Dented Board Game Advice, What Does Amazon Usually Do

docians on 15/12/2021 - 16:05

So I ordered this board game for close to $80, as a Christmas gift
game arrive dented in one corner, and I am not comfortable gifting it

I know its only a small dent, but I had seen the game at my LGS, and it had a dent, I would not have purchased it for $80
(plus I don't want the person receiving the gift thinking I bought them a second)

I think I can chose to return in (and amazon pays postage?) but then the price has now increased and I will have to wait until the price reduces again
ie I will be happy if amazon accepts a return and send me another for the same price (and hopefully it arrives undented)

asking from past experience, for those who decided not to keep their dented board game boxes what their outcomes have been when talking to amazon chat

thanks

Gaming Board Game

Related Stores

Amazon UK Store
Amazon UK Store

Comments

  • weezlebub on 15/12/2021 - 16:10
    +2

    doesn't effect the gameplay, if it's for a kid, they'll probably trash it and lose pieces anyway …

    annoying, but i'd just gift it or return it and buy it full retail at a local store

    • docians on 15/12/2021 - 16:16
      +2

      if it's for a kid, they'll probably trash it and lose pieces anyway …

      forgot to mention, not for a kid

  • apsilon on 15/12/2021 - 16:13

    Amazon doesn't swap or even deal with warranty. They just do return for refund or occasionally tell you to keep the item and offer a small credit.

    • turbochris on 16/12/2021 - 10:10

      Yes they do. I bought a kettle, it died 9 months later. Amazon sent me a new one and a shipping voucher to send the old one back under warranty.

      • apsilon on 16/12/2021 - 11:23

        How long ago was that? Maybe it's recently changed. I've been using Amazon for 18 years and have never had them exchange anything, just refund.

        • turbochris on 16/12/2021 - 11:48

          I have also been a customer since early 2000s.

          The kettle was about 6 months ago, but in 2008 I also returned some headphones under warranty for a replacement.

  • tinnut on 15/12/2021 - 16:16

    Years ago I bought a couple of board games from Amazon US and they arrived damaged. I logged a return or whatever it is on their site and they contacted me and asked if I'd accept a 50% refund and keep the damaged games. It was only the game boxes that were damaged and I was very annoyed at the time - but they're great games and the parts were perfectly fine.

  • Quantumcat on 15/12/2021 - 16:31
    +5

    See if you can get a partial refund, sell the dented one and hopefully between that and the partial refund you can buy a new copy to gift.

  • iamherenow on 15/12/2021 - 16:43
    +1

    Give it and tell them if box concerns them you will return it? I wouldn't care about a dent.

  • Fergy1987 on 15/12/2021 - 16:46
    +10

    sounds like its really going to put a dent on Christmas

  • Muzeeb on 15/12/2021 - 16:46
    +4

    Is the game a limited edition or potentially got future value growth?

    If not - just gift it, apologise for the dent and have fun playing the game with your friend.

    You are not alone

  • Savas on 15/12/2021 - 16:49
    +4

    Who cares if it has a dent

    • bohn on 15/12/2021 - 16:54
      +1

      OP and other OCD people

      • pharkurnell on 15/12/2021 - 16:55
        +2

        It will help cure them

        • bohn on 15/12/2021 - 17:21
          +2

          yes, cognitive behavioural therapy
          we need to slowly dent all their board games.. maybe throw some pieces away as well

          • Savas on 15/12/2021 - 17:23
            +1

            @bohn: I don’t even have the box for some of my board games.

            • bohn on 15/12/2021 - 17:27
              +1

              @Savas: don't say that, you're making the palms of some ozbargainers very sweaty

      • SF3 on 15/12/2021 - 17:33
        +5

        OCD people

        Next post on OzB, receiver of OP's gift.

        Received box dented gift, WTF is wrong with people!!

    • PeterSnoot on 16/12/2021 - 09:39
      +1

      I will join the OP and admit that I would prefer not to give a game in a dented box.

    • Zachary on 22/12/2021 - 12:51

      if its sold as a brand new item, I would care. Suppose to be pristine and mint condition unless there's disclaimer about it in the description or pictures if they're not using stock images from the manufacturer.

      • docians on 22/12/2021 - 17:14

        Amazon used to send things with sufficient padding
        Now they say they want to minimize packing material to be environmental friendly (when really I think the savings go towards someone's alimony)

        I recently ordered three tetrapacks of coconut water (single order), and amazon in all their wisdom sent them in three separate boxes!

  • SF3 on 15/12/2021 - 17:24
    +1

    Online chat with amazon on your circumstance, see what options they give you.

  • b-t on 15/12/2021 - 17:47
    +1

    My experience with Amazon has always been pretty amazingly good, but like other comments have suggested, YMMV.

    I purchased a waffle maker from Amazon UK in which case AusPost shipped it all the way to Victoria, to a suburb that's literally 5 minutes away from my house, and then came back and told me that the package was destroyed and was to be returned back to Amazon UK.

