I ordered a box of boxes from The Packaging Wholesalers via Amazon.ca (twitter.com)

Article summary

A customer ordered a box of boxes from The Packaging Wholesalers via Amazon.ca, but received incorrect items, including granola and Harry Potter coasters, multiple times. The issue was caused by the barcode scanners at Amazon.ca picking up old stickers from the box company, which was also used by the granola and coaster companies. The customer eventually figured out the problem and contacted Amazon support, but not before receiving multiple incorrect orders. The customer's experience highlights a systemic issue with Amazon's inventory management and customer support.

Main themes

• Amazon inventory management
• Customer support issues
• Barcode scanning errors
• Systemic problems
• Data quality
• Inventory discrepancies
• Mail fraud risks

What commenters say

• The problem is a result of Amazon's automated system and lack of human oversight, leading to errors and frustration for customers.
• The issue could be exploited by customers to receive incorrect items at a lower price, but this would be considered mail fraud.
• Amazon's customer support is inadequate, with representatives following scripts and not fully understanding the issues, leading to further frustration for customers.
• The problem is not unique to Amazon.ca and may be a result of the company's size and complexity, making it difficult to resolve issues efficiently.
• The seller of the boxes has an incentive to fix the issue, as it is losing valuable sales and seeing a high return rate, but may not be aware of the problem or have the resources to resolve it.
• The error is causing inventory discrepancies and potential losses for Amazon, but it is unclear who would be responsible for the losses.
• The issue highlights the importance of data quality and the need for Amazon to improve its systems to prevent similar errors in the future.
• Some commenters suggest that the problem could be solved by the seller of the boxes taking steps to prevent the old stickers from being scanned, such as using an outer wrapping with the label.