question about receiving a credit

[Anonymous]

I purchased a box of masks a month ago from a 3rd party seller on amazon and still haven't recevied the item. I found out the seller currently has 91% negative feedback, so I called up Synchrony bank. They said nothing can be done, but didn't want to leave me empty handed, so they gave me a credit for $12. Does this mean a chargeback was filed or did synchrony just take the loss and gave me a credit? 

[wasCB14]

Assuming $12 was the price of the masks, it sounds like they just took the loss.

For a low-maintenance customer with a $12 problem, there's not much point in Synchrony investigating the matter and contacting Amazon or the seller. It would take up too much employee time.

[Anonymous]

i'm assuming you called to dispute the charge, if so, then synchrony ate the charge and just gave you a credit. if a charge is $25 or less they will not open a dispute or send a chargeback they will just credit your account. 

[Anonymous]

Did you dispute through Amazon?   They have been very easy to work with for me

[ChazzieT]

^this^

[Anonymous]

I did contact Amazon a few days prior and they said once I filed a claim, which was supposed to be today, they would refund me the money. However, they gave me a different response instead and said the masks wouldn't be covered under their A-Z guarantee or something along those lines. And there was no way to ask the seller for a refund because they never respond.

I also have a followup question. So let's assume the masks were $100 instead of $12. Would synchrony have taken care of this issue hassle free? I'm wondering if it would be wise to use different cards besides Synchrony's when making large purchases from 3rd party sellers moving forward. Thanks for the responses so far everyone!

[wasCB14]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I did contact Amazon a few days prior and they said once I filed a claim, which was supposed to be today, they would refund me the money. However, they gave me a different response instead and said the masks wouldn't be covered under their A-Z guarantee or something along those lines. And there was no way to ask the seller for a refund because they never respond.

I also have a followup question. So let's assume the masks were $100 instead of $12. Would synchrony have taken care of this issue hassle free? I'm wondering if it would be wise to use different cards besides Synchrony's when making large purchases from 3rd party sellers moving forward. Thanks for the responses so far everyone!

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If I suspect I might need to dispute a transaction or make any sort of claim, I use an Amex whenever possible (unless it's from Costco, in which case I use the Costco Visa). I did get two recent promos from Amex for Amazon:

1. +5x MRs on up to $400 of spend (2 months ago on BBP, so 7x MRs total)

2. 40% off up to $125 of spend when paying with at least 1 MR (got it today)

For smaller, boring stuff I use WWFCR for 5.25%.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Did you dispute through Amazon?   They have been very easy to work with for me

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Yep. This is exactly why I love Amazon. I've never had them make an unfavorable decision when something went wrong. 

[Anonymous]

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@wasCB14 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

I did contact Amazon a few days prior and they said once I filed a claim, which was supposed to be today, they would refund me the money. However, they gave me a different response instead and said the masks wouldn't be covered under their A-Z guarantee or something along those lines. And there was no way to ask the seller for a refund because they never respond.

I also have a followup question. So let's assume the masks were $100 instead of $12. Would synchrony have taken care of this issue hassle free? I'm wondering if it would be wise to use different cards besides Synchrony's when making large purchases from 3rd party sellers moving forward. Thanks for the responses so far everyone!

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If I suspect I might need to dispute a transaction or make any sort of claim, I use an Amex whenever possible (unless it's from Costco, in which case I use the Costco Visa). I did get two recent promos from Amex for Amazon:

1. +5x MRs on up to $400 of spend (2 months ago on BBP, so 7x MRs total)

2. 40% off up to $125 of spend when paying with at least 1 MR (got it today)

For smaller, boring stuff I use WWFCR for 5.25%.

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Ah, I see. Thank you, wasCB14!

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I did contact Amazon a few days prior and they said once I filed a claim, which was supposed to be today, they would refund me the money. However, they gave me a different response instead and said the masks wouldn't be covered under their A-Z guarantee or something along those lines. And there was no way to ask the seller for a refund because they never respond.

I also have a followup question. So let's assume the masks were $100 instead of $12. Would synchrony have taken care of this issue hassle free? I'm wondering if it would be wise to use different cards besides Synchrony's when making large purchases from 3rd party sellers moving forward. Thanks for the responses so far everyone!

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A to Z doesn't apply for returns and refunds of delivered products but they absolutely will refund if the seller didn't deliver. I generally avoid making purchases from third party sellers (unless they're fulfilled by Amazon since they do have the A to Z) to avoid situations like that but if I was buying through a third party seller, I have wondered how Synchrony would handle that situation. My guess is their agreement with Amazon would mean that they would refer you to Amazon and it could go no further. Might be better to use a card known for being good with disputes like AMEX in those cases.