Amazon package being returned to seller immediately - how do we stop this?

[Taxel]

Last week we ordered an external hard drive on Amazon. It was supposed to arrive today but never did. I just woke up and had my boyfriend check the tracking to see what was going on. On Amazon it says the package was out for delivery around 8am, is being returned to the sender immediately, and we'll get a refund when it arrives. This is the very first day its been eligible for delivery and gone out so obviously that makes no sense.

We checked the tracking number on UPS (which is seriously the WORST delivery people here, by far) and it says the package was refused because the customer didn't order it. Obviously they're so incompetent they tried to deliver it to the wrong apartment. I'm glad the other person was honest but this is ridiculous. We're furious and stunned. We've ordered from Amazon many times and my "add-on" item from the same order (that shipped separately) arrived just fine. There is no problem with our address unless Amazon screwed it up themselves.

I can't even properly put into words how angry we are right now. We're planning to call UPS in the morning, since they're closed now, but is there anything else we can do? I don't know if the workers start doing stuff before the phones open up or anything like that. If we lose this external hard drive, we won't be able to afford another one. This was the only one at that price point.

[Flickerswift]

That sounds incredibly frustrating. Has Amazon said anything about it?

[Taxel]

Not that we're aware of, but its a family Amazon account so if they sent an email or something neither of us would be the one to get it. I suggested trying one of those Amazon chats, you know to try and talk to someone about it, but my boyfriend didn't think it would help so we haven't.

[Flickerswift]

Amazon is usually pretty good with customer service. I'd contact them. Maybe they can have it resent after the return or something, since it wasn't your fault.

[Em_L._Pea_Customs]

Amazon Customer Service via chat is freakin' awesome!  At the very least, they should be able to get the process of sending a replacement started.  Good luck!

[Taxel]

Unfortunately its not a replaceable thing. It was one of those "fulfilled by Amazon, provided by some dude" items (that's why it was so affordable). I did give Amazon chat a try earlier and got a super helpful person. They issued a refund and said they'd try to contact UPS, though I don't think they were able to. We had some sour experiences with chat closer to Christmas so I guess that's why my boyfriend was apprehensive about it.

My boyfriend's mom called UPS (since her name is the one on the Amazon address) and they really tried to give her the run around. It sounded like they tried to ask for payment or blame us at some point, even though we know 100% for sure the address is correct. They kept claiming they absolutely do not have the package and cannot possibly get it back in any way, like it got back to Amazon in under a day! That's literally impossible. Nothing they said made any sense or helped and they kept transferring her to different people (sometimes without warning) or putting her on hold. It was super rude and aggravating.

She finally got to someone who could actually tell her something instead of being vague/implying we're wrong. Apparently UPS refused the package themselves immediately upon getting it "from Amazon" (no clue what they meant by that since it had been in transit for days, maybe USPS?), like it may have been damaged or something. Why didn't the tracking say that in the first place?! "Refused by UPS for damage/etc" and "Refused by recipient because they said they didn't order it" could not possibly be more different.

We're going to try calling Amazon later, like the UPS person suggested, and ask them to ship it back to us if its okay. The person in chat said we'd get it and it was literally the only affordable external hard drive on Amazon.

[Leave a Whisper]

I'd contact Amazon and let them know what happened.

[LadyMoondancer]

When UPS screws up, they go all out.  I ordered Halloween candy in early September and they delayed and delayed it until two days before Halloween . . . then claimed they couldn't find my apartment.  The street was under construction at the time and apparently they would rather say they couldn't find the place than park their truck and walk a half block.  Then, just as in your case, they claimed they couldn't fulfill the delivery and sent the package back to the sender.

On top of that, a week later they changed the status of the package to "delivered", so I had to open a credit card claim to get my money back, because of course the company / Amazon didn't want to refund me for this supposedly "delivered" package.

tl;dr UPS sucks and I try to avoid sellers that use them but sometimes it's not possible.

[Taxel]

Oh my god, you are so beyond 100% right LadyMoondancer. I'm completely stunned.

