Singapore parenting, practical reviews and tech notes

My $1,499 Laptop Never Arrived — and Amazon Singapore Isn’t Caring

📢 Update @ 29 May 2026

This story has since been covered by Zaobao and Must Share News, with both reports picking up on the Amazon OTP delivery failure and the consumer-protection questions around high-value deliveries marked as completed without the parcel ever reaching the customer.


📢 Update @ 27 May 2026

Someone from Amazon’s Executive Relations team has since reached out to me and assured me that the matter is now being immediately investigated, including the conduct of the driver involved. I was also informed that a refund and goodwill compensation would be arranged for the experience.

I’ve replied to request visibility into the investigation outcome — even offering to sign an NDA if necessary — because after almost a month of uncertainty, contradictory responses, missed callbacks and a police report, I genuinely just want closure and to understand what actually happened.

Thank you to everyone who followed, shared advice, offered support, or simply amplified the story. I honestly wish I never had to embark on this journey in the first place, but I hope the discussion around OTP-based deliveries and consumer safeguards proves useful to others.


Call log showing +65 3163 6827 called at 1:42 PM on 28 April 2026 I was home. I was waiting. I was ready. On 28 April 2026, I was expecting an Amazon delivery — an Acer laptop, S$1,499, ordered the day before. Amazon had told me it required OTP verification. You know the drill: driver arrives, you give them a six-digit code, they hand you the box. Supposed to be more secure than leaving a package at the door. At 9:03 AM that morning, Amazon emailed me: “Arriving Today: A one-time password is required for your Amazon delivery.” Great, I thought — extra security for a big-ticket item. At 1:42 PM, my phone rang. Local number. Caller ID: 3163 6827. (Update: This is a VALID Amazon Logistics number!) “Hi, I’m your Amazon delivery driver. I need your OTP to complete the delivery.” I gave it to him. Why wouldn’t I? Amazon had literally emailed me four hours earlier telling me a driver would need my OTP. This was also my very first Amazon order that required OTP — I had no prior experience with the process, and nothing in the email made it obvious that a phone call was a red flag. The call ended. My Amazon app updated: “Delivered.” Nobody came to my door.
The call that started it all — 1:42 PM, 28 April 2026. Caller ID: 3163 6827.

The Part Where It Gets Worse

I checked my IP camera. I checked my smart doorbell. I reviewed the footage thoroughly. No driver, no delivery person anywhere near my unit at the time of the call. I contacted Amazon immediately. Amazon’s own customer service confirmed two things:
  1. There was no delivery photo or proof of delivery recorded for my order — their own SOP requires drivers to photograph the package at the recipient’s door
  2. OTPs are only supposed to be provided in person, at the point of delivery, entered directly into the driver’s device
So to recap: their driver (or someone claiming to be their driver) called me, asked for the OTP over the phone, used it to mark the package as delivered, and never showed up. Amazon’s system accepted the OTP without any delivery proof. At 1:44 PM, Amazon sent a “Delivered” email claiming “Parcel was handed to resident” — a statement their own system generated automatically, despite no delivery actually taking place. And now I’m the one out S$1,499.

The Number That Called Me

+65 3163 6827. It’s a Singapore VoIP number. While it’s normal for delivery companies to use VoIP or in-app calling to reach customers, what’s not normal is what happened next. And think about this: how did the caller know I had an Amazon delivery that day? How did they know it required an OTP? How did they know the exact delivery window? A random scammer doesn’t have access to Amazon’s internal delivery schedule. And even if someone tricked me into giving them the OTP over the phone — the OTP alone doesn’t make a physical laptop vanish from Amazon’s warehouse. Someone with access to Amazon’s logistics chain had to physically intercept the package. OTP fraud explains how the delivery was falsified. But only someone inside Amazon’s delivery operation could make the box disappear.

