Getting lots of "free stuff" from Amazon all from 3rd party sellers
 

It's like Hanukah, Christmas, Boxing day & Kwanzaa in July! In the last 3 weeks I have got 3 unordered "free stuff" all from Amazon 3rd party Chinese sellers. The one I got today was the best :) it was a horribly crappy Apple Airpods Pro clone from a company called Hyeing. Last week I got one of those 8" "rain" square shower heads and the week before that I got a grill cover. The grill cover smelled like someone died inside it when I opened it up but now that it aired out for a week on the patio it's great for a sun reflector (all shiny foil like lining). The shower head worked OK but I would have needed an extender tube because it was too big. No idea where this stuff is coming from. Definitely not being billed to my account and all legitimately sent from Amazon.

Very strange. I gave away the shower head and still have the grill cover and the crappy Airpods Pro clone if anyone wants them! They all seems to be selling in the $15 to $25 range when I look them up. There is nothing requesting a review so I just don't understand where these come from or what the purpose is.

Anyone else getting freebies from Amazon 3rd party sellers on a "regular" basis?

From Amazon website, https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...3XVXQPUV79Z2ZC

Report Unsolicited Package or Brushing Scams

Third-party sellers are prohibited from sending unsolicited packages to customers. If you receive a package that you did not order and is not a gift, please report it immediately.

When a customer receives a package they didn't order, it may be a result of a scam sometimes called "brushing." "Brushing" scams occur when bad actors send packages to publically available names and addresses.

If you receive a package that you didn't order, check with friends and family or contact Customer Service to confirm it's not a gift to you.

You can report the package to Customer Service, and they may ask you for a photo of the shipping label on the package. Amazon investigates reports of "brushing" and will take action on bad actors that violate our policies, including suspending or removing selling privileges, withholding payments, and working with law enforcement.

You don't need to return the item. Feel free to dispose of or donate the item, whichever is most convenient.

Interesting, thanks! Maybe next time it will be something I can actually use. :D As for brushing Not sure how they could write a review in my name without using my account which would be impossible since I use 2-step verification.

EDIT: Well, the link is informative but they don't give an actual link to report it. They don't make it easy to contact "customer service" without going through their "artificial intelligence chat bots" which keeps taking me back to your link on Amazon or I can sit and wait to chat with someone who barely understands English. LOL. Let 'em send stuff to me. Maybe I'll get lucky once and get something worthwhile. :)

How to Contact Amazon Customer Service: Phone, Email, Chat

Your tax dollars funded my Google University diploma.

Brushing isn’t as terrible as it seems. It does result in products getting false high ratings

“ The intention is to give the impression that the recipient is a verified buyer who has written positive online reviews of the merchandise, meaning: they write a fake review in your name. These fake reviews help to fraudulently boost or inflate the products’ ratings and sales numbers, which they hope results in an increase of actual sales in the long-run. Since the merchandise is usually cheap and low-cost to ship, the scammers perceive this as a profitable pay-off.”

Thanks, but been there, done that for years. My first Amazon purchase was a book in 1999. Now (Covid era) They will only call you if you go first through the chat bot and type REP 50 times. The direct number is like calling the IRS for a professional help during tax season but didn't even want to deal with that because you get the same "English is our 3rd language" reps from India who you chat with. I did eventually take the chat route. After a total of 67 minutes chatting (not sure why I even bothered as there was no loss to me) on chat I had a rep tell me "we are sorry for the inconvenience and we promise you that you won't get any more free stuff." Really wasn't worth the bother because it affected me in no way and only got me free stuff. :)



Ajay
6:42 PM
If you want a photo of the label I can do that
6:43 PM
Ajay | Customer Service
Thanks for waiting.
No need to send the picture.
I have escalated the issue to team, assuring you that problem will not repeat again.
Also you will receive update from team with in next 48 hours.
A
6:44 PM
No they won't but that's OK. :) The last time I was told that nothing was heard. :)
6:44 PM
Ajay | Customer Service
Thanks for understanding.
Please be assured there will be no unwanted packages anymore.
Issue forwarded on high priority now.

