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Amazon refused to refund $7k after shipping an empty box instead of a Sony A1

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Re: Amazon refused to refund $7k after shipping an empty box instead of a Sony A1

#241

Post by ghaff »

ageitgey wrote: post #215

Like most people, I've ordered a lot of packages (hundreds?) on Amazon and almost never had a problem. In the rare case of a problem, Amazon would instantly refund me. But almost all those orders are under $1000. Everything changes when you have a problem with an expensive order. Amazon has a price threshold where the support system is different and the normal CS people are powerless. During lockdown, I ordered a Son…

I assume it must be location-dependent.

The only problem I've had over the past year or two was with a headset that didn't work properly. I returned it via a UPS will pick up the box and slap on a shipping label option. They never did. But there was eventually a tracking number in the system anyway. UPS basically shrugged and said that the computer says it was picked up. But the refund went through anyway. I assume Amazon decided that UPS had picked it up and lost it.

Re: Amazon refused to refund $7k after shipping an empty box instead of a Sony A1

#242

Post by yreg »

ageitgey wrote: post #215

Like most people, I've ordered a lot of packages (hundreds?) on Amazon and almost never had a problem. In the rare case of a problem, Amazon would instantly refund me. But almost all those orders are under $1000. Everything changes when you have a problem with an expensive order. Amazon has a price threshold where the support system is different and the normal CS people are powerless. During lockdown, I ordered a Son…

Didn't you dispute it at PayPal/your CC company/your bank?

Or were you afraid of getting banned from Amazon?

Re: Amazon refused to refund $7k after shipping an empty box instead of a Sony A1

#243

Post by jeeva357 »

Amazon has different face masks for different countries even though Same Executives handle multiple countries. As far my interrogation with one of Amazon's customer care executives most the calls with language setting to English all over the world to amazon has been handled mostly in India due to cheap labor workforce.There customer care exectives has some base limit for refunds apart from which requires approval from Manager and authorised representatives after Investigations. However there are many allegations that the amazon is not treating with same level of gentleness to all other developing countries like India.

Vox media Podcast How amazon became giant and dominates the Indstry https://www.vox.com/land-of-the-giants-podcast

Re: Amazon refused to refund $7k after shipping an empty box instead of a Sony A1

#244

Post by ghaff »

jacquesm wrote: post #235
Freestyler_3 wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They lost my 15$ package and even though they promised refund and a gift card, they never came through. Now I don't use amazon anymore than I really have to.

I don't understand that. The 'than I really have to' bit, is Amazon now so entrenched that you can't get around them anymore?

If I were to decide that I wasn't going to use Amazon starting tomorrow, I'd be spending a whole lot more time checking a bunch of online stores, paying for shipping, driving around, etc. So, yes, they are for a lot of things. While I certainly ordered from them pre-pandemic, the pandemic has brought home to me how many things I can just order rather than put on a shopping list and drive around to stores to find and purchase.

Re: Amazon refused to refund $7k after shipping an empty box instead of a Sony A1

#245

Post by ghaff »

tomduncalf wrote: post #240
gambiting wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm genuinely surprised that people have such vastly different experiences with Amazon. I made 231 orders with them last year(lockdown....) And haven't had a problem with a single one. Couple times I wanted to return something they just refunded me without asking to send the item back. Everything arrives next day, always(here in UK anyway), and the customer support is stellar compared to literally anywhere else. Anyo…

Yeah, I’m in the U.K. and I don’t think I’ve ever had a real issue with Amazon. Deliveries are on time 99% of the time and returns are simple (they even covered a £60 Post Office return of a heavy product I decided to return, because their only option required a printer and this was mid-pandemic so I had no way to access one). Based off this thread I might think twice before ordering expensive stuff from them though…

In the US, I tend to favor one or the other of the big US NYC "camera stores" for electronics. (Or a local Best Buy.) The prices are usually the same and I feel they're probably a bit safer if there's some sort of problem.

Re: Amazon refused to refund $7k after shipping an empty box instead of a Sony A1

#246

Post by longwave »

odnes wrote: post #205
amatecha wrote: post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For returns you have to print a barcode and put it in the box. You don't get your refund until they physically scan the code in the box. Maybe it's not standard everywhere, but this process has been around for some years now. If the package never gets to the return center, no refund would be processed…

Hmm, maybe I'm wrong then. Though I could imagine that if this happened to you legitimately that you would have some legal recourse to get your money back; you fulfilled your end of the return by posting it, its not your fault the courier screwed up.

