A number of UK residents claim that their PS5 deliveries were replaced with other items. Posts on Resetera and Twitter highlight a number of reported instances of failed deliveries.
Last night, journalist and presenter Bex April May tweeted to say that she had "tried to document" the unboxing of her new PS5, but that "Amazon have tricked us with an unsolicited air fryer instead." May claims that the "delivery was fake 'missed' at midday with a 'we couldn't deliver' message (with no attempt at delivery made)." She goes on to suggest that the console was replaced at that point, with the box delivered later that day.
Happy #PS5 day everyone. Tried to document our one’s unveiling, but Amazon have tricked us with an unsolicited air fryer instead (after giving delivery password). Anyone else had this problem today? pic.twitter.com/99IUSzSJUUNovember 19, 2020
Resetera poster Kyonashi tells a similar story, claiming that "after a failed lunchtime delivery and a quick chat with support, my Amazon order swung back around to be delivered around 10pm." Despite apparently ordering a PS5, however, Kyonashi opened the box to find a crate of cat food.
Similar reports from across the UK claim that consoles were replaced with air fryers or rice, while other posters on Twitter and Reddit say that packages were marked as 'handed to resident' despite not seeing or speaking to the delivery drivers. We've contacted Amazon for comment but have yet to hear back. The retailer did, however, provide a statement to Eurogamer, which read as follows:
"We're all about making our customers happy, and that hasn't happened for a small proportion of these orders. We're really sorry about that and are investigating exactly what's happened. We're reaching out to every customer who's had a problem and made us aware so we can put it right." The statement also directed affected customers to contact customer services for advice.
While the claims relating to the PS5 have only recently surfaced in the UK, similar reports surfaced in the US last week after the console launched there, while Twitter user CSadler94 says they had "an almost identical issue with my Xbox Series X last week" after they received bed sheets instead of their new hardware.
If you're still trying to find a new console, check out our PS5 price guide for more information.
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I'm GamesRadar's news editor, working with the team to deliver breaking news from across the industry. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.