Christen (@christobelll) says she needed a laptop fast—college, online classes, gaming. So, she upgraded. What showed up, she says, was a scam she’s still trying to claw her way out of.
Amazon Customer Accidentally Orders Third-Party
Christen says her old MSI GV15, bought on Amazon in 2021, died. So, she says ordered a new MSI Crosshair 18.
She financed it through Affirm on June 25 because, she says, she’s “broke” and thought the monthly payments would be best given her situation. However, Christen had not noticed the listing came from a third-party seller at first.
The delivery landed June 29. Ring footage shows her fiancé signing for the package from UPS at 6:05 p.m. It was an MSI box, sealed in MSI tape, “Crosshair 18” printed on the side. “So, it’s legit, right?” she says.
Inside was a different machine—an MSI E7235, a model she says she traced to 2009, still running Windows 7. It arrived broken and rattling, she says, with no battery, no power cord, and no manual. Tucked alongside it in bubble wrap: dirty drill batteries.
The Return That Wasn’t
She says she contacted Amazon to initiate a return, and the company routed her to the seller, which asked for photos of the shipping box showing tampering.
She says she sent the images shown in the video and that the box hadn’t been opened before she got it. The seller replied, she says, that the laptop’s serial number was assigned to her order and shipped from the manufacturer directly. They suggested she file an A-to-Z Guarantee claim, she says.
She says she returned the laptop anyway, and Amazon told her it would not refund her because it received “different items” than what she ordered.
“How can I send the correct item back when I never got the correct item?” she asks. “This is just a scam.”
She wondered, “Do I need to get a lawyer?”
‘This Is Why I Hesitate to Buy Electronics Online’
Some commenters had suggestions on what she should do.
“You’re gonna have to find out what proof they have that they put the right computer into the box before they shipped it,” said one person.
Many people said she should contact Amazon directly or complete a chargeback through her bank.
Another person provided instructions based on experience. “You file a dispute [through] Affirm, include all conversation screenshots AND the Google review screenshots,” they wrote. “Affirm was amazing when I had to do a chargeback with them last year.”
Not As Described
After a month, though, she did end up getting her refund via Affirm and provided a follow-up picture.
Christen’s bind—a refund withheld until she returns an item she says never arrived—is a recurring one. In Calgary, a family told CBC News they received a fake graphics card, weighted with putty, and that Amazon refused a $690 refund until they returned a card they never got.
“That’s a little bit of a slap in the face,” said François Legault.
Scripps News profiled Gretchen Niebling, whose Dell laptop from a third-party seller was already registered to a company overseas: “Dell told me it’s not my laptop. It’s in China.”
Subplot News reached out to Christen via TikTok direct message and comment and to Amazon and JB Rapid LLC via email. We will update this story if they respond.
@christobelll Please help #amazon #scam #amazonfinds #help #advice ♬ original sound – christen 🫧
