Amazon Prime - anyone else been duped like me?

[WorriedNoodle]

I was very surprised to get an email from my bank credit card saying I owed 10.99USD, and first checked to see the email wasn't a phishing scam. Then I went to my bank account and sure enough the charge was from multi billion dollar company Amazon for me joining their free trial Prime service over a month ago.

 

Now the thing is I don't ever recall joining and never would. I haven't bought anything from them in years. Somehow they still have my latest card details from an old purchase, so I will remove card info as soon as I can, but I want a refund first. The annoying thing is I think I was coerced into joining just by clicking away and browsing their site to point where I placed something in a shopping cart to check shipping costs to Thailand and then immediately cancelling checkout and emptying cart. But the Prime membership seemed to stick somehow.

 

** Question: Now my bank has a bill due in a few weeks to be paid, should I just go ahead and pay and wait for a Amazon refund later or what is best approach? I fear if I tell bank its a disputed charge it could get complicated with bank and I need to replace card and it goes on longer that way, so what is best solution to the bank charge please?

[bartender100]

They will refund if you call them, try "Amazon Prime scam" search, also the number in there somewhere as well,you will find they did this to millions, me also in the UK it was £70, they did refund in 3 days, made me go over drawn as the wrong time of the month but no way they would pay that also. 

[mtls2005]

Personally, I would DISPUTE the charge with my CC company - which means you don't have to pay them, then work to resolve a reversal with Amazon.

 

It seems like it is getting easier and easier to mistakenly/accidentally subscribe to Amazon Prime.

 

There's also an Amazon Prime Phishing scam just popping now.

 

 

[WorriedNoodle]

I got a reply from Amazon within about 6 hours, as below. Now I have to check with bank and see if I need to pay the bill first or the refund will cancel it out. Usually takes a few days dealing with bank. Amazon are very sneaky with their Prime service and caught me out just browsing this time. One needs to remain on guard as Prime can be reactivated at any time even tho its cancelled by user. 

 

Dear <name>,

As you requested, we've canceled your Amazon Prime membership.

Since you have not used your Amazon Prime benefits, we are refunding you $10.99 which includes the full membership fee and any applicable fees and taxes. Your refund should be processed within the next 3-5 business days and will appear as a credit on your card's next billing statement. If your latest membership charge is still processing, we'll issue the refund as soon as the charge is completed.

If you'd like to join Amazon Prime again, start a paid membership by visiting the Amazon Prime page.

Thank you,

Amazon.com Customer Service
 

[Maybole]

Two years ago I bought a small item from Amazon and was astonished a month later to have a sum deducted from my debit card in favour of Amazon. I protested but Amazon claimed that I had signed up to a month's trial with  Amazon Prime when I bought the item. I searched their order site and unovered an obscure box which had to be UNTICKED otherwise I would be AUTOMATICALLY enroled in Amazon Prime. So, All of you, please search the Amazon site carefully otherwise you will be conned.

[manchega]

i had the same issue.  I also asked why they offer something to people around the world that is next to useless outside of the states? no answer there.  They did however refund fully.

[WorriedNoodle]

If the EU can fine Google billions I'm sure they should be going after Amazon for this blatant marketing trickery, tho unless I missed it I have heard little on the news about it. 

[topt]

23 hours ago, manchega said:

i had the same issue.  I also asked why they offer something to people around the world that is next to useless outside of the states? no answer there.  They did however refund fully.

I used the one month trial here in Thailand last year so not "next to useless outside of the states"...............

I unsubscribed without issue as did not really give me what I was looking for. However I agree in purchasing (and have done multiple times since) you need to be careful about inadvertently subscribing.

[LukKrueng]

On 8/27/2017 at 4:45 PM, WorriedNoodle said:

I got a reply from Amazon within about 6 hours, as below. Now I have to check with bank and see if I need to pay the bill first or the refund will cancel it out. Usually takes a few days dealing with bank. Amazon are very sneaky with their Prime service and caught me out just browsing this time. One needs to remain on guard as Prime can be reactivated at any time even tho its cancelled by user. 

 

Dear <name>,

As you requested, we've canceled your Amazon Prime membership.

Since you have not used your Amazon Prime benefits, we are refunding you $10.99 which includes the full membership fee and any applicable fees and taxes. Your refund should be processed within the next 3-5 business days and will appear as a credit on your card's next billing statement. If your latest membership charge is still processing, we'll issue the refund as soon as the charge is completed.

If you'd like to join Amazon Prime again, start a paid membership by visiting the Amazon Prime page.

