Amazon order "lost" before delivery to Amazon Locker

Unconsigned

In short: 

I bought some AirPods, sold by Amazon. They went missing before they got to the Amazon Locker that I set as my delivery location. I’m unable to cancel or get a refund issued. I’ve opened an issue with my bank, though the money has already left my account. Has this happened to anyone, is there a number of days lost before you get an auto-refund?

And in long:

Two weeks ago, I bought a pair of Apple AirPods Pro 3, on sale, from Amazon, sold by Amazon UK. I selected an Amazon Locker as the delivery location, as I didn’t think I’d be available. 

If anyone is unfamiliar with Amazon Lockers, you get a code emailed to you to open your designated locker, but only when your item has been delivered. I would assume that packages need to be scanned by the guy before he puts them in, and the whole sequence is fully tracked somewhere, along with analytics about how fast you entered the code into the keypad, and how long you left the door open. After you retrieve your item from the locker you get an email saying thanks for spending money.

On April 1st, the item found its way to the “final delivery station”, and that’s the last known location. The most recent information is that the “Delivery date is currently unavailable”, and that’s under a heading of Tuesday, 7 April.

I haven’t received any emails saying, “it’s coming today”, or anything like that—or anything explaining what’s going on.

However, on the expected delivery date, the tracking information on Amazon’s site did say “it’s coming today”. Then, when that didn’t happen, it said “tomorrow”, and then specific shifting dates a further 2-3 days on. 

I did give them this extra time, as the locker is in a shopping centre and the dates spanned the Easter weekend.

These dates might have been speculative, but surely the updates saying that the AirPods have moved from one Amazon facility to another are based on some verifiable internal information?

Now that the tracking information effectively says “ok, something’s up”, I’m told I can cancel or get a refund, just click here. I click, and there are no options available to me: I must contact support. I talk to support through the web chat, which you access in direct relation to the problematic order. They won’t speak to me unless I provide ID via some third-party company called Persona. I’d be skeptical about doing so even if I had any of the ID that they want. Apparently that takes 3 business days for them to verify too. My Amazon account is fully locked-down with 2FA and all that.

Customer support will keep firing emails at you requesting ID you don’t have, even as you move the conversation in another direction. Like, I would refer to my issue, then ask what their policy is with auto-refunding if an item hasn’t been shipped for so many days, and other queries, just trying to be charitable about what might have happened, and see, in a roundabout way, what to expect. When the responses aren’t lazily-typed or cryptic, you wonder if they’re just making it up. Supervisor policy seems to be to just terminate the conversation. So, I’m no clearer on what happens. Support have said, one week and you get a refund, two weeks you'll get it. Support have said yes the item is lost. Internet results suggest the date will just keep going back and back without resolution.

I was rightly warned that phone support policy is the same, but perhaps I’ve not spoken to the right people.

The email you’ll get about 50 copies of, has the reassuring note:

“Not providing an image or copy of your ID document will not have any other effect on your use of your Amazon account and you may continue shopping on Amazon.co.uk.”

Ah that’s alright, so long as I can keep ordering tap washers and laundry liquid, you can keep my £183.

Amazon, the autonomous entity, should full well know what’s going on: that the item has not actually been delivered (if it even got as far as the van), and has never been in my possession. The machine understands the protocol for delivery to a locker.

I had assumed that the money was on hold till they were certain about a delivery, but, on checking my account at the end of last week, the money has left. I started the ball rolling with notifying my bank that something might be afoot, just in case this is time-sensitive.

As usual, these things happen when you’re occupied with a million other things. I’ll be travelling at the end of the week (in fact I bought these to use then) so in the unlikely event that they do arrive, I won’t be here during the three days they give you to collect items. Oh, and it turns out John Lewis had the same deal at the time, and I could have just gone and picked a pair up in the shop!

So, I can’t be the only person that's been in this situation?

flaneurs_lobster

Did you manage to prove your ID to Amazon?

If that's what the computer wants then it'll keep saying 'No' until you give in.

Persona are a legit ID verification company that's used by Amazon (and others) but you will need Government photo ID.

Unconsigned

Thanks for your response.

No, I don’t have government-issued photo ID.

I understand that they might request ID to dissuade return fraud, however in this case the item has never left Amazon’s possession, with a verifiable chain of custody available for Amazon’s inspection.

They are requesting ID to return money to the same card that it left, for an item that never saw a delivery attempt. So opportunity for deception, on my part at least, is quite slim.

Should a company like Sainsbury’s get to keep your money for a shopping order that never left the stockroom? The process seems to be a frustration technique if anything, making the most of the new acceptance to ID yourself at every turn.

Persona might be a legitimate company, in so far as they probably won't take a mortgage out in my name, but I have my reservations with these kind of companies. I don’t think they’re necessarily operated for the public good. A conversation for another thread.

flaneurs_lobster

I completely understand your frustration and your reasonable argument as why things shouldn't be this way.

I'd just say that you are kicking against an enormous global machine that really doesn't give a toss. If the algorithm says "do this before this will happen" then I'd go along with it because I want my money back and trying to get an exception process running is too hard.

Stop thinking about Amazon being a collection of people with whom you might have a reasonable discussion, it went past that years ago.

People want cheap stuff delivered next day, price we pay is not necessarily just the debit from your card.

born_again

No, I don’t have government-issued photo ID.

Given elections coming up

https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate

flaneurs_lobster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81962037#Comment_81962037

Bet Persona don't accept the Voter Authority Cert, not many places do (other than polling stations).

Criteria for issuance are too lax (are you on the electoral roll? Have a cert (it's an A4 sheet of paper) with your picture on. Getting a bus pass is harder.

Aylesbury_Duck

Seems to me that adhering to their process is the best route here. It's either that, or a long, drawn-out process that still might be unsuccessful.

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81962066#Comment_81962066

It might be but it is proof 🤷‍♀️

flaneurs_lobster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81962370#Comment_81962370

Doesn't really matter what you or I or polling station staff agree is a valid ID document for our purposes, Persona (or Entrust etc) need a passport, driving licence or a national ID card.

A_Geordie

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81962017#Comment_81962017

I don't necessarily agree with your suggestion that people should just hand over more personal data to someone like Amazon, particularly if it's something like a copy of a passport which is treated as sensitive data under data protection laws - it will no doubt be stored by Amazon for as long as the OP has an account and then some. So I can understand the OP's hesitance to simply just hand over more personal information.

Really Amazon should be refunding this without question. If they're refusing then the OP can either attempt to escalate further, seek a chargeback or threaten legal proceedings, the latter two at the possible risk of having their account terminated.

Fortunately, Amazon does not always terminate an account because I sued Amazon last year for circa £500, they admitted liability beginning of this year and my account is running perfectly fine without any trouble. I will qualify that I do spend a fair chunk with Amazon on an annual basis so that could have had an impact if they did consider terminating my account.

Personally, I would be opting for a chargeback or legal proceedings because I would not be comfortable handing something like a copy of my passport to a large american corporation, or any other company for that matter, unless i was legally required to do so.

flaneurs_lobster

Personally, I would be opting for a chargeback or legal proceedings because I would not be comfortable handing something like a copy of my passport to a large american corporation, or any other company for that matter, unless i was legally required to do so.

The OP has already stated that they don't have Government-issued photo ID and that if they did they would not be happy giving the details to Amazon's contractors, likely for the same reasons you give.

I'm just trying to be pragmatic about the best/easiest way for OP to get their 180 quid back.

Rational discussion with "customer complaints" has failed so, if spending £34 on a provisional driving licence is out of the reckoning, looks like chargeback or legals are the only remaining options as you say.