Mis-selling phones on Amazon

Isolis

So, following my bad experience buying a Samsung phone intended for the UAE from an Amazon listing specifying a UK spec model, I decided to ask a different seller about a different phone.

As you can see from the conversation below, they were quite happy to admit they are mis-selling an "international model" as UK spec, but claim it is because they don't have the ability to change the Amazon listing.

I blurred the name out because there are 27 other sellers on the listing selling for a similar price, most likely doing exactly the same thing, so singling out one seller when the situation is endemic seems unfair.

Should Amazon be doing more about this?

DullGreyGuy

Where is the link to the listing? Does the listing state its UK model?

Isolis

Here is the link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CTH16HB8

Product details has UK model code:

EnPointe

nut  sure  howe Amazon are  getting  away with this unless , to be honest, they a allowing people  to claim a different Samsung  SKU and UPC for the Gulf / international   versions are the same as the EU  / UK  models

Isolis

That's exactly what they are allowing marketplace sellers to do. There are a whole host of sellers on that listing selling well below high street prices and I suspect a large number of them if not all are selling non UK/EU models with no NFC or warranty.

As my screenshot shows, it's the #1 selling phone on Amazon right now. Mis-selling seems to be profitable.

booneruk

Isolis said:

That's exactly what they are allowing marketplace sellers to do. There are a whole host of sellers on that listing selling well below high street prices and I suspect a large number of them if not all are selling non UK/EU models with no NFC or warranty.

As my screenshot shows, it's the #1 selling phone on Amazon right now. Mis-selling seems to be profitable.

I guess the 30 days standard returns policy applies though? I had similar with a Samsung Watch the other year, it was very cheap and when I got it I realised it was an EU model meaning I couldn't activate Samsung Pay.

Isolis

Another thing is that Amazon rejected my product review because I said I was sent a non UK/EU model. They said this is seller specific information even though the whole listing is dominated by merchants selling grey-market imports.

They allow such reviews to be made for individual marketplace sellers, but this is much less visible and I suspect most people just check the main reviews within the listing itself.

Isolis

booneruk said:

I guess the 30 days standard returns policy applies though? I had similar with a Samsung Watch the other year, it was very cheap and when I got it I realised it was an EU model meaning I couldn't activate Samsung Pay.

It does, although if you buy the phone and six months down the line it malfunctions, Samsung will tell you it's not covered for repair, and there's a good chance the marketplace seller has disappeared by that point.

Or you might not need NFC initially, but when you decide to start using it six months later, you find out the phone doesn't have it.

Murmansk

Seems to me you need to report it to Trading Standards or maybe the You and Yours programme on Radio 4 - or both!