Amazon Sent Me a $339 Item I Didn’t Order…What Happened Next is Crazy
Have you ever had something show up at your door from Amazon.com, or another site, that you didn’t order? If you have, it can be a bit of head-scratcher. This happened to me last week when we received an item that Amazon sells for a whooping $339.
I knew I couldn’t just keep it without contacting Amazon first as I figured someone had paid for it and was wondering when it would be showing at their front door. Here is how the whole thing went down and what Amazon told me to do with the expensive item…
Huge Box Shows Up at My Door
So last week, a big ol’ Amazon box shows up at our front door and my son tears it open thinking it’s his new school backpack.
To his surprise, and disappointment, the box contained a VERY expensive BIG brown comforter set for a full-sized bed.
We all scratched our heads and tried to figure out if my wife ordered it, or maybe it was a gift from someone?
We don’t have a full-sized bed in our home so we were quite perplexed. Once my wife got home, she was equally confused and had no idea why it showed up.
See Also: 6 Brilliantly Slick Ways to Get Amazon Prime for Free
Amazon Has No Record of the Order
So I took to the inter-webs and logged into our Amazon account to see if there was any record of the comforter set. Nada.
So I hit up Amazon live chat and explained the situation to the operator.
The only record of the order I had was the UPS sticker on the front of the box as it showed up without a packing slip.
After snapping a pic of the label and getting it to the Amazon rep, she could not find any record of the order anywhere in their system.
What Amazon Told Me To Do
“Keep it.”
Yes, Amazon told me to keep the $339 comforter set.
Since they had no record of the order, and thus couldn’t create a return label so I could return it, they simply told me it was mine.
But I was like, “I didn’t pay for it” and they were like, “Nothing for you to worry about, I will going to leave a note on your account” in case someone claims the bedding set at which point they’ll offer a refund or replacement.
I figured they’d thank me for my honesty and politely ask me to return it.
I guess that’s more of a pain-in-the-ass for them than it’s worth.
I wonder at what price point they’d ask me to return the item? $500, maybe $1,000? Anyone know?
The most amazing part of this whole dealio? A quick Amazon search shows this comforter set is being sold for $339. I guess I’ll put it up for sale on eBay unless you know someone who may be interested?
I plan to donate the money earned from the sale to charity.
Below is the transcript of my chat session with Amazon and details how the whole thing went down…
(Update 1/11/20) – According to this LifeHacker article, scammers could be sending you stuff you didn’t order as a way to steal Amazon boxes from your porch once they get delivered.
Apparently they use your old credit cards on your Amazon account to make it happen then swipe the stuff before you get home from work or brazenly take them while you’re home.
This could be worth a look if you think your account has been hacked recently.
See Also: Did Your Amazon Account Get Hacked? 6 Things To Do Immediately
Ask the Reader: Have you ever had a package show up at your front door that you didn’t order? How did you handle it, and if you contacted the company, what was their response?
By Kyle James
I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)
I ordered a camera at Amazon for $429. I wanted the next level up so much but it cost double the price so I went with the lower model. The two cameras look pretty much identical at first glance but upon closer inspection, the more expensive one has an additional dial and the model # is embossed on the top in tiny print. I received the camera yesterday, and lo and behold, Amazon sent me the camera that cost $799!! Unbelievable, but the manufacturer’s packaging can easily be mistaken for the other. The side of the box says the model # but the front which the merchandiser sees when he or she pulls it from the shelf, does not. The camera’s instruction manual shows the model # clearly but this is inside the box and merchandiser probably doesn’t look at this. Of course, I’ll keep it, its the one I’ve been dreaming to own! :DDD
This just happened to me today. I came home to a package addressed to my husband. No packing slip, just a gift receipt. It was a $250 robe…not something either of us would ever have ordered. I checked my Amazon account…no orders remotely like that. My husband called his bank (we have a Kindle FreeTime account for our niece, so we have to have a card connected) and he did get charged for it. The bank is reversing the charges. cancelled the account and reissued a new card and number, but I’m super angry about this. After reading this thread, I’m not sure I’ll bother contacting Amazon. I did change my password and took that card off. But I still have to have a card connected to the account, so who’s to say it won’t happen again?!
Wait, Amazon sells a $250 robe?
