Amazon Prime - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2018, 08:32:46 am
content: When I mention Amazon a lot my customers and friends say to me that they don't like buying things there. They said they keep on being signed up to Amazon Prime and they keep on cancelling it but only after they found they have been charged. So I end up buying their things and they pay me back if it is something I recommend and they want. I get those prompts and so on and I notice them and it isn't a problem for me as I don't tricked into not noticing from the landing page before the check out and payment.Behold see attachment.Review your order:QuoteI don't want it and no way to cancel it there.I won't be shopping there if they are going to do that.Edit:Yes I can cancel it after the order but the problem is I don't trust it from the things I am hearing about the money being taken and so on.I don't like that at all trying to force Prime on me. I don't want to mess about cancelling it if I don't want it.I got them on Ebay a little bit cheaper and they are arriving on Tuesday.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2018, 06:53:57 pm
content: That's been annoying me too, they're getting increasingly shady about trying to trick people into signing up for Prime, it has almost got me a few times but I've learned to be extremely careful to read exactly what I'm selecting. Other than that I have nothing against Amazon, I just see no value in Prime. I already get free shipping by just adding stuff to my cart until I'm past the threshold before I pull the trigger. If I'm in a hurry I just buy it locally in a store. The video streaming would be ok except they clutter up the free content with stuff you have to pay extra for and the music streaming is not very compelling because I've already digitized my whole music collection years ago.I wish there was a way to just stop them from pushing Prime on me, if I wanted it I would have signed up ages ago, I know where to find it if I change my mind. The harder something is pushed the less likely I am to consider it.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2018, 07:08:04 pm
content: Yes, every time you place an order. They try and have you sign up for Prime in a deceitful way, in order to get a permanent stream of revenue AND force you to order from them. Obviously once you're paying for Prime, you're a lot more likely to want to take full advantage of it by ordering only from Amazon. And for those signed up and never ordering, well... they still get your yearly fee.As for me, the only point I see ordering from Amazon is to avoid having to sign up for many different online stores, which sucks (having to create an account, choosing a password, having to give your payment info to a lot of different sites...) The second point is logistics, which they are very good at. But that's pretty much it, and they know it. Their products are not particularly good on average and they sell a lot of crap. Fortunately, there are the clients comments, but those are not always reliable either.

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2018, 07:28:49 pm
content: I thought I would try something regarding their "free one day delivery with prime" to confirm if they really mean a free one day delivery with Prime in the review order.See attachment.If I select "One day delivery" the delivery costs £13.99 but it is suppose to be free.Doesn't make any sense.Is it automatic regardless of delivery option I select or is it a lie?Or is it that they are selling me prime and one day deliveries AFTER checkout?

author: hermit
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2018, 10:34:04 pm
content: Sounds like the old magazine scam where they would send you magazines and then a bill if you didn't cancel. That was deemed illegal and I don't see this as being any different. If you didn't expressly order it you don't have to cancel it and you can't be charged for it. This has class action written all over it.Edit. Just saw the OP wasn't in the states so they might get away with that in different places.

author: Fred27
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 11, 2018, 10:52:22 pm
content: I've never been caught out by accidentally signing up to Prime, but I do check things carefully. There are lots of default buttons that push you towards it, but it can be avoided if you're on the ball.I did try the free month recently. Very disappointing. Most things I wanted weren't available with Prime. Some that were and said "free next day delivery" suddenly became 3-4 days after purchase.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2018, 02:16:15 am
content: I'm one of the only people I know who doesn't have it, everyone seems to love it and I just can't understand why. I simply don't get why "free" fast shipping is such a draw and all the comparisons I see showing what a great deal it is are comparing against paying for fast shipping on every order. I don't need fast shipping, if it saves me 5 bucks to wait a week vs getting something the next day I'll almost always choose to wait a week. It's not like I'm just gonna sit there twiddling my thumbs waiting for it to arrive, I place an order then move on to other projects. If I need something today I'll go buy it locally.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 12, 2018, 05:24:50 am
content: Quote from: MrMobodies on November 11, 2018, 07:28:49 pmIt's free for "millions of items". In other words, not all items are eligible for free one-day delivery, only selected products.On another note, it's this kind of crap that forces me to use false names, dates of births etc... on shopping websites. All an online stores needs is a valid form of payment and a delivery address (which isn't my physical address either) in my opinion.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2018, 05:28:38 am
content: Quote from: MrMobodies on November 11, 2018, 07:28:49 pmThat's not a Prime item and Amazon aren't delivering it. So it makes perfect sense... also, you haven't even signed up for the Prime trial. They're giving you the opportunity to.Jeez, the difficulties some people have with this internet thing.

