Amazon Hidden Additional Charge for Substitutions

JaneR66

I have just completed an Amazon Morrisons Grocery delivery order and was shocked when, whilst my order total showed £62.10, the amount taken from my account was £71.44. I immediately contacted Amazon and was told that they add an additional charge to cover for any substitutions they have to send if something is out of stock. There is nothing warning you that they will be taking a different amount from the order total, no prior warning at all. They stated that, if no substitutions were provided or if the substitutions didn't come to the additional amount taken, the remainder would be refunded in 3-5 business days. 

I have complained to them and pointed out that if someone was on a strict budget then they could be put into an unarranged overdraft position and incur interest charges for the time it takes them to refund the money, or they could have other charges bounce, or be unable to pay for other items that came due because of the money held by Amazon. 

I don't know what might come of my complaint, but has anyone else experienced this? We've done lots of Amazon orders in the past and had no previous issues like this so I wonder if it is a new policy. Also, other grocery deliveries do not do this - they either don't provide a substitution, provide a cheaper substitution that they then provide a refund for the difference or provide a higher value substitution but at the price of the originally ordered item. I have never known a grocery order to cost more than the price stated on the original order. Is this even legal without prior knowledge? 

mjm3346

Morrisons "pre Authorise" an amount - think it's 5% extra, don't know about the rest -(it's a hold not the amount deducted)

Chrysalis

Never noticed this, but I think you might be right on the lack of warning.

Luckily you have good control over the sub's (can pick from a list, or choose no sub at all).

It is perhaps because of this control they dont assure the prices, as one could pick a small juice and designate a large juice as the sub.

I dont know how common place promised price on subs is anymore, Morrisons direct as posted above no longer do it and pre authorise an extra 5%.

sarah1972

JaneR66 said:

I have just completed an Amazon Morrisons Grocery delivery order and was shocked when, whilst my order total showed £62.10, the amount taken from my account was £71.44. I immediately contacted Amazon and was told that they add an additional charge to cover for any substitutions they have to send if something is out of stock. There is nothing warning you that they will be taking a different amount from the order total, no prior warning at all. They stated that, if no substitutions were provided or if the substitutions didn't come to the additional amount taken, the remainder would be refunded in 3-5 business days. 

I have complained to them and pointed out that if someone was on a strict budget then they could be put into an unarranged overdraft position and incur interest charges for the time it takes them to refund the money, or they could have other charges bounce, or be unable to pay for other items that came due because of the money held by Amazon. 

I don't know what might come of my complaint, but has anyone else experienced this? We've done lots of Amazon orders in the past and had no previous issues like this so I wonder if it is a new policy. Also, other grocery deliveries do not do this - they either don't provide a substitution, provide a cheaper substitution that they then provide a refund for the difference or provide a higher value substitution but at the price of the originally ordered item. I have never known a grocery order to cost more than the price stated on the original order. Is this even legal without prior knowledge? 

Morrisons were taking 5% extra for years x https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2022/05/morrison-online-shopping-substitutions-charge/ although yours was more than 5%, guessing you didn’t tick no subs? 

I only use Amazon groceries if desperate as it’s usually more than store prices. 

I notice you said that you have never known a grocery order to cost more than the price stated on the original order, Mine is every week with Asda as I order weighed things. 

Of course it is legal, if you order 500g of carrots and they weigh 510g on the day then you pay for the 510g and it has always been this way since online shopping started.