Posted on 02/19/2024 8:32:28 AM PST by ShadowAce
Daniel Williams, come pick up your junk.
For more than six months, a parade of unsolicited Amazon packages — large and small, cheap and expensive, free or fraudulently billed — have arrived at John DeFiore’s rural Woodside home, addressed to a mysterious Mr. Williams.
“It’s like the Twilight Zone,” said DeFiore, 61, an electrical engineer who is meticulous about his online shopping habits and credit card use.
“We don’t want any of this stuff,” he said. “It’s not ours. We have everything we need.”
Online shopping offers near-infinite choice and convenience. But it has also created a global gathering place for digital crooks, fraudsters and credit card thieves. Consumers’ only remedy — calling customer service — is its own journey through hell.
DeFiore’s drama started innocently enough, with the arrival of a simple envelope holding two tiny machine screws. He dismissed it as a simple address error.
RELATED: Getting packages you didn’t order from Amazon or elsewhere? Here’s how to deal with e-commerce scams
“‘Oh, somebody just made a mistake,’“ he thought. “Maybe there’s a new neighbor named Daniel Williams.” He found a Dan Williams in the nearby town of La Honda — but, nope, the screws weren’t his.
Nor did they belong to any of the nation’s other Daniel Williams, such as the doctor who performs hand surgery in Wisconsin, or the former defensive tackle who does diabetes education in Memphis. The name, apparently a pseudonym, was used by what Amazon calls “a bad actor.”
The screws were soon followed by solar panel cables, a gaming console and an attractive digital picture frame.
Then came a portable foot spa, with air bubbles, temperature control and massage rollers.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
I've been purchasing items from Amazon for 15 years and last month was the first time I had an issue. I couldn't find a phone number so I did an Internet search and found one for their customer service. The lady to whom I talked was very nice, understood what happened, and within 10 minutes I had a text and e-mail stating I had my refund. My bank confirmed as well, so I am very satisfied.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.