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2018, 06:15:22 am
content: Quote from: Monkeh on November 12, 2018, 05:28:38 amOkay that makes sense the item is not Prime and not illegible for free one day shipping.As you can see on my first post I selected "Standard Delivery" and was just pointing it out.QuoteThere is enough opportunity on the landing pages before paying.I notice it all the time.QuoteNo, it is not difficult for me, I had no trouble before but it should not be forced upon me like that when paying for something and to be signed up?I don't know the implications on whether it will charge or not or charge after the "free" 30 day period if I don't cancel but I amEDIT**oops** NOT interested in it.I didn't have difficulties before but when I don't want it there and I can't cancel and the implications, you might know better if you are on Prime but all I want to do is to pay for what I want and the delivery and that is it and not be signed up for things that I don't want. I don't want the hassle really.

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2018, 06:40:12 am
content: I had some good and bad experiences with Amazon and I suppose if you use it all the time it becomes worthwhile.I got my first camera about 13 years ago and it turned up used and scratched so I spoke to someone at Amazon and the next day they sent another camera with all the seals and the packaging. I got a German kettle from there that I couldn't get anywhere else at the time,I don't think I will use Prime at this time.I don't watch a lot of films and I suppose it will be great for that.I have a suspicion that maybe do to competition they are desperately looking for more Prime users and are really trying to push the brand.

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2018, 02:17:23 pm
content: Quote from: MrMobodies on November 11, 2018, 07:28:49 pmI have two options:standard one day delivery, free.one day delivery guaranteed before 12:00, paid.Just as they are in your photo, only worded differently

author: hermit
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2018, 04:21:47 pm
content: Quote from: Fred27 on November 11, 2018, 10:52:22 pmI did once. That "Try Prime" button on every page? I clicked on it expecting to go to a page that extolled the benefits. No, confirmation. Just signed up.

author: fourtytwo42
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2018, 04:34:12 pm
content: They stitched me up with that Prime stuff, I didn't realize till I got my credit card statement and wondered what Prime was! They just lost another customer of many years, I closed my account and put them in my blocked list so they no longer appear in my searches. Dirty way to do business and I find it hard to believe the have not been stamped on for misleading people.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2018, 06:28:13 pm
content: Besides the oversaturation with spammy ads (are they really ads if they're for, and on, their own platform?) and Prime nagging,The search is just utterly braindead.I can maybe believe it's optimized for consumer items somehow, but I don't shop for those online. At least not from them. I'm usually searching for something technical, and it takes easily half an hour to sift through the results, try different keywords, discover new keywords and categories, and finally read a few (sketchy) descriptions to have reasonable confidence in what I'm about to push the button on.Meanwhile, I've easily spent the labor of buying the thing straight even from McMaster (which, if you don't know, is one of the highest marked-up distributors you'll see, among engineering-related distributors I think). Let alone DK/Mouser, no contest (their markup isn't as aggressive as McMaster, I'd say).Tim

