After investigating a complaint from a B.C. customer that their Amazon order never arrived, Consumer Protection B.C. (CPBC) has ordered the e-commerce giant to pay close to $20,000 in fines, legal fees and a $511.25 refund to the customer.

In an Oct. 14 ruling, the regulator concluded that Amazon violated the B.C. Business Protection and Consumer Protection Act by failing to provide a refund for the apparent missing package.

Amazon said it delivered the package to “someone” at the customer’s home, but CPBC said the package “must be provided directly to the consumer.”

“It is not good enough for an online retailer to simply drop packages at the door or hand them to another person if the consumer has not agreed to this,” said Louise Hartland, CPBC spokesperson in a statement .

“This k

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