How to Score an Instant Refund if Amazon Package is Late
As I’ve discussed before, Amazon is having a hard time getting stuff to you in the 2-day Prime shipping window. And it kinda sucks as Amazon packages seem to be arriving late more frequently these days. It’s especially unfortunate since you’re paying for the Prime service, and in many cases actually need the stuff quickly, which is why you ordered from Amazon in the first place. Here’s how you can quickly score an instant refund from Amazon when your package is late.
How Do I Get My Refund?
The best way to score a refund is to start a Live Chat session with Amazon and let the rep know your item is late.
Here’s how my chat session went when I made this hack work…
Item Should Be At Least 24 Hours Late
I suggest waiting at least 24 hours late before you contact Amazon.
They’ll first tell you when your stuff is suppose to arrive, and ask that you contact them again if it still hasn’t arrived.
DON’T accept that as an answer.
Tell them, “Won’t need it then, please refund my account NOW, thank you.”
It’s been my experience that they’ll immediately offer to refund your account (in the form of a gift card) or original form of payment.
See Also: Amazon Actually Lets You Keep Some Items You Try to Return
Do I Have to Return Items After They Arrive?
Surprisingly, NO…or at least not always.
Once Amazon refunded my order, I was NEVER asked to mail back the stuff that came late.
It was mine to keep.
Sure enough my stuff arrived 3 days late.
I’ll either sell it stuff on eBay or find a different use for it.
Get A Refund From Amazon After Item Arrives
Sometimes Amazon will ask you to contact them again after the item arrives and they’ll issue you a refund then.
This typically happens when the “waiting period of the item” has not passed yet, which was the case in the screenshot above.
The item I had ordered kept getting it’s delivery date moved back, so after the 3rd time, I contacted them.
As you can tell be the chat session, they’ll still let me keep the item as “compensation for the delay”.
They do this in the hopes that you’ll forget to contact them, but you won’t do that, right?
Do I Have to be a Prime Member?
NO, but I think it might help.
It probably also helps if you order a lot from Amazon and have been a Prime member for at least a couple years.
I’m wondering if anybody reading this has had success with this hack that ISN’T a Prime member?
Let me know in the comments.
See Also: Here’s How to Make an Amazon Return After 30 Days
How Often Can I Do This?
I’m not sure.
Fortunately, you won’t need to do it very often, but I don’t see why you couldn’t try it every time an item doesn’t arrive on time.
After all, you’re paying for the 2-day shipping service so it’s smart to hold Amazon’s feet to the fire if they’re not holding up their end of the bargain.
With that said, DEFINITELY don’t lie and DON’T abuse Amazon’s generous policy or it will go away forever and they will raise their prices and the annual cost of Prime.
Will My Amazon Account Get Flagged?
Probably not.
I’m guessing if everybody did this, it would actually force Amazon to try and improve their delivery system.
See Also: The Amazon Bait & Switch Pricing Scam is 100% Real (Buyer Beware)
Ask the Reader: Have you tried this Amazon “refund trick” before? Was it as easy for you as it was for me?
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’ve tried this several times successfully. If they don’t refund the purchase in full, I often receive a substantial credit to be used toward a future purchase.
I haven’t used this approach exactly, but anytime something is late, broken, etc., I use the live chat to explain that the problem has caused undue hardship due to (insert your reason), and I would like reasonable compensation. I always get a gift card credit, usually $10, maybe $5 depending on price and circumstance. We spend a lot of money on Amazon and have been Prime members for years. That may or may not impact the decision. But it is worth a try even if you are not a Prime member. “The squeaky wheel gets the most oil”.
You have to be real scum of the earth to do something like this and it will definitely come back to you ten fold in the form of karma. If you don’t think this is stealing then you are not being honest with yourself. There are many reasons why a package can be late by a day or two i.e carrier delays in the form of weather, mis-sorts and does not give you the right to steal. Whoever would do this is a real low life.
Well obviously you don’t know how a company promoting a certain feature that a customer PAYS extra for that specific reason. That is not a scumbag thing to do. The scumbag in this situation is the company taking your extra money you are paying them monthly FOR THE SPECIFIC REASON of getting the item faster. Amazon prime members aren’t paying more money every single month for ANYTHING except the 2 day shipping. So when we use it and PAY FOR IT we expect it.
Amazon does not care about you. You can have empathy for the individual workers who experience delays or who mis-sort a package, but you aren’t stealing from them, you’re stealing from Amazon. And more power to you if you do! Amazon is not your friend. Steal from Amazon if you can.
Agreed, I was shocked to see this down voted -5… Doesn’t surprise me though.. Current state of society, entitlement.