Thank you,

Amazon.com Customer Service
 

When they refund the charge you get back less than you were charged due to different exchange rate and the bank will probably charge a fee. Anyway if you go this route - you have to pay it first (if the CC statement was already issued) and the credited amount will show on the next statement.

If you dispute it you won't have to pay it till the bank get the final result of the arbitration should Amazon challenge the dispute (which they probably won't as if they lose they get a hefty penalty fee) but the bank will probably give you a new card which means if you have any bills automatically paid by the card you'll have to make sure you change the CC number for all those businesses.

[coconuthead]

Amazon do this trickery on seller accounts too.....watch out for  "Professional Selling Plan - Start Selling"

 

one click and you are subscribed to a monthly plan

 

 

 

[thrilled]

There is no scam with Amazon Prime.Most likely you clicked on something that triggered you purchasing it.It happens.They will make 

you whole.They really don't need to scam people for such A small amount.Myself I purchased Prime A couple of years ago.I think it's fantastic.

[Deez]

Hardly duped. They have some of the best customer service in the world and will refund you no questions asked. They are not a Thai business

 

[Ulic]

I was offered the Amazon Prime 30 day free trial when I purchased

7-8 items. The discounts were good and the free overnight delivery

was hard to refuse. All went well, and I canceled 25 days later.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy. No issues for me. I have not however

ordered anything to Thailand.

[katana]

Amazon caught me on that Prime scam several years ago too.
I'm normally really careful to scrutinise each page when buying online for hidden extras and haven't been caught like that before with any other company. It must must have been hidden away really well that the buyer was signing up to Amazon prime when they made a purchase and it needed to be cancelled at some point.
A Google search showed many other people had been caught by the scam too.
Luckily they gave me my money back when I phoned and complained but a female friend who was also caught by the scam said they refused to refund her.

Edited August 29, 2017 by katana

[elgenon]

When you sign up for Amazon Prime in Thailand do you get streaming included?

 

I am considering Prime.I was amazed when I ordered a hardcover book for a graduation gift for my niece and the seller sent me a paperback . There was no offer of a refund for the inferior product and seller wanted me to pay to return the book, I called Amazon and they sent me a hardcover from their stock and I actually ended paying less. I think the seller is no more. I got to keep the paperback and gave it to another student.

[catman20]

On 8/28/2017 at 1:50 PM, manchega said:

i had the same issue.  I also asked why they offer something to people around the world that is next to useless outside of the states? no answer there.  They did however refund fully.

sounds like its a scam committed by a very big company in hope that not everyone notices or asks for a refund. good money maker id say if only 50% of the people ask for a refund.

[csabo]

On 8/27/2017 at 4:45 PM, WorriedNoodle said:

I got a reply from Amazon within about 6 hours, as below. Now I have to check with bank and see if I need to pay the bill first or the refund will cancel it out. Usually takes a few days dealing with bank. Amazon are very sneaky with their Prime service and caught me out just browsing this time. One needs to remain on guard as Prime can be reactivated at any time even tho its cancelled by user. 

 

Dear <name>,

As you requested, we've canceled your Amazon Prime membership.

Since you have not used your Amazon Prime benefits, we are refunding you $10.99 which includes the full membership fee and any applicable fees and taxes. Your refund should be processed within the next 3-5 business days and will appear as a credit on your card's next billing statement. If your latest membership charge is still processing, we'll issue the refund as soon as the charge is completed.

If you'd like to join Amazon Prime again, start a paid membership by visiting the Amazon Prime page.

Thank you,

Amazon.com Customer Service
 

So you signed up for Prime because you really thought there was still something free in the world then you found out it was not and a simple email resolved the whole issue.  I know it was all your fault because you compounded your error by going on a third world country visa advise forum to ask what to do about your Amazon account.  Hint: Let your next Amazon order be Big Boy Pants.

[HerbalEd]

On 8/27/2017 at 2:45 AM, WorriedNoodle said:

I got a reply from Amazon within about 6 hours, as below. Now I have to check with bank and see if I need to pay the bill first or the refund will cancel it out. Usually takes a few days dealing with bank. Amazon are very sneaky with their Prime service and caught me out just browsing this time. One needs to remain on guard as Prime can be reactivated at any time even tho its cancelled by user. 

 

 

I'm curious. How much time and trouble have you spent -- so far -- to get a $10.99 refund?

Edited August 30, 2017 by HerbalEd

[fordguy61mi]

I've had Prime for 10 years and love it. But the marketing sneakiness isn't cool for sure.

