Estimated reading time at 200 wpm: 4 minutes
Right – this is about weird stuff. I spent money on Amazon and was probably rewarded for my honesty about some sort of glitch.
Whether or not you agree our Fat Disclaimer applies
The purchase
I bought two technology items on Amazon for a total of £156.98. I got notification that they were delivered to my collection point at 12:16PM on 30th August 2022.
As the collection point was just a minute drive down the road, I drove 1 minute down the road – obviously. Yes I could have walked but I didn’t have the time, and the package would have been quite bulky though not too heavy. I gave the code at the counter and I gets my package at 12:51PM. No problem.
The refund I did not ask for
Then the unexpected happened. I got an email from Amazon at 18:34 saying, “A refund of £156.98 has been processed to your gift card balance in reference to your order #203-59449xx-xxxxxx. To access your gift card balance, click Your Account at the top of our website. Under ‘Payment & GC’, click ‘View Gift Card Balance’ and sign in with your e-mail address and password..Reason for refund: Item not received.”
So I’m like WUT! I had nothing to do with that! Yes – you got that right. I got an email seconds after the collection confirming that the item was collected.
Stupid: You obviously clicked something in your account to get a refund! You’re pulling a fast one!
CW: I did not! I was not!
Stupid: So Amazon just decided to refund you out of the blue?
CW: Yes – and that was several hours after I collected the item.
Stupid: Somebody hacked your Amazon account.
CW: It was possible but not probable.
Stupid: How is that – don’t play with words.
CW: It is ridiculous to think that a hacker would break into my account to refund an item I collected. Normally a hacker would be up to some other mischief like ordering stuff to and sending to themselves. That did not happen. It is also improbable because my Amazon account is password locked with a very complex password that is about 20 random characters. That would take about 100 years of brute-force attack to crack.
Stupid: Is still think you were up to something.
CW: I did not ask for a refund before collecting the item. There is no way to claim a refund for non-delivery after delivery is made. And I still think you are totally dumb! Off you pop.
Chryssst! Right – as I was saying – then I get another email at 20:34PM from Amazon reassuring me about the refund coming by way of a gift card balance on my account. There was no gift card balance at about 21:00.
Honesty
So – I decided to call up Amazon and tell them about this. The service rep understands the situation and says, “Thanks for your honesty. Most people would have said nothing.” I was assured that the credit would be removed. They froze the account – due to the unusual activity, as they call it. Fair enough. I then had to reset my password about 3 hours later, which I did.
Next purchase
Then I see an item (technology) for £139.99 with really good specs and ordered that. As with these things I don’t usually check as I click the ‘buy now’ button. Whoops! I discovered about 5 minutes later that I paid £0.00 for the item! Eh?!
What happened is that the gift card was deposited. Not stopped. So I said to myself, “Stuff it – they could cancel if they want. I am prepared to pay for the item anyway.” So – it is now 24 hours later and they’ve done nothing to take back their £156.98! What – am I supposed to hunt them down and remind them? Well no! Why should I be spending my time begging them to take back their money. I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m still prepared to pay the full price with no credit from them, if they cancel the purchase. They still could before delivery date of 3rd Sept.
So – we shall have to wait and see. If they deliver and don’t charge me, I shall say ‘Thank you very much Amazon – after all the headaches I had on your forums a few years ago!‘ I’ll write an update on 3rd or 4th Sept if the item arrives.
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