A Kentucky mom got the shock of her life when 30 giant boxes of Dum-Dum lollipops showed up on her porch, ordered by her 8-year-old son.
Holly LaFavers, a mom from Lexington, says her son Liam was playing on her phone over the weekend when he placed a massive order through Amazon: 30 cases of suckers, each packed with 2,340 pieces. That added up to 70,200 lollipops — and a bill of more than $4,200.
When the delivery showed up, Liam didn’t seem fazed.
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“My suckers are here!” he shouted, according to LaFavers. She posted a photo of her front door nearly obscured with bright red boxes labelled Dum-Dums.
Was she able to return the items?
LaFavers acted quickly, contacting Amazon to return the unintended order. But, she hit a wall. Amazon agreed to take back just 8 of the 30 cases, reported WKYT News, leaving her with another 22 — and no refund for the bulk of the purchase.
Rather than eat the cost (or the candy), LaFavers turned to Facebook to sell off the extra suckers to local families. In a follow-up post , she thanked the community.
“All of the boxes have been sold,” she wrote.
Other parents chimed in with sympathy — and a sense of humor. “I assure you, you will laugh about it later — probably while eating a lollipop!” one commenter wrote.
Amazon’s return policy allows most items to be returned or replaced within 30 days. However, they reserve the right to refuse returns, especially for bulk items. Digital books or other educational content ordered accidentally — but not yet downloaded — can typically be returned within seven days. Apple products generally only have a 15-day return window.
Amazon says many items are nonreturnable, including perishables, custom products, pharmacy items and medications.
Though suckers have a long shelf life, they may still be classified as nonreturnable food items, meaning Amazon wasn’t required to accept a return.
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How to safeguard your account from other family members
Liam’s sweet shopping spree may be an extreme case, but it’s not uncommon for kids to accidentally (or not-so-accidentally) place orders using a parent’s device. Here’s how to help avoid an expensive surprise of your own.
Turn off voice-activated purchasing through Alexa
- Open the Alexa app.
- Open More and select Settings.
- Select Account Settings.
- Select Voice Purchasing.
- Use the toggle to turn Voice Purchasing off. This will prevent kids from ordering by voice.
Set purchase permissions on kids’ devices
In Household on the Amazon app, you can set up a teen or child profile with purchase approval required before any orders go through. If your child wants to make a purchase, it will send you an email or push notification for approval.
Use biometrics for Amazon login
Require Face ID, fingerprint or a passcode to open the Amazon app, especially on shared devices. This will help prevent kids or other family members from accessing your Amazon account and making an unapproved purchase.
Remove stored payment methods
It might sound drastic, but if there’s no way to pay, there’s no way to order. Removing or locking down saved payment info can prevent unauthorized charges.
Disable 1-Click or "buy now" ordering
Turn off 1-Click settings in your Amazon account preferences to add a speed bump before any checkout.
LaFavers is lollipop-free now, but her story is a cautionary tale for parents in the digital age. A few account safeguards can go a long way toward preventing a $4,200 surprise.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
