Amazon Sent Back A Return I Didn't Make

[Weaselboy]

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0181-unordered-merchandise

If you didn’t order it but you received it, you can keep it and you can inform seller at your discretion.

Common misunderstanding, but that law does not apply to this scenario. That law is designed to stop scammers from sending you a box of toner cartridges then billing you for it hoping you don't notice you never ordered it to begin with (just an example). It is aimed at things sent to you unsolicited.

That is not what happened here. Nobody sent @Mac'nCheese anything. The package was apparently sent from Amazon to the real owner and was somehow accidentally delivered to Mac'nCheese (if I am understanding correctly). In that scenario, keeping the package would be theft. Not saying anybody would bother to prosecute, but it would still be theft.

 

[ucfgrad93]

I do remember trying to return something once that was pretty inexpensive. They refunded my money and just said to keep it. I guess the postage back and work needed to return it to the shelves wasn't worth it to them. I also have heard that some people are banned from Amazon because they returned too much stuff.

I've had Amazon tell me once to keep an item I wanted to return. It was a book that my son needed for school, but it didn't have page numbers. When I contacted them, they just said to keep it and refunded me the entire amount.

 

[imaccooper]

Thankfully I have only had a couple of Amazon returns needed, but in both cases they told me to just keep what I had gotten.
The first time I ordered something that was a starter pack that included several things and a set of two of the actual item, but I only got one. I emailed them and just asked if they could send the second of the two items, but they decided to credit me for half of the purchase price (much more than the cost of just one item) and told me to keep what I had. The second time I received a faulty item and they refunded me the money and i just threw the item away.

 

[Mac'nCheese]

Common misunderstanding, but that law does not apply to this scenario. That law is designed to stop scammers from sending you a box of toner cartridges then billing you for it hoping you don't notice you never ordered it to begin with (just an example). It is aimed at things sent to you unsolicited.

That is not what happened here. Nobody sent @Mac'nCheese anything. The package was apparently sent from Amazon to the real owner and was somehow accidentally delivered to Mac'nCheese (if I am understanding correctly). In that scenario, keeping the package would be theft. Not saying anybody would bother to prosecute, but it would still be theft.

It was a little weirder than it just being delivered to me accidentally. Like, I get mail addressed to other people all the time. I just drop it back into the outgoing
Mail box at work. This was actually addressed to me. That’s what was so weird. How did the computer spit out a label with my info on it for something I had nothing to do with.

 

[Weaselboy]

This was actually addressed to me. That’s what was so weird. How did the computer spit out a label with my info on it for something I had nothing to do with.

That is odd... sounds like somebody at Amazon really goofed.

 

[Nermal]

I've never had to return anything to Amazon

I've done two returns and got excellent service both times. Both were damaged DVDs.

The first time, they sent out a new copy immediately and asked me to send the old one back. They asked me how much it cost to send it back, and reimbursed me immediately. Once they received the original item, they then gave me a $50 gift certificate for my trouble.

The second time they didn't ask for the original one back. They asked me to place a new order for a new copy and to then supply the order number so they could set the price to zero. I'd ordered with standard shipping but they bumped it up to priority for free.

As you can probably tell, I was happy!

Meanwhile, a friend recently ordered some parts for his car. He received them... along with some other parts that he didn't order. Amazon told him to keep them.

 

[LizKat]

Man if Jeff Bezos ever reads this thread he'll probably split a gut. All those pennies flying out the window every day can add up over time... unless they really have crunched all the numbers to a fare thee well and chosen for each generic "return scenario" the method that is least costly to them overall.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Man if Jeff Bezos ever reads this thread he'll probably split a gut. All those pennies flying out the window every day can add up over time... unless they really have crunched all the numbers to a fare thee well and chosen for each generic "return scenario" the method that is least costly to them overall.

Suppliers pay for returns!

 

[0388631]

We have Amazon labeled delivery trucks here. Some stuff ships UPS or USPS but a lot of stuff here through actual Amazon carriers.

I've seen minivans. Not sure if they're contractors or actual Amazon delivery people. They're rubbish.

 

[Mac'nCheese]

I've seen minivans. Not sure if they're contractors or actual Amazon delivery people. They're rubbish.

We get deliveries from amazon sometimes from a rented van. Seems weird to me but maybe that’s cheaper than UPS.

 

[0388631]

We get deliveries from amazon sometimes from a rented van. Seems weird to me but maybe that’s cheaper than UPS.

I thought it was a holiday thing. I truly wonder if they are Amazon or it's just rented out LaserShip vehicles. They also used to use a company called Grey Overnight or something like that about 9 years ago, I believe. LaserShip gets bad rep but the few times I had them deliver they were professional and courteous. USPS/UPS/FedEx last mile is very good in our area.

