Amazon refunds

I purchased a Passport 9500ix from Amazon for less than $100.00. My money was refunded less than a week later. I called them and they offered no explanation except the vendor is no longer with us. Really? Why didn't they know that before hand? Back to the internet and bang, another 9500 ix, this time for $114.00 from Amazon. Yep. You guessed it, another refund. WTF is going on with Amazon? I realize this is crazy cheap, but why is it there if it can't be purchased? Upon further investigation, I find an article in the WSJ that states Amazon vendors who have not sold on Amazon recently are being hacked. So how do you know what and when you can buy something on Amazon? Calling Amazon for an explanation is fruitless. I believe they are ruining their stellar reputation by not honoring the deals they have on their site.

 

You attempted to purchase a Passport 9500ix for ~$100, and you are surprised its not legit? You know what they say...

I've dealt with Amazon for years, and have had nothing but good experiences. If they are beginning to get infested with scammers and hackers, that is bad news indeed!

 

Read the WSJ and other articles online. It is all over the internet. I have run across great deals in the past with sellers trying to get their name out there. My problem now is when is it a great deal or when is it a scam? I assumed if I bought it on Amazon it was the great deal.

 

The other issue is where is my money going to for the five days to a week before being refunded. I'm sure someone is making a pretty penny on this "slush fund". Amazon assures me my money never left their possession.

 

My general rule for the things above $100 is to only buy if it is actually sold by Amazon and not an affiliate, vendor, etc. With the affiliates/vendors, you may as well be buying from ebay.

 

Same thing happened with me trying to buy a Lowrance Baja GPS. The GPS itself usually runs 400 this person posted it for $250, needless to say that the f****** Smokin deal. ..... well it's got scam written all over it.

Let me guess the ad for your passport requested that you email a special email address to verify that the sale is good or whatever?

 

If it's too good to be true...it usually is.

 

I try to buy stuff that is listed as Prime since I have a membership and get free shipping. I have not had any issues at all with this, but not sure if that is luck or strategy. And also agree that if it seems too good to be true.....

 

No requests for additional information. I would not have done that because I have purchased many times before. Why can't Amazon verify the deals on their site? I have never had that happen on EBay. I know most people here don't like EBay. Where does all the Money go before being refunded? That has to be a big pile of money in an account somewhere.

 

Isn't it kind of funny how we think about money these days? For the most part, money doesn't exist. Its just a construct of bits and bytes flying around between computers. We occasionally trade those bits and bytes for some green sheets of paper, but for the most part, money doesn't "go" anywhere.

 

That's making it more easy for scammers and the government to control things. That is why I usually keep some cash in a secure place. Can you imagine waking up one day and all your money is gone from your bank accounts?

 

Yeah. that occurs to me occasionally. Scary stuff.