The mobility scooter Tom Kay orders from Amazon never arrived — yet the tracking number says it’s been delivered. Is his $2,650 lost, too?
Question
I purchased a mobility scooter last month from Amazon. The vendor contacted me through Amazon and said that the color I ordered was not available and asked if I would take another one. I told them no and to cancel the order.
The vendor said they could not cancel the order. Then I received another response through Amazon that my scooter had shipped. I have no idea what color it was because I never received it. A few days later, I received an update from the seller that said, “We are currently coordinating the shipment and delivery of your goods. Thank you for your patience and kindness.”
Obviously, they had not shipped the scooter yet. But the tracking information shows that it has been delivered. Can you help me get the $2.650 for the scooter I never received? — Tom Kay, Lawrence, Kan.
Answer
You should have received the mobility scooter you ordered and in the color you ordered. Full stop. Why? Amazon has some sophisticated systems that track the inventory of its vendors, so you should have been able to order an item that was in stock.
More surprises were in store for you. The vendor said they were out of the green scooters and wanted you to accept another color. And when you wouldn’t and tried to cancel the order, the vendor said it couldn’t. I think it meant to say it wouldn’t.
How do you cancel an order on Amazon?
You’d think that canceling an Amazon order would be easy, but that’s not always true. If your order hasn’t shipped, you’ve still got a chance to undo your purchase. Here’s a quick guide to canceling an Amazon order:
1. Sign into your Amazon account. You can’t cancel without logging in first, and you need to do this online for the quickest results.
2. Go to “Your Orders.” Find this under “Accounts & Lists” in the top right corner.
3. Locate the item you want to cancel. Look for orders labeled “Not Yet Shipped.”
4. Click “Cancel Items.” If this option isn’t there, your order might already be processing, and it’s probably too late.
4. Select a cancellation reason. Any reason will do – Amazon just wants to know.
5. Confirm your cancellation. You’ll need to push the button to make it go through.
You’ll see a confirmation message if it works. Make sure you keep the record, including your cancellation number, in case there are any questions.
Pro tip: Time is of the essence. Amazon’s quick shipping means your cancellation window can be short.
What if you’re too late? Don’t panic. Amazon’s return policy is usually forgiving, but you might have to deal with return shipping.
Your Amazon mobility scooter case got messy
I’ve reviewed the paper trail between you and the vendor, and it gets worse. The vendor claimed to have sent you the scooter and told you to file a police report.
First of all, who steals a mobility scooter? What kind of depraved human takes an assistive device from someone’s front door? If you said, “no one,” then you are probably right. The vendor might claim to have sent you a scooter, but I think it’s wrong again. I’m betting it never sent the device. (Related: Can you help me restore the 654 product reviews Amazon has deleted?)
So do you have to pay $2,650 for nothing? Absolutely not.
It looks as if Amazon had taken a hands-off approach by simply handing you off to a vendor. How very un-Amazon-like of them. Usually, the company is there to help you quickly resolve problems. (Related: I returned my iPhone, but Amazon is charging me for it. Is that fair?)
A brief, polite email to one of the Amazon executives I list on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org, might have helped.
As I reviewed the back-and-forth between you, the seller and Amazon, it seems the problem was that Amazon needed a police report. But you couldn’t file a police report because you were not sure if anything was delivered — or stolen. And Amazon wouldn’t do anything until you filed a police report. (Related: I returned my defective hard drives to Amazon. What’s this $546 restocking fee?)
This type of bureaucracy is just maddening. Someone should have been able to look at your case and see that there was a pretty good chance the scooter wasn’t even sent to you. Instead, Amazon was just spamming you with form emails.
My advocacy team and I contacted Amazon on your behalf. The company reviewed your case and promptly apologized and sent you a refund for $2,650.
