Amazon: Returning a defective gift

Mart700

Hi, 

My mother brought an item from Amazon on 18th Nov and gave it to me on Xmas day. It wasn't opened until that day.  We used the Ninja device on Boxing day and everything was fine. I then took the item home and have used it a couple more time. The item has now gone wrong and won't even power on anymore. I called Ninja kitchenware support line and they have confirmed its faulty. 

As the item has failed so quickly I have decided against a replacement and I think my mother should get a refund and the item can just be returned. Now amazon doesn't make returning gifts very easy. They will only give me a gift card. The problem is I obviously live at a different address to her. She lives 150 miles away from me. So I can't send the faulty device back to her address for collection as that would be expensive and its defective. 

I've called Amazon and there is no way for me to return a faulty item to them and they refund my mothers credit card. However they were very helpful and said my mother needs to add my address to her account and then call Amazon and speak to someone to arrange the refund but collect the item from my address. 

I was wondering what the current consumer rules are for online shopping and what happens to faulty items. Does the seller only have to agree to accept defective item returns from the same address as the delivery address?

We both have a UK mainland address. So before my mother calls them I wanted to get a better idea on if this is Amazon being nice and going the extra mile to help with a faulty item or if there are consumer laws that mean they will have to agree to pickup the item from an alternative address. 

seanfos

Can't your Mother just organise the return in her Amazon account and forward the shipping label/QR code to you so that you can return it via Royal Mail or Evri instead of arranging a collection?  The refund will then go to her original payment method

Sean

Alderbank

Gifting has no relevance in consumer law. Consumer rights are solely between the consumer and the retailer.

Your mother (not you) should go on to her Amazon account and follow the procedure for returning a faulty item. I have not done this often but as far as I can remember they offer a choice of return methods, they don't seem to care about where the faulty item actually is. Your mother can enter your post code into a search box and be presented with several options local to you, possibly including local post offices and Amazon lockers. They will also email her a pre-paid address label which she can forward to you to print out, or you can show the email on your phone at a local parcel shop for them to print the label for you.

No need to take the Ninja back 150 miles to your mother's home.

Mart700

seanfos said:

Can't your Mother just organise the return in her Amazon account and forward the shipping label/QR code to you so that you can return it via Royal Mail or Evri instead of arranging a collection?  The refund will then go to her original payment method

Sean

I'm not sure if that would work. Its a large item and weighs 6.4kg. As its faulty I don't want to pay for shipping. So I don't know if Amazon will want to "collect" it as its a bulky item. They may not provide an option to send it via Royal Mail or anyone else. I certainly don't want to have to carry it to the post office

Its a good idea to try and see what can be done via the website. The person on the phone said my mother will need to email me the shipping label once they have arranged it. I honestly think it will be OK but I just wanted to see what my consumer rights are in this case.

macman

They've given you a very rational and practical solution to returning it, so why won't you accept it?
Your 'consumer rights' are precisely zero, because you have no contract with Amazon. Only your mother does, as she purchased it. Those rights don't transfer to you just because she gifted you the purchase. If she wants a refund, she has to action it from her account.

MalMonroe

Mart700 said:

seanfos said:

Can't your Mother just organise the return in her Amazon account and forward the shipping label/QR code to you so that you can return it via Royal Mail or Evri instead of arranging a collection?  The refund will then go to her original payment method

Sean

I'm not sure if that would work. Its a large item and weighs 6.4kg. As its faulty I don't want to pay for shipping. So I don't know if Amazon will want to "collect" it as its a bulky item. They may not provide an option to send it via Royal Mail or anyone else. I certainly don't want to have to carry it to the post office

Its a good idea to try and see what can be done via the website. The person on the phone said my mother will need to email me the shipping label once they have arranged it. I honestly think it will be OK but I just wanted to see what my consumer rights are in this case.

Hi, sorry to hear your Christmas present was faulty.

Amazon certainly can and do arrange a collect from a person's home - I used it twice last month and there was an option each time to arrange a free of charge royal mail collection.

In fact, I've found amazon have always been very reasonable with returns. Even when I bought a toaster from a third party that was sold via amazon. I just contacted amazon via my order page and everything was sorted out, no fuss and no problem. There wasn't even anything wrong with the toaster except the slots were too small for the average bread slice. (Why do they make them like that?)

Your consumer rights aren't actually yours in this case, they are your mother's consumer rights, since she bought the item. She's entitled to return a faulty item for a full refund, including postage.

There's a lot more information in the following link from this very site -

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/consumer-rights-refunds-exchange/#faultyrefund

HillStreetBlues

I find Amazon great for return as long as it's under a month,  or  over Christmas.
Get your mother to "return or replace" item select "item is defective or does not work"
Type in "broken" into box
Select "Refund to your original payment method "
select Royal Mail Pickup – Printer and box required  *for the weight it should be an option
Change collection address to yours , and select date of collection
click "confirm your return"
She send you the label, pack item up attached label, get it collected.
It's that easy.


EDIT: but needs to be done by 31st Jan