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2018, 06:42:13 pm
content: I have the same problem with Amazon.Their search engine and filter features Suck (with a capital S).And yes, they have attempted to lure me with the Amazon Prime more than once.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2018, 07:32:21 pm
content: Just a point with prime. You can almost always find whatever you want cheaper somewhere else.The problem is that it actually turns up quickly and you get decent support and returns with amazon unlike nearly every other vendors so I’m fine with paying for prime.Case in point I bought some shoes a couple of weeks back next day delivery from another vendor and the courier delivered them to the wrong address. Neither the courier or vendor give a fuck so I had to charge back. Amazon wouldn’t have fucked up to start with and would have just sent another pair out if they did.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2018, 10:06:08 pm
content: You don't need Prime for that though. I buy stuff from Amazon fairly often and I've never had a Prime membership. I almost always get free shipping and the great customer service Amazon is known for. Yeah it takes several days for my orders to turn up but so what? I plan ahead and stuff arrives by the time I need it.One of the things I find most valuable are the reviews. Unfortunately more and more of these get spoiled in recent years because a seller will list a bunch of different items under one listing. For example they might have a battery charger, cells in AAA, AA, C, D and 9V, sometimes multiple capacities and grades of those all using the "colors" selection of the listing. The issue is the reviews for all these items get all lumped together and it's impossible to filter to reviews for a specific item. I actually mentioned this to an Amazon employee I met and he said listing like that is against policy but apparently they are not very good at catching sellers who do it.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2018, 10:19:38 pm
content: That’s ok until you have kids who gobble up ink cartridges, pens, paper, tape, glue, books etc. You can’t plan ahead there (I have tried)

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2018, 10:24:25 pm
content: Quote from: bd139 on November 13, 2018, 10:19:38 pmUsually it's the dog eating the books, but hey, kids these days are voracious.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2018, 10:27:03 pm
content: We managed to plan ahead just fine long before Amazon was a thing. If you have stuff that you use a lot of, you just keep a stock of it somewhere the kids can't get to and replenish the stock as it starts to get low. Ink cartridges and pens should be good for a year or so sealed in the package, so as long as you don't buy more than a years worth at a time you'll be fine.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2018, 11:20:21 pm
content: The shipping isn't really free though, you pay for it with a $120 annual lump sum as well as additional purchases which you'll likely be willing to pay more for than a competitor might charge because the shipping is "free." Your use pattern might allow you to get a better deal but on average Amazon is making money off Prime, and quite a lot of it I would guess otherwise they wouldn't push it so hard.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2018, 11:20:59 pm
content: It’s basically free because I can run 20-30 orders a month.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2018, 11:23:28 pm
content: I have trouble understanding how some people order 20-30 things a month. I probably don't purchase that many items a month from all sources combined. With Amazon I probably place 5-10 orders a year. If I ordered 30 things a month my house would be overflowing in no time.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2018, 11:26:10 pm
content: Mainly consumables, books, gifts, business expenses. There’s 5 of us here, I run a business from home and so does my other half.

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 12:26:06 am
content: What James-S said.....If you have Amazon Prime, you will feel compelled to do more and more purchasing from Amazon itself, rather than other online stores, let alone brick and mortar ones.Overall, a very clever way to further increase sales.

author: GregDunn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 02:16:31 am
content: My wife has a Prime account and I have a regular one. Every time we order something we always check the Prime account to see if there's a delivery or price advantage (sometimes there is both). If not, I'll usually wait till we get enough items on the non-Prime account for free delivery.Nearly 100% of the time the Prime account still delivers faster - no matter what the completed order predicts - so we end up using it frequently. And unlike the non-Prime account, they deliver on Sundays here. A friend of mine actually ordered a vital cooking utensil on Thanksgiving morning and received it in time to start the meal that afternoon. On the few occasions I've been guilted into looking for something locally in order to get it immediately, the price has been higher or the specific item needed is just not available. With more and more brick and mortar stores failing to stock sufficient merchandise every day, even local shopping is becoming less attractive. A one day wait is nothing compared to driving all over town to find something and still coming home empty-handed.Also, my wife uses Prime video to watch many things we can't get on cable. Maybe we've just been very fortunate never to have had any issues (member since 1999) but for us the advantages far outweigh any perceived or real issues with their service. YMMV.

