HOUSTON – Days after KPRC 2 Reporter Rilwan Balogun’s story aired about a Sugar Land man being out of $350 after buying a Nintendo Switch he never received on Walmart’s website through a third party -- Walmart has since resolved this issue by refunding the customer’s money.
Michael Morrison said his oldest daughter really wanted a Nintendo Switch and purchased the item through Walmart’s website but the vendor was through a third party.
He ordered through VICOS TOYS on Nov. 24, 2023. The company currently has a 2.5 out of 5 rating and a list of complaints from other buyers.
Here are some of the ratings from customers who also ordered from VICOS TOYS:
- John wrote on 12/28/23 – “I bought the tears of the kingdom switch, and they lost it in the mail. 3 weeks later, I was charged the full amount for the switch still after ‘confirmed’ cancellation, and was sent a pop it toy. DON’T ORDER FROM HERE.”
- Jacquelyne wrote on 12/26/23 – “I ordered from them on December 12 with an expected arrival date of December 18. When my order didn’t show as even being shipped I reached out to the seller on December 23. The seller messaged back the same day saying the shipping info would be updated by the end of the day. It wasn’t. It still showed as UPS having not received the package. I sucked it up and purchased through Best Buy and contacted WalMart for a refund which I was granted. I also asked to report/investigate this seller.”
- Akil wrote on 12/25/2023 – “This is the worst seller. Walmart needs to remove this seller from their system. Seller never shipped the package and kept saying that the UPS tracking info would be updated by the end of the day every time I contacted them. Finally was able to call Walmart and cancel the order and just wait for the product to be available in store. STAY AWAY FROM THIS SELLER.”
- Paul wrote on 12/21/23 – “Lost my $350 package in the mail and sent me a $1 toy to make up for it. Poor customer service and overall poor experience with this seller.”
“When I started looking at the tracking information on there, it kept saying that a label had been generated but it never shipped,” Morrison said. “So, around the 12th of December, I started thinking, ‘Well, it’s not going to get here in time for Christmas.’ So, I canceled the order and Walmart immediately credited me the $355. And then I thought I was done.”
However, a few weeks went by when Morrison said FedEx rang his doorbell on Dec. 15 with an envelope that he assumed was gift cards or something for his daughters and he signed for the package. The same day, he received an email from Walmart saying that the Switch was signed for and that the package was received.
When he tore open the package, he said it was nothing they ordered, stating, “Who would send this signature required?”
Morrison said what he received wasn’t the game console he originally ordered and then canceled but a “puppet toy.”
Morrison’s card was charged $355.
After the story aired Monday, a Walmart employee who worked in Online Grocery and Delivery reached out to Balogun with the following email:
“Can you please have Michael Morrison reach out to me at the number below or through my work email. I work for Walmart Home Office and I can help him privately.”
When Rilwan asked her, “Does this happen a lot?” She said, “It does happen on occasion. If he calls me, I will do my best to resolve his issue. I work in the department he needs help with.”
On Tuesday, the employee was able to speak with Morrison and locate his account. She attempted to credit his account but it was past the 30-day mark of the original purchase, which was beyond her credit account privileges. Together, the two reached out to customer service but everyone had left for the day.
“I mean it was 7 p.m. and unfortunately they all had left for the day,” the employee said. “I did reach out to the operations manager late last night and I will not know the outcome until Wednesday morning when I get in, as I am off on Tuesday.”
She said with the size of Walmart, which has over 500 stores in Texas with Houston having the third largest number of stores in the state, it is hard to rectify every situation.
“Walmart really does try to resolve each situation as it occurs, but things do fall through the crack and it took Channel 2 to bring this to light,” the employee said. “Walmart cares about our neighborhood community!”
On Wednesday, the Online Grocery and Delivery Team was able to resolve Morrison’s concerns and refunded him his money, which he should receive within seven business days.
There is no official word on whether the seller is banned, however, customers are no longer able to order from the vendor.