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Amazon says most items it ships can be refunded up to 30 days after delivery. But when a Palm Beach County couple wanted their money back for an expensive walker they couldn’t use, Amazon refused. That’s when they reached out to WPTV’s Contact 5 for help.
Ken Riner and Barbara Flashner, both in their 80s, are widowed and now living together in suburban Boca Raton.
Riner needed a walker. He suffers from debilitating back pain. However, the one he wanted was out of stock on Amazon.
So, through Flashner’s Amazon.com account, he ordered the Nitro DLX walker manufactured by Drive Medical for $316.
When Riner received the walker, he was not pleased with the item and wanted to send it back.
“It’s too heavy,” said Riner, who later found the original walker from Drive Medical in stock on another website.
But he was left with the heavier Nitro DLX, which weighs five pounds more than the one he uses now, and Riner says five pounds makes a big difference.
“How am I going to put it in my SUV?” he asked. “I couldn’t even lift it up. I used to be a strong guy, but when you turn 83 and you have back problems, it’s not that easy.”
When the couple asked for a refund, an Amazon customer service representative wrote, “Due to health and safety regulations, we’re unable to accept returns of this item…”
When Flashner appealed by email, Amazon told her they could resell the walker on Amazon Marketplace.
“I want it out of my house,” she said with a laugh. “What do I hope? I hope that we can come to an amicable agreement.”
WPTV’s Contact 5 reached out to Amazon.
A day later, an Amazon representative wrote the couple in an e-mail: “On this occasion, as a one-time exception to our non-returnable items policies, I’ve requested a refund for $316.90.”
“It fits in the closet beautifully,” quipped Riner. “But to have something worth $316 in the closet?”
Amazon isn’t requiring Riner to return the walker. He says he will donate it to a local charity that helps seniors.
WPTV’s Contact 5 reached out to Drive Medical about the Nitro DLX walker and Chief Customer Officer Tony Crisitello responded with this statement:
Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare sells through a network of distributors and providers through the country. The transaction is typically between our distribution partner and the consumer/end user, so any issues/returns are handled between the transacting parties. So, we are rarely involved with the consumer/end user, unless there’s so dissatisfaction. As we discussed, I was happy your email reached me, as our goal is to always act with integrity and we would have resolved the situation and ensured the Flashner’s were satisfied.
When you want to return products bought on Amazon, the website cnet.com, which specializes in technology and e-commerce, has some tips to help you get that return:
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