Q
I bought a pair of
headphones and a car-battery charger from
Amazon that were being sold by third-party sellers. However, I’ve never received them despite delivery tracking showing they’d been sent out. Amazon has listed them as ‘may be lost’ and is offering me a refund, but I still want the items not a refund. Can it refuse to honour the sale?
Ron Killick
A
It’s not actually in Amazon’s
power to refuse to honour the sale. This responsibility lies with
the sellers of the items. Amazon is acting as the fulfilment agent in this case, which means it handles the payment, delivery, returns and refunds of the third-party seller. It calls this ‘Fulfilment by Amazon’ (FBA) and explains to retailers how this works at
www.snipca.com/52619
(pictured). Legally, Amazon has done what it’s being paid to do by the sellers and is required to do by law – ie, offer Ron a full refund.
Ron should, therefore, contact both sellers and ask what has happened to his items. He’s understandably annoyed because they’re still listed for sale. He won’t get any further with Amazon because it can’t know if the sellers still have the stock.
If the sellers say there’s no stock left, Ron should report them to Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice website (www.snipca.com/52617), pointing out that the items are still being advertised. This might count as breaking the Unfair Trading Regulations, which includes legislation preventing firms from misleading customers by listing items they can’t supply.