A fake delivery driver stole the TV I was returning to Costco: Can I get my £519 back from retailer or Amex?

Back in late 2021, I bought a new television from Costco for £519, paying on my American articulate card. However, once I set it up I noticed the sound quality was very poor. 

In January 2022 I contacted Costco to ask to return it. It said it would send a courier to pick it up and then refund me the money. On the agreed date, a driver turned up at my door saying he was here for the TV and so I handed it over. 

But half an hour later, another driver arrived who also said he was there to collect the TV. I sent him away, assuming the pick-up had been double-booked by accident. 

I never received the refund, so a couple of weeks later I contacted Costco. It told me it had never received the television.

Impostor: This reader’s television was picked up by someone who was not the real delivery driver (stock image, posed by model)

The person asked some questions about the pick-up, and told me the name of the delivery company Costco used. 

I checked my doorbell camera and the person who I handed the TV to was in the uniform of a different delivery firm. 

Alarm bells started to ring, so I contacted the police. They started an investigation and I discovered that he had since been sent to prison for an unrelated offence. 

Today, I am still without the £519 I paid for the TV. Costco says it will not refund me. I also contacted Amex to ask if it would refund me because I felt I had been the victim of a scam. It declined. Is there any way I can get my money back? 

Helen Crane of This is Money replies: What a shocking story. These days, most scams happen online – but unfortunately you have become the victim of a particularly nasty one that took place right at your own front door. 

I wanted to highlight your story ahead of Christmas, when many will be returning unwanted gifts, or other items such as furniture or electricals bought for the festive season.

It wouldn’t occur to most people to check the credentials of a delivery driver if they turned up to their door in uniform – especially if they arrived at the expected day and time, and knew what item was waiting to be collected.

This frightening tale reminds us that we can never be too careful. But how could this happen? 

You told me you have learned from speaking to the police that this person worked as a contractor delivery driver for various firms. That explains how he had the uniform. 

Costly mistake: The reader was left without her £519 refund, as Costco never received the TV

The person did not end up being charged for stealing your TV, as the police told you that they did not have enough evidence to demonstrate it beyond all doubt – despite you capturing the deed on camera. 

This, you said, was partly because the delivery firms involved said they could not furnish all the records the police asked for. The case was therefore closed. 

He has since been convicted of other offences and is behind bars. 

Another mystery was how he knew your address and what he was there to collect. 

You believe he was given the information by someone who worked for the firm that had actually been instructed to pick up your TV set, though the police have not been able to demonstrate this. 

If that is the case, it is a frightening prospect. Plenty of people could have gained access to those details, and the legitimate driver may have been none the wiser. 

It was frustrating that you couldn’t force this person to admit to the crime, but what aggravated you more was that you were now both without a TV, and without your £519.  

You contacted Costco and explained the situation, and even had a member of the police email the firm to explain that it was being investigated as a theft. 

But you told me that Costco said it would not refund you, as neither it, nor the legitimate delivery driver which it sent, had done anything wrong. 

I thought this was slightly unfair. If the TV had not been faulty, you wouldn’t have needed to return it and none of this would have happened. 

I made attempts over several weeks to contact Costco and ask it if it would reconsider its decision not to pay you back. 

This proved difficult, but eventually I unearthed the email of Costco’s UK director, Peter Kelly. I emailed him explaining these unfortunate events, and asked him if you could have your £519 back. 

Disappointingly, the reply came from the marketing department who replied simply to say the company had ‘no comment at this time’.  

You also raised a chargeback with your credit card provider, American articulate, but this was declined. 

Rejected: American articulate wouldn’t refund the purchase as the theft didn’t involve any money leaving the reader’s account

I contacted it to ask why, and Amex said that your case did not confront the requirements for the chargeback to be accepted. 

Chargebacks are designed for situations where a product is ordered but never received, is received but is faulty, or where the customer is charged the wrong amount. 

Your TV was faulty, but for this to be accepted as a chargeback you would have to demonstrate that you had sent it back to the retailer and they had not already refunded you. That, of course, is impossible. 

Amex also has a ‘fraud protection ensure’ to defend customers against scams. 

It says: ‘If you do become a victim of fraud, our fraud protection ensure means you won’t be held responsible for any fraudulent charges, provided you’ve taken reasonable care to protect your Account details, PIN and any device on which you store your account information.’

While you felt you were the victim of a scam, unfortunately you were not covered by this either. This is because the payment you made to Costco for the TV was legitimate, and no money was wrongly taken from your American articulate account. 

Sadly, this meant I was left with no encourage avenues to explore when it came to getting your money back. 

You asked if there was any way to force the person who took the TV to pay you back – but with no conviction, there is no legal recourse here.  

However, I hope that your story serves as a warning to those returning goods this Christmas. Check what firm your courier is coming from, ask for ID, and don’t hand anything over and contact the retailer if you have doubts.