MIL called Amazon while I was asleep and they told her the package was en route back to us. We were pretty annoyed by all of this, but at least the hard drive that we desperately need was still coming. It arrived today while I was asleep. The delivery person shoved it under the mat, knocked, and RAN back to their truck as fast as possible. My boyfriend jumped up immediately to go get it and by the time he got to the door (~15 feet away at most) they were gone. This isn't unusual for UPS around here. In fact, its a shock if there's a person standing there when you open the door seconds after they knock.

When he looked under the mat he found a thin bubble mailer. He was confused but MIL thought maybe it was the doll clothes that's supposed to arrive tomorrow. When he opened it (after taking photos; that's how suspicious it looked) the "package" was completely empty. It was obviously re-sealed. We're thinking the UPS delivery driver ripped it open, stole the hard drive, and then claimed we refused the package. I carefully removed the layers of stickers to try and see wtf was going on (it was like 3-4 layers of labels). It says right there plain as day, our correct address and "receiver did not order, refused / original receiver: [MIL's name]". I call complete BS on their claims that it arrived damaged.

Sooooo excited to leave an angry review for the seller (who ships an external hard drive in a BUBBLE MAILER?!?!), have an angry chat with Amazon, have an angry call with UPS, and possibly have an angry call with Amazon too.

[Leave a Whisper]

OMGS! What a loser! I kinda wish someone punched them in the face on your behalf.   

[banditpony]

If it was "fulfilled by Amazon", that means it was packaged by Amazon... Not the seller.

[Taxel]

If it was "fulfilled by Amazon", that means it was packaged by Amazon... Not the seller.

I don't think it was "fulfilled by Amazon" but I'm not 100% sure. If they fulfilled it wouldn't they use an actual Amazon box anyways? I've never had an Amazon order coming from Amazon (not a third party seller) arrive in anything but an Amazon box, even if the box is laughably oversized.

But I did look through the seller's entire feedback history. They're very experienced and have very good feedback (which is why we felt comfortable buying a used drive). Not one complaint about shipping, aside from one about it taking too long which of course isn't their fault. Their customer service looks to be excellent. I don't think they would have actually sent it in a bubble mailer themselves so the whole thing is a lot more suspicious.

[aintnobuffalo]

Wow! Sounds super shady! This sounds like a UPS issue, and you may have to ask to speak to people in charge there. Take pictures. Make contacts as soon as possible.

It's not just UPS. I once had three items that arrived the same day all sent directly back because the USPS postal worker decided they thought I didn't live there anymore. I received other mail in my name that day, I had lived at the same address for several years, and they didn't bother to check with my home or the apartment office where they often leave packages. I wasn't able to get them all back even thought I went in the next morning. Still have no idea what the heck they were thinking. Mean while I still get mail for two people I have told them haven't lived here for at the very least 5 years.

[Stormness_1]

Wow, sounds as bad as the deliveries we've had lately! We had Auspost sneak a smashed box of wine into our entryway (I'd used the door to go outside, and was around the side of the house, he was THAT sneaky!), and a florist throw a sideways box of flowers outside our front door, 2 days after valentines. What the hell is wrong with delivery drivers? My hubby used to do deliveries, and he always took so much care with stuff people had forked out hard-earned money for.

[Taxel]

aintnobuffalo - Yeah, we have photos before it was opened, showing it empty and open, plus photos of the various layers of labels. We're keeping the bubble mailer and paper I stuck the labels to just in case. We weren't able to call today but its the very first thing we're doing tomorrow.

Wow, that's absolutely ridiculous! I can't believe the nerve of delivery people sometimes. Its mindblowing how rude they can be sometimes. It really seems to depend where you live and what locations your packages get routed through. We generally don't have more than the "basic" mail issues (treating packages like garbage/customers like idiots) with USPS here but I dread every UPS order.

Stormness_1 - That's ridiculous! I'd really love to know... I don't understand why all these awful postal workers/delivery people are still employed when they spend their time destroying customers' hard earned products! Well I mean, obviously the answer is that those in power at these companies just don't care at all. But its infuriating, especially with how much people shop online these days.