I'm just kinda baffled, will I get flagged if I pick that option ?

I received a book that was a bit damaged.

I'm kinda annoyed as a collector, but then again, if I keep the book and get the refund... Is it stealing ??

The thing is, it's such a pain to go through all the required steps to return something worth 7€.

As for getting a replacement, I think I'd rather just buy it in a physical bookstore to pick one in a state that's up to my standards. Too easy to damage a book during transport.

So yeah, the refund without return option is the most convenient to me, by a huge margin.

I refunded one item ever, using the refund without return option, during summer 2023.

Granted I had 62 orders in 2023.

So yeah, any chance I get a warning or something ?

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?”

Recently bought some "air tight" bottles off amazon and the bottles were not sealing properly so I went to customer support (after trying to use the automatic return thing) to ask for help on returning them. The person who had joined the chat to help me with this said they were "making a refund request" and said it'll be in 5-7 business days. I had asked how and where I should return the items and they said that there was no need for a return and that I could do whatever I wanted such as disposing or donating them. I'm feeling a little skeptical about this and on my orders page it doesn't show that it's pending for a refund or anything, I've read some posts here about how these usually go, should I try making another return or something else?

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?

If you go to your recently purchased items and click the return button, there may be an option to refund your amazon account without sending the item back. Might be worth checking if you recently made a purchase.

The downfall is there’s no way to know before purchasing an item if you’ll have this option.

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

1. Why are chat transcripts not available to customers if that is the sole place a customer has proof a refund was promised?

2. Why are support agents promising refunds that never happen?

3. How is a customer supposed to track or verify these refunds take place?

4. 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.

UPDATE: I still had no confirmation of the refund. I went back onto the customer chat with Amazon and they said ''ve checked and see that previous associate failed to process the refund and will escalate to management team to coach the associate.' So they then said they will refund the item and try again. Good job I checked again I guess

Hi just looking for a little clarity I'm in the UK incase that makes a difference. I ordered a product through Amazon recently, I found out that the part was not compatible with my PC after opening it trying to get it to work etc...

I was going to return the item, however was worried that as I threw out all the info/instructions that came in the box they would not accept the returns.

I spoke to a live chat rep who was very helpful and after asking my questions and when I can send the item back they said give me 2 mins to check for other options. After a while they came back and said 'No need to worry about sending this product back, for we will refund the total cost of the item and you do not need to return it. Please feel free to donate or give this item away.'

Since this live chat earlier today I have been checking my amazon account and there doesnt say anything about a refund or an item before in a refund process. I was just wondering is this normal and in this case would the cost just get refunded to my Credit Card. I'm pretty amazed at how helpful the customer rep was so hoping all went through okay.

**Edit** If you did have this happen did you receive any communications like an email or acknowledgement on your account that a refund was in progress as I've had nothing

tldr: Amazon live chat gave a refund without needing to return product. This is now showing on my amazon account about refunds/return process. Is this normal, has anyone had this experience?

Title should say it all. I have heard often that Amazon doesn't bother with returns for certain items, so they refund the buyers and let them keep the product. Does anyone have experience with this? What are the products that they are most likely to not bother with?

I requested a refund for something and received a message saying the seller has authorised the return and will send me a shipping label in the next 4 days, but it never came. I was going to try to contact them to ask for the label but I’ve now received an email saying my refund is on its way and will be in my account in 3-5 days, as if I’ve been refunded without actually sending it back. Has anyone else had this happen? If so, what was the outcome and did you bother chasing it up, or did they ever chase it up with you?

Hello! Recently I ordered an Amazon item and I received it in bad condition (the battery was swollen). I contacted Amazon support and the first rep told me I could do a return with no problem within 14 days. The second one told me since the product had a faulty battery, that they would emit a refund without the need of returning the item. I was skeptical but I received the amount on my Amazon account balance within an hour. (where you redeem your gift cards).

The question is: do I need to do anything else? In my order info it still stays I can return the item, it doesn’t mention a refund was given.

My worries are that they’re probably expecting me to still return it. I’ve read of people later being charged because apparently sometimes Amazon take it as if they’re going to send a replacement.

Extra info: I got 2 emails. First was from the Amazon rep telling me they would issue a refund. Second email was from the Amazon payments email telling me that the refund had been approved and was now available as a gift check on my Amazon balance.

TL;DR - Got my refund without the need to return the item. Do I still need to return it since the order info says I can or I am all good to keep on with my life and don’t get suddenly charged by Amazon for any reason at all?

I bought a novel on Amazon, I didn't notice that there was a format change in the paperbacks, as a result the 12th and last novel doesn't match the 11 others on my shelf.

