Item not delivered - seller says they cannot investigate [Amazon]

[Fionnabhair1]

I ordered an item from a seller on Amazon back in March. I had forgotten about it as i tend to order a lot of things from there. I was checking through my orders last night and came across it and realised i had never received it. I sent an email to the seller explaining this and requesting a refund on the money i paid.

I got this response:

 

 

Thank you for your email. Unfortunately we require to be informed as soon as possible if an item has not been received, as we have to be able to investigate the whereabouts with the courier company in order to determine how best to proceed. As this order was placed so long ago, it has exceeded the time in which we can track the item or launch an investigation or claim, and so we would not be able to see if the item was delivered or lost etc, and cannot replace or refund the item. Even if the item had been received it would now be outside of it's warranty period and so we would not be able to take any action on this. I sincerely apologise for this, and for any inconvenience caused

 

 

This seems a bit strange and i had a similar experience about two years ago and a longer time had elapsed when i figured it out, when i contacted the company they apologised and explained the item i had ordered was no longer in stock and refunded the payment i had made.

 

 

Do courier companies have time limits as to when lost items can be investigated with them? The company i get deliveries from most often is Royal Mail.

[citizenB]

You might need to look at any terms and conditions of purchase to see what is going on. I think most companies expect you to let them know within a reasonable time if an item has not been received.

 

6 months seems an awfully long time not to have realised something you ordered had not been received.

[ericsbrother]

The courier co will have their recors but probably cant be bothered to look at them unless forced to do so.

You could go after the supplier for non-performance of contract and go down the small claims route but consider how much the item coat to start off with and the value of your time. If it is still worthwhile then go for it, they will have to prove the item was sent and delivered and they cant blame the courier as it is their duty to ensure you get the item.