Amazon Nightmare

Vicxie

nyermen said:

Yeah, I've stopped buying anything with any value on amazon now, heard too many stories like this from people at work (and we're not a huge office).  High paid people, so no reason to be lying i dont think.

Previously (such as the PS5 event) I remember stories that the boxes weren't normal seal (eg. clear tape rather than usual tape, and labels on the side of the box not on the top.  In the photos above, it looks like proper tape, and the label across the seals, which suggests any switch happened before dispatch (warehouse?).

1 of the box had clear tape on it. I'd have put the video on here but i don't know how to hide my personal info on the box.

Vicxie

goater78 said:

It happens everywhere. It’s only that Amazon are by far the biggest company that it seems to happen more there. In reality any online retailer will have this problem. 

Also filming opening the parcel doesn’t really prove anything as you could have tampered with it before you started filming. To be honest the simple act of filming opening a phone parcel from Amazon and then it having another item in would be seen as very suspicious by Amazon. Seems like too much of a coincidence. 

I started filming AFTER opening the first parcel and i found a different item in the box. The idea of filming before that did not even occur to me. Well, thankfully, i was never accused of tampering with the box after they watched the video.

WhiskersTheWonderCat

goater78 said:

It happens everywhere. It’s only that Amazon are by far the biggest company that it seems to happen more there. In reality any online retailer will have this problem. 

Also filming opening the parcel doesn’t really prove anything as you could have tampered with it before you started filming. To be honest the simple act of filming opening a phone parcel from Amazon and then it having another item in would be seen as very suspicious by Amazon. Seems like too much of a coincidence. 

Oh, but just your word that a different item was inside is so much better. 

Alderbank

BBC News did an interesting article on this issue recently.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-64874963

It included a customer who ordered £2,000 of high end camera stuff. He collected it from an Amazon hub counter, inside a shop, on 10 January. He opened the package in front of the shopkeeper. Inside there was two pairs of cheap shoes - no camera to be seen. The shopkeeper gave the customer a copy of the CCTV, which clearly showed him opening the box and showing the contents to the person behind the checkout.
Despite complaining multiple times to Amazon, and telling them he had CCTV evidence, Amazon had not refunded him.

goater78

WhiskersTheWonderCat said:

goater78 said:

It happens everywhere. It’s only that Amazon are by far the biggest company that it seems to happen more there. In reality any online retailer will have this problem. 

Also filming opening the parcel doesn’t really prove anything as you could have tampered with it before you started filming. To be honest the simple act of filming opening a phone parcel from Amazon and then it having another item in would be seen as very suspicious by Amazon. Seems like too much of a coincidence. 

Oh, but just your word that a different item was inside is so much better. 

I think it would better. It’s normal customer behaviour to just open a parcel. Anything that is abnormal (e.g. filming yourself opening an Amazon parcel) would ring alarm bells as it’s not something a retailer would expect a customer to do. 

photome

Vicxie said:

goater78 said:

It happens everywhere. It’s only that Amazon are by far the biggest company that it seems to happen more there. In reality any online retailer will have this problem. 

Also filming opening the parcel doesn’t really prove anything as you could have tampered with it before you started filming. To be honest the simple act of filming opening a phone parcel from Amazon and then it having another item in would be seen as very suspicious by Amazon. Seems like too much of a coincidence. 

I started filming AFTER opening the first parcel and i found a different item in the box. The idea of filming before that did not even occur to me. Well, thankfully, i was never accused of tampering with the box after they watched the video.

The retailer wouldnt know when you started filming, as someone else said you could have already opened and re sealed box before you started filming

thankfully Amazon refunded you anyway all be it not without a lot of hassle

does seem to happen more than it should

JReacher1

Sounds like the easiest thing to have done was just report to the police as advised by Amazon. Then when you have provided the crime reference number to Amazon they would have refunded you quickly. 

Suspect they ask you this as although people are happy to lie to Amazon they are likely less keen to lie to the police. 

Vicxie

Alderbank said:

BBC News did an interesting article on this issue recently.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-64874963

It included a customer who ordered £2,000 of high end camera stuff. He collected it from an Amazon hub counter, inside a shop, on 10 January. He opened the package in front of the shopkeeper. Inside there was two pairs of cheap shoes - no camera to be seen. The shopkeeper gave the customer a copy of the CCTV, which clearly showed him opening the box and showing the contents to the person behind the checkout.
Despite complaining multiple times to Amazon, and telling them he had CCTV evidence, Amazon had not refunded him.

There was a customer in that article whose driver went to his house twice but never knocked or rang the door and yet put it down as "delivery failed" which is similar to what happened to me. I feel this is probably when they switch out the items.

Sarahspangles

goater78 said:

WhiskersTheWonderCat said:

goater78 said:

It happens everywhere. It’s only that Amazon are by far the biggest company that it seems to happen more there. In reality any online retailer will have this problem. 

Also filming opening the parcel doesn’t really prove anything as you could have tampered with it before you started filming. To be honest the simple act of filming opening a phone parcel from Amazon and then it having another item in would be seen as very suspicious by Amazon. Seems like too much of a coincidence. 

Oh, but just your word that a different item was inside is so much better. 

I think it would better. It’s normal customer behaviour to just open a parcel. Anything that is abnormal (e.g. filming yourself opening an Amazon parcel) would ring alarm bells as it’s not something a retailer would expect a customer to do. 

At the point when just about everyone knows a friend or family member that has had this happen to them, it becomes normal customer behaviour for more valuable deliveries.  In my family’s case, it was my dad.  Amazon resolved it without too much hassle.  They know they have an internal fraud/theft problem. 

Vicxie

JReacher1 said:

Sounds like the easiest thing to have done was just report to the police as advised by Amazon. Then when you have provided the crime reference number to Amazon they would have refunded you quickly. 

Suspect they ask you this as although people are happy to lie to Amazon they are likely less keen to lie to the police. 

But reporting a wrong item received as "stolen" would have been a lie! And i doubt the police would log it after explaining to them exactly what happened. I read a similar story where the person did go to the police only for the police to refer them to trading standards, it was never put on the system and they didn't receive a crime reference number.