When British mother-of-two Charlotte Moore ordered a Switch console during Amazon's Cyber Monday event she probably felt pretty pleased with herself - Nintendo's hybrid machine is going to be a hot ticket this Christmas, and she'd managed to secure one for a reasonable price for her kids to unwrap on the big day.
However, when the package arrived from Amazon Moore was distraught to discover it contained a box of Daz washing detergent and not Nintendo's latest million-selling system:
I ordered the Nintendo Switch as a Christmas surprise for my son and daughter.
I'd prepared for its arrival and made sure that the kids were already in bed when it came. I quickly opened the door and took the parcel in, and it felt heavy so I didn't think anything of it.
I was originally going to leave it in the box, because I thought the kids would be less likely to peep if they knew they couldn't get in.
But something told me I should have a look and inside it was a big box of Daz. I was completely shocked and horrified.
Moore contacted Amazon and was asked if the package had been tampered with - closer inspection revealed that this was indeed the case, and that the console had been stolen and replaced with the washing powder.
Amazon were quite helpful. They asked me about the washing detergent I'd received.
They also asked me if the packaging had been tampered with and initially I said no, but after I had another look and turned the box upside down I could see that the black amazon tape had been sliced open and resealed with clear sellotape.
Amazon said they were going to investigate, but have been in contact with me to say the items are now out of stock so we can't get a replacement.
We'll hopefully get the money back, but we bought it on Cyber Monday so we won't get as good of a deal.
I'm really disappointed because it's the only thing he's after – every time we pass one in a shop he rushes to try it out.
Moore added that people ordering big-ticket items this festive season should be extremely vigilant and inspect packages as soon as they arrive.
Thanks to TheTetrisGuy for the tip!
[source mirror.co.uk]
Comments 116
Well now you can wash your laundry. There is a bright side to everything.
I'm surprised Amazon isn't willing to honor a Cyber Monday deal or just send out a new Switch when it is in stock, since her Switch was stolen through the delivery process, which is completely out of her control.
Just another piece of proof that Amazon has been lacking in quality, customer service recently etc
Kid must have been very bad this year.
Wow, thats a new level of evil I didn't think possible. Surely it had to be the person making the delivery or someone in the warehouse who would have known what it was? Actually, I take it back about the delivery guy. They wouldn't have known what it was at all. They're not normally told what items they're delivering are. But a Warehouse Operative would know...
I suppose everyone needs washing powder. Not even the Switch can outsell that.
Bait and Switch.
I have to say after years of amazing service from Amazon, something delivery wise definitely isn't up to scratch these days. Have had a disproportionate number of items vanish or be delivered to the wrong address (apparently) To be fair however, they've always resolved it without quibbling.
1 less thing to get from the shopping list.
I should try that with Amazon. Not saying she did.
@NintenNinja16 I think they're still reviewing the situation and verifying what happened.. Once everything has been confirmed and the thief caught (which is pretty likely to happen), they can make more generous offers to remedy the inconvenience.
How do we know it wasn't her that put it in there?
That's slimy. Can't believe people would do crap like that...
Wow...
The thing was "Switching" !
@gcunit That was my first thought. Very hard to prove, but you are meant to inspect the packaging when receiving it. With Amazon I always check the black Amazon tape is intact before accepting the package.
This is one reason I hate ordering online when I can walk into a store and buy rather than have the chance this would happen.
"but we bought it on Cyber Monday so we won't get as good of a deal."
.. Fairly sure "actually getting an actual Switch" would be a better deal!
Amazon should be able to solve it. fingers crossed
Please understand...
@NintenNinja16 I'm pretty sure Amazon would honor the deal if the Switch was in stock, which isn't the case - the only thing they can do right now is refund, or ask the customer to wait for new stock.
Amazon is amazing when it comes to customer service - I only had good experience with all my purchases/refunds/replacements (unlike Nintendo UK, which as A LOT to learn...)
