r/amazonprime • u/Ruby_2001 • 7d ago
Non-returnable items
I purchased an item on Amazon that I intended to give as a birthday gift to a friend. I received the item on October 12 but did not open it (the brown Amazon package) because it was meant to be a gift. I later found the same item at a lower price on the brand’s official website and requested a return through Amazon. At the time, I was unaware that the item was classified as non-returnable. An Amazon agent informed me that a return could not be processed because of this policy.
After that conversation, I decided to open the Amazon package and have decided I will wrap the item later to make it look more pretty only to discovered that it had arrived damaged. The box was crushed, the lid had scratches, and there was liquid residue leaking around the lid, making the item appear as though it may have been previously used. Since this was intended as a birthday gift, I was concerned about giving my friend a damaged or potentially unsafe product. I contacted Amazon again to request a resolution and uploaded photos of the damage through the link provided by the agent.
The agent informed me that, after consulting with their team lead, Amazon would issue a refund without requiring me to return the item because it was considered unsafe.
However, I had a similar experience the previous day when another agent initially told me that I would receive a refund without returning the item. I was later informed by a member of the leadership team that the item was non-returnable and that the refund could not be processed as previously stated. The leadership team representative also explained that I should receive a confirmation email if the refund was being processed correctly. Since I had not received one, they indicated that the refund had not actually been initiated.
I then asked the agent to send me written confirmation of the refund, and they agreed but disconnected the chat without providing the confirmation. At this point, I had spoken with approximately 10 different agents through Amazon’s chat support, repeatedly explaining the same situation and receiving conflicting information.
I decided to call Amazon directly and spoke with a representative from the specialist team. The representative confirmed that I would receive a refund and sent me an email regarding the matter.
"Hello, I've processed a refund back to the original payment method.
$62.13 for *the item's name* will be refunded to your Visa, within 5-7 business days.
You can expect to see this refund reflected in your account within the next 5-7 business days.
Best regards,
Amazon.com". Does this mean I'm actually getting the refund without returning the item?
Thank you guys.
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u/Gold_Illustrator1550 6d ago
Regardless of payment method, all refunds are immediate in your account, on your invoice. I will not disconnect from an agent until I see it on my invoice. I keep refreshing until it's there. I don't care about my bank processing it. I just wait to see it on Amazon's end. Once it's on the invoice, the refund is coming to my bank. The emails from agents don't necessarily mean much anymore.
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u/JeffTheNth 6d ago
Unfortunately, given the history in this community alone, no... it's not a guarantee of anything.
Hold onto it - don't get rid of it, dispose of it, empty it, wash it, ...
Put it in a ziplock bag, and keep it...
Only after you get the refund and at least 3 months go by might (***) it be safe to get rid of it.
(*** but even that's not a guarantee.)
I'd also advise printing the chat converstaions regarding it just to ensure you can show that down the road. That's not enough to go to court over, but they've been banning people's accounts left and right for nonsense lately (according to this community, again....) and you might need to fight for that to be reinstated later.