Help with Amazon Refund !

Panther1951

 Dear all.. I brought a drone from Amazon for my adult son for his birthday. £399. When he found out, he asked if I could send it back because where he lives is very built up and he has no where to fly it. So I contacted them straight away and said it was an unwanted gift.

They sent me a message back saying that because it was high value, they would send UPS to pick it up. The guy came and took it. I was asked by Amazon to put a barcode slip in the box. I opened the outer strong cardboard box and slipped it in there.

I saw that there was another box inside with clear plastic of cellophane in there but I didn't even get that box out ( that was the one that had the drone in )   

It had arrived on the 5th or 6th of December and was picked up by UPS on the 9th. I checked the return tracking on my account , several times since (now 28th December), but the tracking line had not moved since the 9th. Then I saw some small print underneath, and it says", Undeliverable Damaged, return to sender.". 

I wass mortified. I have contacted Amazon customer care 3 times by telephone plus sent 3 emails. All they keep saying is it has not reached the return centre yet. But to contact them on 9th January if I have not had a refund.

I keep asking them what that means about "undeliverable and damaged" and "why is it taking so long." But they just reply with the same standard wording.    

On the phone, one of them said that they don't know what I am talking about, as there is nothing on their end saying its damaged. 

Am I goingmad?  Does anyone know what I can do.. Is there an Amazon number I can call in Uk  ?  Help please x

Aylesbury_Duck

Ignore the AI generated nonsense above.

Patience is the key here.  Contact them on 9th January if you haven't had the refund.  They're incredibly busy with returns at this time of year and in any case, you sent it back using their courier and their returns label, so any damage in transit (if there has been any) is their liability.

It's too early to be hassling them.  The clock stopped when you initiated the return, so waiting until 9th January doesn't affect your consumer rights.

Panther1951

Thank you to all that replied.   I spoke to a customer care person tonight, and guess what.? She has now told me that it says on their notes - that the box was empty, but UPS were returning me the package.   I couldn't believe it. In fact, I got quite tearful. What am I supposed to do, with an empty box?      

GingerTim

Hi @FlaatusGoat - with apologies to the OP, can I ask what you are trying to achieve by posting these AI-generated responses all over the boards? They are inaccurate, misleading, and disrespectful to people looking for genuine help - and you've posted them in response to some potentially quite vulnerable users, which is especially egregious.

Edit - particularly impressive that you made three massive posts between 8.04pm and 8.08pm. You must be a really fast typer!    /s

Aylesbury_Duck

Panther1951 said:

Thank you to all that replied.   I spoke to a customer care person tonight, and guess what.? She has now told me that it says on their notes - that the box was empty, but UPS were returning me the package.   I couldn't believe it. In fact, I got quite tearful. What am I supposed to do, with an empty box?      

You wait for it to be returned, await the final outcome and then decide next steps.

How did you pay?  If by credit card, you may have an option.  There's also small claims court if needs be.  It's quite clear to me that the drone was lost from the packaging while in Amazon's care, unless they're accusing you of deliberatelt sending back an empty box.  That's why getting the box back is helpful, it will show if it's damaged.

screech_78

Honestly, I think you just need to hold fire and hope they believe your story.

Some things don’t add up for me. It’s a bit odd to spend £400 on a gift for your son that would be of no use to him.

I also find it strange that you make reference to a strong outer cardboard box and cellophane inside which you didn’t touch. What’s the relevance? 

Using phrases such as “mortified” and “close to tears” is probably best left out too. When I read things like this from customers, it always makes me think they’re trying too hard to make a story believable. 

I’m a cynical personal but you’ll need to wait until Amazon conclude any investigation.  

sheramber

Are you saying you never opened the box so don’t know if it contained the drone or was empty when delivered to you? 

Grumpy_chap

sheramber said:

Are you saying you never opened the box so don’t know if it contained the drone or was empty when delivered to you? 

It reads to me that the drone in the box was branded (sales box) and shrink-wrapped.  All that was inside an Amazon brown cardboard box.
Obviously, the OP is the best person to confirm.