I don't believe this. For a start the story was in The Mirror, which is a less than reliable news source.
Just imagine if her son wanted a Switch, she couldn't get one, so she made up this story in the hopes that some kind soul would donate one.
@gcunit my first thought. Doesn't it show a lack of trust in the humanwaste that you have to instantly go to that.
But lets be honest they've proven us right enough in the past.
@GauBan Someone did it. And right now she's my Number 1 suspect.
I spent thousands of euros with Amazon.Fr
Out of hundreds of orders, I had quite some issues (orders not delivered, orders delivered to wrong people, missing items).
And recently Amazon had the nerve to close my account because of the issues they are responsible for...
Ah, a classic. The good ol' Switcheroo.
@Ardisan
Not as bright as those clothes will be thanks to it!
"We'll hopefully get the money back, but we bought it on Cyber Monday so we won't get as good of a deal."
Uh, there was never a sale on the Nintendo Switch for Cyber Monday.
Buy on Amazon Germany. We have plenty here!
@mateq They really aren't. Here in the south they are frankly awful. I know myself how bad it is. To the point I have told them I am closing my account and I am usually a very tolerable person.
There are many others who are like me and have experienced it. Amazon have lost their way.
This is what us media people call "a slow news day."
@LittleLion I can see this probably end up being what will happen in this situation, I just hope the parent is able to get a new Switch without going out of her way with what happened.
@mateq I can’t speak for Amazon UK, but when it comes to Amazon here in the US, the service has been lacking for some time now, whether it’s packages being left on the driveway or even in my garage rather than the front porch (I know this necessarily isn’t Amazon’s fault, but the third party delivery companies they’ve been hiring have sometimes been iffy) or it’s them not having as great customer service anymore, this is at least what I’ve personally encountered recently.
@BensonUii @Hughesy @gcunit
That's why they'll investigate before refunding, to try and find out at which point the package was possibly tampered. You'd think the postal/courier service would keep the package safe at all phases.
''We'll hopefully get the money back, but we bought it on Cyber Monday so we won't get as good of a deal.''
No, you're just getting your money back. That's how it works. Complaining you don't get more because you were one who got the item for cheap in the first place. Are people really that stupid?
A Switch box is about as heavy as a box of dish detergent, it’s not cement. Just soap! The package shouldn’t describe contents. The only person who’d know is the person who packed it. Would’ve been seen by a few people if they had to get soap and replace the Switch box. Unless no one else was in the warehouse. But at this time of year? It’s peak season for shipping. I still have nightmares from holiday loading boxes for UPS in College.
@Moshugan It will still be hard to prove either way. They use self employed couriers, basically a man in a van. So it’s either the person that took it to the local sorting office, the person that delivered it to the customer, or the customer. I’m not sure how Amazon would be able to prove what happened.
@GameOtaku Not a good reason. This sort of thing almost never happens.
That's some bloody expensive washing powder.
I'd like to see a video of the reaction: little kids on Xmas morning unwrapping their washing powder under the Christmas tree. "Thanks mom! Next year we are getting you toilet rolls for Xmas!"
I find this part strange, "the kids were already in bed",by saying "already" she implies it was a late night delivery rather than an early morning one. Unless she put both her kids to bed by 6.30/ 7pm,there's something suspicious here as Amazon don't do late night delivery's, at least to my knowledge. Also her knowing what time the parcel would be delivered so she could be "prepared" suggests she's used either Prime or paid extra for an expedited delivery. Delivered by this method, it will be very easy for Amazon to trace when and where the parcel has been tampered with. If it even has been tampered with at all, that is. Yep, something not right about this.
I know who my suspect is.
## EXHIBIT A ##
"I was originally going to leave it in the box"
Why would you not check? Always open everything just to make sure that the suppliers didn't make a mistake (Which they can do)
## EXHIBIT B ##
"But something told me I should have a look and inside"
If you already stupidly decided not to check then what would give you reason to change your mind.
