SALLY SORTS IT: I ordered an iPhone from Amazon but it sent me candles

I ordered a brand new £999 Apple iPhone 14 Plus from Amazon but when the package arrived it contained two candles and no trace of the mobile.

At first I was baffled, but now I’m furious because Amazon is refusing to refund me for the device.

AB, Sussex.

Sally Hamilton replies: Your story reminded me of the vintage Two Ronnies ‘four candles’ TV sketch where hardware store owner Ronnie Corbett thinks customer Ronnie Barker wants to buy four candles when he is actually ‘fork’ andles – ‘andles for forks’ want to.

The misunderstanding makes for brilliant comedy. But to order a £999 phone from Amazon and receive two candles instead – and have the company wash its hands of your case – well, I can see why that got to your point.

You explained that in addition to the phone, you also ordered a laptop from Amazon, with the two packages being delivered at the same time.

You provided the security code to the delivery person Amazon previously emailed. The same code applied to both items. Such codes are required for high value purchases to prove packages have been safely received by the right person.

When you opened the first package, everything was fine: the laptop was as expected. The second, which should have been the telephone, contained candles.

To enlighten me fully, you told me that your husband did indeed order candles separately from Amazon, but sent them to him as a gift for you. He suggested that this must have caused the confusion.

But you were concerned because his Amazon account is different from yours and the address label of the offending candle package contained your name and company information. And anyway, where was the iPhone?

You contacted Amazon, who replied that it had delivered packages of the correct weight and told you to report it to the police. You tried, but the police weren’t interested and stated it was a civil matter and you had to talk to Amazon.

You called Amazon to try and resolve the deadlock, but it told you to contact customer service online. You’re not getting anywhere.

You hit a similar dead end with their social media and on Trustpilot, the customer review website, where you hoped your complaint would get picked up.

When you hit a wall, you contacted me. You told me that you are a clinical psychologist and have strong opinions about how Amazon’s lack of positive response left you feeling powerless as a consumer. Unfortunately, such treatment of customers by companies is widespread.

Another reader, JB from Leicestershire, contacted me with a similar story about intercepted Amazon packages and the subsequent poor customer service response. The £459 Samsung tablet he ordered through the company for Christmas was replaced with cake decorations.

As in your case, the correct access code was given on delivery. But the label on the package was wrinkled, as if it had been taken from another package.

When JB called Amazon to report this, an agent said he would be refunded upon return of the package. Understanding that the original payment would be refunded soon, he ordered another tablet for a further £459.

Unfortunately, this was premature, as Amazon subsequently refused to refund him. He appealed several times, to no avail. An email escalating his concerns to Amazon’s complaints department was ignored. So, like you, he came to me.

When people buy something online, the retailer is responsible for its safe delivery, under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. I thought both you and JB should be compensated.

I submitted both cases to Amazon, who agreed to investigate. Within a few days it came back with excellent news.

While there was no explanation of what went wrong in either case, nor why the refunds were declined, a spokesperson says: “We have contacted customers directly, apologized and processed a full refund.”

Anyone who is in the same boat, or receives damaged goods, should always contact the retailer immediately.

It also helps to gather evidence, including photos of the packages that have been damaged or tampered with, and anything that substituted for an actual order. If you sign for a delivery that cannot be opened in front of the courier, add the words “not inspected” which can help if there are problems opening it.

Choosing to deliver to a ‘safe place’ or a neighbor can make problems more difficult to solve later on. Consider requesting certified mail only, especially for valuable items. If the retailer doesn’t participate, try requesting a refund through a claim under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, if the purchase was made by credit card and the item costs between £100 and £30,000.

The card provider is jointly liable with the retailer if something goes wrong with a purchase.

If a debit card was used, consider filing a chargeback dispute – an informal settlement offered by banks to customers who don’t get the goods or services they paid for.

Good to Go said no to canceled cruise claim

I booked a two week holiday costing over £3,000 with Cruise1st for my wife and arranged travel cover with Good To Go Insurance via the Paying Too Much website.

We were due to sail on May 14, 2022, but three days before my wife was taken to hospital with breathing difficulties.

She was discharged later the same day, but the doctor advised against travel. I canceled the cruise and told the insurer.

I was contacted by the claims handler, Global Response, with forms to complete, including one for our GP. A few weeks later our claim was rejected because there was a discrepancy between the sailing date of May 14 and the policy start date of May 15.

Having used the insurer for previous cruises and always found it helpful and efficient, I didn’t check the fine print as I should have.

HW, Goering, Oxon.

Sally Hamilton replies: When denying your claim, the Good To Go claims manager pointed out a clause stating that for a claim to be valid the policy must cover the duration of the trip.

When you bought the policy over the phone, you falsely told the firm that it would start a day later than it should.

You didn’t remember the details of this call, but the company has a recording where you put the wrong start date. You accepted the facts. Still, you felt hard done by.

Good To Go was fully entitled to reject your £3,298 claim plus £60 for GP confirmation that your wife was too ill to travel.

However, it was not a deliberate act on your part to state the wrong date one day, as there was no profit to be made by choosing to start the policy the following day. In short, you had tripped.

Since you had purchased the cover via the Overpay comparator, I went there first to ask if it could help with the reassessment of your claim. It took a while to track down the decision maker.

But once I did, I’m happy to say that she contacted Good To Go that day and it was quickly agreed that your claim should be granted anyway. Fare you well, good to go.

• Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email sally@dailymail.co.uk – include telephone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organization giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send any original documents, we cannot take any responsibility for that. The Daily Mail assumes no legal liability for answers provided.