I was about to return and order the right format... Which was hidden in the description, with a tiny disclaimer that they changed the novel format in April.

Anyway, it allowed me to get a refund WITHOUT returning the book ? I was glad because it's so tedious to go through those refunding process but... How, and why ?

If I can just keep any item and still get a refund, surely people will abuse it ?

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"

Hi redditors, I am absolutely certain something like this may have existed but I could not find any threads so maybe someone can give me some real advice.

I have been a prime member for maybe 15 years and it's been mostly good. On November 4th I made a very rare purchase from a 3rd party seller. Their item was for a counter stool that said I had free returns until Jan 31 2026.

I didn't plan on returning so purchasing from the 3rd party wasn't a big deal. When the chairs got here they came in 2 boxes. (I ordered 4 chairs) Opened the first one and the legs have rust on them. I tried wiping it off and then noticed more rust pits on other areas of the legs. At this point I decided keeping these were not worth it since it's rusting right out of the box.

I began the return process and the seller responded and gave me an approved RMA and a return label.. with no postage covered.

I followed up and asked for a prepaid return label since the chairs are clearly rusted and I didn't order blemished merchandise. They still refused. I did an estimate for the return and it's $505.69!

I contact the seller again and they still refuse to send me a prepaid label.

Then after this went back and forth for a few days, I filed an a to z claim for the first time ever. Everything was going well and they told me I would get a refund then bam.. my claim was denied.. no reason.

I appealed the claim and asked for a reason. They said I have too many a to z claims for 3rd party sellers. Let me remind you, this is my first ever a to z claim.

Then the nightmare starts, I contact customer service because I can't appeal the claim any more. Every time I get customer service it's a crapshoot on what they say. First person was totally understanding and said that it's unfair to pay that much to return the chairs when the return cost is more than the item. They said rest assured, I'll get a refund and I can dispose of the chairs.

2 days pass I see no refund so I call again, then the rep said the a to z claim was denied and I need to appeal. I explained the whole process again.. then they said I should return the item and send them the receipt and they would cover it. I asked how do I send the receipt, they said respond to the a to z claim. Again, I cant respond to it because it's locked out.

Then maybe 2 hours later I get another followup in email that I don't have to send the item back and a refund is assured.

As you can imagine this goes on and it's been back and forth like this for maybe 4 days straight

Last night I got another person that said under no circumstances should I be out that much money to return a damaged item... Finally... I thought I got someone reasonable. They followed up with an email and a message to the seller to provide a return prepaid label.

The seller responded this morning and said they are not providing a label and I am outside the return window.. so they are not able to help anymore. The return window is Jan 31 2026..

Called Amazon AGAIN, and now another rep is saying I should return the item and they promise they will give me the return shipping cost back. I told them what the rep from last night said and they said they understand, but I need to send them a receipt since the seller will not help me.

I'm now at a loss of where to go, I have confirmation that I'm in the right, but if I send these chairs back for $505, no one is telling me how it will get reimbursed.

Anyone have any insights?

Hi everyone! In the last month, I attempted to return three items. The first two times I contacted support, I was immediately offered a refund without a return, the 2nd one was promised, but I had to wait for the item to arrive as I tried to cancel the order first. Then I was transferred to a lead, who fulfilled the promise. The 3rd item was a roll of 3D printing filament that was not vacuum sealed, but the box had no damage. I reached out and they offered a free return until I mentioned that I wouldn't be able to make it to the post office by the return date due to working full-time and just getting pretty sick. I was then offered a full refund with no return.

I never explicitly asked for a non-returned refund but was always offered one. Will this be held against me? I feel bad for taking it without returning it, but I have no time to ever get out to return the item.

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

I have had several instances where I started an amazon return, and I was fully refunded for the item and they told me I could keep the item. The most expensive item this has happened with was a $78 cigar humidor that was meant to be a Christmas present for somebody, but I ended up getting them a different one. I now have a very stylish carbon fiber humidor and I got a full refund. You don't have to return the item if you start the return and they want they item back, but you want to keep it. Amazon will just cancel the return after you miss the return window, or you can just cancel the return. You could end up with free stuff. You have nothing to lose.

I purchase most of my stuff on amazon. Mostly supplements and like any other product. Some supplements dont sit well with me. Either it gives me side effects or it doesnt work. For the most part I purchase supplements due to health problems that I have. I remember back in the day I use to call amazon and they would refund me without even returning the item due to food safety but now they dont do that anymore. Did amazon changed its policy or are people just abusing the return policy that made amazon strict.