New Amazon Returns policy?

[MrGarmonbozia]

Ordered a NEW box set from Amazon which clearly arrived USED. No shrink wrap. Finger prints. Damage to box. Scratched discs (though I know that happens more often with NEW these days, too). (NOTE: This was not purchased from a 2nd party. It was listed as sold by Amazon)

Wrote Amazon to initiate a replacement and return of the USED set and was informed that I had to:

1) write my name and date on a piece of paper
2) place paper next to not described product and take photos to send within a month
3) Amazon would then look at them and get back to me in a week

If agreed, they would issue a refund. I stated I was looking for a replacement and they said there was no option for this.

However, the box set is STILL on the site and sold by Amazon. Albeit, more expensive now.

I was told they could not issue a credit for the lower amount.

So, basically,:
Bought something listed as NEW. Sent something clearly USED. Asked to photograph for proof. Send back for refund and purchase again at higher price, please?

Anybody else ever have to do the date and photo thing before as this is all new to me.

[bigdaddyhorse]

Haven't had to do the day and date crap, but 3 of my last 4 discs bought were sold as new and came used, then not exchangeable; except for other things, but not the same thing. For example, Blade UHD looked like it had been sitting in a high volume gravel driveway for a month. I could have exchanged for Blade 2 or 3 blu-ray.

Every single one of these was bought during a great sale, and re-ordering would be almost double what I originally paid. They were also all catalog titles, only new releases come new anymore is my experience. I thankfully had no issues with Suitable Flesh, because I pre-ordered so they didn't have time to stick used discs into rotation.

[bigshot]

Are you sure the sale wasn't for an Amazon Warehouse deal? Those get substituted in when regular stock dries up.

[MrGarmonbozia]

Originally Posted by bigdaddyhorse

Haven't had to do the day and date crap, but 3 of my last 4 discs bought were sold as new and came used, then not exchangeable; except for other things, but not the same thing. For example, Blade UHD looked like it had been sitting in a high volume gravel driveway for a month. I could have exchanged for Blade 2 or 3 blu-ray.

Every single one of these was bought during a great sale, and re-ordering would be almost double what I originally paid. They were also all catalog titles, only new releases come new anymore is my experience. I thankfully had no issues with Suitable Flesh, because I pre-ordered so they didn't have time to stick used discs into rotation.

This is the same thing for me. They wouldn't issue a replacement for the same item (despite it being in stock still) and gave a selection of various other items that matched my search history. Everything BUT the thing I had ordered.

Very strange.

[MrGarmonbozia]

Originally Posted by bigshot

Are you sure the sale wasn't for an Amazon Warehouse deal? Those get substituted in when regular stock dries up.

Nope. It was straight up sold by Amazon. Not listed as a warehouse item in "like new" etc. It was supposed to be a brand new shrink wrapped Criterion set.

As there's no real choice here, I've opted the return it for full refund and have since purchased it again off Amazon.com (mine was from .ca though it came from NJ). Actually $3 cheaper going America to Canada despite the fees and such.

Soooo, I guess I come out with some change for a coffee and, hopefully, a NEW set.

Scratched discs from Criterion have kinda' been par for the course the last two years or so and they've been good at sending replacements if need be but this was clearly used and had a whole corner of the boxset torn off leaving a bit of a hole.

Somebody had even dogeared the booklet.

[Danespina]

Could your Amazon account have been flagged or something like that? Have you been issueing a ton or returns in the last year (even if you were in the right)?

Also is it normal for a product ordered directly off Amazon.ca (Canada) to be shipped from the States? I don’t usually check but I feel like that’s not normal unless I order from a third-party seller.

[MrGarmonbozia]

Originally Posted by Danespina

Could your Amazon account have been flagged or something like that? Have you been issueing a ton or returns in the last year (even if you were in the right)?

Also is it normal for a product ordered directly off Amazon.ca (Canada) to be shipped from the States? I don’t usually check but I feel like that’s not normal unless I order from a third-party seller.

I don't believe so but it's possible. I haven't returned anything in awhile, though, due to going directly to Criterion and Shout to replace their own scratched discs.

As for it coming from the US, yeah, I thought that was kinda' weird to. I can't recall an order from .ca that was issued from the US or, at least, showed that way via tracking.

I was worried I was going to get hit by customs or something considering it wasn't a .com order with that stuff already baked in but I was not.

The .com order of the same set is scheduled to arrive on Saturday. As I said, hopefully new and with, if there are scratches, less prominent ones.

