Update 11th Dec: Good news! After making Amazon UK aware of this article, they promptly got in touch with Jordan and arranged a replacement which was safely delivered, on the second attempt, earlier today:
Lots of other customers have now reported that they have received their replacement PS5 in the last 24 hours, which is great to see. Finally everyone can get back to enjoying their new consoles.
Original Article: It's been well documented that Amazon UK had some issues with their initial PlayStation 5 deliveries, with none other than this author being affected.
Although the company vowed to "put it right" for customers and have recently arranged replacement consoles for some customers, it appears that others are still struggling to get anywhere with the retail giant 20 days after launch.
Issues are seemingly stemming from the customer service team, who on many occasions are providing conflicting information to their affected customers, and it has become a lottery as to who you speak to in getting a replacement PS5 if yours didn't arrive.
One Twitter user Jordan Woodcock reached out to us after our coverage of the issue as he was one of those still fighting to get his replacement. Jordan has been documenting his struggles on Twitter as he now enters the 20th day without his PS5 delivery.
"My original order was set to be delivered by Hermes. On launch day (19th November) I noticed Amazon tracking said it was 'Out for Delivery' and Hermes said it had not left yet. I tried to raise this with Amazon UK, was told not to worry and it would definitely come that day. It never came, and have been chasing about it almost daily ever since," Jordan explains to us. "Hermes recently confirmed to me the parcel was in their warehouse and was lost and never left for delivery."
He continued: "One Amazon employee told me they had called Hermes and they said they had my package [and] it was fine (this turned out to be lie as they can't actually call Hermes, which was confirmed by another Amazon employee). I was told everything was still ok multiple times and I would expect it Sunday at the very latest.
"After Sunday passed and it still had not arrived, I was told they could only offer me a refund. I was unhappy with this as it was sold out everywhere else and was finally put in contact with a man called Asif who I believe was from the Executive Customer Relations team. He promised me as soon as new stock was in I would be sent another. He even contacted me again after a week to let me know he was still looking into it, but no new stock. He told me explicitly to not accept a refund or he wouldn't be able to send me another."
At this point, Amazon had promised to contact those customers affected and eventually offered a replacement subject to them being re-charged after an initial refund. This a day or two before a new wave of stock was available for order for new customers.
"When I found out through a friend a restock happened and I didn't receive an update I tried emailing and calling multiple times to try get through to Executive Customer Relations or Asif and nobody would help me and still were only offering refunds. He hasn't contacted me since."
It was here that Jordan noticed our coverage and used our article as an attempt to convince Amazon UK that their statement was indeed real.
"This is when I saw your story on Push Square about replacements being organised. I have tried contacting so many times since then (almost daily). Email/Phone/Chat/Twitter. At first, as you can see in some of my tweets, they claimed your article was false to begin with. After a while the Twitter response from Amazon confirmed they were replacing orders and asked me to contact the chat. But every time I did, their CS teams had no idea what I was on about and only wanted to offer me a refund. They wouldn't acknowledge Amazon's own statement nor you are anyone else claiming to have replacement emails."
Looking at Jordan's Twitter feed, it's turned into an effective second job for him trying to make contact with Amazon UK on a daily basis and always getting one step forward and two steps back.
"I have tried going up the chain and waiting for call backs, and have spent so much time tying to explain to many different people the statements Amazon themselves have put out and how I have been missed off," he explained. "I'm not sure I could even tell you how much time this has taken. I spend hours nearly every day since the 19th November trying to contact them, hoping I can get through to someone if I keep trying who will finally be able to help."
"It makes me feel terrible. I pre-ordered this item through Amazon because I trusted them. I have bought accessories and games and still have no console to play them. I have still been charged £450 and have no item to show for it. My friend ordered one on Amazon on the 19th when they got a bit of extra stock, and he has a console. I am angry they chose Hermes; they were trending on Twitter once Amazon orders started showing they were going to deliver and it shocked nobody when so many went 'missing'."
"Worst of all they keep putting out press releases saying every customer has been contacted and they will 'put it right'. I have not been contacted and I have tried to contact them for literally hours most days and nobody can help me. I feel I have been missed out and left behind. If Amazon could promise me the next stock they get so I will be sent one instead of them trying to sell more, that would be enough for now..."
