Amazon buyer has switched our £250 Goods on a return, what shall I do?
Dear fellow sellers,
We took an order for almost a £250 electronic item on Amazon on 13th December 2022, we shipped it tracked 14th December, item was video/photographed working before sending, documented the serial numbers of the product and accessories, photo/filmed the entire inspection, packaging and shipped the customer order tracked on 14th December, delivered 15th Dec.
Buyer opened a return 18th Dec auto approved by Amazon, “item defective” but the buyers comments were
“Hi thank you for fast delivery but item looks like refurbished and used …plz look in to this and refund the money very disappointed as it was Xmas gift for my husband. This is just sad”
I reached out to the customer and said you purchased a RENEWED/USED product not a brand new one, it was in mint condition but obviously not brand new as they purchased a refurbished item from the Amazon renewed listing. [seller fufilled]
buyer was contacted within 24 hours of the return request and we got no reply till 27th Dec, customer wanted to return the order for a full refund.
weeks go by, no news or post from the customer. Today 20th JANUARY 2023, several weeks after the item was delivered/ordered the buyer and over a month after the return request was approved. we get a Royal Mail parcel back. resealed up in our original packaging. We could see the RMA and knew what order it was before opening.
Contacted the customer / buyer BEFORE unsealing the item to tell them their item had arrived after the 30 days returns period and was post marked over a month after they opened the return request
We film ALL returns now, so we setup the camera, start unpacking the product and find the serial numbers are different, the accessories have not been returned, the only thing that is originally ours is the packaging, there is a large label on the box with the original serial numbers and the buyer has blatantly sent back a switched/wrong product.
I am angry and p***ed off, this feels like blatant fraud to switch and keep our goods.
Normally when items arrive in a different condition, used or missing accessories, I take a deduction, but what do I do here, this isn’t even our goods and we have photo video proof of outbound and inbound product differences.
I am about to call seller support. is anyone from Amazon on this forum who can please look into this?
50 replies
Seller_DROodOAYHftnc
This is disgraceful.
I would be messaging your customer saying that you have full video evidence of the item you sent AND the item that they have returned, and all the serial numbers, and they have not returned the item you sent.
Sad to say you will get a load of irrelevant platitudes, and cut and paste response.
You would need to tag in some of the forum Mods @Julia_Amazon
Seller_7VbclcPFFRTnc
Has the buyer been refunded by amazon?
If so, open a safe t claim
If not, contact them and tell them you’ll be returning their incorrect product back to them and once they return the correct product - in the same condition it was sent, you’ll refund - but not before
Seller_zjSVzrZV26EFo
thanks for your help people. I’ve just spent the past hour, documenting, uploading all videos/photos to drop box and sent them on buyer/seller messages and sent the buyer a link to the video of their return being unpacked.
Logged with seller support and got a automated reply but have it in writing I’ve raised a concern against this order.
Currently no A to Z just a old return request dating back several weeks., the customer has been very difficult to communicate with on buyer/seller messages and only got 1 reply before to a couple of emails we sent back in mid December.
Seller_SITNVuZK87zGK
@The_Little_Shop is correct in the question being asked - if they have been refunded, you are either looking at a Safe-T claim or I assume appealing an A to Z.
If they haven’t been refunded - you would likely still need to as customers can return almost anything sold since 1st November up to end of Jan under the seasonal extended returns. Though I’m not sure if they need to return it within a certain timeframe once the return request has been opened. So you would have to follow the Refund process and apply a deduction based on what has been received back.
Seller_7VbclcPFFRTnc
Before you refund anything, just double check they weren’t already refunded at first scan
Seller_xUKHc5xSYJmI4
Hi
Sounds rather odd. You maybe better off letting the matter be dealt with by the Police if your Safe-T claim is not successful. We do hear on the forum the customers are exchanging the product for an older version of the product or returning something that was not ordered.
I would also recommend that you exempt prepaid return labels for high value items over £100 because if they are lost by the contracted courier you will only be covered up to £20.00 and therefore you will be at a further loss. We keep reading prepaid returns are being lost and seller being financially out of pocket as a result. There are several articles in the media saying how bad things are with Evri.
It’s good that you have taken proactive measures to protect yourself from dishonest buyers keeping video recording or photograph evidence, serial number to support any claim to obtain a potential criminal conviction. The same should apply to when you receive a return take the video evidence to support a safe-t claim or suspected theft.
Seller_HB2MC8FR8Gmz5
This behavior is shocking but all too common on Amazon. Your process of recording the outgoing and return item is great, I follow the same process and it has helped me on numerous occasions. I would contact seller support and report the issue and then also report the buyer using the report issue found in my account/ other issues. I would upload pics of the original item and the returned item. I would then message the customer and let them know that you are still waiting for the item to be returned as the one they have provided is not the one you sent to them. I would also reference that you will happily refund once the right item has been delivered. I would also ask them to arrange for the incorrect item to be returned and if they have not arranged it in 14 days you will dispose of it, (Of course I would not actually dispose of it until the whole issue is resolved)
I hope my opinion is of use.
Technology and Media
Seller_2BSBgE3FJzlK4
dont forget about the small claims court. I have a 100% success rate using them for fraudulent buyers. very easy to use.
Seller_GJP3Cbt07uSu0
I would file a safe t claim with the documentation you have and wait and see what the customer does - I would also look at reporting as fraud to the police