I still say scam.
Man this sucks a lot. Somebody out there just ruin this two children Christmas; not good not good at all. Shame on this person and I hope somehow he gets capture for it.
@Anti-Matter sharp inhale
No.
@BensonUii tehee...."switched it up".
It is sad and disappointing, but Amazon needs to investigate, which they can as long as they know the serial number of the unit (especially when the thief turns it on and onto the internet). Other than that, I can also see why the lady won't get another one from Amazon...since there are also too many liars in the world, and I'm sure some people would try something similar to get a second one to sell. It's bad for the honest people in the world, but you have to keep that in mind too.
Other than that, I've still been seeing Switch's in stores...kind of funny, because if I didn't own one, I'd probably never see it, but it seems that certain stores have been sitting with quite a few, and that's even after black friday. The games have been harder to find for it, and I'd love to see sales figures from both Nintendo and Sony to see if my two favorite companies are doing good!!!
@JJ286 Unfortunately, just like the 'secret shopper scammers' they never do get caught. One reason I try to stay away from online purchasing around this time of the year, unless I put cameras up at my door step and keep an eye on them constantly. Sad that the world is coming to this.
@OorWullie They do, I once had a delivery from them at 9pm
Well, that's terrible! Hopefully Amazon and the lady can work something out, so that she still gets a Switch on time and at the cheaper price!
@setezerocinco Real talk, I live in France near the border and it is infinitely easier to order things from the german amazon website than the french one! I have no idea why, but you guys always have stuff in stock at a reasonable price.
Not for everything (amiibo for example are pretty much sold out), but I would say that they have enough information to manage the right quantity of products that will be send to the stores.
Considering there was never a "deal" on Nintendo Switch during Black Friday I'm questioning her story. But it very could well have been one of those unknowing moms that just assumes everything is on sale because its Cyber Monday or Black Friday.
It was probably her kid!
Jk...
I had ordered an Amazon Fire Stick last Christmas that ended up stolen. I wasn't home when it was delivered, but had gotten there no more than 20 minutes after to discover a ripped open package (and a package that looked like it had been tampered with before hand). Now, it very well could have been a neighbor or some scummy person following the UPS truck. But it happened so quickly and my neighborhood (which we had just moved into in October) doesn't strike me as the type to engage in that type of behavior
To make a long story short, I filed a complaint with UPS who then connected me to Best Buy. They refunded me no problem.
@OorWullie I have had Amazon packages delivered after 8pm before.
"Have a dazzling white Christmas". Every time I dare believe I'm the most cynical person I can think of...
Sorry for her and for her kids. Whoever did it needs to think about their life choices - in one of the quiet single apartments the law provides for the activity if needed, so much the more that blatant theft like this likely qualifies for such accommodation. Except good luck finding the culprit, I suspect...
That is horrible! I really hope they are able to get one the kid.
Have you seen some of us gamers, keep the soap
@NintenNinja16 But it's up to the recipient to check the box upon delivery and refuse to accept it if it appears to have been tampered with.
It's funny, I ordered some washing powder last week and they delivered a Nintendo Switch.
@Octane
The big problem with this story is that there was no Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal on the Switch.
In fact, several news articles were quick to point out that the Nintendo Switch was the most popular Black Friday item sold, despite the fact it wasn't even on sale.
Story seems fishy.
@Skunkfish
Lmao.
@Alcovitch Very true. I read this came from the Daily Mail, so I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled this story out of their arse just for the clicks. That's how the internet works these days. Why bother writing real news when you can make it up and nobody will know?
@ROBLOGNICK That depends on the courier, I think. And likely would only apply to signed for packages. UPS, FedEx, and USPS frequently drop packages off at my door, so I wouldn't have a chance to refuse until afterwards.