    I checked the price and it had gone significantly up (almost double) and I had a chat with the CS who told me after she spoke with her supervisor, they agreed to honour the original price.

    The procedure was pretty "dodgy" though. I had to purchase the product for full price, and then once the item was shipped out from Amazon UK warehouse, they would issue me a refund for the difference in the price. They told me that on the day that the product was shipped from the UK warehouse, they would reach out to me and issue the refund.

    From my experience of we will get back to you tomorrow (cough, cough… Telstra), you will never hear back from the CS. However, Amazon CS actually reached out within 10 minutes of the confirmation of shipping the product out, with the promised partial refund.

    So therefore, my experience has been pretty good in comparison to other stores I've dealt with…

    • buckster on 15/12/2021 - 18:39

      Yeah I had this happen once too, had ordered snow boots from amazon US - received some strange heels instead.

      The price had gone up but they gave a credit to offset it, but the process was pretty dodgy like you mentioned.

    • foxmulder on 16/12/2021 - 13:01

      The procedure seems weird but it gives them proof that you buy the same item again. They could have gives you credits but you may end up not using them or buy something else instead. Similar procedure with ebay for it's price match.

  • MeesusEff on 15/12/2021 - 17:57

    I had a book which the spine was dented - $5. I told them it was a gift, they resent me another but I had to return the dented one.

  • 7ekn00 on 15/12/2021 - 20:02

    Or, as you hand the gift to the person, left it drop on the ground and say sorry ;)

    To master gaslighting, put some butter or thin oil on the gift wrapping, then as the person grabs the gift, give a slight tug so it falls to the floor and the person thinks it's their fault :P

  • keo on 15/12/2021 - 20:57

    Start the return process, report it as damaged, sometimes it gives you an option to receive a replacement one in the options. If not, just chat with agent and they will give you credit for difference, Amazon are usually very easy to deal with.

  • GrueHunter on 15/12/2021 - 22:51

    My experience seems to have depended on whether the packaging was damaged.

    Packaging damaged, box damaged? They said keep it, we'll send you another one.

    Packaging not damaged, box damaged? They told me to print out a free shipping label, return it, then they sent me another one.

  • bcarp on 15/12/2021 - 23:08

    I ordered a board game recently from Amazon US via Amazon AU. Surprisingly, it came with the postage sticker straight on the board game box, no outside packaging. There was shrink wrap, so it wasn't damaged in the rain where it was left outside my front door. And surprisingly the box wasn't damaged. But if this were a gift, it would be pretty impossible to give as the shrink wrap was damaged in removing the postage sticker.

  • bamzero on 16/12/2021 - 02:38

    Maybe things have changed, but a couple of years ago I bought Ticket To Ride via Amazon Global and when it arrived discovered had a big hole punched through the box (from memory the outside packaging was ok so happened before it shipped)

    Got on live chat, told them it was damaged and they immediately refunded me. Didn't even get to the part that it was actually a fake as it turned out.

  • Chickin on 16/12/2021 - 09:35

    Just call them and explain your situation. They will get you to return the game and, if you ask, they will credit your account with the price difference so that you can buy a direct replacement straight away (so effectively they will “swap” it for you).

  • avoidfullprice on 16/12/2021 - 18:28

    I forked out $1.99 for Amazon to gift wrap a board game. If they have dented that I don't even to explain it is a gift.

  • docians on 16/12/2021 - 18:44

    doing a bit of reading, and if you cross a threshold of returns, Amazon can permanently ban your account!

    So I guess eventually it will amount to, if you want lower prices with Amazon, we will need to learn to accept dented boxes
    if you complain, you will be banned

    Wish there was an option to pay a couple of $ extra for bubble wrap/ decent packing

    • kerfuffle on 16/12/2021 - 18:48

      if you cross a threshold of returns, Amazon can permanently ban your account!

      How many returns have you made that you need to be concerned about this?

      • foxmulder on 16/12/2021 - 19:02

        Google: If you make around 5-10 returns a month or even more, you may want to be on the lookout for a warning from Amazon. Many shoppers report receiving a warning or even being banned if more than 10% of their orders resulted in a return.

        • kerfuffle on 16/12/2021 - 19:04

          The question is: what are you buying that you need to return 5-10 items a month?

        • MeesusEff on 16/12/2021 - 20:23

          What about clothes and shoes that have the free returns policy? I hope they aren't counted as we are quite particular about our fits, returned 5 pants recently. I have made like 200 orders this year so 😂

      • docians on 17/12/2021 - 09:29

        How many returns have you made that you need to be concerned about this?

        I don't think there is a fixed number for amazon to flag your account

        having said that I have bought over 50 games on amazon over the past three years with only one issue in the past so 1:50
        of late the packing has not been the same at what it used to be, and boxes arrive worse for wear

        on the black friday sales have purchased 5, 3 of which have arrived, and 2 boxes badly dented
        Of the two, if one arrives damaged; I would be returning 3 of my 5 recent purchases 3:5

        clearly if one in fifty boxes was damaged over three years, and now three in five arrive damaged, the issue is with Amazon packing

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