Replacement of ordered goods online before delivery

p00hsticks

I'm aware via various posts on your forum that there seems to be a growing number of instances where expensive goods such as laptops or iphones are ordered online, but when they arrive and the package is opened inside is something cheap of similar weight, such as a bag of rice.

As it is then impossible to return the ordered goods for a refund, or to prove whether the actual goods were ever actually present in the package or were swapped out at some point during the delivery process, the consumer is then left out of pocket with no goods and no refund.

What steps can I take to try to protect mylself from such scams (other than not ordering expensive goods online at all but only where I can collect and check in person before handing over my money) ?