Amazon scamming customers again!

BrianInEngland said:

And why is part of the CPU information blanked out in EVERY picture?

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Why did they blank out the manufacturer AMD if they were legitimate. These parts might have been made in the same factory as the official ones. For all we know they are rejects that were supposed to be destroyed. It is the sellers responsibility to prove if they are legitimate or not.

Bottom line, follow your guts. If you are in doubt, look somewhere else. Scammers are everywhere. Not just on Amazon.
Like I mentioned, don't get from 3rd party sellers for high value items like these unless you want to take your chance on used parts.

MisterEd said:

It doesn't make any difference. What exactly are they selling? Why aren't they calling them AMD CPU's? If they were official and affiliated with AMD they would say so. Too many questions. I would never buy from them.

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Yes it Does! The CPU was listed as being an off brand name so it's not a true AMD CPU.

This is a little off topic but does have something to do with Amazon. I haven't been checking my email for a couple of weeks so I decided to do it this afternoon. I came across an email from Amazon. The subject was about my account being put on hold. The big A was a plain A and not the Amazon A. When I put the mouse cursor over the From Amazon the address wasn't even close to being an Amazon email address. I wanted to post this to let everyone know that not only do we have to watch what we buy from Amazon but that we have to watch for scam emails claiming to be from Amazon.

A story from the real Amazon.

I placed 2 orders on the same day, order #1 and order #2. Both orders were of about the same, but not identical $ value.

Order #1 was processed as order #2 > order #2 was reported as being delivered but I received order #1. All emails were about order #2, there were no emails about order #1. There is NO mechanism to report this kind of mix up back to Amazon, and there is therefore NO option in the Amazon order processing process to demand this kind of complicated refund for this kind of mix up.

So, I resorted to returning order #1 with the reason that I received the wrong product, i.e. I printed out the return label, but I did NOT put order #1 in the return mailing. Instead, I put a letter in the return mailing with an explanation and demanded a refund.

In the end, I did not get a refund, but I got both orders delivered LOL

There was not even a single word from Amazon about the mix up, they probably don't have a script for explaining this kind of mix up LOL

Edit: I should perhaps not LOL that much, I shall be watching my credit card charges to make sure that there is no mix up of any kind in their billing

It is rare that I would read good reviews on Amazon, I most certainly always read the bad ones.

You have just as much chance (if not more) of getting ripped off, when day to day physicaly shopping. Please, someone show me real statistics of scam Amazon stores to legitimate, I’d be surprised if it even registered when looking at the numbers. I’m happy to be proven wrong.
There are scammers everywhere in life, these are the times we live in. People need to get accustomed to it.

Like with everything in life, there are rules to apply to shopping on Amazon:

1. Don’t be a dumbarse, scrutinise.
2. You do not talk about Amazon Club
3. Learn how to discriminate
4. YOU DON’T TALK ABOUT AMAZON CLUB
5. Don’t go purposely looking for fake products.
6. Buy from stores and brand names you recognise and trust. If it’s a store you don’t know that has an 80% price reduction, lift up your skirts, boys, and run away, high pitched screaming

Winuser said:

Yes it Does! The CPU was listed as being an off brand name so it's not a true AMD CPU.

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There is no such thing as an off brand AMD CPU called Ryzen 9 5950X. It is either an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X CPU or it is fake.

There is nothing to prevent AMD from produce custom CPUs for other companies. Example are CPUs for Xbox Series and Playstation V. They are still called AMD CPUs. However, they could also build custom CPUs with the OEMs name on them. Even then they wouldn't call them Ryzen CPUs. Lastly they could License the CPU technology to another company. Again they wouldn't be called Ryzen CPUs.

MisterEd said:

There is no such thing as an off brand AMD CPU called Ryzen 9 5950X. It is either an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X CPU or it is fake.

There is nothing to prevent AMD from produce custom CPUs for other companies. Example are CPUs for Xbox Series and Playstation V. They are still called AMD CPUs. However, they could also build custom CPUs with the OEMs name on them. Even then they wouldn't call them Ryzen CPUs. Lastly they could License the CPU technology to another company. Again they wouldn't be called Ryzen CPUs.

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Your totally missing my point. The CPU is listed as being made by a 3rd party company and because of that it may or may not be counterfeited. I've said enough on the subject. Think what you want.

antspants said:

It is rare that I read good reviews on Amazon, I most certainly always read the bad ones.

