:
JerryTubs · 04/02/2026 13:35

I suspect you and I ordered the same ones from Amazon as it happened to us too. And it’s not something we would eat everyday, more like once a week. We were disappointed because usually a chocolate bar has about 6 months on it and these bars are not cheap. We have ended up eating some after the date of expiry and they’re fine but you shouldn’t have to. I think that they should have been listed as short date items.

Romancingthestones · 04/02/2026 13:28

1HappyTraveller · 04/02/2026 11:58

Oh don’t be so pedantic.
The date says the end of March, of course OP can eat them after then. My point was more that there is still TWO WHOLE MONTHS in which to eat them if OP is worried about the date and them not tasting as good.

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It's not pedantic. Best before dates are arbitrary and should be got rid of. They don't help people like the OP with phobias because they induce needless worry.

Here in France they've mostly done away with them, telling people to use their senses instead.

MikeRafone · 04/02/2026 13:24

If you won't eat them - can you take them to a food bank rather than them going in the bin please?

ColdAsAWitches · 04/02/2026 13:16

19lottie82 · 04/02/2026 10:10

It’s a distance sale, so as far as I understand you can return them anyway?

No, there's exceptions to the distance selling rule, mainly for health reasons. So food is exempted because of short shelf life and because it could have been tampered with. You can't return earrings because you might have worn them and then pass on infection, etc

MrMainwaring · 04/02/2026 13:02

TheBlueKoala · 04/02/2026 07:14

I know they won't kill me but I find it annoying to buy a product that is about to expire. And I am ott with to be consumed before- dh eats happily but unfortunately he hates protein bars..

How long are they supposed to be kept for? I'm wondering what the preservative is. Presumably these are marketed as "healthy" so it probably isn't sugar.
My thought is that you might be better off avoiding them. They're probably UPF, as most products of that ilk are.

PGmicstand · 04/02/2026 12:56

TheBlueKoala · 04/02/2026 11:34

So everyone who's got a phobia is "daft"? How nice of you- you sound very empathetic. If you had read my posts you would have seen that I take great care in only buying what I can eat because I hate wasting food.

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That's not what I meant.
I meant you're being daft because the bars are good until the end of March, which is weeks away.

I have plenty of phobias of my own. Many irrational and I'm working on this.

Edenmum2 · 04/02/2026 12:55

TheBlueKoala · 04/02/2026 07:24

Ah, thank you for understanding why I'm not happy. Everyone thinks I'm being unreasonable- which I kind of get- tbh I would prefer to return them and get new ones but since this is not possible I would like to be reimbursed. I won't eat them- it's all in my head I know but I'm ott about this even though I know intellectually that it's fine to eat a yogurt 5 days after date limit I just can't do it psychologically- I'd rather go without.

But yeah, I will write a shitty review (factual) hoping to feel better afterwards😅

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You won’t even eat them 8 weeks before they’re out of date?

YourFluentUser · 04/02/2026 12:40

You are joking right???
03/26 is end of March!! Surely you can eat 16 bars before then?

Gagagagadoesthegoose · 04/02/2026 12:38

dizzydizzydizzy · 04/02/2026 12:11

Errr well surely you realise that some of us sometimes forget to check the date, despite our best intentions?

The best before date on eggs can be up to 28 days after the eggs were laid, so if they are only 2 days before their best before date they may be nearly 4 weeks old.

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And there is still nothing wrong with them. Unless you want poached eggs or meringue. The egg whites go more liquidy the older the egg is. Lesson hard learned 😂

Original poster
TheBlueKoala · 04/02/2026 12:31

I will check out from this thread now because tiresome posters have been quite offensive saying I'm a scammer, entitled, wanting a freebie etc when all I wanted is to return the product and be reimbursed.

Thank you to those who have commented nicely- even if the majority if you thought I was unreasonable- it's noted😉

OP posts:
Original poster
TheBlueKoala · 04/02/2026 12:28

AmusedMember · 04/02/2026 12:20

Sounds like you wanted a freebie tbh. You saw the short dates and ran with it.
Absolutely ridiculous

Edited

I wanted to return the product but it was refused hence my ranting on MN. It was @Plumbernightmare who told me how to go about it. I had an Amazon account for 10 years and this will be my first "freebie" as you say. Normally I will return the product and change it but you can't with food stuff.

