Amazon and Marketplace Sellers--Anyone else experienced this???

[Yarnspinner]

Has anyone else ever had their Amazon account order something all by itself?  Has anyone ever oopened up their shopping cart to find several expensive items in there that you never even looked at?

Over the past few years, I have, on occasion, put several items, usually books or flicks, into my amazon shopping cart, gotten to the point where I am going to check out...and discovered, just in time, that there was some unusual electronic equipment (Playstation add ons, DVD players, power tools) in the cart.  I wrote to Amazon about it a few times and was told things like "Oh, it's a glitch, just delete it."  or "Oh, we had some trouble reconfiguring Tab B to fit with Slot A and this might have been a consequence...just delete it."  Eventually, I stopped writing and would just delete the item.

This past week, my worst fears came true.  I pre ordered the new Harry Potter book. (At work--I know I shouldn't have, but I did it almost without thinking.)  I checked the cart and there was nothing else there but Harry and me.  I got the e-mail confirmation of my order a few minutes later--as well as confirmation that the Cta Psp ps-grp grip (I don't even know what it is or what it does!) from Shopperacc.com was also on its way.  (Fortunately for me, the whole thing cost six bucks, plus five for shipping.)

Huh?  I didn't order that.  It wasn't in my cart when I ordered Harry.  I immediately wrote to the seller using Amazon's form and explained the situation.  (Honest, there couldn't have been an hour lapse between the order and my e-mail.)  No response from the seller.  I wrote to amazon.  They wrote back and said to "contact the seller again and wait."  This was Thursday.  I wrote to the seller again.  Still no response.

The item showed up on MONDAY.  (I wish the books and movies I order from Amazon showed up this fast.)

The seller didn't respond until that night and said they were not responsible for something I ordered and paid for.  They didn't even acknowledge, at the very least, that I didn't order it.  If they would have said they were sorry, but there was nothing they could do...but it was implied (I think) that I was trying to get away with something.  They won't refund, even if I send it back.

I've written to amazon and described the whole exchange.  Now I have to wait again.

I was requested to give feedback on the seller--which I did.  They won't like it.  I noticed that several other people complained about how hard it was to get in touch with these guys.  They don't answer their phones and their direct e-mail doesn't seem to work, either.  How very convenient. 

I realize it isn't their fault that my computer apparently ordered this thing all by itself, but hey...a little "Well, we understand your problem, but we can't do anything" would have been a lot nicer than what they implied. 

I cancelled my Harry Potter order and suggested to Amazon that I may cancel my whole account.  I don't know if they will care, but it made me feel better.

[VorFemme]

I haven't got an active account with Amazon because my husband is paranoid about this type of thing.  I have an account - but *I* have to go to PayPal to approve the payment for any orders. 

My suggestion would be to DELETE or inactivate the HACKED (my suspicion, at least) account for a new one and to keep that one set up to where you have to put in the password/PIN every single time.  Do not save any credit card information to it.........  And continue to try to take this up as a dispute with the seller AND Amazon - something "fishy" there, in my opinion.

[kathrynne]

You didn't happen to print that confirmation page before leaving Amazon, did you? Most people don't, but it's your proof that you didn't order whatever got added.

Since you're not getting satisfaction from the seller, I'd move on to disputing the charge on my credit card. When the seller finds a chargeback something might actually happen.

Also, Amazon.com doesn't want people to know this but if you Google really, really hard you can find a direct number to a human being at Amazon and get quicker answers. I've done it, but can't remember where I stored the number. Trust me, though, there IS a phone number. I hate trying to solve this sort of problem via email because it's entirely too slow, even if it does leave a virtual paper trail.

[blue_bunny_paz]

It does sound like you've been hacked. At very least I'd change the password but a new account may be in order. Personally, something like that would completely put me off Amazon. It can't be that secure, can it?

[Betsy]

I had something like this happen once (But I didnt actually get charged for or buy the item). Changing my password and removing my quick checkout settings cleared it up.

[hjaye]

I think you are being too forgiving:

"I realize it isn't their fault that my computer apparently ordered this thing all by itself, but hey...a little "Well, we understand your problem, but we can't do anything" would have been a lot nicer than what they implied. "

I would be more inclined to believe that not only is it their fault, I think they have hacked your account and did this deliberately.  They don't really care about the negative feedback from buyers, because chances are most of their business is getting their fake orders into other peoples legitmate orders.

