Consumerist reader Paul works in the Internet retail business, and as such, knows how easily an order can get tangled up if the shipping and billing addresses don’t match. So after he’d moved, he made sure to change the address on his credit card before ordering an item on Amazon. Even that didn’t save him from the headache that followed.

He writes that since the Roomba he wanted from Amazon.com would be going to a new address than what he’d been using, he figured updating his American Express would head off any problems with his order. All seemed well as he received an order notification email and a subsequent email to let him know his order shipped.

Fast forward to 24 hours later when Amazon went into fraud-prevention mode. Sort of.

I received an email from Amazon stating (not asking, just stating as fact) that my account had been compromised, someone had made unauthorized purchases on my account, and that they had deleted the fraudulent orders. I quickly realized that somehow, my new address had triggered Amazon’s fraud detection. I thought it a bit dramatic and over the top that Amazon would just delete the order, not tell me what was supposedly bought, or where it was supposedly shipping to, and make absolutely no attempt to contact me before taking these steps to try and verify the order.

That being said, I assumed if Amazon was doing all this, they would at least be recalling the in-transit shipment and refunding my credit card, so I went ahead and purchased the Roomba elsewhere. Then, another 24 hours later, the package arrives anyway.

He says he still wasn’t been able to get a return authorization from Amazon, as they’re treating the order as if it never existed. The charge on his card also has not been reversed.

He adds, “I can’t believe Amazon would unilaterally decide an order is fraudulent, delete it, but still ship the merchandise and not reverse the credit card transaction.”

After all, if Paul was an impostor, he’d be an impostor with a brand new Roomba, thanks to Amazon.

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