On another note, I wonder how these types of situations play out. Not that I'm accusing this particular mother of anything, but wouldn't it be simple enough to take the Switch out and claim you received a different junk item instead? I'm wondering what Amazon, and the parcel courier's, process is for handling these types of swaps - be it legitimate claims or fraudulent ones.
I hope they catch the thief!
Well I guess the boxes are a similar size...
Very bad PR from Amazon.
@GameOtaku To be fair, the amount of stories I've read in recent years where someone walked out of GameStop with a box of rocks instead of the console they thought they were getting, it's not really that much better.
At least now, she'll have a dazzling white Christmas.
This is why I don't buy things from Amazon anymore, now that they used private workers (such as those IC on Amazon Flex) to handle their shipping, you never know when they'll steal your item and replace it with a less fortunate item.
@BensonUii Maybe she wanted a Switch for her son AND her daughter.
Anyway, whenever I buy expensive gadgets on amazon, I always take VIDEO with my phone before opening the package.
I will record video of the box, looking for any obvious tamper signs. Then I will open it and see if it contains what I ordered.
If everything is fine & dandy I'll just delete the video.
This exact same thing happened to one of my friends when he bought an Xbox One X from Amazon, tape sliced open and the console replaced with a load of random stuff, including a bottle of water and a Absolutely Fabulous DVD! Amazon were very unhelpful with his situation as well.
I once had something like this happen. I ordered Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold from Amazon, and when it arrived, the plastic on the side of the case had been slit open, and the game card removed. Fortunately Amazon sent me a replacement no problem, but that was still pretty annoying.
What if with this amazing Daz she discovers that she needs to put only half as much powder for the same washing effect? This thing could pay for itself.
You should update this article "A spokesperson from Amazon said: "We have replaced the Switch and apologised.""
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mum-orders-300-nintendo-console-11641019
Btw in that article there is a clear photo of how the package has been tampered with, and also why she did not see that at first (clear cello-tape at the bottom-side of the box), so her story is more credible than it at first hand might seem to some of the commenters here (not saying that she might not have faked it, but it at least is more likely this is real).
To the naysayers: While it's possible that this whole thing could be fabricated, stuff like this DOES happen. Thankfully I'm allowed to ship expensive things like this to my workplace and have luckily never have problems. Then again, I've never really bought much through Amazon.
Whatever the case, I hope this woman's family has a good Christmas.
People suck... Which is why my wife and I have 6 cats and a dog
I can't believe it's the mother.
For one, her life is probably hard enough trying to raise two kids b/c there is no mention of the dad at all.
Two, Christmas shopping is hectic, it's not the time to be fooling around. No matter how much money she would get out of this it's simply just not worth it to fake this.
Anybody on here saying it's the mother has probably never spent a lot of time doing the Christmas shopping for 2 kids.
Not to say it 100% isn't her, there are crazy mom's out there who kill their kids and sell them into slavery for drugs and all of that. But if that's the case she is scarily convincing. She was probably WAY too excited to have grabbed on a Switch on Cyber Monday to do this.
Amazon can easily check her order, and her past history of ordering to see if she has done anything like this before.
As for Amazon, I have to defend them here. I just recently bought a Pantry box containing 6 items, it arrived missing 1. 2 minutes later in a phone call the guy told me the other item would be there in 2 days. Now it was just aluminum foil, not a Switch, but Amazon took care of it no questions asked. And no, I didn't steal a roll of aluminum foil. I think Amazon should look into this before giving her a switch or her money back, but I've never had a problem with them before that wasn't settled to my satisfaction.
The question is where could the switch have been switched out with detergent?
Does amazon carry this detergent?
Did it get switched during shipping?
Did someone bring detergent to their job to do a swap?
This whole thing is strange...
@shanafan " "We'll hopefully get the money back, but we bought it on Cyber Monday so we won't get as good of a deal."
Uh, there was never a sale on the Nintendo Switch for Cyber Monday."
