Amazon Parcel Missing or Damaged? How to Get a Refund

What refund can you get from Amazon?

For orders Amazon sold and dispatched, Amazon acts as both retailer and courier, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 route and the courier claim collapse into a single process through Your Orders, and the remedy is normally a refund or replacement of the order. Amazon says it issues refunds on items it ships within 14 days, and a card or bank refund can then take up to 7 business days to show; timing for a particular claim can differ. For orders a third-party seller sold and dispatched, the primary route is the seller, with Amazon's A-to-z Guarantee as the backstop if the seller refuses or does not respond. Amazon says you should hear back on an A-to-z claim within 7 days of submitting it, and it does not guarantee a refund until it has finished investigating. Neither route is a courier-style compensation claim with a published cap: you are asking the retailer or seller for a refund of what you paid.

Amazon claim deadlines — don't miss them

Amazon's deadlines depend on who sold and dispatched the item. For a missing parcel on an order Amazon shipped, Amazon says to contact Customer Service within 30 days of the expected delivery date; if those 30 days are nearly up, do not wait the extra 48 hours first. For orders a third-party seller sold and dispatched, contact the seller first; A-to-z for a parcel that has not arrived opens once three days have passed since the latest estimated delivery date or the confirmed delivery date, whichever is sooner, and the seller has had 48 hours to respond. Amazon's eligibility rules also set a 90-day limit counted from the order's last delivery date. Miss the A-to-z window and you are left with Section 75 (if your purchase qualifies, and less clear-cut for marketplace orders) or a chargeback, but Amazon says that filing a chargeback means you can no longer request an A-to-z refund. Screenshot the delivery photo, tracking page and any seller messages in case Amazon no longer shows them later.

How to file an Amazon delivery complaint

What if Amazon rejects your claim?

Rejections usually come down to Amazon treating the delivery photo and tracking details as conclusive, or, for third-party orders, the seller providing tracking that shows delivery. First, appeal if you can: Amazon says you can appeal a denied A-to-z claim within 30 days by providing additional information or evidence, and a clear photo of the actual delivery location or a written statement from a named person can help. Second, if Amazon still refuses, your Consumer Rights Act 2015 route against the retailer (Amazon, where it sold the item) runs independently of Amazon's decision. Third, if you paid by credit card, ask your card issuer whether your purchase qualifies for a Section 75 claim; for a debit card, ask about a chargeback. These routes are separate from Amazon's internal process and its decision, but card issuers set time limits, so act promptly.