I need to vent and honestly get some advice I am at my wit's end with Amazon

I’ve been a Prime member for over six years, spent thousands on the platform, and rarely return anything unless it’s genuinely defective. Last week, I finally decided to upgrade my desk setup and ordered a Logitech MX Master 3S mouse (Sold and Shipped by Amazon, NOT a third-party seller).


Fast forward two days later, the package arrives. The outer cardboard box was sealed fine, but the actual Logitech product box inside looked like it had been opened and re-taped with cheap clear tape. I opened it up, and instead of a $100 wireless mouse, there was a worn-out, dirty, 10-year-old off-brand wired mouse sitting inside. Someone clearly pulled a swap-and-return scam, and Amazon’s warehouse didn't even bother inspecting the box before re-selling it to me as "Brand New."


I immediately initiated a return, selected "Wrong item received," wrote a clear explanation, and dropped it off at UPS the same afternoon.


Here is where the actual nightmare starts:


Day 4 after return: I get an automated email saying my return was received, but they cannot issue a refund because the item returned "does not match the serial number of the item originally shipped." Well, DUH! That’s literally the entire reason I returned it!


Customer Service Chat #1: The representative tells me not to worry, says it's a system glitch, and asks me to wait 3-5 business days while they "escalate to an internal team."


Day 8: Still no update or refund. I reach out via chat again. This representative promises me a full refund within 24 hours. Surprise—nothing happens.


Day 10: I call phone support. The agent puts me on hold to "talk to a manager" and the call conveniently disconnects after 15 minutes. No call back.


Today: I received a canned email stating that the decision is final, they will not refund my $100, and they will dispose of the item I sent back.


I am furious. I essentially got robbed because of Amazon’s total lack of inventory control and support reps who just read useless scripts.


Has anyone successfully dealt with this recently? Is emailing executive customer relations still a thing that works, or should I just file a credit card chargeback and accept getting my account banned?


Ordered a $100 mouse directly from Amazon, received a cheap $5 scam swap inside the box. Returned it immediately, but Amazon claims I returned the wrong item and is refusing to give my money back.

Explain that you were a victim of a previous buyer's swap scam due to a lack of control at the warehouse, and that the serial number mismatch is due to the wrong product being sent to you. Executive Customer Relations (ECR) will usually manually review the matter and approve a refund.


Credit Card Chargeback (Last Resort)


If you receive a negative response from ECR, initiate a chargeback through your bank.