Amazon India — refund for moto g5s plus

Address:	Bangalore, Karnataka
Website:	amazon.in

I had purchased the mobile motog5s plus from amazon.in on 12th september 2017 for rs.15, 999 and received it on 16th september 2017. The order number for this purchase was[protected]. On opening the packaging, i found that the seal of the box containing the mobile was tempered with. By the look of the mobile phone, it seemed to be used earlier. Fortunately, i had made a video recording while unboxing the mobile. On the basis of that video clip, i requested amazon to return the product and provide me a replacement as i did not get the mobile phone according to the description provided on the site and felt cheated. Amazon, accepted the return of this item but refused to do the reverse pickup for the same stating that the reverse pickup is not available for my area with pincode 473112. I would like to inform you that almost every day amazon provides reverse pickup from my area as ours is a residential university campus (Jaypee university of engineering and technology (Juet), guna (M. P) serviced by all leading couriers. I again requested them to provide reverse pickup which they denied and told me to send it by myself through any courier service. Also they told that after the courier reaches their warehouse and the item gets scanned they will ship the replacement.

So i sent the mobile using firstflight courier with tracking number p991b0813938 on 22nd september 2017 and got it insured to prevent any transit loss. I packed the mobile in front of the courier person and then only he declared the amount and insurance. The mobile was delivered on 28th september 2017. Amazon posted the status of return completed.
Amazon sent the replacement mobile on 30th september by delhivery courier through order number[protected]. As i was out of station due to some urgent piece of work, i refused to accept the courier (Being apprehensive that in my absence it would not be possible for my mother to open and check the authenticity of the product by making a video). The phone was delivered back to amazon on 20th october 2017. I asked for the refund on 23rd october 2017 via an email to amazon to which they replied that the replacement product is still not scanned at the fulfillment center and the refund will be processed automatically. When i asked for the refund again on 25th october they told that they have received an empty box instead of the phone that was sent by me via firstflight and which they received almost a month back on 28th september, 2017 and hence denied the refund. Amazon asked me to contact firstflight for the claim and refund. I was also shocked when one of the representative of amazon asked me to send the mobile if it is with me or with firstflight and they would provide me the refund. I was accused indirectly of theft. Let me mention that i am a prime member at amazon and have a history of lots of frequent purchase worth thousands of rupees. I felt harassed.

On contacting the concerned firstflight courier person i was clearly told that it is just not possible that amazon people received an empty box as the firstflight delivery boy delivered a 400 g intact package and amazon had acknowledged the same. (Also amazon acknowledged the same to me, the customer by updating the status on their site as “replacement completed”). The firstflight courier person also stated that if the package was empty, why it took amazon people almost one month to inform the same and that too when the customer inquired about his refund? So, he told that it is clearly the fault of amazon and only they would provide the refund.
As a customer, i fail to understand where was i at fault? I requested amazon for reverse pick up that they denied, i got insurance for the entire value of mobile, couriered it via a very reliable courier and today i am denied my hard earned money by both the online shopping site (Amazon) and the courier service (Firstflight).