author: maginnovision
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 02:19:45 am
content: Also another father who is married. There are quite a few reasons to have prime. Free shipping and usually fast is very handy when you can't get things locally. I can get many things same day, others one day. Car ac relay dies and auto parts stores don't have it and don't want to pay 20$ at the dealer? Prime. Some kids toys after toys r us closed? Prime. Cheaper games via pre-order? Prime. Sex toys? Prime. Books? Prime. Desk? Prime. There are things I get from other places online or in real life but often Amazon is a good and easy option. Especially large items since I don't have a truck.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 02:48:36 am
content: Similar experience as other fathers/families on Prime, but with a kick: having twin babies and with family living abroad, it was quite taxing to simply try to go to a supermarket to buy small things, let alone the massive amount of diapers, wipes, diaper genie bags, A&D, Desitin, and gobs of other consumables. After comparing the prices of other wholesale stores (Costco, Sam's Club) and their subscribe and save service, the scale still moved towards their end. Also, the annual cost was easily offset by the 20~30kg of delivery goods per month - we don't like to think about it, but I suspect we had a lot to do with their price increase from 89 to 120 - sorry everyone else.Nowadays they are being beaten here and there on their own game by other retailers, although they still have quite a great selection of products with good prices and delivery conditions. Not to mention other services such as Prime video (the kids have some selected shows they love to watch).

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 02:55:56 am
content: Do you guys think WalMart has met their match?They are battling it out to see which will be the last store left standing.

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 03:16:41 am
content: I see,Quote from: cdev on November 14, 2018, 02:55:56 amI see, they are also trying to go in competition with Netflix.Maybe next time I do order something and if they insist I will use it just use to see a few things and cancel it before the 30 days.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 04:47:45 am
content: I used my friend's Amazon video streaming for a while and was underwhelmed. They had very little that I wanted to watch and the free stuff was all mixed in with rental stuff that costs extra which made it a pain. Netflix used to be great but steadily deteriorated and now it's just a bunch of garbage original content mixed in with bargain bin filler. I dumped it last year and got Plex instead and have gone back to buying used discs to rip onto my Plex server. Much better experience.

author: maginnovision
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 04:52:00 am
content: Quote from: MrMobodies on November 14, 2018, 03:16:41 amI absolutely think you should just try it and cancel if you don't like what it offers. Even paying for it I just don't mind for the convenience. I've been able to get new motors for my home A/C unit, repair kits for the condenser unit, tools, consumable supplies and all quickly. Amazon video is good, but not quite a netflix alternative but I do like prime music over spotify. I don't feel like I have to use amazon for everything but when it makes sense I do and I don't even have to consider the potentially large shipping charges since there is no minimum for two day. I even bought a micsig scope from amazon.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 08:50:50 am
content: Just a point to mention, I don’t think I’ve paid for prime for about 6 months. Any time someone screws up or you whine at them it’s a free month

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 01:53:07 pm
content: I just heard on the radio that New York governor Andrew Cuomo is giving Amazon all sorts of tax breaks to come to Long Island City, near NYC.Mega-retailers don't create jobs as much as eliminate jobs. Mega-retailers destroy local businesses and automate so many jobs that communities are economically devastated. Which results in a net loss of economic activity because unemployed people cannot afford to buy anything except their raw necessities.Companies that solicit huge tax breaks - some examples are Amazon, Uber, Foxconn, etc. are extracting wealth from communities more than bringing it.I feel that they do not represent a sustainable, innovative model for future growth.Is it a loss or a gain to local economies? When they pay so many so little while they undercut and put out of business other businesses that do pay their employees enough to live on.Also, the assumption that the 'professional' jobs they create are good ones is not necessarily right either. A significant percentage may involve 'special skills' or require degrees, but may still pay minimum wage.This is because some (in US owned firms -their subcontractors) wages may be able to go around labor laws and wage practices by using guest worker clauses in trade agreements that allow them to import their more skilled workers (such as engineers) but still legally pay them very little.They may be 'tech jobs' technically, but they these 'tech' jobs are actually destructive to what most people think of when they think tech, prosperity as far as pay goes.- I also now understand that Jeff Bezos is now the richest man in the world.I know very little about him the person. Not knowing much, let me just pose the question more generally - should we be encouraging this kind of cutthroat competition? Does it make economic sense to encourage economic monocultures? Is that a good model for wealth generation?Aren't there better models we should be choosing to encourage instead?Workers in some of these mega firms report an atmosphere of fear, where workers are afraid to go to the bathroom, or take time off if they are sick.What I am getting at is that I prefer buying goods from vendors who I have a better feeling about, ideally ones that I know treat their workforces well.It makes me angry to see communities giving give huge tax breaks to mega-firms as I don't think they are the kinds of employers or offer the kinds of employment we should be promoting.With their great ambitions, mega-companies should take more responsibility- the global ambitions would seem to impart in them an obligation to be better corporate citizens than other firms. In every respect. Not worse.Because, if a race to the bottom becomes the norm- that would be very unhealthy for all human society.

