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Amazon Sued for Reneging on Some Instant Refunds

Rather than make customers wait until returned merchandise is actually received by them, Amazon has a policy of sometimes issuing instant refunds as soon as a shopper returns the product at a dropoff location like at Kohl’s, Staples, UPS, or Whole Foods.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Amazon advance returns

Of course, they reserve the right to reverse an instant refund that they issued if they never actually receive the returned items.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Amazon can recharge for returns not received

Back in 2023, Amazon was sued by a group of consumers from various states alleging that they properly brought goods to an authorized Amazon return location, got an instant refund, but then weeks and weeks later got emails claiming the goods had not actually been received by Amazon. As a result, their accounts were charged for the goods again.

In all these cases, when these consumers contacted customer service at Amazon, they acknowledged that their purchases had in fact been received, and were promised a credit and given an apology. None of them received a straight answer of how such mistakes can happen.

So Amazon is being sued in a class action for breach of contract, unfair or deceptive practices and unjust enrichment.

Just last week, a federal ruled against Amazon’s motion to dismiss, and said the case can proceed.

“Plaintiffs have adequately alleged that Amazon stole money directly from their bank accounts and continues to possess it unlawfully,” said Judge Jamal N. Whitehead of the US District Court for the Western District of Washington.

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San Diego Fights Back Against Digital Coupons

Vons Digital CouponLast week, the San Diego city council passed an ordinance to require stores that advertise digital-only deals to also provide paper versions of those coupons so anyone without digital access or know how can still benefit from the savings.

This is believed to be the first government action to fight digital discrimination in retailing and become law. As readers of Consumer World and Mouse Print* know, consumer advocates have been urging stores to offer easy, offline alternatives to digital coupons so that the many digitally-deprived seniors and lower income folks who have been shut out of these deals can have equal access. [See our series of stories.]

The bill, sponsored by city councilor Sean Elo-Rivera, is elegantly simple:

*MOUSE PRINT:

Any grocery store that offers digital discounts to consumers for the purchase of goods must make physical coupons for the digital price available to consumers upon request.

It also provides that stores post a sign alerting shoppers to this requirement.

Simplicity, sometimes, can have its own issues too. We pointed out to the city councilor that stores in San Diego like Vons and Albertsons offer 400 – 500 digital coupons each week via their apps and websites, and it would be cost prohibitive for stores to have to print a 40 or 50 page book each week with them. We suggested that the law only apply to those digital coupons and digital-only discounts that are advertised to shoppers in their weekly or periodic circulars. He agreed and said they would add clarifying language, but as the ordinance heads to the mayor for his signature, that has not been done yet.

Other states have been considering legislation that would require stores to offer shoppers other easy alternatives to digital coupons. New York and New Jersey in a particular have had bills in their legislature on the subject, but they have yet to pass. Additional states like Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Illinois also are considering similar proposed laws this year. (See update at Coupons in the News.)

And at the beginning of 2025, Stop & Shop, with over 350 supermarkets in the Northeast, rolled out digital coupon kiosks in all their stores so shoppers merely have to scan their loyalty card or enter their phone number and then all that week’s advertised digital coupons are automatically loaded on their account. [See our story.]

Kudos to San Diego for passing their ordinance which goes into effect this summer, and to the other states and stores working to make digital-only deals accessible to everyone.

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Hackers Are Trying to Break Into Your Accounts — See the Proof!

Regular reader David B. wrote recently to say that hackers are working relentlessly to break into people’s accounts using passwords they have found online from big data breaches.

He suggested I look at my Microsoft account to see a sample of what he was talking about. So I did that. And…. WOW…. every few hours hackers from around the world were trying to log into my account.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Microsoft security log

Scroll down the list.

Do you believe this… crooks from Brazil, Argentina, Russia, China, Ukraine, Bosnia, Chile, etc. are trying to access my account multiple times a day!

What can you do to protect yourself? I’m no security expert, but at a minimum turn on two-factor authentication on your various accounts, so it is not just a simple password that is needed to log in. You will typically instantly be sent an email with an additional passcode that you have to enter in order to access your account. Using a passkey is another way that some sites use where face recognition or a fingerprint is needed to authenticate your access.

To check your own Microsoft account for hacker activity, go to Account.Microsoft.com, and sign in. Once you do that, select “security” from the menu, and then “View my sign-in activity.”

You will be shocked.

Here are some resources to help improve your computer security:

  • How to turn on 2-step verification on your Microsoft account;

  • How to secure your Google account;

  • Online privacy and security tips from the FTC;

  • 12 simple things to do to be more secure online.