Amazon just let me keep a $200 item for free. They do not want me to return it with a full refund

[0388631]

Here you go. It started with JamesMike.

It would seem you should return it if they send you a refund.

Then I replied.

Except they'd have to trash it. Amazon and other retailers are well known for taking the loss. It costs them more to create a label, get it sent back and put it back on the line or send it to the correct person than to write off the item.

If you get 2-3 repeats of the same item(s) you ordered, they also have you keep it or sell it or whatever you wish to do with them, except this is incredibly rare.

Then you quoted me, and saying "I think" without having any concrete reason to refund the item and how refunds and unsolicited goods work in later posts.

I think that depends on the item, as it likely doesn't cost them more of a hassle to do that for something that is about $200 in general.

Now we've come full circle. For a lot of items under a few hundred dollars, Amazon may not care and ask you to keep it. Especially if it may be seen as a biohazard, which a trimmer or electric razor would be considered to be once used or not used. If you don't want a PC part anymore or an expensive vacuum cleaner, chances are you will have to send the item in. Though I've heard of people being told to keep an SSD, video card or cheap ($500 and under) monitor because it isn't worth Amazon's time to restock it and the costs involved. But if it were a $5,000 TV, you bet your ass you're going to return it. Unless they sent it in with your electric razor. Then you get to keep it. And the person who signed off on the order will likely be fired.

 

[C DM]

Here you go. It started with JamesMike.



Then I replied.



Then you quoted me, and saying "I think" without having any concrete reason to refund the item and how refunds and unsolicited goods work in later posts.





Now we've come full circle. For a lot of items under a few hundred dollars, Amazon may not care and ask you to keep it. Especially if it may be seen as a biohazard, which a trimmer or electric razor would be considered to be once used or not used. If you don't want a PC part anymore or an expensive vacuum cleaner, chances are you will have to send the item in. Though I've heard of people being told to keep an SSD, video card or cheap ($500 and under) monitor because it isn't worth Amazon's time to restock it and the costs involved. But if it were a $5,000 TV, you bet your ass you're going to return it. Unless they sent it in with your electric razor. Then you get to keep it. And the person who signed off on the order will likely be fired.

As you can see I commented on just the part about the cost of returns vs items. Nothing about repeated items, which didn't come up at all anywhere until you added something about it in one of your posts, but which wasn't really related to anything, at least certainly not to what I commented on.

 

[0388631]

As you can see I commented on just the part about the cost of returns vs items. Nothing about repeated items, which didn't come up at all anywhere until you added something about it in one of your posts, but which wasn't really related to anything, at least certainly not to what I commented on.

Yes, and I explained the cost of return vs the write off twice before you kept repeating your thoughts. You could have dropped it there but you continued to do so.

 

[C DM]

Yes, and I explained the cost of return vs the write off twice before you kept repeating your thoughts. You could have dropped it there but you continued to do so.

As I explained my part of it, just as you commented with your take on it. None of that involved anything about duplicate items or anything of the sort, which once again surfaced almost out of nowhere and deflected things. Now with that out of the way, it seems like things are just going in circles, so there's not much more to say about it.

 

[D.T.]

Interesting, I've been an Amazon customer for ~18 years, and I've done a fair number of refunds, including a few lower cost items that might fall into a "biohazardous" category, and I don't recall ever being told to just keep something. I've had replacements where the item was defective and I was told not to send in the original a few times.

Recently I missed a return window for various reasons, and I was still able to get a full refund with a reasonably quick online chat (FWIW, I did return the item), so still decent customer service. I actually need to contact them about a consumable that had a bad bottle (out of an 8 pack), I'll see if that goes well.

Side note: Monoprice, where I buy all my cables, has a replacement policy that's pretty much zero hassle and to date, has never required returning the defective product.

 

[willmtaylor]

No. Read the post carefully. If I order a Ryzen 1800X today, and Amazon send me two. I can keep both because they can't ask for it back per FTC regulations. I only ordered one, got charged for one, and got two. They can kindly ask to send it back, but that delves into grey law and they're banking on you not knowing about it. If Amazon decided to charge me for the second item later on, I can report them to the FTC and they will be asked to roll back the charge and they'll be fined for their action. The order page clearly stated I wanted only one, but if I got two, I cannot be charged once more for the second item. Thus it's up to my own good will to either send it back, sell it or give it as a gift.

They have been cases in the last few years where Amazon's accidentally sent people thousands of dollars worth of items with their measly order and were told to just keep it. Because the write off to them is always cheaper than sending it back and processing it.

I'm not sure how much clearer I can be to you. If you get unsolicited goods sent to your address, you are within your legal right as an American to keep those goods. You may not be charged for those goods either. If you are, you simply complain to the state AG and the FTC. Though these apply more to shady companies. In my prior example, if I ordered one 1800X and got two, I get to keep the second one. I only solicited one unit from Amazon, not two. The second is an unsolicited good. Amazon cannot charge me for the second unwanted good if they noticed it later on, and I'm not obligated by law to say anything to them.