You have just as much chance (if not more) of getting ripped off, when day to day physicaly shopping. Please, someone show me real statistics of scam Amazon stores to legitimate, I’d be surprised if it even registered when looking at the numbers. I’m happy to be proven wrong.
There are scammers everywhere in life, these are the times we live in. People need to get accustomed to it.

Like with everything in life, there are rules to apply to shopping:

1. Don’t be a dumbarse, scrutinise.
2. You do not talk about Amazon Club
3. Learn how to discriminate
4. YOU DON’T TALK ABOUT AMAZON CLUB
5. Don’t go purposely looking for fake products.
6. Buy from stores and brand names you recognise and trust. If it’s a store you don’t know that has an 80% price reduction, lift up your skirts, boys, and run away, high pitched screaming

Click to expand...

I've use Amazon for years --- I've only ever had to send one product back -- a faulty NAS HDD -- and the process was simple and cost free. I've bought such diverse items (apart from computer parts) - a washing machine, a dish washer, a drying machine , various bits of furniture, high pressure water hose, couple of drain covers, domestic LCD light bulbs, 4K UHD TV, loads of groceries,many garden and indoor plants, new kitchen oven, air fryer, slow cooker etc. Not a single problem with any of that stuff.

The only things I can't get on Amazon are live animals. You can even buy cars on it these days.

If you check what you are buying there's no risk whatsoever -- and even if you do get "ripped off" -- if you use a CREDIT (Not a DEBIT) card most jurisdictions ensure that if the supplier won't refund money for faulty or not useable products e.g those fake tiny 12 TB usb size SSD storage devices for 25 USD -- (obviously fake) then the BANK / Credit card company has to refund the money.

If buying online always use a CREDIT and NOT a DEBIT card. Using a credit card is also good when trying to cancel some of those hard to cancel "recurring subscription nasties". With a Credit card just tell the bank you've lost the card / it's damaged etc. Bank will send you a new one -- and when the company trying to get your payment for one of those hard to cancel things the payment will be declined because the card has changed.

No way in a million years would I regularly go back to "Bricks and mortar shopping".

cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

I've use Amazon for years --- I've only ever had to send one product back -- a faulty NAS HDD -- and the process was simple and cost free. I've bought such diverse items (apart from computer parts) - a washing machine, a dish washer, a drying machine , various bits of furniture, high pressure water hose, couple of drain covers, domestic LCD light bulbs, 4K UHD TV, loads of groceries,many garden and indoor plants, new kitchen oven, air fryer, slow cooker etc. Not a single problem with any of that stuff.

The only things I can't get on Amazon are live animals. You can even buy cars on it these days.

If you check what you are buying there's no risk whatsoever -- and even if you do get "ripped off" -- if you use a CREDIT (Not a DEBIT) card most jurisdictions ensure that if the supplier won't refund money for faulty or not useable products e.g those fake tiny 12 TB usb size SSD storage devices for 25 USD -- (obviously fake) then the BANK / Credit card company has to refund the money.

If buying online always use a CREDIT and NOT a DEBIT card. Using a credit card is also good when trying to cancel some of those hard to cancel "recurring subscription nasties". With a Credit card just tell the bank you've lost the card / it's damaged etc. Bank will send you a new one -- and when the company trying to get your payment for one of those hard to cancel things the payment will be declined because the card has changed.

No way in a million years would I regularly go back to "Bricks and mortar shopping".

cheers
jimbo

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Reads like we have pretty much Identical shopping habits, and opinions, Jimbo.

badrobot said:

Bottom line, follow your guts. If you are in doubt, look somewhere else. Scammers are everywhere. Not just on Amazon.
Like I mentioned, don't get from 3rd party sellers for high value items like these unless you want to take your chance on used parts.

Click to expand...

I bought a Sandisk Ultra Fit flash drive in the past. It was good quality and had a metal connector. I needed some more so I bought a pack of 3 from a 3rd-party seller on Amazon. It was fulfilled by Amazon. I assumed it was new since it didn't say otherwise. When I got it, it was apparent that it was a returned item. One of the three had been opened. I examined the flash drive in the opened packaging. I was unhappy that Sandisk was now making these flash drives with plastic connectors. However, careful examination showed that the connector was crushed. I wonder if the person that previously bought these dropped the one flash drive and stepped on it. In any case they probably returned them for a refund.

I returned the flash drives for a refund from Amazon. I really didn't want a replacement because of how cheaply they were made. Instead I ordered a different brand with better quality.

