Roger-Luc Chayer
We will regularly present you in the magazine with new « consumption » columns, as online commerce is growing exponentially, but often with little surprises that are sometimes difficult to resolve. Take for example these superb masks very well packaged and presented, sold on Amazon.ca for $54 for 30 and made in South Korea.
In all my research to find the best masks for the Omicron, N95, KN95 or similar variant, this model seemed to have the best value for money. It also had a hard case for others to beat, in the ad and on the packaging it was mentioned that it had been approved by the American FDA (Food & Drugs Administration), which is the body responsible for standardization and product reliability. So I ordered it.
A few days later, when the package did not arrive, I became interested in the seller’s claims that it was similar to an NK94, rather than just saying an NK94 and for the FDA.
First discovery, as for the affirmation of KN94, nothing on the product and its packaging mentions its classification. Here then! So I went to consult the FDA site to validate its approval and nothing, no mention of this company, except that on the site of the other United States health agency, the CDC, one could read a research report which was exactly on this product with the statement « the manufacturer has not provided its FDA research clearance » and after very thorough evaluation with the best possible devices and techniques, it was determined that the product was unequal in its quality. The level of filtration could go as low as N89 without knowing beforehand which was lower or higher.
This worried me greatly, as the higher the protection, the better it is against the Omicron variant. I therefore decided, according to the conclusions of my research, to cancel the order and to ask the seller for a refund, which he flatly refused, telling me that I must first return the product to my own fee for a refund.
I went to the post office on rue Masson in Montreal and the cost would have been $63 + taxes, for a purchase of $54. Unacceptable. So I went up to Amazon who offered me $50 to return it or wait two more weeks for them to intervene.
Every time I asked the seller to submit a return label to me, he refused and insisted on maintaining his claim for NK94 quality even though I gave him the internet link to the CDC report he was rushing to delete for that other customers couldn’t find out what was going on with his masks.
On February 8, I contacted Amazon to tell them that the seller still refused to reimburse me and that I wanted to take advantage of the A to Z Guarantee which obliges Amazon to reimburse a customer dissatisfied with the product of a third-party seller. Without any further hassle, the representative made the request to the relevant department, I received a confirmation email an hour later and the money was deposited on my credit card the next day.