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Amazon Refuses Refund After Delivering Empty Box!

Posted on 30th May 2021

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Show all posts in this thread (Online Shopping).

On the surface, this story on Fstoppers is not a surprise. Amazon has a terrible reputation for customer service, and there are many stories on the Internet that suggest that the company is sometimes complicit in fraud perpetrated against their customers.

In this case Amazon delivered an empty box to customers in Alabama instead of the camera worth $7,000 that they ordered, and then refused to give the customers a refund.

The reason that I mention this case is because of the ideas that the the article mentions (some done by the customers in this case, and one not) to ensure that you can get a refund when appropriate.

Based on the article, and some common sense, my recommendations are:

  • If you are asked to sign for delivery, do not do so if there is any reason to be suspicious (based on the size, weight or damage to the package) - in such cases sign only after opening, and make the delivery company wait while you open it;
  • Weigh the package before opening it, and video this being done (this is in case the shipping company cannot provide proof of the weight);
  • Video the opening of the parcel;
  • If there is any problem with the package, immediately file a credit card dispute with your credit card company;
  • If you are asked by Amazon to review the product, do so, being clear but not profane (if you are profane, your review may be suppressed) about what the issue is;
  • Go to the Amazon web-site, click to view your orders, and click to return the order - send back exactly what you received, including any damaged packaging;
  • If you are refused a refund, post about your dissatisfaction on as many social media services as you can: Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, etc. (not much point writing a negative review on Amazon's own web-site);
  • As a last resort, be prepared to sue.

The last time that I ordered from Amazon was also not a great success. The HP printer cartridges that I ordered turned out to not be genuine HP items (not mentioned in the product listing), and therefore didn't work in my HP printer. I gave a review to Amazon when asked, stating that the products were not fit for purpose, and not as advertised. In response I got a "Thank you for your review" from Amazon, but no other action; it seems that the reviews are not checked by humans. I was at least able to return the items and to get a refund, but if the supplier hadn't been honest, I would have got no help from Amazon.