Enter Amazon’s “Leadership Team”

I filed a police report on 30 April (F/20260430/7***, assigned to Ang Mo Kio Division HQ). I then called Amazon and demanded escalation. I was connected to a supervisor named Kyle, who identified himself as being from the “Amazon Singapore Leadership Team.” During this phone call, Kyle advised me to place a replacement order for the same laptop — the replacement order. He said the investigation and refund would take time, and ordering a replacement was the fastest way to get my laptop. So I did, right there on the call with him. Let that sink in: if Amazon truly believed the original delivery was legitimate, why would their Leadership Team supervisor tell me to buy a second identical S$1,499 laptop? Why would anyone who just “received” a laptop need another one? After the call, Kyle sent a follow-up email. He said he had “set a follow-up on my account” and “raised this issue to the relevant team.” He asked for “2 business days to get an update.” On 2 May, Kyle emailed again. He said the specialist team was “coordinating with Logistics” and — I quote — “discussing the best possible compensation we can offer.” That was 2 May. I never heard from Kyle again. I chased on 5 May. Nothing. I chased again on 7 May from a different email address. Nothing. On 13 May, I called Amazon for an update. The agent I spoke to checked my case notes and told me Kyle was supposed to call me back on 15 May. “Please be patient,” he said. 15 May came and went. No call. No email. Nothing.

Today: The Mask Comes Off

Today is 23 May. My second Atome instalment for the laptop I never received is due soon. I decided to check on my case status again. This time, Amazon’s attitude was completely different. The agent told me — coldly — that because I had given the OTP, it was no longer Amazon’s responsibility. Case closed. I demanded a supervisor immediately. I explained that Kyle was supposed to follow up with me. I asked them to stop passing judgement without actually investigating. The supervisor who took over was curt. Kept repeating the same line: you gave the OTP, not our problem. And then — she hung up on me. Three weeks of silence. Two broken callback promises. A supervisor who literally hangs up on customers disputing a S$1,499 loss. This is Amazon Singapore’s idea of “customer service.”

The Part Where Amazon Blames You

Amazon’s position, when you strip away everything else: “You gave away the OTP. That’s on you.” Let’s lay out what Amazon did — and didn’t do:
  • Amazon sent me an OTP email at 9:03 AM, priming me to expect a driver to ask for the code
  • The one warning about not sharing the OTP over the phone was buried below the visible fold in the email — invisible on a mobile screen without scrolling past product details, tracking links, and delivery instructions
  • This was my very first OTP order — a S$1,499 laptop, not a S$20 cable. Amazon threw a first-time OTP user into the deep end on a premium purchase
  • Their system accepted the OTP remotely without requiring the driver to take a delivery photo — standard procedure that every other delivery driver follows
  • Their system auto-generated a false statement: “Parcel was handed to resident”
  • Their Leadership Team told me to buy a replacement laptop — implicitly acknowledging the first one was never received
  • They promised compensation, then ghosted me for three weeks
  • They promised a callback on 15 May — never happened
  • When I finally pushed for answers, a supervisor hung up on me
Amazon has all the tools to investigate this: chat logs, call recordings, driver GPS data, which driver account redeemed the OTP, whether the caller number matches the assigned driver. They could determine exactly what happened. They have chosen not to.

What I’ve Done So Far

  • Filed a police report within 48 hours (F/20260430/7***, assigned to Ang Mo Kio Division HQ)
  • Contacted Amazon repeatedly across chat, phone, and email over nearly four weeks
  • Escalated to their self-declared Leadership Team (who then ghosted me)
  • Contacted Atome (my BNPL provider) — they said “pursue merchant resolution first”
  • Saved every email, call log, and screenshot
I’m not letting this go. S$1,499 isn’t pocket change, and even if it were — the principle matters. Companies don’t get to design insecure systems, bury the safety warnings, generate false delivery claims, and then hang up on customers who try to hold them accountable.

What You Should Know

If you’re waiting for an Amazon OTP delivery:
  • The driver should never ask for your OTP over the phone. Ever. If someone calls asking for it, they’re not your driver.
  • Don’t hand over the code until you see the box and the driver at your door. That’s literally the point of OTP.
  • If you’re scammed, file a police report immediately. Amazon will drag things out, and evidence degrades.
  • Know that Amazon will try to blame you. Their go-to move is “you gave the OTP, case closed.” Don’t accept it.
Amazon’s OTP system is only as secure as the process around it. Right now, that process has a gap big enough to drive a delivery van through — assuming the van actually shows up. Police report filed: F/20260430/7***. This post will be updated as the case develops.

Shopee made me pay for a parcel that was lost by J&T

I am a casual seller on Shopee and see about 1 to 5 orders per week.

A few weeks ago, one of my customers raised a Refund Request saying that he has yet to receive the item.

I checked and verified that I had shipped the correct item, to the correct address (can’t get this wrong because the shipment can only go to the address indicated by the buyer) and J&T had marked the item as successfully delivered.