At this point I generally don't bother calling Amazon or anyone else when this happens. I once got $20 bills from an ATM instead of $10 bills resulting in getting more money than I asked for. I was nice and cold up the bank and tell them what it took me an hour I never got a thank you or a letter from them. So I just don't bother anymore if they don't have any common sense why should I really bother and spend an hour of my time.

I was too for quite awhile. I realized these people were thinking that they were returning items to Amazon for a refund but the third party seller was using my name and address with an apt #. When I noticed the apt #, I began refusing them from USPS and UPS. The UPS driver would look at the package and realize it had an apt # and would not even drop it off…just wrote refused. I contacted Amazon and eventually it stopped. The items ranged from bandanas to pool filters…the third party sellers were all scammers.

I don’t keep. Just report. Stuff is usually not needed or not our style. Maybe it has a mic or chip in it. ������

Did you ever think that maybe the **** is contaminated with covid or worse?

I once got an unordered bicycle helmet. When I called Amazon customer service they insisted that I had ordered the helmet and paid with MasterCard. When I told the agent that I did not have a MasterCard account he was somewhat helpful in suggesting steps to take to get the issue resolved. My next unordered item was some Chinese beauty products and the last unordered item was rubber popsicle making tubes.

Hope you checked your account...
 

to make sure they didn't deduct those $20's.

The brave new world. Computer wrestling. If, today is tues, and it is a high tide and you are a male between 60-70 push button 3.7. After 40 or so different options, by now you do not recall the first 30 or so, you can push option 65 and go through all 40 options again. A slight exaggeration but sadly only slight. I had four different ones going at the same time. Took months of this. I got the last one done this week. Every one in my favor. Everyone was clear and documented. Only took registered letters, at my expense
to find a HUMAN. If, we do not stand up for HUMANS they will all be replaced by computers. Be sure when you find a HUMAN and they get your issue resolved you take the time to write a letter in thanks. We all complain too much and too rarely say thanks for a job well done. Simple explanation why we wrestle with computers. We accept it.

unsolicited stuff from Amazon seems to be on the rise

a guy down at the square was telling me that he just got a mail order bride from Amazon that he didn't order,

“Brushing” Scam Indicates a Serious Problem for Victims - BBB

UNITED STATES POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE

Brushing Scam
05.05.2021
National

What could be better than opening the mailbox or the front door and finding an unexpected package? We all love surprises and gifts, but when these seemingly harmless free items come from a company or retailer, they may come with a higher cost than you realize. Oftentimes, this kind of unsolicited merchandise is part of a larger brushing scam, which is illegal in the U.S. and many other countries.


This is how it works.
A person receives packages or parcels containing various sorts of items which were not ordered or requested by the recipient. While the package may be addressed to the recipient, there is not a return address, or the return address could be that of a retailer. The sender of the item(s) is usually an international, third-party seller who has found the recipient’s address online. The intention is to give the impression that the recipient is a verified buyer who has written positive online reviews of the merchandise, meaning: they write a fake review in your name. These fake reviews help to fraudulently boost or inflate the products’ ratings and sales numbers, which they hope results in an increase of actual sales in the long-run. Since the merchandise is usually cheap and low-cost to ship, the scammers perceive this as a profitable pay-off.


This is why it’s bad.
While it may appear to be a victimless crime—you did after all get some free stuff—the reality is that your personal information may be compromised. Often scammers obtain personal information through nefarious means and with ill-intentions, and use it for a number of scams and other illicit activities in the future.

Your fake review may prompt people to purchase worthless stuff.

In other instances, bad actors are using a person’s address and account information to receive merchandise then steal it from the home before the resident is able to intercept it.


This is what to do.
Follow the tips below to keep your personal information safe and be aware of what to do in the event you receive unsolicited merchandise.

That does not sound good. Call their customer service. Nothing is free!

good information... Thank you for your post

Been happening for years.
Makes Amazon reviews useless.

I got storage bags from them. The smell is formeldehyde ! Chinese obviously use that as a preservative . Smell doesn’t last long.

Yea make everyone more paranoid

I am lucky if I get anything I buy !

I order from Amazon all the time and have never gotten any freebees??
:ohdear::ohdear:

I guess Amazon is trying to keep up with San Francisco

Try to avoid amazon as much as possible. Who wants free garbage? If someone is up to no good, I do not want my name or address attached to it. You may not realize something nefarious is happening until damage is done and than you will spend plenty of time fixing it.

