La la la

I know I've been writing about customer service and bureaucracy for two posts straight, but I can't help myself from telling you how the Amazon story ended. After another call and another 24 hours they sent an email saying this:

'Thank you for writing to us at Amazon.com.

I have reviewed this order and the item you returned and found that you are indeed due a refund in the form of a gift certificate for $89.99.

I apologize for the delay in processing this for you. You should
receive a gift certificate at your e-mail address in the next 3-5
business days. Please note that because this was due to our error,
we will not cancel the refund that was already requested to the
purchaser's account.We appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter, and look forward to seeing you again at Amazon.com.'

So not only are have they issued a gift credit to me, and not withdraw the refund they've given to my friend, but also, acknowledged that the coffee machine gift has been returned to them. Well, the box with the coffee machine is still sitting in our kitchen. So, not only do I get a coffee machine, a 90 dollar gift credit at Amazon, but my friend also gets a 90 dollar refund for the gift! It must be Christmas.

Happy New Year!