[MyFriend You]

On 8/27/2017 at 10:24 AM, bartender100 said:

They will refund if you call them, try "Amazon Prime scam" search, also the number in there somewhere as well,you will find they did this to millions, me also in the UK it was £70, they did refund in 3 days, made me go over drawn as the wrong time of the month but no way they would pay that also. 

There are a lot of Phishing emails going on subject Amazon refunds, Amazon payments, simply opening one of these can trigger a "Yes I want to join", and will generate a charge if you 1) have an account  or 2) ever had an account.  Don't open any of them and you will be fine.

[mike324]

actually 2 weeks ago, I got charged by amazon for $7.99 for something I didn't buy, there were other fradulent game charges. Since payment was still pending bank was able to stop it. I suspect my credit card was skimmed somehow while on vacation.

[WorriedNoodle]

3 hours ago, HerbalEd said:

I'm curious. How much time and trouble have you spent -- so far -- to get a $10.99 refund?

In the end not much time wasted. I had to write to Amazon explaining I was duped into the Prime service and billed by them without my wishes. Within hours they replied with refund they said took a few days. I then didn't check my bank site for three days and notice now the online outstanding bill has been cancelled back to zero within a day of me contacting Amazon. So one positive thing to note that I didn't know before was I didn't need to take any action with the bank and lost nothing on billing/refunds.

 

I will now however be extremely careful when even browsing the Amazon site as that was all I did before to get this bill, which would have been monthy had I not noticed it in one of my email accounts. I never purchased anything. I will also be removing my billing details from them when I get around to it.

Edited August 30, 2017 by WorriedNoodle

[WorriedNoodle]

14 hours ago, LukKrueng said:

When they refund the charge you get back less than you were charged due to different exchange rate and the bank will probably charge a fee. Anyway if you go this route - you have to pay it first (if the CC statement was already issued) and the credited amount will show on the next statement.

If you dispute it you won't have to pay it till the bank get the final result of the arbitration should Amazon challenge the dispute (which they probably won't as if they lose they get a hefty penalty fee) but the bank will probably give you a new card which means if you have any bills automatically paid by the card you'll have to make sure you change the CC number for all those businesses.

Thanks. Yes I was worried about that. In my case the Amazon billing and my card are in same currency and there were no bank charges, so Amazon refund luckily send my card balance back to zero.

[Hardie]

Yes, they can be a bit, uh, aggressive--yes, that's the word--in their marketing, and any c.c. you've ever used with them will be permanently on file for future use. So I assumed my Prime membership would expire along with the card it was billed to--but, no. So I switched to the monthly plan to get my $100+ back, then canceled the monthly plan, and got that back, also. Probably easiest just to look for the 'cancel' button on the website...

[manchega]

4 hours ago, fordguy61mi said:

I've had Prime for 10 years and love it. But the marketing sneakiness isn't cool for sure.

this means you are paying for it using us credit card and adress and only ship within the us and stream within us.  outside of us it is a drain of money

[Meljames]

13 hours ago, Deez said:

Hardly duped. They have some of the best customer service in the world and will refund you no questions asked. They are not a Thai business

 

lol.

[Deez]

3 hours ago, Meljames said:

lol.

Please do share your wisdom, Mr Wordsmith

[jimn]

Its not a scam its just that some of you guys dont know how it works. If you sign up for Prime you pay for it, its as simple as that. What some of you obviously did was join and did not cancel. If you do join especially under the free trial, make sure you you cancel before the end of the 30 days or you will pay.

 

There is no point in coming on the forum complaining about a scam if its you thats at fault. Sorry.

[Langsuan Man]

When all else fails, read the instructions 

 

I have been buying things from Amazon for years and never have I been automatically enrolled in anything but then again I READ and when a company tells you that you must cancel something within 30 days do it and if you don't then don't complain about your being stupid and not following instructions

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

11 hours ago, manchega said:

this means you are paying for it using us credit card and adress and only ship within the us and stream within us.  outside of us it is a drain of money

That's not true at all.

 

Lots of folks here buy from Amazon and have certain products shipped by them directly to Thailand. Others use packaging forwarding services in the U.S. that forward their Amazon shipments here.

 

And as for streaming, both Amazon Prime Video and Amazon music services are accessible here. Though it helps to have an account with them that is based in one of the countries where they are officially available, and also helps to be using an IP address for one of those countries, such as the US or UK, when accessing their content.

 

Edited August 30, 2017 by TallGuyJohninBKK