Nothing is impossible, just ask a programmer. You have been brushed.

[QUOTE=EdFNJ;1977521]
Anyone else getting freebies from Amazon 3rd party sellers

Although I am not getting random unsolicited stuff, I did order two paintings and I received three of one of them and two of the other. I called Amazon to see what I should do with these extra painting they said keep on them. I was not charged for them nor did they want them back.

Amazon Fraud
 

Amazon Fraud number - 888-280-4331

[QUOTE=EdFNJ;1977521]
Anyone else getting freebies from Amazon 3rd party sellers

Although I am not getting random unsolicited stuff, I did order two paintings and I received three of one of them and two of the other. I called Amazon to see what I should do with these extra painting they said keep on them. I was not charged for them nor did they want them back.
Also 2 years ago received about generator..the following week another one showed up told the driver to return it...then the following week got a message my 900 generator was arriving. Called Amazon they've aid to contact vendor..was very difficult to communicate with the vendor in California, finally someone there figured it out...geesh.

Mhas never hao
 

I don’t feel the need to avoid Amazon; I do, however, need to stay on top of what, if anything, is happening on my account. If I were to receive unsolicited items from Amazon, which has never happened to me, I would first find out if anyone I knew could use it, and if not, I would simply donate ot to a club doing a fundraiser.

Not quite the same thing: We once had to cancel an existing Amazon subscription and received acknowledgement of the cancellation. A month later the next ‘installment’ arrives. I call Amazon and am told I will not be charged and that I can use it or dispose of it. I say okay, thank you, thinking that was the end of it. You think? A month later comes the next one, and a month after that once more. It took them three months to get that sorted out—and they never wanted any of it back!

I once had my credit card number stolen and it racked up 11 charges before anyone picked up on it. Usually the credit companies spot these issues, but not this time. Interestingly, it was Amazon who caught it and immediately notified me and I in turn the credit card company. I asked Amazon, dealing with a brazilian sales a day, how they managed to pick up on it. Simple, they said, someone tried to register a new account using the credit card you have in file….

Another issue that causes problems with Amazon reviews is this. I had a solar light fail after the warranty period but they would send me a similar one for free if I posted a five star review of the old product. This happens a lot from what I have read.

Did Amazon demand the review or did the third party retailer? You refused, right?

Amazon is just the shipper, could care less about the review, so no demand. Packages are sent from the company, usually getting no so great reviews, or new product that needs reviews. Small business have Sending products for years, hoping someone will be happy to review a product. There is no direct contact from the company. You get free stuff, and product May or may not get a review

That's not the way the "Brushing scam" works.
A fake review is left in your name.

“ The intention is to give the impression that the recipient is a verified buyer who has written positive online reviews of the merchandise, meaning: they write a fake review in your name. These fake reviews help to fraudulently boost or inflate the products’ ratings and sales numbers, which they hope results in an increase of actual sales in the long-run. Since the merchandise is usually cheap and low-cost to ship, the scammers perceive this as a profitable pay-off.”

Please refer to the post I was replying to, the individual *did* have contact with someone.

I have had no contact with suppliers for any packages that shipped to me without an order. Maybe the packages I have been shipped were just hoping for a review. Out of the last 3 items shipped, there have been no new positive reviews since receiving those items 3 months ago. I am guessing the company is not writing the bad reviews.
But I am sorry for posting my experience in Free packages from Amazon so those can tell you you either can’t read, or are to stupid to have a thought.

It was the third party company who wanted the review before sending a replacement. It is easy enough to change the review after they ship the replacement.

I thought $109.95 was an awesome price on a really cool looking electric bicycle (typically $2,000+), until another equally nice one showed up on my FB feed for only $29.95. Of course shipping and handling wasn't shown on either and it said that it would be revealed, upon checkout. Sorry, but no way am I waiting until I've possibly already been put on the hook to find out that S&H - is $3,000. Reading the 'About Us' on both manufacturers, reads a lot like a mostly cleaned up version of the Nigerian Prince scam. In talking to my son, who just purchased an electric scooter, he reminded me of what I've told him and his siblings all of their lives. "If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is." Thanks son, you've made me proud - again. lol