Extremely Poor Delivery Experience. Review on Amazon

I ordered a pair of Louis Philippe pants(Order ID: 402-8901881-5097106) as a Cash on Delivery(COD) order. When I received the order on October 22, 2024, the package was in poor condition(images attached). I immediately contacted customer care to request a replacement, and they advised me to wait 72 hours as the delivery was marked as rejected and was being returned to the seller.

After waiting for 72 hours, I called customer service again on October 28. The representative, Nidhi, assured me that I would receive a full refund of Rs 1, 329. She sent me an email confirming the refund(attached). She mentioned the refund would be processed within 4–24 hours, yet I did not receive any amount.

When I called back on October 29, another agent, Navjot, requested additional images of the product, including the label. She said the refund was processed and I should receive it by November 2. I also noticed that the order ID in Nidhi’s previous refund email was incorrect. On November 3, I called again and learned that the issue was still unresolved, and no refund had been initiated.

On November 5, after calling Amazon Customer Care and explaining them my situation. I received an email from another representative assuring me that a pickup would be arranged, but no one came to collect the item.

Finally, on November 7, I spoke with a senior representative, Tadvi S., who informed me that the previous agent had mistakenly marked the pickup as a self-return. I was now asked to arrange for the product’s return myself, after which I would supposedly receive the refund(email attached).

Here are my concerns regarding this experience:

Faulty Product Delivered: The delivery agent left me with a tampered product and marked it as a return to the seller, even though it was technically delivered.

Misleading Information: The customer service agent initially informed me the refund would be processed right away, which wasn’t accurate.

Incorrect Details in Refund Email: The refund confirmation email sent by Nidhi on October 28 contained the wrong order ID and false promises.

Missed Pickup Promises: I received multiple assurances regarding pickup, yet no one came to collect the product.

Self-Return Request: After all these delays and misinformation, I am now being asked to handle the return myself.

I’ve made 15-20 follow-up calls to Amazon to resolve this issue, and yet I am still without a solution. This entire process has been frustrating and disappointing, especially as a Prime customer who values Amazon's service.

My question is this: Why am I being asked to go through this hassle to return a defective product? Given my experience so far, how can I be assured that, if I arrange the return myself, I will receive the refund as promised?

This experience has left me feeling disheartened and frustrated with the service I received.