Imagine you’re one of the few who managed to snag a pre-order for a PlayStation 5 console through Amazon.
You wait with baited breath, watching out the window on launch day to spot the Amazon delivery driver who is carrying your gateway into the next generation of gaming.
You bring the package into the house, with shaking hands you tear into the box. You open it up, reach inside, and pull out….a box of cat food.
While this might seem like a meme or a comedic YouTube video, it was a legitimate moment for gamers in Europe when the console went on sale last Thursday.
A number of users who purchased the new console through Amazon opened their boxes to find seemingly everything except a PlayStation 5.
As described above, one customer received a box of cat food.
love to have been waiting all day for my PS5 delivery only for this to show up at 10pm, is this a joke @AmazonUK @PlayStationUK @AskPS_UK ? pic.twitter.com/79Zz6E85Ob
— alex (@flagwithoutwind) November 19, 2020
Other users reported receiving deep fryers, bags of rice, and one person even got a Nerf Gun instead of his gaming hardware.
That person was none other than Anthony Dickens, the co-owner and founder of Push Square.
So, @AmazonUK looks like someone has stolen my (day late) PS5. Right outer box, wrong item. Where can I get help? @AmazonHelp @PlayStationUK pic.twitter.com/qBIZ3RHl1I
— Anthony Dickens ☮️ (@antdickens) November 20, 2020
“Looks like someone has stolen my (day late) PS5,” he said. “Right outer box, wrong item. Where can I get help?”
In his box was a Nerf Ultra gun.
While many thought these reports were jokes at first, it soon became evident as complaints flooded social networks that this was not a prank or an isolated incident.
“Happy PS5 day everyone,” Twitter user Bex April May said in her post, after she received a deep fryer instead of a PlayStation 5. “Tried to document our presentation, but Amazon tricked us with an unsolicited fryer (after giving the delivery password). Has anyone else had this issue today?”
Many are speculating that these incidents are actual theft perpetuated by dealers outside of Amazon. Some users have reported irregularities with their delivery. In some cases, the QR verification code on the box was damaged. Others have reported opened boxes.
Amazon has responded to these reports, acknowledging the huge issue with the delivery of PlayStation 5 consoles. It has promised to correct the issue and make it right for their numerous customers.
The PlayStation 5 released in Europe on November 19, a full week after the console dropped in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, most retailers are not carrying the consoles in their physical stores, forcing many to purchase it online. Presales for the PlayStation 5 sold out immediately after they were released, making the console hard to come by.
