What to Do When Amazon Delivers to the Wrong Address

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How to find your delivery when Amazon messes up
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Nothing beats the serotonin spike of getting an "Order delivered" notification from Amazon for a new package! So it feels extra cruel when you open your door, and there's no package in sight. Did Amazon lie about delivering? If so, why, and if not, where did your package go? More importantly, how do you get your order or your money back? We'll answer these questions and more in our guide to what to do when an Amazon delivery doesn't go as planned.

What to Do When Amazon Delivers to the Wrong Address

Check the area near your doorstep in case the driver left it in an odd place. Ask your neighbors if they've seen your package. If you can't find it, contact Amazon Customer Service by starting a live chat in the app or calling them on the phone. Ask them to investigate or request a refund or replacement of your item.

Section 1 of 7:

What to Do If Your Amazon Package Was Delivered to the Wrong Address

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  1. Step 1 Confirm your Amazon shipping address is correct.
    You may have accidentally selected the wrong shipping address when you placed your order or typed the address wrong. If the address is incorrect, follow this set of steps.[1]
  2. Step 2 Check your porch and the nearby area.
    The delivery driver may have stashed the package in an odd place to hide it from thieves or protect it from the elements. Take a look around any bushes, potted plants, or other concealed areas at the front of your home where a driver may have left your package.[2]
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  3. Step 3 Look for a delivery notice on or around your front door.
    If delivery drivers need you to sign for a package and you aren’t home, they may leave an “attempted delivery” slip on your front door. Check your mailbox, your porch, and anywhere else where a delivery notice could’ve been placed or fallen to.[3]
  4. Step 4 Ask your household members and neighbors if they've seen it.
    It's possible that the driver handed your package to someone living with you or to a neighbor. In either case, you might be able to find your package without involving Amazon. Ask your roommates, family members, neighbors, or even your security guard whether they’ve seen or received your package.[4]
  5. Step 5 Wait 48 hours after the delivery notification.
    The carrier may have accidentally marked your package as "delivered" when they're still planning on dropping it off. Wait at least two days after your package is marked “delivered” before ordering a new one or complaining to Amazon. It's a frustrating delay, but it would take even longer to order a replacement.[5]
  6. Step 6 If all else fails, report the delivered package missing.
    Report a missing package shipped by Amazon by calling Amazon Customer Service at 1-888-280-4331 or starting a live chat on the app or website. If a third-party seller shipped the item, contact them directly using the information in your Order Details.[6]
    • To connect with a live chat agent, go to Amazon's Customer Service page on their website or app and select the item you didn't receive. Next, select "Says delivered, but it's not here," and the chat will begin.
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Section 2 of 7:

What to Do If You Entered the Incorrect Delivery Address

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  1. If you’ve entered the wrong address, contact Amazon for help.
    If your package has been delivered to the wrong home due to you entering the incorrect delivery details, first login to your Amazon account and update your shipping address. Then, reach out to Amazon Customer Service. They may issue a refund or a replacement when you explain your error – just remember to update your shipping address![7]
    • If the person you sent the package to is someone you know or one of your neighbors, you may also reach out to them to see if they received it and can deliver it to you.
Section 3 of 7:

Can you get a refund if Amazon delivers to the wrong address?

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  1. Yes, but you may have to wait up to 48 hours to get refunded.
    Amazon typically asks customers to wait 2 days to make sure the carrier didn't accidentally mark the package as "delivered."[8]
    • After 48 hours, if you still haven't received or found your package, Amazon will offer you a choice between a refund and a replacement. If you ask for a refund, they will remit the money you spent on the missing order to your credit card on file or your Amazon gift card balance.
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Section 4 of 7:

Reasons Amazon Packages Go to the Wrong Address

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  1. Step 1 You made a mistake in the address number, spelling, or direction.
    Delivery drivers from Amazon and other carriers use GPS to navigate to addresses. If you accidentally transposed the numbers, misspelled the street name, or left off a direction (i.e., S. or Ave.), the driver may deliver to the wrong location.
  2. Step 2 Your address is hard for the delivery driver to find.
    People who live in rural areas or don't have their address numbers clearly displayed on their buildings may struggle to get packages delivered. Add detailed delivery instructions to your address on your Amazon account to guide the driver to your door.[9]
  3. Step 3 The delivery driver made an error and delivered to the wrong place.
    For example, they may have read your address incorrectly or accidentally grabbed your box when they were delivering somewhere else.
    • You can rate a poor delivery as "Not so great" in the Amazon app by navigating to Your Orders and selecting the order you didn't receive. If you're using the website, go to Your Orders, find the product, and click "Leave delivery feedback."[10]
  4. Step 4 The package was stolen off your doorstep.
    You may think it went to the wrong address, but it could have been stolen! 1 in 4 people in the United States have had packages stolen from them at some point in their lives, so don't rule out the possibility that you are also a victim of this crime.[11]
    • If you suspect porch pirates are stealing your packages, set up outdoor cameras to look out over your porch, front walk, and driveway. If you catch the thieves in the act, turn the footage over to the police.
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Section 5 of 7:

Should you keep Amazon packages that don't belong to you?

