Beware: This scam could affect your Thanksgiving dinner, NJ

I have a confession: I am addicted to online grocery shopping. I was a loyal customer of my local Stop and Shop store for over a decade. But when they started winding down business earlier this year, I decided to shift my family's weekly food shop to delivery. To me, the delivery fee and tips are absolutely worth the time — and I likely save a bunch of money (and calories) from not being swayed by impulse buys.

Well, this is the first Thanksgiving dinner that I'm shopping for (almost) exclusively online. And this week's order from Amazon Fresh had a major problem. One that just feels off. Like someone is being nefarious. And I feel a duty to bring my experience to light so no one has a catastrophic Thanksgiving dinner mishap.

Get our free mobile app

The Problem

In shopping around for our family's holiday turkey, I was thrilled to see a deal on Amazon Fresh. $0.99 per pound for a 12 to 14 pound bird. What a deal! And perfect for our small Thanksgiving gathering of seven!

(Nothing against all the farm-fresh turkeys and wonderful store brands out there, but my family has always had delicious success with a good ol' fashioned Butterball.)

So I ordered a turkey, along with a few other items for the week. (I shopped for most of our Thanksgiving items ahead of time.)

And what to my wondering eyes should appear ... when my order was delivered Monday morning ... no turkey to be found.

Ummm ... I did not order a case of bottled water.

Curiously, the label attached to that 24-pack of water was very clearly for ... the turkey.

Yeah, I was disappointed. And a little angry. I could not help but get a feeling that something was very wrong here. Something malicious — this does not feel like a casual mistake.

For the record, I absolutely do not blame Amazon the company for a "bait and switch". But I suspect someone — between the order picker, order packer, and delivery driver — swapped out my poor turkey for a similarly-weighted case of water.

Whether they kept it, sold it, donated it, or are holding it hostage somewhere? I'll never know.

Resolution

Luckily, Amazon's legendary customer service issued my $11.88 refund for the turkey, without issue or delay. I didn't even have to return the errant package of water.

I also sent a message about my theft/fraud suspicions, but they did not seem to care.

Of course, I still need to buy a turkey for my family's Thanksgiving dinner. Hopefully I can find something good after work today...

Beware

Has something like this ever happened to you? I believe it is always worth publicizing such odd occurrences, in case it is a sign of a recurring problem. Or worse, an organized scam.

Again, I just wanted to pass along this quick story for your information. Imagine ordering a turkey from Amazon Fresh, putting the bag in your fridge sight unseen, then opening it on Thursday to find you will be dining on water for Thanksgiving dinner. Blech.

Best of luck with your shopping and your turkey. And have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Dan Zarrow is Chief Meteorologist for Townsquare Media New Jersey. Check out Dan's weather blog or follow him on Facebook for your latest weather forecast updates.