[amiboo]

You should dispute the charge with your credit card company.  You did not order an item that you were charged for, that's one of the grounds for dispute that they have.  Just call your CC to find out the process.  It's quite easy. 

It would have been better for the company if they had allowed you to return the item and refunded your money but if they're being buttheads you can get the chargeback thru the CC company you won't even have to return the item.  If enough people did that they might stop sending out crap people never ordered. 

[LadyJaneinMD]

I'll add my agreement to the 'You've been HACKED' contingent.  Change everything. Cancel that credit card and get a new one.

I use Amazon.com a lot, and I even have an Amazon credit card, and that's never happened to me. Nor has it happened to my friend, who has an Amazon.com Prime account. 

It's time for a totally new account.

[MeloRed]

I would be really worried if this happened to me!  I am a regular Amazon user and nothing like this has every happend to me!  They usually have really good customer service.  Check the help page.  There is a way to call and get help.

[Athos_000]

I have never had problems with Amazon, but DH ordered two dvds from the same seller at the same time, and only one ever arrived. Amazon won't do anything but tell him to contact the seller, who have stopped responding to him several emails back.

I agree with the others to at the very least change your password. If It were me, I would probably cancel my account and get a new one (if I really used Amazon enough to warrant it)

[HogwartsAlum]

Yikes..this hasn't happened to me either, but I'm glad you mentioned it...I will check my account a bit more frequently!

 --- I just did because of this post and fortunately, everything's ok right now.

[Mrs. Eclipse]

Once I ordered a book ("The Brave Little Toaster") from an Amazon seller and he sent a different one ("The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars")  It was my dad's account (and he was supervising everything.  I think I was 16 or 17 at that time) so he wrote to them and complained.  They never did write back.  The only reason I didn't push it further was, I liked the book and didn't want to send it back.

But if I thought I'd been hacked, no matter how great the book was I would raise all kinds of trouble with whoever could be involved.  Well, I would raise trouble through my dad.  But I have my own shopping accounts now, and I protect them like a rottweiler. 

Like a rottweiler would protect them, I mean, not how I would protect a rottweiler.

[Slartibartfast]

Computers do NOT just order things themselves.  PLEASE delete your credit card information, change the password on that account, then close it (if possible) and open a new account.  I promise there is no benefit to keeping your old account name, especially if you were potentially hacked.

[Yarnspinner]

Hi, everyone--

Well, I have written to amazon and told them to close my account.  I heard from the seller again, saying how sorry he is I was hacked, but it's not his problem and he can't refund it now.  Gee, aren't I lucky it was just eleven dollars?  Then I heard from the amazon trouble shooters and they gave me the same line, "gosh we're sorry, but there's nothing we can do"  (What was most irritating was that both seller and amazon wrote in all small letters, no caps, no puinctuations and no grammar.)

So I wrote back and said "Well, there's something I can do.  I'm cancelling my account.  Bye Bye fellas."

When I wrote this, I realized I left out one vital fact and it's going to make me look stupid.

I was stuck on the front desk over seeing the computer sign ups...and since there was nothing I could do work wise except that, I logged on to my amazon account to delete items on my wish list.  I am certain I logged out, but now I wonder if I didn't:  today one of our young patrons asked my young, male co-worker if he had purchased any new add ons for his psp game.  My ears went up. 

I asked him later if he had, in fact, ordered anything from amazon.com in the last few days and he said "No."  But again, I am certain I logged out and even if I didn't, he doesn't know my password. 
I still believe I was hacked from inside.  I am calling the credit card company next to see if any strange new charges have been added.

Oh, I love my life some days.

[Shoo]

I agree that closing your Amazon account is the best thing to do at this point.  It's easy enough to get a new account if you want one.

You might ask your young male co-worker if he's interested in purchasing a  Cta Psp ps-grp grip you very recently acquired but have no use for.  You can make him a good deal on it (or not, if you can get away with it!)

Otherwise, sell it on Craigslist, or give it to someone as a gift if you can.