Yes, and they sell a $350 alligator skin card case. This came to us a month ago and we’ve been fighting Amazon to get our money back. We tried to get a return label, but they never emailed it. In the meantime we spoke to someone else at Amazon customer service so we could close our account. She couldn’t tell us why this happened but recommended we cancel our credit card number and close our account, which we did.
Since we never received the return info, we tried disputing this through VISA. They investigated through Amazon who told them it was all fine me dandy, so VISA would not credit our account.
Going back to Amazon for the umpteenth phone call, we tried again to get return info. Now they say they can’t do anything because the account is closed. They offered to escalate it to account services and we would receive a call within 24 hours. We’ve tried this twice and have not received a return phone call.
SERIOUSLY? What a nightmare. We are at a total loss as t how to resolve this.
So they actually charged you for it on your Visa? Did they say you could return it for a refund, yet never emailed you a return label? I would’ve called them everyday until I had the return shipping label in my hands.
Yes, we were charged. And it came with a card that said ‘Happy Birthday’. ( No, not even close to anyones birthday!). First conversation they said they would email a return label. Never received it. Called back, they said they would escalate. Never heard back. Called again, no help. FInally requested to cancel account, and that’s the person who said cancel your credit card and account (some sort of fraud going on) and dispute the bill with VISA. After hearing back from VISA, which took a couple of weeks, we started calling again. Someone was supposed to call back…right! The last time we called, (yesterday) we were told that because our account was closed they couldn’t help us. So we go online and reopen account. Tried to RETURN item through online, and they find the order now, but say it’s too late because 30 days are past.
If this ever happens again, don’t waste your time with the dispute department at your credit card bank. Instead, find the email address of the bank’s CEO (websites such as rocketreach.com or ceoemail.com). Press releases also can have this information. Write to them and explain what has happened. The actual CEO will not respond, but he will delegate this task to someone in the executive office and you will be contacted within a day or two by a person who has the power to resolve the issue for you. It will save you the time and grief of dealing with ineffective customer service people who are working with antiquated computer setups and have no idea how to help you.
His mistress sent it to him…
Just happened to me as well! I received a package addressed to someone else about 20 miles away from me. There are no similarities between our names or addresses. It came in a separate Amazon box to the package that I actually ordered.
It ended up being a $60 Steelseries Stratus XL bluetooth controller. Amazon told me to keep it or donate it if I wasn’t comfortable keeping it. It’s actually super high quality and more comfortable than the Xbox One controller I use for my PC. Too bad I don’t have bluetooth support. I might have to buy a bluetooth adaptor. 😀
Maybe that’s their long-term goal…send out free stuff that requires you to buy more stuff. 🙂
Hi I received an email saying about an item I was to receive which I didn’t order,I rang them with no joy as I don’t have an account with them,their was a section saying click here if this was not ordered by you but it asked for my Email password so I didn’t bother as I have been a victim of fraud a few times this year
Happened to me yesterday. I ordered $30 dinner set but received $159 Tent. When I called amazon to return this and get dinner set, they said they will send dinner set but I can keep or donate the Tent as they treat such products hazardous to take back. I don’t understand this. Hoping to get my dinner set asap. I need that more than a Tent 🙂
I also received a package I didn’t order from Amazon and it arrived the same day I was getting another package and I was like “why are there two?” (of course I checked my account right away and nothing) The second package contained something I did not order – a used Scholastic workbook for math for grade K.. Haha, I have no kids (i am super bad at math so is someone trying to tell me something?).
It has a ISBN code so I was able to search of it and Amazon has it but only through third-party sellers. The sticker on the package says it came from Amazon Fullfillment in KY which doesn’t make sense if a third party seller sent it??
It is only $5 so I will probably just give it to Goodwill or put it in the reading book libraries that we have in my town that has free books etc for folks to just take.
There are a zilllon codes on this thing so have no idea which one to go to look up – sounds like from the other comments that these odd items that show up at our doorsteps aren’t ordered by anyone and if they are Amazon isn’t going to tell us who!!! Ghosts?? I keep thinking it is joke from someone from my past..
Amazon fulfillment centers store and ship merchandise that is sold by third party sellers. In addition to selling items owned by Amazon, the company also allows third party sellers to sell and ship their own items or ship them in bulk to Amazon and allow amazon to handle all the legwork for additional fees.
