AIBU to expect Amazon to correct their mistake of refunding someone else’s account?

[VintageStitchers]

I received a pair of trainers for DS from X as a Christmas present.
They had been bought via Amazon before Christmas and delivered mid-January. Fair enough.

Trainers were too small so I ordered an identical pair from Amazon in a bigger size and returned the original pair using the details from the gift receipt supplied in the box.

Amazon’s own policy says that the original gift giver will not be informed of the return and that the money will be credited to my account as a gift card balance.

I wanted DS to be able to wear the trainers when we can eventually meet up with X, and for X not to know that they bought the wrong size.

I completed the paperwork online, took a screenshot (!) and returned the trainers. Trainers were logged as having been received by Amazon Returns and refund to be issued.

No refund appeared in my account so after 4 weeks I’ve contacted customer services via Amazon Chat online.

They’ve admitted that they’ve refunded X’s account in error and stated that as the refund has been issued, there’s nothing more they can do. They actually suggested I contact X to ask for the money! Both the original chat person and the chat person’s supervisor have said this.

I’m astonished and angry that they’ve accepted they made a mistake but they’re not prepared to put it right. The amount is less than £50.

Has this happened to anyone else? Where shall I go next? I have no idea how to use Twitter so not keen on tweeting about my complaint.

Am I being unreasonable to expect Amazon to credit my account?

I'm not really sure what you want them to do? Give you the money and let the gift give keep the money? They cant take the money back off the gift giver. Just call the gift giver and explain and ask them to send you the money. They know you returned them so you really should speak to them.

I find it a pain with refunds on Amazon too. I had an online chat where he asked "Refund to the original card or gift card?" I specified the original credit card, only to be given a gift card. As I'm in Ireland and Brexit changed the customs etc. I didn't want that.
Two weeks later they refunded the same thing again...I couldn't get them to understand that either so kept it.

It's a pain but I think you do need to contact the gift giver now, if for no other reason than they'll otherwise think you just didn't like or want it. Presumably they arranged a gift receipt for you because they knew there might be a need to exchange so are unlikely to be offended. Totally agree that Amazon have dropped the ball here, but I wouldn't expect them to refund twice over which is all they could do at this stage

Amazon won’t give you a gift card now that they have processed the refund to the original purchaser. They would essentially give you a free pair of trainers for no reason at the expense - this wouldn’t stand up in court. You’re not allowed betterment off of a genuine mistake.

Again, why can’t you just ask the original purchaser to reorder them or send you a gift card? If they’re close enough to buy you a gift, you should be able to comfortably explain the situation to them.

A refund via a gift receipt was always going to be a gift card at the absolute most. I would have waited to reorder the item when the refund has been processed on the gift card.
Surely if you know this person well enough for them to send gifts then you can make them aware the refund went into their account? I don't know why you would still be chasing Amazon when they have already paid out the refund.

In the US, I email complaints that aren’t resolved by supervisors to [email protected]. I’ve always had great solutions and compensation when things have gone awry. Maybe there is a British equivalent? It feeds into their executive customer relations team who reply ‘on behalf’ of Jeff.

If Amazon sent £50 to Joe Bloggs, and you couldn’t contact them without the provision of data under protection laws, they would refund you. This is no different - still their error.

RESOLVED:
I set up a call back and finally got through to someone who understood the issue, agreed that the error was entirely of their own making and credited my gift card account to the correct amount.

For those who seem to have misunderstood the issue...
The whole point of a ‘Gift Receipt’ is to allowed the receiver to return the item for Amazon store credit, not actual cash.

I’m astonished by how many of you would accept that Amazon (who had made the error) should do nothing because they’d already processed the return but credited the wrong account and for the customer (me) to try to get the original gift giver to pay the gift card money directly back to me. Which can’t really be done.

If your bank credits someone else’s account with your salary by mistake, would you think it your job to chase the other account holder for your money?

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