Amazon UK usually refund you as soon as the package is scanned into the shipper's tracking system. I've dropped off a return at a Hermes point and received a refund notification while walking back to my car.

There is the caveat that they will recharge you if the item isn't in good condition, but if they never receive it, I guess they can only assume the shipper lost it.

Re: Amazon refused to refund $7k after shipping an empty box instead of a Sony A1

#247

Post by tompccs »

Gene_Parmesan wrote: post #208
input_sh wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I buy directly from the publisher and have never had any issues. They might take a little longer to arrive, but they're always in perfect condition. Sometimes they even throw a free e-book my way, which I appreciate the hell out of. I understand purchasing from other categories on Amazon, but with books it's so easy to avoid Amazon all together. Plus you know you won't receive a counterfeit ( https://twitter.com/nost…

Soooo many counterfeit books on Amazon, especially textbooks. Nothing quite like dropping > $150 on a big book only to get an obvious inkjet job in the box.

This might not be foul play - lots of textbooks are formally out of print and printed on demand by the publisher. The quality is lower for that reason.

Re: Amazon refused to refund $7k after shipping an empty box instead of a Sony A1

#248

Post by amelius »

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #175
Closi wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Electronics is certainly more of an issue - Nobody is shipping empty boxes of toilet paper. The main issues you get are when returns are put back into stock but haven’t been sufficiently checked. I used to work for an online retailer who sold things like games consoles and the amount of return scams we got was absolutely shocking. If you sold a games console with a free game (usually a code inside the console) people…

Off topic but I have seen interesting labels that break destructively. If you could turn that into a ribbon, then any box could be wrapped in such a way any tampering is evident. If you could also print a QR code on top, then you have a per shipment tamper proof I suspect it exists but i am sure there is a long way between that and cost effective useage

Isn't it a basic consumer right to take items out of the packaging, try them, and then return them?

Re: Amazon refused to refund $7k after shipping an empty box instead of a Sony A1

#249

Post by einpoklum »

dalbasal wrote: post #160
Shacklz wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Thus is life. No, such is full-blown neoliberal capitalism, where the only thing that is considered worth optimizing for is profit. Once you accept that there are other variables that deserve consideration and cannot just be abstracted by price and profit alone (most prominently customer and workforce satisfaction), other optimizations will come into play, which will reduce the amount of crap people have to deal wi…

I really wish the term capitalism hadn't been invented. Maybe it was useful in the 1840s, but in my lifetime it always seems to yield a thin hand wavy way of looking at things... whether your pro or con. The mental equivalent of shouting to win an argument. Whatever your definition of capitalism, I'm sure you can find examples outside of it. There are an infinite number of variables besides profit. Profit isn't the o…

> A system of people is a system of people, whether it is a church, company, municipality, whatever.

Different systems of people behave very differently with different kinds of motivations, stimuli and sanctions, on the individual and collective level.

And while there are many variables besides profit, it is money (and capital in particular) which enables most activities of a commercial corporation - not voluntary willingness to work or serve for some purpose; and it is Amazon's profit which the organization is designed to promote and maximize, over anything and everything else.

Re: Amazon refused to refund $7k after shipping an empty box instead of a Sony A1

#250

Post by ageitgey »

ghaff wrote: post #241
ageitgey wrote: post #215

Like most people, I've ordered a lot of packages (hundreds?) on Amazon and almost never had a problem. In the rare case of a problem, Amazon would instantly refund me. But almost all those orders are under $1000. Everything changes when you have a problem with an expensive order. Amazon has a price threshold where the support system is different and the normal CS people are powerless. During lockdown, I ordered a Son…

I assume it must be location-dependent. The only problem I've had over the past year or two was with a headset that didn't work properly. I returned it via a UPS will pick up the box and slap on a shipping label option. They never did. But there was eventually a tracking number in the system anyway. UPS basically shrugged and said that the computer says it was picked up. But the refund went through anyway. I assume A…

I'm guessing it's more price-dependent. I'm sure Amazon would refund a headset and not really care if they got it back or not. But try getting a refund on a $5,000 studio microphone and you will probably have an entirely different experience.

Somewhere around $1,000-ish seems to be the magic threshold where their rules change and you get lost in the management void.

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