A woman in British Columbia, Canada, received more than 50 packages from Amazon that she never ordered, such as reported by CBC. As a result of receiving these shipments, which you have not had the opportunity to reject upon arrival, the United Parcel Service (UPS) has sent you customs invoices for more than $300.
“They keep coming and it just doesn’t end,” Anca Nitu told CBC. Nitu told the news outlet that he is somehow linked to his own Amazon account, one that she says has been inactive.
amazon said CBC in a written statement that Nitu’s case has been addressed and “corrective measures” are being taken. The company advises anyone who unexpectedly receives packages to report it using the online Report Unwanted Package form.
This is not the same glitch as the time Sonos sent $15,000 worth of products in 30 shipments (6 times more than was ordered) to an unsuspecting apartment dweller. Sonos initially charged them for the speakers and only offered a refund if they were returned. Sonos finally blinked and let the person keep the speakers as we all learned that The FTC rules say, “You never have to pay for things you receive but didn’t order.”
The Better Business Bureau of British Columbia said CBC believes this is part of a scheme carried out by certain Amazon sellers trying to circumvent additional fees for returned products. For overseas sellers, shipping, storage, and disposal fees can add up much faster, making it cheaper to dispose of unwanted products by shipping them to private addresses in the same region.
For Nitu, your account information may have been phished or your identity may have been stolen in order to associate it with certain merchant accounts. “I don’t know what Amazon allows them to do because they got my name, address and old phone number,” Nitu said.
Meanwhile, Nitu is buying a large quantity of shoes, and although he is not paying for the product, UPS is collecting duties on it. According to the Canada Border Services Agency website, couriers must hold packages until duties are paid, which doesn’t seem to be what UPS is doing. UPS declined to comment CBC until they have spoken with Nitu.