OP posts:
AmusedMember · 04/02/2026 12:20

Sounds like you wanted a freebie tbh. You saw the short dates and ran with it.
Absolutely ridiculous

dizzydizzydizzy · 04/02/2026 12:11

Womaninhouse17 · 04/02/2026 11:53

Eggs are fine for ages too. And if you are in a shop, you can check the dates yourself.

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Errr well surely you realise that some of us sometimes forget to check the date, despite our best intentions?

The best before date on eggs can be up to 28 days after the eggs were laid, so if they are only 2 days before their best before date they may be nearly 4 weeks old.

Bulbsbulbsbulbs · 04/02/2026 12:07

TheBlueKoala · 04/02/2026 11:29

Quite a leap there...we're talking about Amazon and a very well known brand of protein bars.

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No, not a leap. It's being entitled and applying your own rules.

1HappyTraveller · 04/02/2026 11:58

Romancingthestones · 04/02/2026 11:30

They don't expire at the end of March. Best before isn't an expiry date.

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Oh don’t be so pedantic.
The date says the end of March, of course OP can eat them after then. My point was more that there is still TWO WHOLE MONTHS in which to eat them if OP is worried about the date and them not tasting as good.

DottyLottieLou · 04/02/2026 11:57

You probably got them cheap because if the short bb date. They'll be fine for ages yet.

NemesisInferior · 04/02/2026 11:54

YABU. Amazon CS's default position is always to refund cheeky customers like this, but ultimately the bars were in date and even going beyond that would have been fine. I've got protein bars/ energy gels which are well out of date but they are still absolutely fine to use.

What is going to happen now is that the bars will just get wasted, which I think is the worst thing out of all of it just because OP is hung up about what is a pretty arbitary date.

Womaninhouse17 · 04/02/2026 11:53

dizzydizzydizzy · 04/02/2026 11:36

I’d certainly be disappointed with this, in the same way that if I had bought a box of eggs and found the date on them was in 2 days time. You could try asking again. However, I don’t think Amazon is doing anything wrong.

Eggs are fine for ages too. And if you are in a shop, you can check the dates yourself.

BillieWiper · 04/02/2026 11:46

I regularly buy and eat protein bars that are upto two years out of date. Like every day I eat them.

You will be absolutely fine. They are so synthetic they basically do not go off.

Welshmonster · 04/02/2026 11:43

Make your own protein bars. Have you seen the list of ingredients? Watch the Joe Wicks documentary on protein bars and you will never want to eat one again. You’re better off eating a Mars bar after a workout than a protein bar as they probably contain same amount of sugar. There are lots of articles to research this.

Original poster
TheBlueKoala · 04/02/2026 11:41

Crunchymum · 04/02/2026 11:36

Add in another work-out per week and then you'd get rid of them in 8 weeks!

Amazon cannot be held responsible for your weirdness around dates and the fact you only want ONE bar a week.

I wouldn't have refunded you! How much are we talking? @TheBlueKoala

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Well Amazon did. 32£. I rarely return things which is probably why they reimbursed me. I was asking for a return which was denied.

OP posts:
Gagagagadoesthegoose · 04/02/2026 11:40

Anyone who has phobia of dates should simply not shop online. Pick dates you want, don't screw businesses out of money when they send something with generally very reasonable dates

UniquePinkSwan · 04/02/2026 11:38

Lambington · 04/02/2026 07:14

Yabu to buy anything from Amazon.

There’s always one…

Crunchymum · 04/02/2026 11:36

TheBlueKoala · 04/02/2026 08:55

Yes, for wednesdays when I do a long work out.

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Add in another work-out per week and then you'd get rid of them in 8 weeks!

Amazon cannot be held responsible for your weirdness around dates and the fact you only want ONE bar a week.

I wouldn't have refunded you! How much are we talking? @TheBlueKoala

dizzydizzydizzy · 04/02/2026 11:36

I’d certainly be disappointed with this, in the same way that if I had bought a box of eggs and found the date on them was in 2 days time. You could try asking again. However, I don’t think Amazon is doing anything wrong.