How I Saved myself from ₹32,000 Scam (Amex Chargeback Experience)

[coolguy1]

I love to shop, and if I am getting a deal that gets me 50% off on an international site, I am definitely buying.

We’ve all done it—bought something from some random shady website because the deal looked too good to be true. Maybe it was those branded shoes at 70% off or some fancy gadget that promised to change your life. You click buy and feel like a genius… until reality hits you in the face.

First, there’s the suspense:

Will the product even get delivered?

Half the time, it doesn’t.

And when it does, you wish it hadn’t. Either it looks like something that fell off a truck or is a cheap knockoff that your dog wouldn’t even chew.
And if you paid with UPI or a debit card?

Arre, toh bas bhool jao.

That money is gone, like a Bollywood heroine running away from the villain's house. Most banks won’t even bother to help.

This is where AmEx comes in, like a hero straight out of a masala movie. The rewards are fun, the support is nice but that's not where it ends.
In times like these when you need them the most — they actually help you.

Here’s my story: I spent ₹32,000 on a birthday gift from some international site. They promised free shipping, all taxes covered. Seemed legit, right? Wrong. When the parcel arrived, the courier asked for ₹25,000 as customs duty!

And the package? It looked much smaller and was slightly torn as well.

So, I rejected the delivery and called AmEx to file a dispute.

Within five days, my money was refunded.
No endless emails, no headache. Just smooth service.

And this is not one off, Reddit is filled with such stories —AmEx is known for standing by their customers when these online shopping sites try to act smart.

Now, you might be thinking that AmEx cards are very expensive.

NO! They are not.

You can get the cheapest AmEx MRCC card for just ₹1000 for the first year.

That's why I recommend everyone should have at least one AmEx card in their wallet. I have 3 of them!
You can start with MRCC card, it works great for such transactions, is super cheap to get and gets approved easily.

P.S. Use the link in my signature to apply and I'll share an easy guide on how to earn maximum reward points using the card!
And feel free to DM me for any questions! 🙂

 

[tachniki]

Such post should have disclaimer as promotional / marketing post at start of post. 🙂

 

[panchabhut]

This reminds me of those ads
"Pehle main bahut weak tha......................"

 

[chasni]

I have done a fair amount of international shopping. I don't know whether they shipped the correct or fake item but the other two things were normal.
- Package is opened or torn many times because customs open to inspects and assess it
- As per my experience, most of the sites do not include customs in their rate and you have to pay it at the time of delivery. This is normal. The only one I know that takes customs in advance is Amazon

Just as FYI: India charges flat 42% customs (including cess) rate on declared value (CIF - Cost + Freight + Insurance) on personal import items. They sometimes reassess the item if they believe that invoice is not genuine or declared too low. You even have to pay the customs clearance fee if the courier was an express courier like DHL, Fedex

 

[V360]

I love to shop, and if I am getting a deal that gets me 50% off on an international site, I am definitely buying.

We’ve all done it—bought something from some random shady website because the deal looked too good to be true. Maybe it was those branded shoes at 70% off or some fancy gadget that promised to change your life. You click buy and feel like a genius… until reality hits you in the face.

First, there’s the suspense:

Will the product even get delivered?

Half the time, it doesn’t.

And when it does, you wish it hadn’t. Either it looks like something that fell off a truck or is a cheap knockoff that your dog wouldn’t even chew.
And if you paid with UPI or a debit card?

Arre, toh bas bhool jao.

That money is gone, like a Bollywood heroine running away from the villain's house. Most banks won’t even bother to help.

This is where AmEx comes in, like a hero straight out of a masala movie. The rewards are fun, the support is nice but that's not where it ends.
In times like these when you need them the most — they actually help you.

Here’s my story: I spent ₹32,000 on a birthday gift from some international site. They promised free shipping, all taxes covered. Seemed legit, right? Wrong. When the parcel arrived, the courier asked for ₹25,000 as customs duty!

And the package? It looked much smaller and was slightly torn as well.

So, I rejected the delivery and called AmEx to file a dispute.

Within five days, my money was refunded.
No endless emails, no headache. Just smooth service.

And this is not one off, Reddit is filled with such stories —AmEx is known for standing by their customers when these online shopping sites try to act smart.

Now, you might be thinking that AmEx cards are very expensive.

NO! They are not.

You can get the cheapest AmEx MRCC card for just ₹1000 for the first year.