I genuinely love Amazon because our location puts us about in the middle of multiple distribution warehouses. Prime 2 day is more like 24 hours for us or sometimes less! If we use the free shipping for credit on our next order for non-rush items, it still gets here in 2-3 days. Sometimes 4 days during the holidays.

 

[qtrim]

I ordered a refurbished camera lens once that was probably worth $200. They sent me the correct box, but inside was a $900 Sony lens. Sweet

 

[0388631]

Golden State Overnight is the company I was thinking of. They only do a tri-state area on the west coast.

 

[LizKat]

Suppliers pay for returns!

I ordered a refurbished camera lens once that was probably worth $200. They sent me the correct box, but inside was a $900 Sony lens. Sweet

A few times around on stuff like that and what supplier wants to deal w/ Amazon? Unless the right hand knows not what the left hand is doing and no one at Amazon or a supplier is really keeping track of what gets shipped vs what got sold.

On a snapshot basis at a given moment maybe everything looks ok. This starts to sound, though, somewhat similar to why the Army can't make a good audit... no one knows where all the jeeps really are at a given time so the differences end up in a fudge factor, missing stuff is plausibly "pending" or "in transit" with paperwork to match up "eventually".

 

[Kerry78]

I think I’d of returned it just don’t want anything like that haunting me lol

Amazon are really good, however when our Flymo Garden Strimmer broke out of warranty they made us return it we didn’t have the packaging nor would it disassemble so we had to wrap it up in brown paper lol amazon sent us a brand new one in return!

But was a right laugh at post office

 

[mollyc]

I thought it was a holiday thing. I truly wonder if they are Amazon or it's just rented out LaserShip vehicles. They also used to use a company called Grey Overnight or something like that about 9 years ago, I believe. LaserShip gets bad rep but the few times I had them deliver they were professional and courteous. USPS/UPS/FedEx last mile is very good in our area.

I genuinely love Amazon because our location puts us about in the middle of multiple distribution warehouses. Prime 2 day is more like 24 hours for us or sometimes less! If we use the free shipping for credit on our next order for non-rush items, it still gets here in 2-3 days. Sometimes 4 days during the holidays.

We used to get generic lasership vans and sometimes we even get ordinary cars with hack drivers. But recently we get vans painted blue with the amazon logo, which seems slightly more legit.

 

[Apple fanboy]

A few times around on stuff like that and what supplier wants to deal w/ Amazon? Unless the right hand knows not what the left hand is doing and no one at Amazon or a supplier is really keeping track of what gets shipped vs what got sold.

On a snapshot basis at a given moment maybe everything looks ok. This starts to sound, though, somewhat similar to why the Army can't make a good audit... no one knows where all the jeeps really are at a given time so the differences end up in a fudge factor, missing stuff is plausibly "pending" or "in transit" with paperwork to match up "eventually".

No supplier wants to deal with Amazon. But not dealing with them is suicide!
I use Amazon for the convenience like everyone else, but as someone who sells to Amazon, it’s no surprise they are such a wealthy company!
They charge you for literally everything.
Everything they buy is on sale or return.
You pay for the shipping there and back.
If goods arrived damaged they fine you.
Don’t upload their invoice on their system they fine you.
They take a rebate for sales targets, marketing services and advertising.

Marketplace is even worse. It’s just a race to the bottom. Lowest price wins. Then Amazon expect their suppliers to match it (even though you are being charged by Amazon in ways a marketplace seller does not).

So when you think Amazon have given you an amazing deal or sent you a FOC item. Just remember they never pay for it.

 

[Weaselboy]

We get deliveries from amazon sometimes from a rented van. Seems weird to me but maybe that’s cheaper than UPS.

Most of my deliveries now come from Amazon drivers, and almost always in what looks like their personal vehicle and not a rented van of any kind.

So when you think Amazon have given you an amazing deal or sent you a FOC item. Just remember they never pay for it.

So let me get this straight... if I but your widget from Amazon and I get it and call Amazon and tell them I don't really like it, they can tell me just keep it and you get charged back for that? Aren't there some guidelines when they can do this to you?

 

[Huntn]

Suppliers pay for returns!

It depends...

• For clothing, sometimes free returns are advertised. After all, this is clothing that does not always fit as expected.
• For their mistake, wrong item, not accurately described or DOA items, they pay, that’s fair. Sometimes they tell you to just toss it.
• But my experience is that if you made the mistake, or ordered something that you just don’t like, and it is as advertised, you will pay to return it.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Most of my deliveries now come from Amazon drivers, and almost always in what looks like their personal vehicle and not a rented van of any kind.

So let me get this straight... if I but your widget from Amazon and I get it and call Amazon and tell them I don't really like it, they can tell me just keep it and you get charged back for that? Aren't there some guidelines when they can do this to you?

Under the terms of your agreement Amazon can do what they like, but generally yes the supplier picks up the shipping both ways.