To think Amazon are starting to Scam

[Starling7]

I'm really struggling to believe that Amazon are above board these days.
I just moved into a new flat, and after much research treated myself to my first new TV ever ( I'm 53 😅 )
It was delivered and then after about ten days we took it out of the box ready to hang on the wall.
That's when I noticed that the box wasn't factory sealed but just taped up at the top - so much chaos here I hadn't noticed before.

We got it on the wall and turned it on only to find it had a massive crack across the screen literally from top left to bottom right.

We took it down and put it back in box immediately.

I requested a return. Amazon stated it would collect today between 10.30am and 7pm - luckily I was able to stay in, but I imagine many people would not be working from home.

It came to 6.30 and I called them, only to be told that they had 'tried to collect ' but I wasn't ready???!!! That's a whole day of my life I will never get back. She couldn't rebook until Friday (another whole day) so that's just another 5 days they've got my money!

I've read that many people have had issues getting refunds from Amazon recently, and I'm terrified they will try to blame me for the cracked screen even though it came to me like that.

The woman in customer services was soooo rude also.

The whole thing left me feeling like I was battling the Matrix 😭

Anyone fought Amazon and won? Any tips?

Not really, always found them really easy to deal with tbh.

I find them excellent for returns!

They are geared up for you to do returns online, not by phone.

I brought a clothes airer two weeks ago. Went to use it yesterday and it basically broke/ collapsed. Contacted Amazon and they couldn't be more helpful. Refund issued without any problems....

I definitely think they are nowhere near as reliable as they once were, and the cost of books on there is outrageous.
The last three things I've ordered from them have been iffy: an expensive hand wash with a clearly broken pump; the wrong Hey Duggee character plushy, and a book with a really damaged cover. I didn't return the first two as I could use another pump dispenser and the HD character was ok, but I sent the book back which was fairly straightforward, just a hassle.

Had no problems, even being told keep something after a refund had been issued and the parcel then turned up (it was about £30).

not the same but i returned 2 items recently and it was a nightmare getting a refund. it claimed i hadn't dropped the items off for a week despite the fact i did and had email proof,
i spoke to them twice on the app and they assured i did return, yet tracking still didn't update and eventually it said "return failed" so back on to them and eventually got a refund but did put me off a bit

Amazon wouldn't be my first choice to buy a TV from unless it was really cheap but I have generally found them ok with returns.

I have always found them brilliant at returns. They are the only company I know who refund as soon as you drop the item at a parcel shop rather than waiting for it to arrive with them and then taking up to 14 days to ‘process’.

I do tend to get an awful lot of stuff that has already been opened/ not factory sealed, but I just return it if that is the case. They're usually pretty easy to return to.

The only Amazon return I've even had a problem with was a 'Marketplace' seller, who advertised 'Free Returns', and then wanted me to pay for an expensive return to China, in spite of claiming to be based in the UK! I had difficulty getting Amazon to do anything about it initially, but in the end they refunded my money, and I believe stopped the seller using their website.

However, in all honesty I wouldn't blame them if they did refuse to refund you, as you're usually expected to check items upon arrival, and make companies aware of any damage/breakages within 24/48 hours. Being the suspicious person that I am, I'd be asking why you didn't check it right away, but then, I've made that mistake myself in the past with a shower tray, which we didn't unpack until it was ready to be installed a couple of weeks after delivery, only to find that one of the corners which was hidden by cardboard, had got a massive chip out of it. Luckily we were able to cover it with the tiles, as the company refused to refund, referring me to their T&C's.

So if you do get your money back, or a replacement OP, think yourself lucky, and in future, be sure and check for breakages or damage IMMEDIATELY upon receipt!

Well yes, I do think there are scam items scattered on the site, but I don’t think amazon is scamming in the way you describe.

I’ve never had a problem with a return. I’m disabled and shop at Amazon a ridiculous amount both because it’s hard for me to leave the house and because they are a great source of supplies I need. Admittedly, I wfh so being around for a delivery or a pickup is not really an issue. I just have to hope I’m not in a meeting.

I’ve only ever called them once in the decades I have been a customer. Almost everything can be handled with their automated system. Admittedly that call was not pleasant, but I didn’t expect it to go well.

Ok, I should add that I have had no issue with cheaper items to return.

The reason I am panicking is the huge number of people online who have had difficulty getting a refund from Amazon when it is a high priced item.

Yes, I dropped off 2 items at 4.30pm on Saturday at an Evri return place and the money was back in my account by Sunday morning.

I returned a treadmill recently. They picked it up via courier and refunded the cash within a couple of days.

I have not had an issue with refunds from Amazon, but I have always done it on-line or via the app.

To be honest, my tip would be don’t use Amazon again. They’re dodgy as fuck. Their new drone system sounds insane when you hear about the finer details. I don’t use them when there are many other better, fairer alternatives around.

hope you get your refund!

You should have contacted them immediately to say the screen was cracked, but that is true of any retailer.

Amazon couriers aren’t any different from any other tbh, sometimes they say they’ve tried to pick up when they haven’t.

I had a new drive laid 4 years ago... the entrance was taped off with striped tape to show no entry and the Amazon driver climbed over the garden wall to get onto the wet freshly laid drive! Left a massive footprint in the resin ... I ran to the door shouting get off the drive it's just been laid! They refused to do anything about it.

Surely most of the stuff sold on amazon these days isn't actually sold by amazon it's sold by a 3rd party. I stopped buying nearly so much off there when I realised how much of it is cheap tat sold by Chinese bulk sellers nowadays. It never used to be but there's definitely been a shift the last few years

I spend about £3k on Amazon a month on average and have never had problems getting a higher value item returned, including four figure cameras and laptops.

That's fantastic - I'm so glad that everyone has had good experiences still. Hopefully all will go well 🤞

You can filter to exclude third party sellers, so you won't even see any of those.

I've had to completely change the way nI use Amazon (and so spend a lot less than I used to) because of this. Their search facility has always been rubbish but it's almost useless now if you aren't buying directly from Amazon because the bulk sellers are such scam artists.

And so many of those 3rd party sellers bribe people for 5 star reviews (which Amazon won't let you mention if you review the product) so you can't trust those at all.

I've never had a problem. I just say something is faulty and they refund me without question, only sometimes collecting it for return.