Yeah the more I think of that line above the more I'm suspicious of her. The only deal I knew of via Amazon was the system at full price plus 1 or 2 games free. And those offers sold out in seconds.
But I'm sure she has a full record of it on her Amazon account, so.....
Amazon would ABSOLUTELY replace it, when it's in stock, or offer a refund. They will do a small investigation via their own warehouse right up to her house door.
It's an odd one, but I've had games robbed on me through the post a good few times. Amazon are the only company who just send another one. But that's like €40/50 not €350 worth.
The Daz door step challenge ......... Would you Switch???
@Alcovitch You're right. I saw no deals on the USA nor on the UK stores.
Although, at least where I live, the Switch was discounted from its usual price of USD$500 to USD$350, on Black Friday.
Sadly I couldn't afford it by then....
@retro_player_22
100% agree. Amazon US deliveries have gone way downhill last 6 months or so especially with primes " 2 day shipping ". When I got Splatoon 2 I was home and received an email it had been delivered so I was all excited went out to my mail box, doorstep,in my bushes looked everywhere and nowhere to be found. Called the carrier On-Trac which are just god awful from previous experiences and they said they would send out the driver the next day to see if he could find it. That was there solution. What the hell does that mean ? Did he bury it in my yard, put it up in a tree or something. So obviously when I was told that was the solution I just went off on them and said I'd be calling back tomarrow to Amazon and their supervisor. Next day it was magically at my doorstep. My theory is that since the game was in an envelope and you could tell it was a game,the driver was probly gonna keep it but since I called right after it was delivered and they called the driver before he could open it. These drivers are not real delivery personal just regular a**holes who are thieves and or just don't care bout your items at all. Sorry for the rant everyone but this had been a problem for awhile now with a lot of online deliveries and it bugs the f out of me. It's just making me go back to regular stores now which isn't a bad thing. Unless it's UPS,Fed Ex, or USPS I just don't trust my item will arrive intact or at all even.
Geez some of you people. No benefit of the doubt. It's a mom, perhaps who doesn't use amazon too much, who didn't know to check the packaging. In fact I've never made sure to check the packaging myself, but I would probably notice it if it was tampered with. I would be heartbroken if my Switch was stolen before I even got it.
If I were amazon I would replace it, but see then I put her on a list, and if it happens again then I get fishy.
Must have been "Switched"😎
Joking aside I really hope Amazon show some good will and give the lady a discount whenever they're back in stock, such a sucky thing to happen.
@readyletsgo "Amazon are the only company who just send another one."
That is something people know about Amazon and then try to take advantage of it earlier this year a couple was charged with stealing $1.2 million in electronics from Amazon buy doing similar things each time (Claiming stolen or damaged packages).
But they were clever enough to not go to the press to try and either create fake validity or force pressure on Amazon for action.
@NintenNinja16
I agree.
I've been a prime member for years (in the US) and I've been getting less happy with Amazon. They sell a lot of fake merchandise, their prices and not as competitive as they used to be, and they do have lots of delivery issues.
I feel sorry for the mum... Hope the kid eventually will get a Switch anyway.
"You want a Switch, boy? Well, too bad, here's some arceusdamn washing powder instead."
Didnt this happen one time before where a boxed used 3DS turned out to be a bunch of rocks or something?
Sadly yes, sick world we live in sometimes....
@The__Goomba Hell, I hope Nintendo gets word and gives them a free one.
its better than getting a n64 system
@LandOfZeldtir did they get to keep the abfab?
I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore
@NintenNinja16 I'm not too surprised. Back when amiibo were hard as hell to find, I ordered the splatoon 3 pack. Amazon lost it in the mail and the best they could do was give mr a refund. I ended up having to buy it again with a worse deal than I originally bought it. Amazon can be great but when they drop the ball they drop it hard.