That's why I recommend everyone should have at least one AmEx card in their wallet. I have 3 of them!
You can start with MRCC card, it works great for such transactions, is super cheap to get and gets approved easily.

P.S. Use the link in my signature to apply and I'll share an easy guide on how to earn maximum reward points using the card!
And feel free to DM me for any questions! 🙂

I can talk about Etihad - I redeemed RPs on their website and parcel was delivered from one of their vendors in China. When package came, I knew it was not the product I had ordered for (package looked really small). Immediately raised concerns with Etihad and they were clueless. After escalating multiple times, I got my RPs back and redeemed them for vouchers.

 

[dexter_greycells]

I find this post troubling for many reasons 🙄

 

[Aniket]

I love to shop, and if I am getting a deal that gets me 50% off on an international site, I am definitely buying.

We’ve all done it—bought something from some random shady website because the deal looked too good to be true. Maybe it was those branded shoes at 70% off or some fancy gadget that promised to change your life. You click buy and feel like a genius… until reality hits you in the face.

First, there’s the suspense:

Will the product even get delivered?

Half the time, it doesn’t.

And when it does, you wish it hadn’t. Either it looks like something that fell off a truck or is a cheap knockoff that your dog wouldn’t even chew.
And if you paid with UPI or a debit card?

Arre, toh bas bhool jao.

That money is gone, like a Bollywood heroine running away from the villain's house. Most banks won’t even bother to help.

This is where AmEx comes in, like a hero straight out of a masala movie. The rewards are fun, the support is nice but that's not where it ends.
In times like these when you need them the most — they actually help you.

Here’s my story: I spent ₹32,000 on a birthday gift from some international site. They promised free shipping, all taxes covered. Seemed legit, right? Wrong. When the parcel arrived, the courier asked for ₹25,000 as customs duty!

And the package? It looked much smaller and was slightly torn as well.

So, I rejected the delivery and called AmEx to file a dispute.

Within five days, my money was refunded.
No endless emails, no headache. Just smooth service.

And this is not one off, Reddit is filled with such stories —AmEx is known for standing by their customers when these online shopping sites try to act smart.

Now, you might be thinking that AmEx cards are very expensive.

NO! They are not.

You can get the cheapest AmEx MRCC card for just ₹1000 for the first year.

That's why I recommend everyone should have at least one AmEx card in their wallet. I have 3 of them!
You can start with MRCC card, it works great for such transactions, is super cheap to get and gets approved easily.

P.S. Use the link in my signature to apply and I'll share an easy guide on how to earn maximum reward points using the card!
And feel free to DM me for any questions! 🙂

JK 🙂

 

[ccdc]

what reason you gave to amex while asking for refund...coz paying customs on imported items is legit....many ppl pay if they want it....

 

[desiviru]

Ab mujhe kuch foreign se lena ho toh mai flight book karke le aayu. Custom toh dene hi hai aur lounge mein mauj alag se IGI aur wapas intl lounge. Fir bhi sasta padta hai scam se toh. 🤣 India is growing toh yahi se le lo. Haan agar sab milake 10% less milta hai toh bahar se lo par only legit sellers. Cross border trade aur txn sirf Govt/Traders ke liye hai. Hum aam log hai par banks ke khaas hai kyunki unka business hami se chalta hai.

 

[chasni]

what reason you gave to amex while asking for refund...coz paying customs on imported items is legit....many ppl pay if they want it....

I'm not sure whether he got a temp credit while they investigate the case or it is the final credit after investigation.

 

[coolguy1]

what reason you gave to amex while asking for refund...coz paying customs on imported items is legit....many ppl pay if they want it....

The seller mentioned it was all taxes and duties covered(including custom duties) which is why I proceeded with the order.

Also, the package was smaller than expected(it's a gift so I had measure the size on the website).

The reason shared with AmEx was the package wasn't as expected and the price was higher than mentioned too.

 

[coolguy1]

Such post should have disclaimer as promotional / marketing post at start of post. 🙂

If sharing ways on how people can save themselves from shady sellers is a crime, I'm happy to be punished. 🙂

 

[coolguy1]

I have done a fair amount of international shopping. I don't know whether they shipped the correct or fake item but the other two things were normal.
- Package is opened or torn many times because customs open to inspects and assess it
- As per my experience, most of the sites do not include customs in their rate and you have to pay it at the time of delivery. This is normal. The only one I know that takes customs in advance is Amazon

Just as FYI: India charges flat 42% customs (including cess) rate on declared value (CIF - Cost + Freight + Insurance) on personal import items. They sometimes reassess the item if they believe that invoice is not genuine or declared too low. You even have to pay the customs clearance fee if the courier was an express courier like DHL, Fedex

Absolutely! I order things often too and was completely open to paying custom duties but the seller had clearly mentioned it will be marked as a gift because it was and no additional duties(including customs) will be charged. That's where the bummer happened, and not to forget the smaller package size than expected.

