UK PS5 orders getting Meow Mixed at Amazon, as console deliveries go missing
The launch of the PlayStation 5 has been a bit of a disaster, to put it mildly. First with pre-order chaos, followed by technical glitches with certain units. Now adding insult to injury, some UK tossers who ordered one through Amazon are instead receiving cat food and and small appliances, among other things.
Another Twitter user reported seeing an Amazon delivery truck pull up to their house, only to mark the delivery as failed and immediately speed off. He reportedly chased after the driver and got his package, which he claimed showed evidence of tampering.
One commenter on The Quartering’s video, a former Amazon employee going by the name Liam Rowan, noted that these thefts probably aren’t happening at the warehouse level, but rather somewhere else in the chain.
“Having worked at an Amazon Fulfillment center, certain items can be placed in high-security containers that have limited access and needing a card to get into the area (which logs the access/time). Then if you did somehow take it away from the factory floor without anyone noticing you’re going to need to get it out through an almost airport-security check with an X-Ray machine, Security Guard and Metal Detector,” he said. Rowan then went on to speculate that it’s probably delivery drivers swapping out packages to steal PS5s to resell.
“The only way to get something out that size would be through the goods out routes with the Delivery Driver or a different method that takes some serious balls. That would be to put on a high vis vest and lanyard with card holder turned around then walk in, pretend to be a new starter/agencies and then take a van you know has them in. This may sound impossible but with the number of temp/new people you have in the holidays who are not exactly the most invested you would be surprised. Your supposed to challenge any unusual person but most are either focused more on what there doing or how long till shift is over.”
Amazon has currently been hiring many outside contractors to deliver packages due to upticks in demand caused by the CCPVirus. Those on social media are speculating that perhaps Amazon isn’t vetting these drivers as stringently as they should be.
Amazon did eventually respond to the allegations, and released an official statement to Eurogamer commenting on the issue.
“We’re all about making our customers happy, and that hasn’t happened for a small proportion of these orders. We’re really sorry about that and are investigating exactly what’s happened. We’re reaching out to every customer who’s had a problem and made us aware so we can put it right. Anyone who has had an issue with any order can contact our customer services team for help.”
Some customers are reportedly being asked to wait 48-hours in case their order should suddenly turn up. Others are being offered a £5 gift voucher for their trouble. Which is a touch insulting considering the PS5 costs £449.
Eurogamer also noted that those who bought the console from UK games retailer GAME (creative name) are also facing similar issues. Digital Foundry journalist Will Judd alleges his package stolen by a driver for courier company Yodel. He claims he has CCTV footage that shows the driver walking off with the PS5 without delivering it.
Yodel was trending on Twitter for a time under “gaming”, so it appears Judd was not the only console buyer having troubles with the delivery company.
Both the PlayStation 5 and XBox Series consoles are in very high demand this holiday season, while both Sony and Microsoft are struggling to fulfil orders. Pre-orders sold out in mere seconds on most retailers, only to end up being scalped on auction sites like eBay. Now it seems like some rather unscrupulous individuals working for those retailers are stealing orders to flip them.
Those caught doing so could be in some pretty deep legal hot water though. In the United States, theft of any item valued at over $400 is considered grand larceny. This carries with it a felony charge, which could potentially result in a 1-5 year prison term.
Our best advice for perspective console shoppers looking to protect themselves is to simply wait. None of the next gen consoles have any must-have exclusives for the launch window, and most games will be available cross generation on the PS4 and Xbox One for at least the next year. Many coming with free upgrades to the PS5/Xbox Series versions. So it’s not as if you’ll be missing out on anything by waiting. So if you’re desperate for a console right now, take a moment to sooth your boobs, rest your chest, and mellow your mammaries. It’s sure better than paying $500 for a bag of cat food.
