Problem with Amazon returns: anyone else?

magick_2

I bought a PS3 from Amazon before Christmas and returned it last week as it has stopped working. Received an email today from them to say that they will be refunding me £237.06, when the PS3 cost £279.99. As it's 8 months ago, I can't remember the details of the transaction exactly but I think that the discrepancy in what I paid and what I am being refunded is down to the fact that the order came with a free (or very cheap) HDMI cable and free PS3 game. I have looked back at the details of the order online and it looks from the invoice like they charged me for the HDMI cable and game at full price and deducted the cost of those two things from the cost of the PS3. So now when I have returned the faulty PS3, I'm not getting back what I paid for it.

This seems to me to be completely unfair and somewhat underhand. Has anyone else had a problem similar to this? And if so, did they get anywhere arguing their case with Amazon?

Pound

I think it's fair for them to do this if you want to keep the HDMI cable and the game as you're getting those products at the price they're sold for. It wouldn't be fair for you to benefit from the return by getting them at a reduced price or even free.

A fair and reasonable solution would be if you returned the HDMI cable and the game as well and got a full refund.

Nilrem

I think Pound has hit the nail on the head.

The transaction originally had the Game and HDMI lead included and discounts applied to the order.
When you returned the PS3 on it's own they have refunded the amount minus the cost of the Game and HDMI lead, which is to my mind perfectly fair.

I'm actually surprised they didn't just replace the PS3 unless the return was with a refund as the preferred course of action (I've returned stuff to them after 8-9 months due to failure and just got a replacement).

Esqui

They are within their rights to give you a partial refund, given that you have had 8 month's use.

custardy

also bearing in mind you can now get a fat PS3 for less than £237 or a PS3 slim
so you wouldnt be any worse off

pinkshoes

If it came with a game and HDMI cable, why didn't you just return the bundle?

Also, they've now dropped the price of the PS3, so just buy a brand new one.

magick_2

Pound wrote: »

A fair and reasonable solution would be if you returned the HDMI cable and the game as well and got a full refund.

That would have been the most sensible thing to do and I wish that is what I had done.

However, I don't agree with the principle that the value of the cable and the game should be deducted from the PS3 when the PS3 is returned faulty. Those items were presented as add-ons to the original PS3. They were incentives to buy the PS3 from Amazon rather than anywhere else. For the purposes of the transaction, I see the PS3 valued at £280, the game valued at £0 and the cable valued at £0. If I had returned the cable and the game for being faulty, would I have received a refund of £40 or so? No I doubt it very much, though maybe I am wrong.

Anyway, thanks for the replies. It's seems I'm in the minority.

Kildare

I agree with Pound, although I'm surprised Amazon didn't ask you to return the whole bundle for a refund or that they didn't just replace the unit instead of giving you a refund.

Could you not return the PS3 to Sony for repair? When our Xbox 360 went wrong (circle of death ) we sent it away to Microsoft and they replaced it within 2 weeks.