If you're ordering from a questionable company, charge it on your CC that has decent protections, like AmEx. Your creditor will laugh in their face once you explain what happened and fax or email them proof of you only buying one item. The creditor will deny the second charge.

They can also cancel your account at any time without notice, so there's that.

 

[0388631]

They can also cancel your account at any time without notice, so there's that.

Amazon tends to cancel accounts of serial abusers of their marketplace. Not someone they don't agree with over a refund. That's bad for business. Besides, any incentive you get from them is recorded on their side on your account.

 

[willmtaylor]

Amazon tends to cancel accounts of serial abusers of their marketplace. Not someone they don't agree with over a refund. That's bad for business. Besides, any incentive you get from them is recorded on their side on your account.

I wasn't implying that a user's account would be cancelled from 1 exchange; I'm sorry if it came across as such.

However, it is always within Amazon's "rights" and those who have repeatedly returned items have suddenly had their accounts cancelled. Just a warning for anyone thinking that maybe they too could take advantage of the above anecdote/policy.

 

[0388631]

I wasn't implying that a user's account would be cancelled from 1 exchange; I'm sorry if it came across as such.

However, it is always within Amazon's "rights" and those who have repeatedly returned items have suddenly had their accounts cancelled. Just a warning for anyone thinking that maybe they too could take advantage of the above anecdote/policy.

Right, fair point. Two people have and they made the news rounds last year. But this isn't what the OP experienced nor what I was talking about. Costco has a similar policy, too. Actually, Fry's did, too. Many years ago. They adjusted their policy about a decade ago. I've been with Costco for a long time. I've only had to return something once, otherwise they tend to vet their products compared to other retailers.

 

[dannyyankou]

Amazon is awesome. A couple weeks ago, I ordered a few books and they didn't get delivered on time. So they said they'll ship the books again, however the books from the original order came two days later, and they said I could keep them. I just gave them to my brother, lol

 

[Tech198]

hehe.. its good to get stuff for free.. Perhaps they are trying to win people over somehow??

 

[Melrose]

I've had similar experiences with Amazon. Nothing that pricey, but if I contact them about an issue I'm having on stuff anywhere up to like $50 - and I tell them I'm not requesting a refund! - they apologize all over the place and refund me within like 5 minutes.

 

[Huntn]

It would seem you should return it if they send you a refund.

Some retailers don't want certain items back. I realize the idea even if they can't resell it, might be to make sure the customer is not lying or taking advantage of them, but for this case, ultimately if it is unresellsble, it's just more money wasted. However, I would have guessed for a $200 item, they would want it back.

This example does not even come close $ wise, but on several occasions, I've ordered things electronic adapters or chargers (from China) that don't work, and was told here is your refund, you can toss them.

 

[smallcoffee]

I think that depends on the item, as it likely doesn't cost them more of a hassle to do that for something that is about $200 in general.

Well you also have to factor in that this OP is part of the reason they do it.

But likely the markup on a $200 shaver is substantial, and so yeah the cost to ship it back and forth, and the probability of selling a second hand one being low, it makes sense for them to just let the customer keep it.

I once order a book and accidentally ordered the audio book, they told me to keep it, gave me a refund, and sent me the paper back copy.

Another time I ordered a book and (I am a Prime customer) wasn't going to get it within two days for some reason (according to the tracking information) and wanted it for a flight I was going to be on so I asked them to cancel the order and I would just buy it locally, they gave me a refund and told me to keep the book!

 

[0098386]

A few years ago I was buying my partner a PS3 for Christmas. As I was wrapping it I noticed that it didn't include a bonus DVD. I emailed the supermarket I ordered it from expecting them to just post me a copy of the film.

Nope! A few days later I received another PS3 and no reply. But, huh, there was no DVD again! So I emailed, politely. A few days later I now had 3 unopened PS3 consoles and still no reply from the supermarket. I gave up. It was only a film and I had 3 consoles that I had been allowed to keep.

I thought I'd keep one of the systems for myself (they still to this day make the best media centre). I opened the box and, ta da! The film was inside the box all along in a slim sleeve. No mention of it on the box at all.

So I gave one to my parents, one to my sister, and one to my partner. I emailed them telling them I found the film but they never chased it up. Got to keep everything. The end!

 

[Tech198]

Kinda. It is a electric shaver.
[doublepost=1488404898][/doublepost]Do you all think I should return it anyway and Amazon can deny it if they still don't want it?

Would be telling the truth, but then u'd be wasting postage costs if Amazon didn't want it anyway. I'd just take their word for it otherwise they would of asked u to return it.

I'd also shop there again in future as well

 

[Maccster]

I'm glad for you, but I'm pretty sure the loss will not be Amazon's.