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  1. You can legally keep Amazon packages that aren't addressed to you.
    That's because the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruled that Americans can keep any unsolicited packages that arrive on their doorstep. Furthermore, they're not required to pay for return shipping.[12]
    • It's up to you if you want to contact Amazon to return the package. If you do, Amazon is legally obligated to provide you with a free shipping label, or else they can tell you to keep the items in the box.
Section 6 of 7:

Returning Amazon Packages That Aren't Yours

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  1. Contact the seller and say they have the wrong address.
    Meanwhile, don't open the package to see what's in it or leave it outside in the open where someone could steal it. Instead, set it someplace safe in your home until you learn what the sender wants you to do with it.[13]
    • If Amazon delivered it, contact Amazon Customer Service. After you explain the situation, they may send you a return label so you can send the package back to them. They may also tell you to keep the items.
    • If a third-party seller shipped it, you can either reach out to them and ask them to send you a return shipping label for free or contact the carrier and request a free return label from them.
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Section 7 of 7:

Reporting Amazon Packages In Your Name You Didn't Order

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  1. Step 1 Find out if someone you know sent the package to you first.
    The package could be an impromptu gift from a friend or family member. The friend or family member may have ordered a package to your house while they were on vacation or for some other innocent reason.[14]
  2. Step 2 If no one you know ordered the package, check your subscriptions.
    Amazon sells subscriptions to certain products, like supplements and pet food. You may have started a subscription a few weeks or months ago and forgotten about it or didn't realize you set it up.[15]
    • To cancel an Amazon product subscription, log into your account and go to Your Memberships and Subscriptions. Find the subscription(s) you want to cancel and select "Manage Subscriptions" next to it.
    • Select the link underneath Advance Controls to go to the main subscriptions page, from which you can start the cancellation process.[16]
  3. Step 3 If you didn't accidentally order the item, report it to Amazon.
    Amazon has a Report Unwanted Package form online for members who receive packages in their name that they didn't order. You'll have to sign into your Amazon account or make one to fill it out.
    • Provide Amazon with the number of packages you received, their tracking numbers, and other information from the shipping label so they can investigate who sent it.
  4. Step 4 Beware of brushing scams, where people leave reviews in your name.
    In a brushing scam, you'll receive a package you didn't order, sent by a third-party seller who then uses your name to write a fake review of the product. It's a scheme to raise ratings on low-quality items to encourage real buyers to buy it.[17]
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References

  1. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GCU8BWGTQNJKQEBS
  2. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GCU8BWGTQNJKQEBS
  3. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GEE76GMYKN4HEYLK
  4. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GCU8BWGTQNJKQEBS
  5. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GCU8BWGTQNJKQEBS
  6. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GCU8BWGTQNJKQEBS
  7. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GSWAYSNV7RBSTND9
  8. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GCU8BWGTQNJKQEBS
  9. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=TTwTatNrSYnwrNQsQ9
  1. ↑ https://www.amazon.in/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=TMJ1b3uyDIEmHnGJJD
  2. ↑ https://www.security.org/package-theft/annual-report/
  3. ↑ https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-youre-billed-things-you-never-got-or-you-get-unordered-products
  4. ↑ https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/solving-problems-business-returns-refunds-and-other-resolutions
  5. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G33XVXQPUV79Z2ZC
  6. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GU8AWX4GDKM7QGTE
  7. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G57V745LBUAWDQ78
  8. ↑ https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/consumer-alert-beware-of-receiving-packages-you-didnt-order-brushing-scam/71-dc32c5c3-9ba5-4cd3-b49c-c1c48d9bdcd8

About This Article

Fahim and Seema Mojawalla
Co-authored by:
Fahim and Seema Mojawalla
Shipping and Logistics Experts
This article was co-authored by Fahim and Seema Mojawalla and by wikiHow staff writer, Elaine Heredia, BA. Fahim and Seema Mojawalla are Shipping and Logistics Experts based in Grand Island, New York. They are the Co-Owners of Island Ship Center, a shipping depot, print shop, small gift boutique, and business center. Founded in 2006, Island Ship Center is now one of the top three FedEx Authorized ShipCenters® in the country (out of 4,600 locations), is a FedEx Spotlight Store, and has the honor of being a PRINTING United spotlight store. They are also a USPS Approved Postal Provider and a UPS Authorized Shipping Outlet. The award-winning business has served as a training center and model in their industry for years, so much so that Fahim and Seema created AYM High Consultants, a contemporary business coaching enterprise for fellow business owners and purveyors in the printing and shipping industry. From their palletized freight packing and shipping warehouse operation, to their store serving individual clients’ mailing and shipping needs, Fahim and Seema have developed Island Ship Center to be the “Spa of Shipping.” This article has been viewed 12,470 times.
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Co-authors: 4
Updated: December 18, 2024
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