High-value Amazon orders 'switched for cat food', say customers

Jonathan said he was surprised to find cat food in the box, instead of the camera and lens he had paid for

After the BBC published a story in January about how a man was sent dog food by Amazon instead of the iPhone he ordered, dozens of readers have been in touch with similar complaints.

Many of those we spoke to told of high-value products such as cameras and computer kit being swapped for low-value items like cat food or face masks. Here, we share a selection of readers' experiences.

"When I opened the box, I was hit by a wave of panic, I was shocked to see Felix cat food," Jonathan said.

"I was very anxious, as I knew it was not going to be easy to get my money back."

He had purchased a Sony Alpha 6-400 camera, priced at £900, and a Tamron telephoto lens priced at £520, on 8 September. The order had a combined value of £1,420.

Jonathan said when the delivery driver arrived with the package, it "looked normal" at first sight, so he gave the driver a one-time-code, and accepted the parcel.

Because Jonathan had signed for the delivery, Amazon initially refused to refund the sum.

However, after multiple conversations with different staff in the complaints department they decided to allow it to go through, he said.

Although he received a replacement lens within a couple of weeks, they no longer had the camera in stock, so he had to wait more than three weeks for a £900 refund.

An Amazon spokesman said: "We're sorry that some customer experiences have fallen short of the high standards that we expect."

Heather from Glasgow, described the "absolute devastation" felt by her 15-year-old son Nicholas when he ordered a computer part from Amazon using his life's savings.

"He had bought a graphics card for the discounted price of £400 on Black Friday [22 November], ahead of Christmas, it was going to be his present," she said.

Amazon customers have been contacting the BBC with their experiences

"Building a computer was his dream, he had been saving birthday and Christmas money for years, and the graphics card was the final part he needed."

Heather said Amazon kept delaying the delivery and he did not get his present in time for Christmas Day.

'Sick joke'

"In mid-January it was finally delivered.

"It seemed normal, I passed the packaged on to my son, and said 'Merry Christmas, sorry it's late'.

"Nicholas opened the package, which revealed a box wrapped in Christmas paper.

"I suddenly heard screaming and crying - he had unwrapped his present to find a box of pink surgical face masks.

"He was absolutely devastated- it felt like a sick joke."

The graphics card was the final part he needed to build his computer

After complaining to Amazon, and spending hours on the phone, Heather said she was told she could have a refund, but she had to return the box of face masks first.

"We had to pay £11 postage to send the face masks back to the USA - out of our own pockets," she said.

'Robbed of life savings'

Amazon refunded Nicholas on 20 February, nearly three months after he ordered the graphics card.

"It was a massive blow to myself and my son who felt robbed of his life savings and his dream- I had also wasted hours on the phone with Amazon during the process," Heather added.

Another customer, Steve De Vos, 61, from Hertfordshire, ordered a OnePlus 9 mobile phone at a cost of £513.99.

The next day, when Mr Vos was at home with his wife, he said he received an email from Amazon saying there had just been "a failed delivery attempt".

Steve de Vos said the delivery driver did not ring the doorbell the first time and did not have a package the second time

The delivery driver had not rung the doorbell, or tried to alert anyone inside the house, despite walking up to the door with the package, Mr de Vos said.

He contacted Amazon customer service, and forwarded some outdoor CCTV footage as evidence, but an hour later, while Mr de Vos was still in the house, he was notified again of "a second failed delivery attempt".

Again, CCTV showed the same driver walking up to the front door, but this time he carried no package in his hand, Mr de Vos said.

He stood at the door, but did not ring the doorbell, he went on his phone to mark the delivery as failed, and walked away, Mr de Vos added.

The next day, the package was delivered by another driver.

"The parcel looked normal but after opening it, I was shocked to find a tin of dog food and some Eau de toilette instead of the phone I had ordered."

He immediately contacted Amazon and lodged a formal complaint against the driver, but was told he would not be recredited the purchase price and the matter would be referred to a specialist team.

"As I had not received the phone I had ordered, I placed an order for a replacement item shortly afterwards.

"A week later, I chased Amazon and the customer services representative agreed to refund me."

Ethan Martin, 22, from Wednesbury, ordered a Panasonic Lumix camera and lens for £1,999, and it was sent to an Amazon hub counter, inside a shop, on 10 January.

He collected it and opened the package in front of the shopkeeper, he said.

CCTV footage showed Ethan Martin opening the Amazon package in front of the shopkeeper

"Inside there was two pairs of cheap shoes - no camera to be seen - it was horrible and disappointing," Mr Martin said.

"I was worried about getting a refund, as I had spent so much money."

The shopkeeper gave Mr Martin a copy of the CCTV, which clearly showed him opening the box and showing the contents to the person behind the checkout.

Mr Martin said he was still owed a refund for the camera he did not recieve

Mr Martin said despite complaining multiple times to Amazon, and telling them he had CCTV evidence, Amazon had not refunded him.

He said he had since disputed the payment with his bank.

"I feel robbed, I am £2,000 down, I really hope the bank can help me, it is my last resort," he added.

An Amazon spokesman added: "We work hard to create a trustworthy shopping experience by protecting customers, selling partners and Amazon from abuse and we have systems in place to detect suspicious behaviour.

"We are investigating these specific cases and are in contact with the customers affected."