====================================================================

I still have some old computers with Windows XP. I wanted to be able with work with floppy disks in case the existing drives started failing. I bought an external floppy drive from a third party seller on Amazon. It was also shipped by the same seller. Note it was eligble for a free return to Amazon.

The external floppy drive worked fine on my Windows 11 laptop but their was one problem. Even though the listing showed it coming in a case the one I got was just a bare drive. I complained to the seller. I returned the drive and got a different one which did come in a case. I was lucky in another respect. Right after I got the replacement drive the seller removed the listing on Amazon.

jimbo45 said:

No way in a million years would I regularly go back to "Bricks and mortar shopping".

Click to expand...

If you do buy from a bricks and mortar store note if there is a difference between in-store and online prices. Some store have cheaper online prices.

Sometimes I want something but don't want to have to to wait for it to be shipped. Even if the local store has it in stock I will order it online and select for a local pickup. I will then pick it up at the store later that day. That way I get the online discount.

One time I just happened to go by the store later the same day as the order. The order wasn't ready for pickup. I went and got the items off the shelf and brought them up to the Customer Service desk. I still got the online discount since I already paid for the items.

One time I did something that some might call questionable. I noted the price online and went to the store. At the time I didn't know that the store had lower online prices. When I saw the price was $10 higher in the store I debated what to do. I then realized that the store sold computers. I used one of the display laptops to order the item online. I waited 30 minutes and went to the service desk to pick up the item. I got a strange look from the employee there. I suspect he knew what I had done.

BrianInEngland said:

Just to add, I've never had any problems with Amazon either, because I'm careful what I order and where it's from.
My main gripe is that they don't properly check the 3rd-party sellers aren't scammers, which makes them complicit in any scam sales.
They need some accountability for what goes on their website, whether it's sold from Amazon directly or not.

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TraderGary said:

I've been an Amazon (USA) customer since 2001. My experience has always been positive.

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I've been an Amazon (USA) member since 2000, also a Prime member for close to 20. I don't have issues, either, but too am carful of what and who sells/ships.

For electronics / high value items if they're not sold and shipped by "Amazon", I don't buy them. For other items such as music, I'll deal with third party vendors for other stuff, depending on what it is.

The other reason to only buy electronics shipped and sold by Amazon, is for warranty issues as "Amazon" themselves, NOT necessarily their third-party vendors, is a universally recognized authorized retailer of name brand items. That means you won't hear the: "I'm sorry but you got this from an unauthorized vendor, we can't support it" speech if you require warranty service.

But, yes, Amazon does rely (sometimes to its detriment) on third-party vendors to fill voids it may have. After all there's a reason Amazon is one of the biggest E-Tailer on the net.... item choice / availability / price.

No, Amazon isn't aways the cheapest, but they are competitive; and especially for Prime Members getting 2-day shipping.

Haydon said:

A story from the real Amazon.

I placed 2 orders on the same day, order #1 and order #2. Both orders were of about the same, but not identical $ value.

Order #1 was processed as order #2 > order #2 was reported as being delivered but I received order #1. All emails were about order #2, there were no emails about order #1. There is NO mechanism to report this kind of mix up back to Amazon, and there is therefore NO option in the Amazon order processing process to demand this kind of complicated refund for this kind of mix up.

So, I resorted to returning order #1 with the reason that I received the wrong product, i.e. I printed out the return label, but I did NOT put order #1 in the return mailing. Instead, I put a letter in the return mailing with an explanation and demanded a refund.

In the end, I did not get a refund, but I got both orders delivered LOL

There was not even a single word from Amazon about the mix up, they probably don't have a script for explaining this kind of mix up LOL

Edit: I should perhaps not LOL that much, I shall be watching my credit card charges to make sure that there is no mix up of any kind in their billing

Click to expand...

If not already setup you should have your credit cards setup to send you an email or text for any online purchases. I have my cards setup to send me a notice on any in person purchases over $50.00 and any online, phone or mail transaction. If you're a Amazon member you can also look up your purchase orders. I also get an email from Amazon with a picture of my orders in front of my house.

I am sure these so called scammers are just doing side businesses with their approved Amazon business account. Amazon approved their business account based on what they intend it to use for but instead use it in dishonest manner. I agree, they should be banned from Amazon. But they also come back anyway. So we should all just be vigilant who to buy from depending on the item we are buying. I rarely go to Bestbuy or other physical electronic stores these days. Amazon is very convenient and I never had issues with them when I am building a PC. The second online store I buy from is Newegg Canada. But I try to avoid buying from them because they don't give your money back in case of returns. They just issue a store credit.

