Amazon nightmare

[GoingBacktoSchool123]

I ordered a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet and keyboard from Amazon costing just under £1k.

It supposedly arrived today. Any guesses as to what was actually in the box?

I have made a report to Amazon assuming they would put the issue right and they say that because the package was delivered to my address they consider the item to have been delivered and will not refund or replace the item.

AIBU to this this is totally unacceptable?

You're all assuming the OP ordered something from the Amazon Store, when it looks like something from Amazon MarketPlace, which is a whole different ballgame, and which suffers from scams like people selling non-existent laptops and sending boxes of Weetabix instead

Best thing I ever did was work for Amazon as a student over the Christmas period. I worked in customer returns and people are disgusting but the systems for Amazon are not fail safe either (this was more than 5 years ago so things may have changed).

Because of the targets customer returns doesn't really take a proper look at things (250 small items a shift, 50/60 medium items etc.). It was easy to mistake a unsealed mobile box for being sealed if the customer was crafty about it, and would only be picked up if the item was selected for a random check by the shift inspectors, but this item if missed could technically wind up reshelved as brand new - and then a customer gets a mobile box stuffed with cotton balls - although we were told they were further inspections after customer returns but no doubt some items made it through.

The most disgusting was the system telling you that obviously used sex toys and electric toothbrushes must go for resealing /refurb- because of the way the system asked the questions and if some weird tiny criteria was met, not allowing you to override or answer any further questions - but they stressed that these anamolies would be caught in the next step and likely destroyed.

I didn't understand how sometimes a brand new unopened item either undelivered or sent to the wrong person could end up in the destroy pile (obviously an exception for alcohol and food items as noone wants the responsibility for potentially contaminated food items going to someone else) and an opened used phone could be sent to refurb.

I learnt not to order expensive items especially electronics online as sometimes used faulty items could be resealed, definitely not to buy any personal use devices from Amazon. I typically order electronics from the brand store directly or a bricks and mortar shop for click and collect like a PP. Much safer that way, but i do get massive discounts through work which match the lowest price i can find for an item so an Amazon discount isn't attractive to me and I am fortunate in that way.

Omg! I had a very similar experience recently. I paid nearly 2k for a graphics card and when I received it, the box was full of bin liners. They refunded me, no problem, but the graphics card was out of stock and so I couldn't get what I actually ordered. They didn't furnish with any details, but I am convinced that someone saw what it was and nabbed it. Fuming!

Not quite the same thing but I ordered an u der counter freezer. Paid and then got an email saying they couldn't deliver it to my address as its a remote area (yep, thats why I pay for Prime).
They issued a refund.
Went on holiday last week and arrived home yesterday to a delivered...... FRIDGE.

Not sure what to do with it.......

Not sure what to do with it.

It's not that difficult, surely? You tell them and they tell you what to do with it.

@riceuten

You're all assuming the OP ordered something from the Amazon Store, when it looks like something from Amazon MarketPlace, which is a whole different ballgame, and which suffers from scams like people selling non-existent laptops and sending boxes of Weetabix instead

The screenshot says "sold by Amazon".

This happened to me - a children's book about crayons arrived instead of an iPad. Amazon were a complete nightmare and wouldn't act until I had reported the "theft" to the police. I felt awful for wasting police time when it was clearly a shipping error and not a theft since we had a parcel delivered.

@ChaoBella

This is really crap but think of this from Amazons position. If they set precedents of refunding people who have had their high value itam placed with brick/cereal or whatever then a lot of people will start claiming this.

I am not saying Amazon are right or wrong but they cannot start refunding these cases. There has to be a line where they say sorry but the item was the correct weight at both ends and signed for.

For that reason I never buy high items via a delivery service, I always go into the shop.

And yet they do refund it, every time, unless they have reason to believe they are being defrauded by the recipient. It's called "complying with the law".

Did you pay with a credit card ?

@GoingBacktoSchool123

Total value of items in the box was £36.31.

I will be initiating a chargeback with Amex tomorrow it's just a complete faff.

If have placed 171 orders on Amazon this year and 246 orders last year, most containing multiple items. My profile / spending history must surely indicate to them I am unlikely to rip them off for a tablet. Clearly they won't care.

