I am at my wits’ end. Last July my Amazon account was hacked and two purchases made – for £8 vape coils and four sets of Huawei wireless earphones costing £437.
I spotted the Amazon Marketplace purchases within 12 hours but was told, when I called to complain, that because the delivery address was my father’s house – a stored Amazon contact – I should wait for them to arrive and then return them.
The vape coils arrived but the earphones, of course, did not. A small USB cable was sent in their place. Ever since, I have been trying to get Amazon to accept that I didn’t place these orders and to refund me.
Amazon keeps telling my bank – Halifax – that, because the earbuds were delivered to one of my “known addresses”, it is not fraud. This led to my chargeback claim, that had been approved, being rescinded. We have now been going backwards and forwards for more than six months.
I am no detective but the item tracked and delivered weighed 21g, which matches the USB cable’s weight. The four sets of earphones would have weighed 212g plus packaging. The original order was made from an IP address in Dorset but I live in West Yorkshire. I can’t get through to anyone at Amazon who will take this seriously.
SL, Keighley
Yours is not the first case of this kind that I have come across. It seems fraudsters have been buying items in this way, and intercepting them before they arrive at the “delivery” address. Other victims, like you, have found it impossible to get Amazon to accept their story because the parcel’s tracking shows that an item was delivered.
I pointed out to Amazon the weight discrepancy, and it accepts you were the innocent victim of fraud. A full refund has been made, and you have also been sent a chocolate hamper to say sorry.
In your shoes I would have cancelled the order immediately rather than waiting – as suggested – until the items arrived. Shoppers should also set up two-step verification on their Amazon account, which will help stop fraudulent payments in the first place.
We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions
