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Sorry if this was covered before.
I have been using Amazon for years and I generally spend some time researching before purchasing (from other sources as well as Amazon), so I rarely return things.
My dad recently had a significant surgery, and while at his place, I found some things that could use improvements to help his day- to- day and bought a few items to help him.
They were all crap. A detachable shower head made of PLASTIC (not disclosed as plastic) and numerous other items. So I returned them with the reason "quality not adequate". The refunds were issued and I looked into them and saw they were all 5%-15% less than what I paid with tax.
I got on the chat with amazon customer service, and they said that they only refund 100% is if the product is damaged.
They gave me a "one time adjustment" (🙄) for the full amount.
Keep an eye on your refunds and if you have to return, say its damaged rather than anything else.
EDIT:
To everyone who calls this bull, this was the item charges and refunds from amazon. No refund limitations listed on any products. The CS agent said specifically it was my "claim type" after "looking into it" for 10 mins.
I'm in Canada
https://imgur.com/a/K5A8KKr
More edit:
Proof of shipping BY AMAZON https://imgur.com/a/66xROVB
Karaoke machine - $30 less refund I just caught this as part of proof for this post, so I'm going back to complain
https://imgur.com/a/kZJmSNk
My cousin did this about 7x last year and plans to do it again. But I'm sure that the system of Amazon will recognize this pattern of those kind of "returns" from him where you can keep the item but still get your money back. I didn't even know this was possible.
He even ordered the same article twice (separate orders) and asked twice for a return label in the amazon chat (he knew they wouldn't be able to send him one) and the customer support refunded him the money. Wouldn't they get suspicious if he ordered the same article twice and wanted a refund for both? They would be like: If you didn't like it the first time, then why would you order it again?
How many times can he do that until amazon blocks his account? Would he get a notification before his account gets flagged?
Hello hustlers, I have a new method for you guys.
Today I will leak I think the best Refund / Replace Method for Amazon.com that i got by an EX.Rep OF Amazon.com Itself!
Get free Items yourself!!
So , Let's begin!
SO... YOU WANT AN AMAZON REFUND/REPLACEMENT METHOD THAT ISN'T SHIT, PUBLIC, OVERUSED, AND SATURATED? If I heard you correctly then this thread is for YOU!
I will be discussing the methods available, the ones I used and the ones in public or being used by 99% of the people. I will give pros/cons to each method.
I will be also showing how to replace/refund items ordered from a certain amount of time/months.
Here we go!
Let us start from the basics, and NO! NO skipping ahead. If you won't read the basics, you will not have any understanding of the advanced methods.
Method #1 - "I didn't receive the package "
The most common method or excuse that will get you whatever you want if it's below $100 - $300. Go to chat or phone (phone is overkill if you use this method), tell them "hey rep, I have a problem with this order. I didn't receive it" The rep will most likely refund it right away or send a replacement, or maybe after asking you if you checked with your neighbours and family members, which in this case just say you already did, or you don't have family members.
Pros: Easy and basic. Cons: You can't really use these on large items (by size) or expensive items starting from $700+ without getting into an investigation.
Method # 2 - "I receive nothing inside the package "
Only use this method when in the tracking, or when you receive it, the item was "SIGNED" upon receiving. This will get you from $100 - $500 or depending upon the level of the rep. The rep will ask for an investigation WITH the carrier, but before he can do that, tell the rep that you "already called the carrier, and they told me it they didn't do anything and it was already like that when they delivered it" When they ask if the package was tampered or not, tell them it is perfectly sealed and no tampering. Pros: If method #1 doesn't work for you, this will. Cons: They will most likely attempt to do an investigation, depending upon the price and the rep.
Method #3 --- [Improved Method for Method #2]
Just say basically the same thing, except, mention that you receive the package, with your name and labels on it, your address, the item name, etc. But when you opened you only got the packaging paper and the INVOICE.
Pros: More believable method than method #2, as the rep will think that this must be a problem in the warehouse and the packaging department forgot to put the item inside. Cons: same, but less likely to be investigated compared to method #2
Method #4 --- "I didn't receive my item, but received a wrong one in the package"
NEVER screw this up since it's difficult to backtrack your mistake. Only do this when you know what you are doing. If you tell them you received a wrong item, THEY WILL MOST LIKELY ask you to return that item. You don't want that do you?
So how will this method work? Tell them you received an item that is not allowable or prohibited to be shipped by a carrier and accepted by Amazon. What are those? Dangerous stuff but realistic stuff.
[These are the list of items prohibited by Amazon in 2010, just before the ex worker quit working there. This may be updated already and the list might be outdated but its still the basics. Most of these are also prohibited by the carrier] Broken glasses - say you received a perfume bottle but its broken and shattered. Also, you could say you got wine bottles or anything. Liquid fuel - say you got a small canister of butane, or lighter fluid. You asked the carrier for it to be sent back, but they refuse. Flares/explosive stuff - say you got these and the carrier refused to ship them back. A bunch of batteries - same thing Sulphur - same. etc... I know you get what I mean now. SHARP, POISONOUS, EXPLOSIVE, FLAMMABLE materials. These are classified as HAZMAT. ACT worried and pissed off. Also, your son/daughter OPENED the package and you are really worried with what might have happened. bottomline, convince them that the item cannot be returned, and you disposed them immediately. Tell them that you have already reported this to amazon too that they endangered your family. You can also say you received a few bricks (proceed to method #5)
Pros: worked for me most of the time when all methods fail.
Cons: ahhh most of the time too, the reps will replace the item BUT forget to switch of the "Item needs to be returned" trigger. If that happens, just call back and explain. Sometimes they just tell you to ignore that message and assure you that you wont be charged on your card.
Method #5 --- "Return Method / Box method"
You get the label for returns, ship them an empty box, or a few bricks.
Pros: will work, most likely.
Cons: the hassle of the process.
Method #6 --- "Trade-in method"
I haven't tried this one yet. But it looks promising and i have heard it works.
Trade-in an item for money, when you get the shipping address,
Buy something cheap off of ebay. Send it to amazon address.
Pros: will probably work
Method #7 --- "Acid leak method"
This has been patched already [works with exception] and the rep will ask you to return the xbox, ps4 or anything that has battery. Once you say you threw it out, they will refuse to refund you unless you talk to a supervisor and ask for exception. The only way this would work is when you say your kid opened the packaged and tasted the battery acid. Tell them he is in the hospital now and you are really pissed off. Tell them you already threw the item away and you demand for the refund and if possible for the damages.
Pros: with the exception its good, just make you story straight
Cons: if you don't do it properly, you're screwed.
INSIGHTS:
MOST orders in Amazon.com that are more than 3 months ago will have their tracking removed. That's right. You usually see a "Track Package" in an orange button beside the order in the orders page. But that is removed if its made after 3 months or 6 months. USE THIS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!
Note that there are TWO kinds of SEing here:
Internal - which the blame would be on the warehouse of amazon
External - the blame would be on the CARRIER (UPS, FEDEX, USPS etc)
and UNLESS you want an ANGRY DELIVERY MAN knocking down your door and beating the shit out of you, ALWAYS put the blame on Amazon, not the carrier.
When you SE, always try your best to have a great relationship with the carrier in your place. Delivery men also work hard to earn money and feed their family. STUPID SKID refunders/ SE'rs who put the blame on the carriers should not be allowed to SE. Delivery guys lose their jobs after a couple of reports saying the package was tampered. So please do not do that. You are a Social Engineer, not a scam artist. BIG DIFFERENCE.
Be creative. Do not use the same methods again and again. Use different methods and reasons relative to the order.
If it is signed by you when you receive it, of course you cant say you didn't receive the package
If an order is made a long time ago, you can't always say you were in prison or you were in a hospital when you made lots of orders after that.
Personally I tell them "I order things for my company, and upon checking the inventory listing, I noticed that we haven't really received this order. can you please help me out with this, once I pass this report to my boss and he sees this I will get fired from my job"
Dear all,
I placed an order for a Gimbal on amazon for $600. A week later, I realized that it was the wrong model I needed. SO I placed a return for pickup. But didn't leave the order for pickup and waited for a few days to let the return get cancelled, so that I can place a new return request where I can just hand it to UPS. But now I opened Amazon, it says that the item is returned successfully and the refund is issued to my credit card.
What do I do now? I don't wanna feel lucky because what if they charge my credit card and request for the product and they might not accept the return request because it is over return window.
EDIT: I would take free $600 anyday. It’s just that fear I have “what if they find out about this after May 22nd (my return window end date) and will they even ask me to return the product or will they just charge me without any return options?”
TLDR: Amazon is promising refunds in support chat that never get refunded.
I’m not posting this lightly. I’ve spent a lot of time tracking a disturbing pattern I’ve encountered repeatedly with Amazon support, and it’s time to bring it into the open.
Best-case scenario: this is a widespread failure limited to customer service agents that Amazon is actively working to fix.
Worst case: it’s a deliberate company policy designed to save Amazon millions by quietly avoiding refunds it claims to issue.
Either way, it deserves a clear and public response from Amazon.
What Keeps Happening
Whenever I’ve contacted Amazon support about a return — whether for a late delivery, a defective item, or an accidental order — I’ve noticed a consistent pattern. Instead of processing a normal return, the agent often says something like:
“We’ll refund the product, and you can keep it.”
“We’ll issue a partial refund.”
“Once it arrives, you can keep it and we’ll refund you.”
Over time, I noticed this was happening every single time, even when I didn’t ask for a refund. Support would steer the conversation in that direction — and I’d walk away thinking it had been resolved.
But one day I realized… I never actually checked if those refunds were processed.
So I went back through my order history — and found that I couldn't identify that anything had been returned by looking at the orders. So I contacted support to ask if they had been.
The Bigger Problem
Here’s where things get serious: Amazon doesn’t let you access your support chat transcripts. That means any record of what the agent promised — is gone.
When I realized this, I contacted support again and asked for copies of my chats. I just wanted to verify what I’d been told over the years.
What followed was probably the most annoying support possible.
I was passed between six different agents
Each one spent 20–30 minutes with me, then disconnected before resolving anything
Eventually, one admitted: no, they won’t give me my chat transcripts
They would only look into it if I gave them the exact order number — which is impossible for a pattern that spans years.
What I Discovered
Eventually I convinced one of them to trust me and that if we checked my past support logs he would see a promised refund and that no refund was given.
It was a slow and painful process, but every single order we reviewed showed that a refund had been promised in the chat — and none were ever issued.
The support agent acknowledged this.
In just the first 4 cases we checked, I found over $350 in missing refunds. I’m confident there’s more, but without access to the transcripts, I can’t verify it unless I spend more hours fighting with support.
To make things worse, instead of offering to fix the situation, the agent simply offered me a $20 Amazon gift card.
I refused. I told them:
You already owe me far more than that — and offering a random gift card after confirming missing refunds makes no sense.
Why I Think This Is Intentional
This doesn’t feel like a few rogue agents taking shortcuts. I believe it’s a company policy. Why else would it be setup in a way where
Customers cannot verify their refunds from their amazon account
The place the refund was promised the customer cannot access
Support agents dropping the chat when pressed
The only reason this would be done by amazon is to save return costs and they know that customers are not likely to verify the future refund goes though and even if they did want to check or verify it they can't. This approach likely saves Amazon millions.
What I Want Amazon to Answer
Why are chat transcripts not available to customers if that is the sole place a customer has proof a refund was promised?
Why are support agents promising refunds that never happen?
How is a customer supposed to track or verify these refunds take place?
How can I get my whole chat log and then get the refunds that were supposed to be issued and never were?
If You’ve Contacted Support — Go Check
If Amazon support ever told you they’d refund something — go back and verify that it actually happened. Don’t assume it did just because they said so in chat.
And if something like this has happened to you, please comment or message me. I’d like to hear more real-world examples.
This issue is bigger than just my account.
So I bought a pair of $15 shorts. They didn’t fit. I went to return them. Amazon instead refunds me immediately on a gift card and I keep the shorts. How is this even possible? What is stopping people from doing this all the time on stuff that actually fits them? Keep getting refunded to a gift card and keeping the item….huh?