Illustration by Dustin Elliott.

By Christopher Elliott
Guest Columnist

Mirella Veen orders $430 worth of computer equipment and shelves through Amazon. But her freight forwarder loses it while shipping it to St. Maarten. Who’s responsible?

Christopher Elliott

I live in St Maarten in the Dutch Caribbean. I order a lot from Amazon, using a freight forwarder, a company that receives and ships goods on behalf of other companies.

I recently ordered $430 worth of computer equipment and shelves. Amazon claims the package was delivered, but they have no proof in terms of a signature or picture.

Now they are hiding behind the fact that they sent it through a freight forwarder and will not give me a replacement or refund.

I am going back and forth with emails and keep getting an automated message about what I said before.

I called Amazon, and a representative promised to share my information with the department handling lost freight forwarder information. She said the department would get back to me in 24 to 48 hours. I have heard nothing from Amazon.

Have you ever dealt with a situation like this? Can you give me some guidance on this matter? — Mirella Veen, Retreat Estate, St. Maarten.

This is the first case involving Amazon and a freight forwarder — and honestly, I hope it’s my last.

Basically, Amazon will not cover any items it hands off to a freight forwarder. (Amazon puts it more delicately on its site, noting that using a freight forwarder “may result in complications.”)

May, indeed.

Amazon is pretty clear about its liability once it hands off an item to your freight forwarder: It has none. “Amazon cannot accept returns or issue refunds for lost or damaged items that you or your freight forwarder export,” it says on its freight forwarding page.

But there’s some ambiguity in the fine print, which was enough to make me take your case. For example, Amazon says it won’t issue a refund if your freight forwarder fails to deliver a package. But what about credit?

Also, will Amazon try to track down a package that isn’t delivered? It seems like Amazon has an entire freight forwarding department that handles situations like yours. By the time you contacted me, it had been three weeks since your freight forwarder had failed to deliver your computer equipment.

Instead of helping you, Amazon was sending you AI-generated emails. You might have done an end run around that department by reaching out to one of the Amazon executives (I publish their names and numbers on my consumer advocacy site). I would have also contacted your freight forwarder directly to try to track your package —- although, ultimately, I think this was Amazon’s problem to fix.

At a minimum, your freight forwarder should have been able to show you proof of delivery. And Amazon might have also issued you a credit for a future purchase to make up for the loss.

I contacted Amazon on your behalf. A representative reviewed your file and said Amazon would make a “one-time exception” and issued a full refund.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at [email protected] or get help by contacting him.