Received a $20 mask that we didn’t order today. From the Amazon Covington KY fulfillment center. No gift or shipping receipt inside and thus no order number. Called Amazon and they couldn’t tell me why it was shipped to me and just advised that I keep it. From searching the web, apparently this happens a lot from the Covington KY center. I’m just sorry that it wasn’t a more expensive item. We’ll give this away.
I had heard that employees in shipping departments steal items by fulfilling a fake order and shipping it to where the occupants are at work all day. They, or a friend, watches for UPS and picks up the package. They either want the item or they want to sell it.
Oddly I was just shipped 2 pairs of new underpants in a package that looked slit open and retaped, I was thinking it was going to be some creepy stalker, or my account got hacked and this was someone trying to put in a small order before ordering something big but after being on a chat with Amazon, they assured me it was their mistake and that my account was secure. They told me to keep it as their gift to me, ha ha, Amazon gave me underpants!
A play kitchen just showed up, billed to me, supposedly ordered by me 5 days ago on Amazon, but I never placed the order. Could my 2 year-old have ordered it when pressing a bunch of buttons randomly on my phone? I cannot imagine how else this could have happened. Will just return it, UPS will come back and pick it up.
I found your post because the same things has happened to us, last week it was an international surge protector, this week it was tennis elbow bands. Called amazon and explained we have no idea where these came from, they aren’t on our order history, not on our wish lists, never items we’ve even looked into and there was no packing slip. They told us to keep them or give them away as worked best for us….. I’m just curious if we will get anything next week too.
How strange? For the last 6 months I have been recieving packages from amazon and ebay addressed to me of routers and modems. Its very strange because I dont even have an amazon account, and as for ebay theres nothing in my order history or charged from my bank account. So far I have recieved 4 routers, 2 modems, and a power cord for a modem through the mail like this.
I just got a $75 stovetop fry pan last week from Amazon…that I didn’t order! How weird.
Just 4 hours ago, I received a new Xbox one limited edition bundle which costs $450 from amazon. I didn’t order it and no charge was taken from my bank account either.
The funny part is that the seller mentioned on shipping label is the one that I bought Strapless Bra from last week, I checked all the product they sell, all women accessaries. So how they gonna send me an Xbox console？？
Anyway, I will wait till tomorrow and see if there is any email or call. If not, I will contact amazon to see if there is any way to find out the real customer who is still waiting for his Gears of war 4……
Crazy.. I got a 450 dollar IRUMBA vacuum cleaner..
We ordered a Simmons beauty rest mattress. Which was to be delivered Nov 29th it was a 455. Matress. 5. Days after ordered I receive a summons beauty rest in a box I called amazon told them I didn’t order this much more expensive one. 987.00 they had no record didn’t come off my card they told me it was my choice I can return it or keep it but my mattress I did order is still being delivered on 29th. I’ve been good customer n a elderly man my husband helps him out mows his lawn. Well he was sleeping on an inflatable mattress cause he couldn’t afford a new one. We had told him he could have our old one which was still in good condition. But it’s a full size we bought a queen. When we brought over the mattress we ordered on 29th it was like Santa came early he was teary eyed & said no neighbor had ever been so nice as we have. I figured he needed it more than amazon. God will bless amazon & us. We told him what happened he said God does listen. Thank you amazon you made this sweet elderly man day
Wonderful story! Thanks for sharing Judy.
How kind of you! I love hearing stories like this! Thank you for doing your part to make this world a better place! God bless you and your family!
Tuesday I got 2 packages from Amazon, one was mine that I had ordered and the other one was a nerf gun that I did not order. I was busy, sat it to the side and forgot about it. Wednesday, same thing I got a package of what I had ordered and another box, I just thought why didn’t they put it the same box and opened it to find a children’s book, a pokemon movie and 2 Kindle Fire’s! The boxes have someone else’s name on them, but with my address. I Posted on facebook asking if anyone knows this person and I have also asked in a few buy sell trade groups for my area, these are obviously someone’s presents, but no one know who this person is. I even contacted a friend of mine on the police department and they can find no record of this person in my state. Amazon dose not know why I got the packages, they just said “well that was the address provided”. I do live in an apartment complex and I work for the power company so I was able to look at all the accounts of tenants who have lived here and there is no one. Not really sure what to do, but I don’t want to ruin some kids Christmas! I guess for now they will sit in the box. There is also no packing slip, gift receipt or receipt in the box, just the items, which I thought was odd. I did check my amazon account and there is no suspicious activity , the same with my bank.