You obviously don’t pay for Amazon prime. When I pay $100 a year so that I get free two day shipping that is what I’m paying for free two day shipping not six day shipping. Free 6-7 shipping, I can get that almost anywhere
Yeah, we’re “entitled” to get what we pay for. $139 per year to be exact. What a bunch of bums. /s
Why don’t you lick those corporate billionaire boots a little harder?
If you think receiving compensation from a multi-billion dollar company that is more than capable of taking care of their customers is stealing, you might want to rethink that idea. It doesn’t state in this article, but Amazon does have conditions for the refunds and most of them are what you listed (which are entirely fair conditions). Still, you shouldn’t call it stealing as many people do get put in a difficult spot if packages don’t arrive the time they are specified, and I think partial refunds are reasonable compensation.
If Amazon could drop shit off on advertised date it said it would be here we wouldn’t be pissed and demanding refund in the first place bad enough prime is no longer next day delivery then you gotta sit and wait 5 days with prime membership and sometimes longer I need car parts my sensor was supposed to arrive yesterday still not here and I’m pissed so scum of the earth huh you probably sucking bezos’s nuts stfu
Not stealing, it’s getting what you pay for, you think Amazon would think twice about charging you more? You pay for prime, they should be held accountable for their 2 day shipping, I’ve done it several times and am about to do it again on a blanket I ordered and paid extra 20.00 for express shipping, and it’s almost 3 days late and 5 days past express shipping date
So if I paid 12 bucks EXTRA to get it next day, that makes me a ‘scum bag’ to expect a refund of the EXTRA I paid for expedited shipping when it’s late? 🤔
What about when there is no reason for delay. I watch the tracked and package is in my town and never comes for another day or two or sometimes a extra week. Where did it go. did the driver get lazy and say im done for the day and not deliver everything. and it happens very often. we pay for a service that promises something. any other job if you dont fullfill your service you wouldnt expect full pay would you.
Damn Mike, how’s it feel to be wrong. Everyone thinks you suck… Maybe your the common denominator with that way of thinking. If we were a platoon we’d beat you in your sleep with soap sox. I feel bad for your neighbors, they probably roll their eyes everytime you complain about leaves from there tree blowing in your yard. What a loser.
Amazon is the real scum, they often deliver items later than what it showed in my shopping cart. If they do not meet their contractual obligations, they are at fault. They wasted my time and money, to fix their problem, and made interest off my $$$ while I waited. I think it is fair that they provide compensation for failing to meet their obligation. (now I do believe a full refund, and you still get the item is a scam)
I got a refund on a laptop that my daughter bought on my account. It was late and we thought it was lost in the mail. I got the refund and bought another one right away. Her first one did arrive a few days later, but the box was a little damaged. I returned it because I couldn’t afford to actually buy it if there were any issues with keeping it. It was a $700 laptop. She got the second one a couple days later. It wasn’t damaged. She loves it and has been using it ever since she got it. I would love one like it, but can’t afford the price right now. I contemplated keeping the other one for myself, but I didn’t feel right about it and if they would have asked for payment, I didn’t have the money. So I just returned it. I can’t remember if the chat guy told me to or not. I really thought it was lost in the mail because it seemed to be going to a different place. So I was quite surprised when it arrived, and it said delivered, so I’m sure we would have been liable for payment if it came down to it.
No, you likely would not have been responsible. Amazon would not have said anything to you about it. Probably because it’s a HUGE hassle to deal with returns and put them back “back on the shelf” so to speak. And since you returned it they would have not been able to sell it for full price and it would have to be checked over that you didn’t do anything to it and if it would need to be refurbished. Amazon is a multi billion dollar company- that’s a lot more hassle for them to deal with than just letting you keep it I promise you. You should have just kept it. You wouldn’t have been on the hook for anything, nor did they likely even notice it was gone. They did what they needed to to make sure the customer was pleased- returning it was much more of a hassle on them than you just keeping it. I know it felt like the right thing to do, but it wouldn’t have been the wrong thing to do either if you kept it. I promise you Amazon does not care about a small purchase like that to them. That’s a drop in the bucket.
The notion that you could /could not keep the $700 deposit should be discussed. Morally, I believe if you finally get a requested item and it arrives in usable shape, the ethical thing to do is return it. My experience is that with respect to inexpensive items, the shipper does not want them back. The reasons include return costs, restocking and so forth.
Back to the $700 laptop. It is highly unlikely that the seller which will NOT be Amazon will be so likely as to not want the article back for resale. I assure you that if this item or any item is not returned, it will not be Amazon bearing the cost. The seller will be entirely liable for the loss.
Justifying keeping an item on the grounds it is part of the Amazon Prime Program is like going in a store and shoplifting on the theory that the stores factor that into their sales prices.
