Amazon Duplicates?

December 7, 2005 8:44 PM

Does anyone else get multiple items shipped by Amazon? Its happened twice now in only ten orders. Two shipments with duplicate books, CD's DVD's. Odd. What?
posted by DickStock to shopping (20 comments total)

It happened to me once in late 2001; I just chalked it up to the fact that I was in NYC at the time of the WTC attacks.
posted by The Michael The at 8:49 PM on December 7, 2005

I use them all the time.. for years.. never had shipping problem.. except some late shipping...but usually the guideline forewarned me of its late shipping.
posted by curiousleo at 9:00 PM on December 7, 2005

Been ordering since 1999. Don't think that's ever happened.

On the other hand, since moving to my current address I've scheduled four items to be delivered by FedEx. All four have been lost or delayed prior to (eventual) delivery. So in your specific experience, Amazon is incompetent -- just like in my specific experience, FedEx is incompetent.

If they weren't strange, we wouldn't bother calling them coincidences. Remember this the next time you're wondering why we discount anecdotal experience.
posted by cribcage at 9:19 PM on December 7, 2005

This just happened to me two weeks ago. I received my complete order of a book and some printer ink cartridges three times.
posted by jjwiseman at 9:47 PM on December 7, 2005

Just remember, unrequested merchandise is yours to keep!
posted by trevyn at 10:10 PM on December 7, 2005

I ordered a wireless card last week and received a case of 30. I'm returning 29 of them as "defective," otherwise I would have had to pay the postage to return them.
posted by ajr at 10:22 PM on December 7, 2005

Yes, actually this just happened to me. It was a book. They sent me two. Before I'd even received one of them I had an email informing me of the situation. They sent me an adhesive mailing label which I affixed to one and sent right back.
posted by scarabic at 10:32 PM on December 7, 2005

I have been ordering from Amazon since the mid 90s, and I have never recieved duplicate orders.

You must just be lucky.
posted by cmonkey at 10:50 PM on December 7, 2005

Ajr: you could have just sold them on ebay
posted by delmoi at 11:08 PM on December 7, 2005

I've been using Amazon UK since it started, without any problems, but I've had a terrible time with them lately. They've double charged me for the postage on returned items; charged me twice for the same order; sent out a duplicate order but with one item missing; then charged me full price for the order (including the missing item).

In fairness, they've sorted everything out quickly and, in all but one case, with friendly and helpful emails. I won't be using Amazon as much in the future, though; far too much hassle.
posted by mtonks at 1:08 AM on December 8, 2005

Yes - using Amazon for around 4 years, and in the past 2 weeks this has happened for the first time. I did get a voucher for my troubles though. Perhaps they are midway through implementing something and experiencing...difficulties.
posted by oxala at 4:22 AM on December 8, 2005

I received a double shipment this week (and was only charged once). I asked them if I should pass along the extra to someone as a gift, and they requested I return it. No mention if they were going to send me a label or anything... I guess I'll hold on to it and see.
posted by ewagoner at 4:57 AM on December 8, 2005

Once a DVD took forever to get to me. I reported it, they sent me a new one. The original eventually came.

Also, when ordering a camera lens and bag, instead of a bag I got another camera lens.

I sent both back.
posted by starman at 6:13 AM on December 8, 2005

i'm guessing it's at this time of year amazon gets a lot of temps/non warhouse staff in to pick and pack - which would lead to more mistakes.
posted by tnai at 7:00 AM on December 8, 2005

No to the temp suggestion. I've had two duplicate orders from Amazon in the last year, and what surprised me is that delivery was, in one case, 2 months apart! I just think that such a huge operation is bound to have these bugs!
posted by Wilder at 7:09 AM on December 8, 2005

I once just received a sheet of cardboard with their shipping label on it, nothing more. I don't know whether it was a shipping error or the merchandise was stolen in transit (which seems most likely), but they sent a new shipment the day I called about it.
posted by caddis at 7:15 AM on December 8, 2005

Re: Amazon Returns

Amazon used to cover return postage by allowing you to print a shipping label directly from their website. They dissolved that feature, for some reason, and now process returns by either (1) mailing you a shipping label, or (2) asking you to pay postage which they will then refund.

I've only had to return one item since they made this change, but I told them, "You'll get this back when I get a shipping label. I'm not paying to return it." Despite repeated promises, I never received the label. They never got the item back.

Obviously it wasn't a priority for them. I've had lots of good experiences with Amazon policies and customer service; so if they choose to write-off the cost of a "lost" item, so be it. I donated it to a local church.

That said: I've learned my way around Amazon in doing business with them since 1999, and I can honestly tell you they probably don't make any profit on me -- in fact, I probably cost them money. For an explanation with advice, read more.
posted by cribcage at 7:52 AM on December 8, 2005

I've also been using Amazon since 1999 with no problems at all. Strangely enough the order I just placed seems to have generated THREE emailed shipping confirmations each with a different tracking number. Nothing has arrived yet. It is interesting to see that others have seen some similar behavior recently. Maybe I will get three shipments.
posted by rglasmann at 10:10 AM on December 8, 2005

Happened once to me, about this time last year. An entire package of three or four different items (including at least one book and at least one DVD) was duplicated. The two packages arrived less than a week apart.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 11:34 AM on December 8, 2005

In the UK at least amazon have a Freepost address.
posted by oxala at 5:43 PM on December 11, 2005