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alzee76 t1_iy5ef4d wrote

Hope this young man has this sorted out, but this is a valuable lesson: Don't buy high ticket items on a debit card unless things are dramatically different in the UK vs the US regarding buyer protections.

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FJ1010123 t1_iy5f2z8 wrote

Yep you’re right, credit card purchases are protected in the UK too!

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alzee76 t1_iy5fenp wrote

My question was more : Are debit cards in the UK protected like credit cards -- in the US, they aren't.

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surfmaster t1_iy5gb6g wrote

There are significantly fewer protections on debit cards in the US, but the EFTA and most card servicers (Visa/MC/etc) do limit liabilities within a window of the transaction.

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alzee76 t1_iy5h5xx wrote

> the EFTA does limit liabilities within a window of the transaction.

The EFTA offers no protections in a case where the product you purchased is defective or not delivered. It protects you only from liability due to errors made by one end of the financial transaction or the other, and unauthorized transactions like a stolen card or number.

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FJ1010123 t1_iy5fv9d wrote

Oh I see. As far as I know it’s only credit cards unfortunately.

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Wojtas_ t1_iy5euhn wrote

They are, at least in the EU. All transactions are under the same protection (why wouldn't they be???)

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jimicus t1_iy5fn0s wrote

The UK isn't in the EU - and even when it was, the law is quite different. There is much stronger protection for credit card purchases.

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alzee76 t1_iy5f9by wrote

Ok then, what's the problem? Chargeback, eat the $50 (or whatever the fee is over there), and don't panic.

> why wouldn't they be???

In the US our strongest protections come from a law called the "fair credit billing act" which doesn't apply to debit cards, checking accounts, etc. -- only to credit cards.

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cally1789 t1_iy5wluw wrote

I don't get it, usually amazon is great with customer service and refunds. Hell we bought a mattress and decided we didn't like it, started a return and they gave us the money back, and told us to keep the mattress.

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schroedingersnewcat t1_iy6pfk1 wrote

That's because legally they can't take a mattress back.

That said, you're 100% right, Amazon usually has great customer service.

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pentatomid_fan t1_iy74v5i wrote

It’s also my understanding that all the mattress companies that give you the “test it out or get a refund for some time period” just throw them away. Some of them just call 1-800-Got-Junk for you.

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schroedingersnewcat t1_iy74zat wrote

Tuft and Needle specifically asks you to donate it to charity, as does Casper I believe. Not sure about others.

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MessAdmin t1_iy5jefj wrote

From the article:

“Mr Kamogari's boss Shun Tomii, owner of the Shiki restaurant in Norwich, has been helping his young employee to seek answers from Amazon.

He added: "This has been so stressful for him - he can't eat cereal anymore.”

Poor guy. Sounds like he was a victim of serial cereal swappers

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Jman50k t1_iy5erw2 wrote

My only question is: Should I joke about Wheetabix tasting like a MacBook, or about MacBooks having the performance of Wheetabix?

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pab_guy t1_iy603hg wrote

Why is this a news story? I think it may just be a joke?

"This has been so stressful for him - he can't eat cereal anymore."

LOL

Amazon refunds lost high ticket items all the time, usually without question.

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267aa37673a9fa659490 t1_iy7iflo wrote

> Luckily, Mr Kamogari had bought the laptop with a monthly payment of £279 - rather than the full figure of £1,399.

> ...

> The bank said they can't cancel his direct debit because it depends on Amazon.

This sounds like more like "won't" rather than "can't".

You're telling me Amazon has so much power that they can force money out of someone's account against the bank's wishes?

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jimicus t1_iy7n9f7 wrote

The only explanation I can think of is that Amazon haven't set up the direct debit yet (quite often, businesses won't for a couple of weeks).

And while you can cancel an exisiting direct debit, you can't cancel one that hasn't been set up yet.

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NoBodyThingWhereTime t1_iy5o6b2 wrote

I once ordered some meditation CDs from Amazon and received horror movie DVDs instead. True story.

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disruptioncoin t1_iy5q7mn wrote

I'd chock your story and the one in the article up to logistics errors. The boxes probably got mislabeled at a distribution center. Having worked at a distribution center that dealt with TONS of boxes everyday, you'd be surprised how many different ways things can go wrong along the way.

Scams do happen though, both on the sellers side and other places. I ordered a used google pixel 3 off amazon once, and right as I got a delivery notification, I heard some noise out by my patio gate and looked out the window to see a person in a hi-vis vest - I believe it was the fedex guy- walking briskly away from my house. I went outside and th package was nowhere to be found. I called amazon and they asked me to check my mailbox again, so I did just to humor them. They asked if it may have been delivered to my neighbor... I was like how would I even know that and how is that my problem or my job to check?? But I told them there was nothing outside his gate and I even peeked under his gate into his patio to be sure.

I guess I got lucky because they refunded me. But I bet you if it was a higher value item, or if it happens again, Amazon will probably ban me for trying to scam them.

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Lee2026 t1_iy69egd wrote

I doubt this is a logistics error. I doubt Apple would ever sell retail on Amazon. Why would Apple sell through a third party and give away profits? Selling through cell and data carriers is an exception.

High dollar items like this are resold through Amazon sellers but I doubt they go through Amazon fulfillment, which is where the scam takes place. Amazon sellers list the item, but ship some other bs item instead. Same concept as eBay

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disruptioncoin t1_iy6au9l wrote

I never claimed that apple was the one selling it. Just that whoever is reselling it may not be a scammer. I saw a post once where a guy got a roller from a conveyor system instead of the item they ordered.

It's definitely possible that expensive items don't get shipped through amazon fulfillment, I don't know enough about all that to have an opinion on it.

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Leiryn t1_iy7f48a wrote

I ordered earbuds and got vitamins

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ShadowDragon8685 t1_iyb2lwk wrote

Someone at Amazon fucked up royally when this kid contacted them and told them that his MacBook was Weetabix.

I'm guessing someone presumed that he was trying to scam them by stuffing a box of Weetabix into the shipping box his MacBook arrived in, and slammed the "fuck this guy" button.

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