Jordan isn't alone either, looking at Twitter there are a number of other customers that are having a terrible time with Amazon's customer service team. We think everyone can appreciate that it is an unusual set of circumstances that have led to this point, and while Amazon's PR messaging (via BBC's Watchdog no less) has finally come good it seems that certain customers, such as Jordan, are still being let down by the system.
If anyone at Amazon UK is reading this, can you please get in touch with Jordan to arrange his replacement PS5, as it'll be 2021 soon!
In the meantime, have you been affected by a non-arriving PS5? Where are you on the road to getting a replacement? Let us know in the comments.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 13
I've given up on receiving a new console before summer next year.
It's so bad I don't even want to order one for fear of this happening to me as well.
When I'm not buying a product because of this fear, it's clear something clearly needs to be done. A disgraceful state of affairs.
Amazon supports only job is to get rid of you, they will lie at every opportunity and provide no service. I was promised compensation for the delays to mine several times and never got it, seeing as I got my ps5 eventually I have given up with them but you only ever learn a companies quality when you have to deal with their service. And Amazon are shocking.
The WORST thing of all, is that someone has stolen his machine. Stuff just doesn’t get ‘lost’. Hermes are awful
It's shocking to read as I've always felt amazons customer service has been in my experience anyway, brilliant. Think I will avoid Amazon for big ticket items in the future.
I don't get why these folk have decided to fight on though instead of picking up with another retailer with the stock refreshes lately.
I've managed to get ones for myself and a friend through two different retailers and could have had a third with another. I'd have given up.
Amazon really need to sort it out though.
@solocapers he has tried I read one his tweets about getting to basket with shopto but it was gone
Yeah I'd definitely have given up. Anymore than just a couple calls to customer service and I'm tapped. Which is probably what they are counting on but whatever, life's too short.
I try not to use Amazon for stuff like this though. I don't like them and only use them for the odd item here and there that I don't know where else to buy.
I hope PushSquare helps make a difference to put things right. Amazon has to come clean or get the flak. It's about robbery plain and simple. A refund doesnt fix it.
You can argue a pre order is worth more than it's supposed value actually.
The last time I ordered from Amazon I got a email a week later ask me to pick the item up from a post office in mainland China. I did get it eventually. But I ordered at the start of April and it arrived in the middle of July. I haven’t used them since.
I'd be blaming Hermes rather than Amazon, as it's their staff who have lost/stolen it.
Given the shortages, I'd also have taken the refund. At least then the money is back in your pocket, and Amazon, along with everyone else, probably have no idea when they'll have new units to replace those which have gone walkies.
Just for the record, I've had issues with deliveries from Amazon on a few occasions, and they've always been top-notch at resolving them. I'd be inclined to suspect that there are issues here being caused by Hermes, as I've had issues with them before and they are an absolute f*cking nightmare to get in touch with if you need to speak to an actual person; I wouldn't be surprised if Amazon are having issues with them too.
Amazon have been performing some very shady tactics in relation to their sales of late. Not just with PS5’s.
They have been using third parties and individual sellers to provide specific high end product to customers. Sending out fake and/or used goods to customers when they don’t actually have stock of the ‘new mint condition Amazon Sold‘ item.
They have done it with me multiple times over the past few months, one example being a £160 lightsaber. Plus their customer service team are very incapable of handling simple requests.
I’d put this down to Covid, but honestly the writing has been on the wall for a long time. Amazon might be the top seller on the market, but behind the scenes they have some very shady practices.
Don’t even get me started on Hermes....
I hope Jonathan gets his PS5 soon, I really do. And I hope he gets some additional compensation too.
I feel for people who didn't get theirs on day 1 and if anyone's PS5 died to. I still get nervous with my PS5 even tho it's thankfully been ok so far. I got mine from Amazon with no problem luckily. I was dreading a smashed up box but all was ok. SONY should keep some back for anyone who has problems with theirs really and get them a new one ASAP.
I can understand Jordan's tenacity. A lot of people just say that they would have given up, but I'm the same way, I fight for what is the right thing (despite it costing my time).
@solocapers agreed. While this reads as a horror story, for balance, personally only had great experiences with Amazon and their customer support over the years and from what I hear from others it’s generally the same.
Had both PS5 and XSX delivered successfully many other consoles, TVs and other tech too. When things have gone wrong they’ve been better than the rest.
I’m sorry for this chap though, sounds like a nightmare.
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