If I paid using Axis or HDFC or any other card, I would have been running to the bank everyday with little to no hope of getting the money back.

 

[tachniki]

How to tell if someone has Amex?

Just wait for 5 mins. He will himself tell along with referral code. 😁

 

[chasni]

Absolutely! I order things often too and was completely open to paying custom duties but the seller had clearly mentioned it will be marked as a gift because it was and no additional duties(including customs) will be charged. That's where the bummer happened, and not to forget the smaller package size than expected.

If I paid using Axis or HDFC or any other card, I would have been running to the bank everyday with little to no hope of getting the money back.

Marking as a gift to avoid customs is long gone. It used to work like 6-7 years ago.

 

[BMR]

Does doing frequent chargebacks with Amex create any trouble?

I read in another post on TF that one guy did 3 chargebacks in a short period of time. He won the CBs but his credit limit was reduced and Amex initiated a FR (Financial Review) on his account.

I have done my decent share of CBs with amex and all were genuine, no repercussions but after reading that post, I will think twice before ordering anything from a shady site in the first place.

 

[Vasuki]

I love to shop, and if I am getting a deal that gets me 50% off on an international site, I am definitely buying.

We’ve all done it—bought something from some random shady website because the deal looked too good to be true. Maybe it was those branded shoes at 70% off or some fancy gadget that promised to change your life. You click buy and feel like a genius… until reality hits you in the face.

First, there’s the suspense:

Will the product even get delivered?

Half the time, it doesn’t.

And when it does, you wish it hadn’t. Either it looks like something that fell off a truck or is a cheap knockoff that your dog wouldn’t even chew.
And if you paid with UPI or a debit card?

Arre, toh bas bhool jao.

That money is gone, like a Bollywood heroine running away from the villain's house. Most banks won’t even bother to help.

This is where AmEx comes in, like a hero straight out of a masala movie. The rewards are fun, the support is nice but that's not where it ends.
In times like these when you need them the most — they actually help you.

Here’s my story: I spent ₹32,000 on a birthday gift from some international site. They promised free shipping, all taxes covered. Seemed legit, right? Wrong. When the parcel arrived, the courier asked for ₹25,000 as customs duty!

And the package? It looked much smaller and was slightly torn as well.

So, I rejected the delivery and called AmEx to file a dispute.

Within five days, my money was refunded.
No endless emails, no headache. Just smooth service.

And this is not one off, Reddit is filled with such stories —AmEx is known for standing by their customers when these online shopping sites try to act smart.

Now, you might be thinking that AmEx cards are very expensive.

NO! They are not.

You can get the cheapest AmEx MRCC card for just ₹1000 for the first year.

That's why I recommend everyone should have at least one AmEx card in their wallet. I have 3 of them!
You can start with MRCC card, it works great for such transactions, is super cheap to get and gets approved easily.

P.S. Use the link in my signature to apply and I'll share an easy guide on how to earn maximum reward points using the card!
And feel free to DM me for any questions! 🙂

@coolguy1 amex is not only having professional customer care executive but all well informed because they train their employees well about own product.

With chargeback experience of almost everyone being very good at amex
Even for @TechnoFino himself

Thread 'The Power of Credit Card Chargebacks: How Amex Sets the Gold Standard' https://www.technofino.in/community...ebacks-how-amex-sets-the-gold-standard.35612/

 

[coolguy1]

Does doing frequent chargebacks with Amex create any trouble?

I read in another post on TF that one guy did 3 chargebacks in a short period of time. He won the CBs but his credit limit was reduced and Amex initiated a FR (Financial Review) on his account.

I have done my decent share of CBs with amex and all were genuine, no repercussions but after reading that post, I will think twice before ordering anything from a shady site in the first place.

I think as long as they're not the only transactions that you do then you should be fine.
Let's say if you spend 1L and chargeback 50% or higher worth of your transactions, it makes it suspicious.

But if your chargeback is 1%-5%, then you're completely safe. 🙂