Consumer Protection BC has fined Amazon nearly $20,000 for failing to refund a customer who never received their delivery, the provincial regulator said in a media release.
According to the agency, Amazon breached BC’s Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act after a customer reported that their package had been marked as delivered but was never received. Amazon informed the customer that the parcel had been handed to another person at their address.
Consumer Protection BC said Amazon must refund the consumer more than $500 for the missing items and pay close to $20,000 in administrative penalties and inspection fees for violating BC’s consumer protection laws.
“It is not good enough for an online retailer to simply drop packages at the door or hand them to another person if the consumer has not agreed to this,” said Louise Hartland, Consumer Protection BC’s director of public relations.
She added that packages may be allowed to be dropped off or handed to another person, but only with the consumer’s consent and understanding.
The agency said Amazon has 30 days to apply for reconsideration of the decision. It also urged the company to clearly disclose how its delivery and contactless drop-off systems work to align with consumer protection laws.
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