Amex will tell you (if you haven't called already) that you need to give the merchant 14 days to refund so don't call them yet. If for any reason the chargeback does NOT go in your favour, you'll need to raise with them a section 75 (they won't offer you this proactively)

This makes so much sense my subscribe and save is really heavy think laundry detergent and olive oil they always come with a hole poked in them.

When the replacement arrived I would insist that I open the box in front of them. Failing that video the delivery & opening the box.
Ridiculous that you have been put through this faff.

When you complained what did you raise it as? Item not delivered or wrong item delivered? I’ve had the wrong thing come before and when I’ve shown it was the wrong item I’ve just had a replacement sent straight out.
Wondering if you selected item not delivered and they can see a delivery was made and so you’re falling at the first hurdle?
Seems odd that there would be so much bedding, does seem like a miss labelled box rather than theft and that would way much more than a laptop or tablet.

@ChaoBella

This is really crap but think of this from Amazons position. If they set precedents of refunding people who have had their high value itam placed with brick/cereal or whatever then a lot of people will start claiming this.

I am not saying Amazon are right or wrong but they cannot start refunding these cases. There has to be a line where they say sorry but the item was the correct weight at both ends and signed for.

For that reason I never buy high items via a delivery service, I always go into the shop.

Except that consumer protection law makes Amazon responsible. Big business can afford to bear the risk more than most consumers can.

Amex were happy to deal with my chargeback without waiting 14 days as Amazon sent their final response but as a replacement is hopefully now on its way I expect I will be able to cancel it tomorrow.

This was not ordered from a third party seller.

Moral of the story
If you are expecting a high priced item,make the driver wait while you open it.

@StuntNun

This happened to me - a children's book about crayons arrived instead of an iPad. Amazon were a complete nightmare and wouldn't act until I had reported the "theft" to the police. I felt awful for wasting police time when it was clearly a shipping error and not a theft since we had a parcel delivered.

How do you know it was a shipping error? Literally the entire thread has posts in it from people who have had expensive items stolen and replaced in the box with something else. That IS theft - the difficulty is knowing when and where the theft occurred.

Glad I read this, have decided to order my laptop directly from Lenovo rather than Amazon even though Amazon delivery would have been faster.

Amazon is going to lose customers if they don't start caring about this.

@Kinneddar

You need to ring customer service and give them the bitching of a lifetime

What's to be gained by that. Its not the customer service person who's caused the problem. You'll get on better being pleasant to the person on the phone, that's far more likely to get the situation sorted or investigated

As someone who used to work in customer services I concur. If you gave me s**t then I would back straight off and do the minimum required. If you asked nicely I would move heaven and earth and fight your corner.

i feel sorry for you its awful customer service-can i just add that i also had dealings with Amazon over a product of their own -Kindle ,basically they didn't want to know & asking i had spare plug when it was the charging point on it. I had previously owned a Kindle years before & the quality was inferior on this product.they just don't care.

@Maverick197

Glad I read this, have decided to order my laptop directly from Lenovo rather than Amazon even though Amazon delivery would have been faster.

Amazon is going to lose customers if they don't start caring about this.

Yes but if it's to do with the delivery service the same could happen regardless of where you're having it shipped from.

How do you know it was a shipping error? Literally the entire thread has posts in it from people who have had expensive items stolen and replaced in the box with something else. That IS theft - the difficulty is knowing when and where the theft occurred.
@ThumbWitchesAbroad the box was sealed and intact and looked untampered with. At the end of the day though it should be a problem for Amazon to sort out and their customer services didn't want to know. When I asked the customer services guy to speak to someone else he hung up on me even though I was being extremely polite about the issue.

Sounds like someone in the delivery hub is a tea leaf - have you had any comeback from Amazon?

The replacement arrived today. This time no password and Amazon kindly offered to leave it in my 'safe place' if no one was home. I made DH stay home all day to wait for it.

Hopefully that is the end of the matter and fingers crossed Amazon don't try to charge for the replacement.

@GoingBacktoSchool123, glad things got resolved satisfactorily in the end.

I think that Amazon probably have customers jump through a few hoops in these circumstances to route out the chancers from the buyers with a genuine grievance. If you're genuine you're more likely to do what it takes to get the issue sorted, especially if that involves reporting to the police. Although, honestly, with your purchase history they should have been able to make the judgement that you weren't trying it on.

*root out