However, you are paying for two day service. I see nothing wrong with contacting Amazon and requesting some type of refund be it gift certificate or the like for the shipping delay.
Finally, all stores including Amazon keep track of serial returners.
I don’t think this works with 3rd party sellers. Does anybody know for sure?
I did this by accident yesterday and got 5$ +the full refund and was wondering if it was ok so I looked it up and came across this
I contract for Amazon. They have internal processes and investigate websites like this, and use people like me (who deliver) to identify people who abuse the system. Your package will show as CANCELLED in almost all cases and a driver will not deliver it.
Doing this and also stating “I didn’t get the package” when you already have it doesn’t impact Amazon. They don’t care. It does impact Driver Bonus payments and how much drivers earn though, which is why practices like this are not just fraudulent but absolutely disgusting.
If I ordered something through prime that lists a 2 day delivery date, and my package is still not here for 2 weeks, of course I’m going to contact Amazon. I pay for a subscription service so I can get things I need in a timely manner, there’s nothing fraudulent about contacting a company to resolve an issue. If the company gives you a refund, you aren’t ‘scamming’ them, you’re simply using an available service to your advantage.
That said, of course people abusing the service is wrong. There are some cases where it’s appropriate, and others where it’s not.
I just talked to an Amazon representative who told me if my items did not arrive on time, that they will issue a full refund and let me keep the items. So, how is it disgusting if Amazon Customer Service Reps are mentioning it?
Taking advantage of it is disgusting, but you can only do this if it’s going to be late. If you’re getting them on time, it wont work.
You’re lying. I was working as a Amazon driver in different teams. Never ever was cut on payments because of what you said here.
Oh please, get off your hands and knees for Amazon. Used to work for that company, and they’re absolutely terrible nor do they care about their employees as we were all told we could be replaced easily while slaving us in terrible work conditions. Just had this happen, and to my surprise I was told I could keep the stuff I ordered as it was shipped through UPS anyways.
Trust and believe, as a trillion dollar company they’re not hurting in the slightest, so its hardly fraudulent or disgusting. Your word of identifying people who “abuse the system” means absolutely nothing to them because they know that fact.
I’ve been returning all items received late as I’ve had it with late deliveries from Amazon. It’s easy, especially if the item fits in a FedEx or UPS drop box, otherwise you must take it to a FedEx or UPS shipping service. I do just that and will let Amazon eat the cost of return shipping and handling.
Wow what a crappy thing to write an entire article on. You sound like an awful person. And again the fact that so many people are cheering you on and supporting this behavior is EXTREMELY telling about where we are as a society. I know Amazon is a horrible company but theft is theft. Grow up..
I’m so sick of this *got mine* mentality from people these days.
I’m taking it that reach around uncle Sam gives you before raping your wallet is more than enough to get you to suck him off too right. You are totally a trump fan aren’t you clueless and easy to screw over like a child being beaten by his mom and thinks it’s love.
You put money in the most corrupted humans pockets and think you are a damn saint when in reality they pocket it and talk crap behind your back and absolutely nothing changes now get out of my America panzy ass you sound like a roam Catholic even though they literally and openly side with God damn communism. Stand up for yourself moron or you will be taken advantage of by anyone and everyone.. ps screw bidan too
A Trump fan? What does that have to do with anything? I can tell by your responses you are one angry little man. Maybe you should see if maybe Amazon sells a penis extender or maybe some of those lift shoes. Or possibly some makeup for your wife when you inevitably black her eye. Calm down dude. It’s Amazon😂😂
Prime is expensive in case you haven’t noticed, and the whole draw is that it GUARANTEES delivery in a certain number of days. If it takes a week or more the customer would be stupid NOT to report it to customer service. It says right on your order page: “We’re very sorry your delivery is late. If you have not received your package by tomorrow, you can come back here the next day for a refund.”
We’re talking about a multi-billion dollar company here; Bezos is on his way to becoming the world’s first trillionaire. He became sickeningly richer during the pandemic while the rest of us starved & died, yet you’re throwing around the word “theft”? If he can’t even deliver on the terms of his own business contract, he doesn’t deserve a dime of our money. Amazon drivers are forced to pee in bottles ffs.
Stowing millions away in offshore bank accounts to avoid paying taxes is theft. Demanding a corporation give you what you paid for is called accountability. I’m sure you whine about social welfare programs while giving corporate welfare/subsidies a pass too.
This mindset is everything that’s wrong with this country. The “got mine” mentality beats the “paid for mine and DIDN’T get it” one!
Ok I can see both sides of this. I’m a Prime member and have been for years. Yeah idk why either. I think if they mess up on delivery days you should get compensated for it. But for the ppl who buy an item knowing that if the bitch enough and say it came broken even when it didn’t, that they are gonna get a full refund and told to keep the item. Now that’s scum.