[Danespina]

^ I'm not sure then. For nearly 20 years Amazon has had a pretty spotless record with returns for me. So I hope there isn't some policy that would change that.

[mpls1981]

I've had a series of three new questions about whether it's still unopened and new when I returned a movie. It does seem they are trying out a series of new/different methods for returns and possibly rolling them out to select users before going wide or stopping it. I know of at least one other user who received similar questions.

[Telemachus]

I've probably returned 100+ things in the last few years and have never had to talk to anyone like this

[kevin87]

So you have to do all that, but didn't have to return it? Might be a new thing to save on return shipping fees. I'd be mad if I had to send it back and they didn't approve the return a week later especially if they wouldn't send it back.

[MrGarmonbozia]

Originally Posted by kevin87

So you have to do all that, but didn't have to return it? Might be a new thing to save on return shipping fees. I'd be mad if I had to send it back and they didn't approve the return a week later especially if they wouldn't send it back.

No, I still have to return. After I took the photos with the paper that had my name and the date on it next to the images to show the damage and fingerprints (couldn't show lack of shrinkwrap because, well, there was no shrinkwrap), I requested another call back to ensure they got it.

That's why they said that, despite the product still being available, they would not issue a replacement and only a refund once it is returned.

I could purchase it again but at the now higher price point.

I inquired about them credditing the difference but they said they couldn't do that either.

[MrGarmonbozia]

Also, before contacting Amazon directly I tried initiating the return for replacement myself. It allowed me to do with the choices being:
a) a refund
or
b) as mentioned above, an item from my previously viewed history mentioning credit would go towards that and I would pay whatever remained, if at all. Unsure what happened in the reverse if there was funds left over if it would be an Amazon account credit or returned to my card.

At any rate, the box set was not part of those choices which is what lead to me contacting them but, until that point, no photo evidence seemed to be needed.

I'd just never seen that option before: we won't replace it with the same thing but here's some stuff you once looked at we'll send instead

[James Luckard]

If an item is out of stock at the moment you initiate a return, they only give you the option to return for a refund, store credit, or to have the same amount applied to another item.

Doesn't matter if it was in stock an hour earlier, or if they get stock the next day. If it's out of stock when you press the button to start the return, those are the only options you'll get.

I've encountered that before.

[mar3o]

Haven't had the pictures requirement yet but several times over the past year I've been told (over the phone) a replacement isn't an option even though they had them in stock while I was on the phone with them. On a different note, Amazon UK has made it very difficult for me in the past year to get items replaced or refunded. One time they sent me the wrong item, and refused to send the right one, even though they still had it in stock. They then refunded the wrong amount back. It was a battle to get things sorted out. I no longer import from Amazon UK after that last nightmare.

[MrGarmonbozia]

Yeah, in this instance, the item has never not been in stock. They just wouldn't resend it and gave me the multiple choices.

[rikraq]

I haven't had to do that, but I returned an item that was delivered back to them on Feb 2 and am still waiting on my refund. It says 2-3 days, but every time I ask about it I get a different answer. Now it says "Refund issuance failed", but cs says it's still being refunded. I am getting pissed about it now.

I don't get why Kohls drop offs get refunded instantly, but UPS returns take forever.

ETA: Now I'm being told I won't be refunded until Feb 21. ****ing ridiculous.

[filmbuffTX]

You should have stated in your initial post that you ordered from Amazon Canada. The policies and procedures aren’t necessarily the same between different divisions of Amazon.

[mclellandj]

Just chat with them. I’ve never had an issue with a chat rep fulfilling any reasonable request. Have you done anything shady with returns before? If not you should just cancel this process and start over on chat.

[MrGarmonbozia]

Originally Posted by mclellandj

Just chat with them. I’ve never had an issue with a chat rep fulfilling any reasonable request. Have you done anything shady with returns before? If not you should just cancel this process and start over on chat.

When I got nowhere with the first chat and the rep ended it I contacted again, this time via phone call. That escalated to a supervisor and all three told me the same thing.

No, I've not done anything shady with returns.

I mean, I guess, define shady. Perhaps shady to them. There have been more disc returns over the last two years due to getting more scratched discs.

Personally, I wonder if this is fallout from more return requests for physical media but who knows.

I mean, it could just be a random thing I got hit with, too. I guess, if I try to return something else in the future, and get told the same process I can possibly narrow things down to my account being flagged.