MisterEd said:

If you do buy from a bricks and mortar store note if there is a difference between in-store and online prices. Some store have cheaper online prices.

Sometimes I want something but don't want to have to to wait for it to be shipped. Even if the local store has it in stock I will order it online and select for a local pickup. I will then pick it up at the store later that day. That way I get the online discount.

One time I just happened to go by the store later the same day as the order. The order wasn't ready for pickup. I went and got the items off the shelf and brought them up to the Customer Service desk. I still got the online discount since I already paid for the items.

One time I did something that some might call questionable. I noted the price online and went to the store. At the time I didn't know that the store had lower online prices. When I saw the price was $10 higher in the store I debated what to do. I then realized that the store sold computers. I used one of the display laptops to order the item online. I waited 30 minutes and went to the service desk to pick up the item. I got a strange look from the employee there. I suspect he knew what I had done.

Click to expand...

Some stores (e. g., BestBuy) will match their online prices. I've done that once or twice. The main cost is time. (But less than a half hour.)

Winuser said:

If not already setup you should have your credit cards setup to send you an email or text for any online purchases. I have my cards setup to send me a notice on any in person purchases over $50.00 and any online, phone or mail transaction. If you're a Amazon member you can also look up your purchase orders. I also get an email from Amazon with a picture of my orders in front of my house.

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Monthly credit card statements work better for making sure there is no double billing because of the mix up. Emails work better for confirming order placements, tracking deliveries, etc. All IMHO of course.

Winuser said:

I buy a lot from Amazon and have never received a substitute product.

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That's not what I meant....the quality is crap even if reviews say otherwise.

@BrianInEngland


The safest way to deal with Amazon or any online retailer, is to make careful note of the...
sold by and shipped by company's.

On Amazon for example... try to always buy items the are sold by Amazon and shipped by Amazon.
At least look for items that are shipped by Amazon.

This holds true for other reputable sites as well. On Newegg, for example, look for items that are sold and shipped by Newegg.

Companies care about their reputations and their Better Business Bureau ratings, so items that are sold and shipped by that company, will just about 100% of the time, be valid items as described in the item description.


For example, I went to PCPartPicker and at random, picked a 1TB Samsung 980 Pro SSD.
Amazon didn't have any shipped and sold by Amazon, but Newegg did... (see RED box)




So, If I was going to buy this SSD... I would get it from Newegg.


Not one time, have I been scammed or got defective or used or relabeled items in over 20 years.
And that's 6 computer builds, and 1000's of other non-computer items.

The only time I break these rules of mine are for books. I mostly buy used paperbacks, so I don't really care where they come from.


Ofc I don't know the reputable companies in the UK, but in the US, I trust the following for this item...

Ghot said:

The safest way to deal with Amazon or any online retailer, is to make careful note of the...
sold by and shipped by company's.

On Amazon for example... try to always buy items the are sold by Amazon and shipped by Amazon.
At least look for items that are shipped by Amazon.

This holds true for other reputable sites as well. On Newegg, for example, look for items that are sold and shipped by Newegg.

Companies care about their reputations and their Better Business Bureau ratings, so items that are sold and shipped by that company, will just about 100% of the time, be valid items as described in the item description.

Click to expand...

In a small country with a tiny population (300,000 or so) it's usually inevitable that shippers will usually be 3rd party -- even the mighty Amazon can't afford to have large numbers of delivery vehicles around doing nothing. I've had goods delivered by a city taxi, a farmers tractor (the size of those things here is pretty staggering), private cars etc. Even once by the local police -- gave the woman a fright --"What have you done now was her stern query". So 'Nary a problem with deliveries. If the order says "Fulfilled by Amazon" even if the vendor is some Chinese company then you are also OK.

Amazon aren't going to sell everything made by small companies directly -- but there's nothing wrong with small companies using Amazon's website (at a fee) to pitch their products - and the vast majority are OK -- in any case it's up to YOU as the consumer to do due diligence before you buy.

I've had more fake goods and dodgy mobile phones (probably siezed from some unsuspecting victim) offered to me in the UK's well known "Petticoat Lane" Sunday morning street market in London's East End than I've ever received from Amazon. Same in Nice in South of France where fake Rolexes and other top brands are literally 10 a Euro there. - Also usually Amazon will give a list of suppliers and state New / refurbished when you are looking at items so you can choose.

cheers
jimbo