During Covid Amazon said keep the item you was gonna return. So a lot of ppl figured out how to make money. Order an item say portable washer. Say that it came broke and Amazon tells you to keep the item and will refund you 100%. Now that’s scum.
This guy is just saying if your package is late call and ask to be compensated and if your package ends up coming call Amazon and tell them it arrived. 9 out of 10 times they are gonna tell you to keep it bc its not your fault it arrived late. Happened to a pair of pants I ordered. But document it bc 3 months later Amazon tried to charge me for said pants and I had the chat to prove they said keep them.
But don’t go ordering stuff with the plan to scam Amazon bc they will flag your acct and you will get banned. For life.
This will be my last year of Amazon Prime!!
Shipping is arriving later and later every month.
This is not OK. You all know that when a package goes missing, is late, damaged, returned, or anytime you are compensated, Amazon charges the supplier? They don’t pay for any of it – both the shipping cost and the cost of the item. I work for a small family owned business and this kind of thing kills us. Its a double edged sword, because if you don’t sell on Amazon, your business wont make it, but selling on Amazon and your margins are so small there is no room for error. Especially when its the carrier that make the item late. Next time you all want to take advantage of something like this, think about your neighbor, your friend, your family member, that are just trying to make it and you literally just took any profit from their pocket.
In my case, I ordered some sheets from Amazon and waited for a few days after it was supposed to arrive before contacting Amazon. When I called, I was told that the package had been delivered. I told them I hadn’t received it, so they did a little investigating and found that the package had been delivered to the wrong address. They reshipped the order at no charge. A few days later, the person who had received my package in error tracked me down and delivered it personally. I immediately called Amazon, told them what happened, and asked how to return the second package. I was told to keep it or donate it, so I donated it.
You should read the fine print on your contract with Amazon.. If this is hurting your business maybe you shouldn’t be selling on Amazon.. Go open a brick and mortar store that would help out the community better then selling on Amazon. But no you want to make more money the easy way. Screw the local economy… Besides If you owned a brick and mortar store and someone steals from it (and it happens ) You have to absorb the cost any way.. Best put your money over seas so you can dodge paying taxes as well.. Cause if you don’t care about the local eonomy I doubt you care about the country’s economy..
Now with Amazon they have a contract with the customer to deliver items by a certain day that’s why they pay for Prime. If I don’t get said item by said date then I’m getting ripped off. What about everyone that pays for Prime?? Boo hiss’s double standards now is it not??
Next time you get your car worked on and it breakers down on the way home!! Best not say anything because you did not get what you paid for..
I’ve done this before, but this order is the worst one yet. I let the kids order something from Amazon with Christmas money. The expected delivery date was January 5th-11th no big deal the kids understood that, but the 11th passed so they magically updated it to the 16th. I had to wait until the 17th to request the refund to the account and it was shipped by a 3rd party seller so now I had to wait an additional 7 days. The item still hasn’t shown up (January 26th) but I did finally get the refund.
For the first time ever in many, many years of being a Prime customer, I finally got fed up with late arriving packages that were “Guaranteed” in two days.
I contacted Amazon through chat on the day my item was supposed to arrive after seeing that it was still on the other side of the country and the shipping company had updated the delivery to the next week. This was an item I needed right away but could also use later.
I was told to contact them the next day once the item did not arrive and then they would issue a full refund and i could keep the item.
I contacted them via chat again the next day and was then told to once again contact them once the item arrived on the new delivery date but late arriving from the original date. At that time they also Asked if they could issue me a $10 promo credit “for my trouble”. Which I agreed to.
On the second delivery date the item was supposed to arrive, I contacted them again because the delivery was changed again. They then issued me a refund and told me to keep the item whenever it did arrive.
The refund was applied to a gift card which I immediately used to purchase something else. A bit later I went to check the order status of the late item to see the updated delivery date. That is when I noticed it showed “REFUNDED-please return the item once it’s been delivered to you”. There was a return mailing label to print as well.
So I contacted them again through chat and was 100% reassured by two different associates that I could ignore that and keep the item. I told them that a couple of years ago my daughter had a similar situation and when it showed that on the order status and she didn’t return the item, she was automatically charged for it. I just didn’t want that to happen to me.
They reassured me again that it wouldn’t happen but then said IF something like that did happen, just to reach back out to them and they will rectify it. I am currently still waiting for the item. Has anyone else had the same “refunded please return” status after doing this and not been charged?
My package was (and not the first time) was late four days. I did demand a refund since the window I needed it had passed and they gave me my refund and told me to return the item as soon as it was delivered.