Expensive phone discarded by Amazon Returns

ramthor

Hello everyone! This is my first post on this forum. I am looking for help with a problem with Amazon. Here is my issue:
Two months ago I bought a £850 phone from Amazon.co.uk. I made sure I buy straight from them and not from a third party seller so I can benefit from their "amazing" Customer Support should I have a problem with the order.
My husband owns a Samsung Note 10 Plus 5G which was £1,100 when bought and I wanted the same model so I ordered one for myself. Seeing it at £850, I thought I should grab the deal. Unfortunately, when I placed the order, I did not notice that I actually bought a Samsung Note 10 Plus (no 5G).
When the ordered was delivered, I checked the phone over and compared it with my husband's phone. They were identical. However, I thought 5G is important to future-proof a rather expensive phone so I decided to return the Samsung Note 10 Plus and order Samsung Note 10 Plus 5G.
And here is my mistake: I returned the more expensive version, Samsung Note 10 Plus 5G!!!
Then Amazon Returns contacted me to tell me I have sent the wrong item so they discarded it. And if I still want my refund, to send them the correct item.
I have no problem with returning the item that I admit I bought by mistake. But I have a problem with Amazon destroying an expensive good that wasn't theirs. Isn't this criminal action?
To this day they refuse to send the Samsung Note 10 Plus 5G back or offer any compensation for the £1,100 phone they discarded.
Could you please tell me what, if any, options to fight this I have left? The phone was bought with a debit card but I don't think chargeback applies here since I admit I returned the wrong item. I just want back the phone I returned by mistake.
If they keep it, isn't this stealing? And if they destroyed it, isn't this vandalism? 
Please tell me what to do!

Aylesbury_Duck

ramthor said:

Hello everyone! This is my first post on this forum. I am looking for help with a problem with Amazon. Here is my issue:
Two months ago I bought a £850 phone from Amazon.co.uk. I made sure I buy straight from them and not from a third party seller so I can benefit from their "amazing" Customer Support should I have a problem with the order.
My husband owns a Samsung Note 10 Plus 5G which was £1,100 when bought and I wanted the same model so I ordered one for myself. Seeing it at £850, I thought I should grab the deal. Unfortunately, when I placed the order, I did not notice that I actually bought a Samsung Note 10 Plus (no 5G).
When the ordered was delivered, I checked the phone over and compared it with my husband's phone. They were identical. However, I thought 5G is important to future-proof a rather expensive phone so I decided to return the Samsung Note 10 Plus and order Samsung Note 10 Plus 5G.
And here is my mistake: I returned the more expensive version, Samsung Note 10 Plus 5G!!!
Then Amazon Returns contacted me to tell me I have sent the wrong item so they discarded it. And if I still want my refund, to send them the correct item.
I have no problem with returning the item that I admit I bought by mistake. But I have a problem with Amazon destroying an expensive good that wasn't theirs. Isn't this criminal action?
To this day they refuse to send the Samsung Note 10 Plus 5G back or offer any compensation for the £1,100 phone they discarded.
Could you please tell me what, if any, options to fight this I have left? The phone was bought with a debit card but I don't think chargeback applies here since I admit I returned the wrong item. I just want back the phone I returned by mistake.
If they keep it, isn't this stealing? And if they destroyed it, isn't this vandalism? 
Please tell me what to do!

Stealing?  I don't think so.  You sent it to them.  Vandalism?  No.  They've made a mistake, just as you did.  Have you formally written to them asking for a resolution?  You could try a letter before action and small claims action but you will almost certainly have your Amazon account closed, as well as any other accounts associated with your address and payment method, so be sure you understand that before proceeding down that route.  How much would you be claiming, because your husband's phone is not worth £1100 now.

If two months has elapsed and you still have the other phone, you've missed your chance to send it back now.

ramthor

I emailed Buyer Returns many times and all I get back is the same response that I sent the wrong item, it has been discarded and if I want my refund I should sent the correct item that I bought. Which is fine apart from the discarded part that they don't acknowledge it was wrong.
Then I get passed to Customer Support that says they can't help me because the item's value is over a certain threshold so they pass me back to Buyer Returns. And then same thing happens all over again.
I asked to speak over the phone with someone from  Buyer Returns but, interestingly, they say they don't offer over the phone support. For that I should address to Customer Support. It's like they are having a laugh.

Aylesbury_Duck

ramthor said:

I emailed Buyer Returns many times and all I get back is the same response that I sent the wrong item, it has been discarded and if I want my refund I should sent the correct item that I bought. Which is fine apart from the discarded part that they don't acknowledge it was wrong.
Then I get passed to Customer Support that says they can't help me because the item's value is over a certain threshold so they pass me back to Buyer Returns. And then same thing happens all over again.
I asked to speak over the phone with someone from  Buyer Returns but, interestingly, they say they don't offer over the phone support. For that I should address to Customer Support. It's like they are having a laugh.

I'd get that other phone returned asap if I were you, otherwise you'll be stuck with it.  It might also remove what looks to be a complication that's preventing you from speaking to them about the wrong one you sent back.

If they still won't engage, follow the advice in my earlier post, but consider the potential consequences first.

Spank

Is the phone you returned your husband's or a different phone you ordered from Amazon?

Aylesbury_Duck

I think it's the husband's phone.

born_again

I find it very hard to believe that Amazon would "discard" a £850 phone. Surely that would become a refurbished deal?
Given you must have started a returns process & printed off a returns label. Then you have given then the item back. Amazon usually refund straight away and then question later on if any issues.

Certainly no chargeback right. As it was change of mind (not covered)

ramthor

Thank you for your answers.
It was my husbands' phone he got as a gift but hasn't got around to open it so it was brand new.

DoaM

Aylesbury_Duck said:

I think it's the husband's phone.

I'm not so sure. OP may have ordered and received the 5G version too prior to arranging to send off the non-5G version, and then mixed them up. I think the husband's phone will have been noticeably older and not in pristine condition, and may even have been in a case.

ramthor

born_again said:

I find it very hard to believe that Amazon would "discard" a £850 phone. Surely that would become a refurbished deal?
Given you must have started a returns process & printed off a returns label. Then you have given then the item back. Amazon usually refund straight away and then question later on if any issues.

Certainly no chargeback right. As it was change of mind (not covered)

It took them one month just to give me an answer regarding the refund status apparently because it was a high value item.

tehone

There are a number of issues here, so let's see what might be practical
1)  First confirm that Amazon are still willing take back the product they sold you, and issue you with a full refund (and what they require you to still send to them). Because this is where your story starts to get trickier to completely be on board with - they will have wanted, the box, charger, headphones, sim tool, the S-Pen, phone etc. You presumably no longer have these having returned them with the "wrong" phone - so make sure just the phone on its own it still sufficient.
2) Re-examine how this mistake happened, for you to have not noticed a difference between them when sending back, would imply that the "old but 5G" version still had the protective film on it, wasn't in some kind of  case, never had the home/lock screen customised at all. It presumably still has the sim card in it etc. I'm not sure if Find Your Device after all this time will still tell you where your phone was 2 months, but it might be worth checking that.
3) Taking at face value that this error still happened, I do find it surprising in checking to see what had been returned, that they didn't realise what had been returned was in fact a used product with data on it, and at the very least put it to one side to be dealt with - but having said that even a £1000 product means nothing to Amazon! It is worth pursuing this angle a little more, asking for a return of your phone within X days, and then working with what that reply is as a part of a thought out trail to perhaps legal action
4) Do you have any household insurance that covers loss of the phone, if so pursue that avenue
5) Presumably you have cancelled the sim card, if not do that