I raised a dispute on the refund request, making reference to the obvious delivery status as “Delivered”. To my surprise, Shopee went ahead to refund the customer (at my expense) without even clarifying with me.

I raised another dispute via chat and email and was told that the refund was released before J&T even came back with the refund. Seriously? My profit for this order is only about $2-$3 but now, I am making a full loss on the item because the customer claimed that the item was “lost”.

Now, to be honest, I find this suspicious but I have no proof that the customer indeed received the parcel. However, this is between J&T and the customer. I’ve done my job.

Till now, Shopee has yet to rectify the issue. I have been penalised with the following:

  1. Full loss on the item delivered to the customer as Shopee refunded the customer at my expense even though it was delivered successfully
  2. 1 penalty point strike on my seller account because of this “non-fulfillment”

I’m not sure when will I get an answer to this but this is a warning to all would-be sellers on Shopee that customers and Shopee can pull stunts on you like this.

Bad service from Toll Global Express

My rating:
I am a frequent a frequent online shopper and have encountered my fair share of horrendous level of services with courier companies.

These are just some of their traits:

  •  They don’t come at the agreed time range. For example, delivery timing of between 2pm – 6pm was arranged but they arrive at 12pm or 7pm.
  • When you  call for re-delivery and ask to send to address B instead of  address A, they agree but still sends to address A resulting in yet another failed delivery.
  • When you call for re-delivery, they will say that they have no more slots and ask if they can deliver X days later
  • When you call for re-delivery, everything appears to be fine but no one turn up. You call to complain and they arrange for re-re-delivery. You leave the premises and the driver turns up when you have already left.
  • Many more …

Recently, I ordered something for my girlfriend and arranged for courier service. The item was shipped on 29th April 2013, arrived in Singapore on 30th April 2013. Everything looked perfect!

1st May was Labour Day so fair enough, they ain’t working. On 2nd May, the courier guy named “Renhao” dropped a delivery advice at my door as he came at 4:25pm when no one was around. I was impressed that he wrote down the colour of my gate and door as proof of attendance (though I’m not sure how my gate is the colour of bleach).

3rd May first thing in the morning, I called up Toll Global Express, the courier company, to arrange for re-delivery. I asked for delivery to my office near Ubi and the staff agreed. I gratefully thanked him and gave him both my mobile numbers just in case the courier guy couldn’t reach me at one of my numbers. Delivery was arranged for 2pm to 6pm on the same day.

At 5:30pm, there was still no news so I called them again. A staff answered and assured me that according to his system records, the delivery will be done by 6pm. I asked him to call the driver to confirm as I am leaving the office at 6pm. He promised to call back.

He didn’t.

I called again at 5:57pm and spoke to another guy. I took his name down this time. He said his colleague had already called the driver but they don’t know where my item is. I was like “WHAT?!”

He said he will check with his supervisor and will call me back. He called me back shortly and said that even his supervisor could not trace my item. He then asked me if he could arrange for re-delivery the very next day.

I asked him how was he going to arrange for re-delivery when none of them know where my item is? He could not give me an answer and just kept asking me whether I can make it for the following morning.

I told him no as I am leaving the house very early in the morning and will be out the entire day.

He also admitted that nobody made arrangement for re-delivery today and asked me who I spoke to. I asked him to check who had updated both my mobile numbers in the system (because he could read them back to me).

He responded sheepishly that they have many new hires and they are sharing a single ID right now which made it impossible to trace who was responsible. Great, now they make THEIR internal problem MINE.

I asked to speak to his supervisor and he said his supervisor is out and he will ask her to call me back later.

I asked him to arrange for a Sunday morning delivery which he said that only his supervisor can approve.

I agreed to let him get his supervisor, Giselle, to call me later to confirm the Sunday morning appointment.

Giselle did not call at all.

Well, let’s see if I get my item on Sunday.

I don’t think that I am unreasonable. I paid premium for courier delivery, I cannot accept the courier company saying that they don’t know where my item was, they don’t know who took my re-delivery request because they were using a common ID, etc. They should call themselves TROLL Global Express.

Toll Global Express's ridiculous service level
Toll Global Express’s ridiculous service level

 

Update: 5 May 2013

My item appeared magically at my house when I specifically asked for them to deliver to my gf’s place as I wanted to give it to her over the weekend.

No calls, no apologies, still as screwed up.

Thumbs down.