Refund for teen who spent £877 on washing powder

The teenager had used his whole month's apprentice salary on the purchase

A teenager has received a refund after he was delivered a box of washing detergent instead of the £877 computer component he had ordered.

Andrea Carnell, from Milton Keynes, contacted the consumer programme, The JVS Show, on BBC Three Counties Radio, on behalf of her "very shy" 19-year-old son who had "got himself into a bit of a pickle".

Devon Scott had ordered a graphics card through Amazon using a debit card, but when he opened the parcel delivered to him he discovered a box of Surf Laundry Powder.

Amazon said: "Customer satisfaction is our utmost priority, and we’re sorry that customer experiences in this case did not meet the high standards we expect. The customer flagged to us is being fully refunded."

His mother recalled: "Apparently [the graphics card] renders the graphics, I'm not sure what that is [but] he is very excited about it.

"Instead of an £877 PC part there was a box of washing powder... We don't really understand what's going on."

The teenager had used his whole month's apprentice salary on the purchase.

She contacted Amazon who suggested the item had been stolen by a third party and asked her to report it as a crime and provide a police report in PDF format.

Despite her providing the retailer with all the information requested they eventually told her they could not verify the details or assist her any further.

Consumer journalist Jonathan Vernon-Smith then contacted Amazon on behalf of the family, and the retail giant agreed to issue a full refund for the purchase.

The teenager exclaimed: "Jonathan is the G."

Mr Vernon-Smith admitted although he does not know what that means he is "delighted to be the G".

Ms Carnell added: "My son said it felt like a huge weigh of his shoulders, as a mum I feel satisfied he hasn’t been taken advantage of."

Amazon added: "We work hard to understand the circumstances around every case and find a resolution with the customer.

"We have implemented additional controls that are already making it even harder for bad actors to defraud customers, selling partners and Amazon.

"We are collaborating with the authorities, and are working tirelessly to improve the customer experience in these cases."

There was no mention of what is to be done with the laundry powder.