A user on TikTok is calling out Amazon after they failed to deliver her $2,000 order—and did not immediately refund her.
In a video with over 92,00 views, TikTok user and tech worker Symoné B. (@beezsls) recounts the whole story and warns others of ordering expensive items via Amazon.
“I probably won’t order expensive electronics on Amazon after this,” she writes in the caption.
@beezsls I probably won’t order expensive electronics on Amazon after this #symonebeez #amazon #sony ♬ Blade Runner 2049 – Synthwave Goose
To summarize, Symoné ordered a Sony AC7 camera with a “vlogging kit.” She says that everything arrived except for the camera body itself, which was shipped separately.
However, on the day that the camera body was supposed to arrive, Symoné says the item was marked damaged and returned to the sender. The body alone costs around $2,000.
Initially, Symoné claims, Amazon told her that they would refund her purchase in 7 days. She did not get her money back after 7 days.
After 30 days, she still had not received her money, and Amazon told her that they needed to investigate the situation with the shipper before she could get her money back. This process, they allegedly told her, may take 120 days (curiously, this is the same length of time allowed for a credit card chargeback).
In the comments section, users advised Symoné to take it up with her bank rather than Amazon.
“Dispute with your bank,” offered a user.
“That’s why I started making all online purchases with my credit card,” claimed a second. “The credit card companies get their money back.”
“Chargeback on the card you used,” echoed a third. “Amazon did the same thing to me on a laptop I ordered and never received.”
Thankfully, Symoné confirmed in comments that she did just that, receiving a full refund thanks to a chargeback using American Express.
“Dog I said if you don’t refund my money today I’m calling @americanexpress,” she recalled. “Needless to say AMEX already refunded me lol.”
Nonetheless, users were quick to share their own negative experiences with the platform.
“I just canceled my prime, Amazon was charging me twice a month,” alleged a user.
“[Shaking my head] something similar happened when my dad ordered a bike the seller sent wrong bike that was broken,” another remembered. “took months to get money back.”
“This happened to my husband with a Toshiba laptop last year. After numerous back and forth, we finally give up,” stated an additional TikToker. “They are stealing your stuff.”
The Daily Dot reached out to both Amazon and Symoné via email.
Update 11:51am CT, Mar. 11, 2023: In an email to the Daily Dot, Symoné confirmed that she did, finally, receive a refund.
“The Amazon customer reps and managers never actually pulled up the UPS tracking number to check the status of the package. Once I pulled up the tracking number I saw that UPS generated a new return tracking number,” she said. “I called Amazon again to tell them about this return tracking number; the package had made it back to Amazon a few days after it was marked as damaged. So, they finally processed my refund after I proved to them that the package had been returned to Amazon a month ago.”
“This seems like a common occurrence with Amazon recently,” she continued. “If you can’t prove it was returned to them (even if it never made it to you in transit) they won’t refund your money. Management refused to help me or even take a look at the tracking number or details.”
As for the reasons why this happened, Symoné says the company’s customer service was at least partially to blame.
“I believe that it is bad customer service at play with Amazon,” she stated. “They were rude and offered no assistance. I would never order an expensive electronic from Amazon again knowing that if something goes wrong with the shipping and tracking number they will not refund or resolve the issue compared to other companies like Best Buy, B&H Photo, Target, etc.”