I've worked at a Amazon Fulfillment Center for the past week, and as far as I understand, the last point where anyone knows what's in a package is when a packer puts an order together into a box, where each item is scanned for correctness. If an item is missing or incorrect at that point, they do what is called an AndOn and notify someone of the issue, where they do a thorough investigation to resolve it. No one in the facility can easily walk out with an item from the work floor, especially with something that big and/or heavy. Not saying it's impossible, but I feel it is highly unlikely.
That was so dirty, she'll need to order a second box of Daz.
In seriousness, it was probably someone who saw the package, opened it, switched the Switch, and sealed it.
@NintenNinja16 have you read the story about the UK Amazon Fulfillment centers? You got to look it up it's pretty messed up.
@King47 yes the fake merchandise is a big problem since they have those Amazon sellers you know they are not actually Amazon. Unfortunately they are terrible at police and stuff like that.
Insert Obligatory Switch Joke
But seriously, Amazon should take note of these types of incidents and learn from them. If they don't take charge and deal with it now, incidents like these will become a lot more common.
Lmao this article was funny tho but in all Seriousness.How you gonna steal a poor kids only Christmas gift wish he was soo Happy of getting this Christmas from his Mom,People can be Sooo Greedy and Horrible this time of Year I hope this Scumbag,Idiot Thief gets Caught or Bad Karma for doing this awful and real low crime.
@GC-161
I hate your profile pic lol.
I thought there was an actual bug on my screen and for a second I was like “WHY WON’T IT SQUISH?”
@gcunit Honestly a good question. The switch did not go on sale Cyber Monday, but she said getting it now would not get her as good of a deal. They just had a bundle deal where it included 2 games with the console. She did not mention anything about games being missing, only that the console was gone. I am not trying to make accusations, but you would think that 2 missing games would also be a part of her report.
It's pretty absurd that this happened, but it's almost impossible to know who is at fault. Someone at Amazon, or someone from the shipping company. When you buy something from Amazon it goes through a lot of hands, only one of them has to be dirty. I'd be absolutely enraged if this happened to me.
@readyletsgo "Amazon are the only company who just send another one."
Don't know about UK, but that's not true for the US. Best Buy once sent out an item after I cancelled it (and the website even showed that the item was cancelled).
I wish Amazon and other companies made marketplace sellers honor sale prices and offer items at non-inflated prices. I feel they are part of the reason items go out of stock so fast.
@Danrenfroe2016 I just looked it up, that’s really screwed up
yeah, this is why I would normally get consoles, tvs, and pcs from a local retailer to see what looks and feels like. but it sucks when things like that happen. I hope they could pull threw that one definitely since the switch is awesome.
@Lukeim64 Is this new amazon delivery service. It's awful. As far as I can tell they just hire local people with cars. One lady who delivers to my apartment has her seven year old running the packages to my door from her car.
I totally read that as:
'I ordered the Nintendo Switch as a Christmas surprise for my son not my daughter.'
This is made all the funnier because of the consoles name.
Poor kid.
@Xaessya HA! I was going to say it too, but decided to scroll through and see if anyone beat me to it. Congratulations sir!
Nothing like a "Dazzling White Christmas!"
@Wouwter you win
I preordered Odyssey and received shipping confirmation the wednesday prior to its release. The day of release came and went and I never got it. I contacted Amazon and was told the supplier was out of stock and they had already shipped that day from another distributor. I asked why I was sent a shipping confirmation 2 days prior if the item was never shipped, I would have cancelled this new shipping order had I'd been contacted. Amazon was kind enough to refund my money, extend my prime membership, and since the order was already shipped allowed me to keep the order when it arrived. So I got 2 Odysseys for the price of one.
I'll bet ya'll jokers wouldn't be making so many facetious, cringeworthy Switch puns if it were your stuff that was stolen.
Well that's a switch lol
@Dalrint Yeah seems the same here in South London!! 😯
And people wonder why I hate shopping online unless it's something less expensive (certain games, hats, tees, hoodies etc).
@Pikachupwnage LoL
@Pikachupwnage LoL
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