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 02:21:29 pm
content: I have heard about it in the news early this year.Warehouse workers overworked and one dropping dead.Drivers claiming to live in their vans and not getting enough time to rest.I think I saw that in a documentary on that but they blamed a contractor working for Amazon who set the rules for the drivers.Not enough time for toilet breaks.Shame they couldn't support shops but then it is an open market and they want it cheap.I once met an over stressed driver back 20 years ago regarding a pickup of a faulty CRT monitor that kept one being cancelled. The firm he had worked for got taken over by company in Europe, I can't remember the name of it but they expected him to make pickups every 5 minutes (forget about traffic) and they had a target of over 400 pickups a week.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 02:39:57 pm
content: Back in the day, some bad-apple (not Apple) tech firms became locally notorious in San Francisco both for being horrible places to work, and for leaving workers in bad financial places when promised wages and benefits failed to materialize or vanished.(Lots of good firms emerged too, of course.)

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 04:21:48 pm
content: Quote from: cdev on November 14, 2018, 01:53:07 pmIt's not a warehouse, it's a second HQ. Living in the Seattle area I can say that for better or for worse, Amazon has brought tremendous wealth to the region. These are software engineering jobs, not typical retail and most pay 6 figures. Downtown Seattle is enormously gentrified and walking around the trendy hipster areas full of expensive restaurants below luxury condo and apartment high rises you see the weirdly proportioned blue and orange Amazon badges everywhere. Amazon is so large they have office buildings all over downtown, it's hard to walk a few blocks without passing one.Amazon does eliminate some jobs, but there is definitely a net gain in the area immediately around the HQ.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 05:21:46 pm
content: I feel I personally have to stand up for what I believe in.I think whatever benefit they bring is likely not a lasting one.Also, web apps like Amazon (thats the biggest part of what they do, and its not rocket science by any means) may be somewhat labor intensive to build but maintenance mode much less so.Its not like we live in Scandinavia with its social safety net.I would feel totally different about them if they treated their workforce with more respect, and paid even their lowest paid employees a good wage.Everywhere, not just in the US.Much more of that money which is padding Bezos's pockets should go to them.Otherwise, if the evil mega-firm like these firms are the future of work, as the oligarchs want it to be, we're all sunk.That future will be a brutal horrible one.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 05:24:39 pm
content: Quote from: cdev on November 14, 2018, 05:21:46 pmThat's the only bit I have a problem with myself.It's all going into Bezos' penis rocket.

author: gnavigator1007
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 07:26:36 pm
content: I have Prime and while I hate giving Amazon any more money, I do benefit from the free fast shipping. Still think about canceling every time I order from them. I've noticed lately when tracking packages that it always claims to have been handed directly to me when delivered. I suspect USPS employees are doing this to avoid the trouble around handling Amazon packages. Read this on medium recently and it explains a lot-https://medium.com/s/powertrip/confessions-of-a-u-s-postal-worker-we-deliver-amazon-packages-until-we-drop-dead-a6e96f125126Only ever had an issue with a delivery once and was refunded quickly. Now I've had another issue with something not arriving and the USPS carrier claims they handed it to me in person. That means no refund option on site. Not going to pursue it because while I understand people make mistakes, Amazon doesn't seem to understand.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 07:44:51 pm
content: They use Royal Mail here, our equivalent of USPS for some stuff. If something goes missing then they refund or replace it without question even if it was marked as delivered.

author: gnavigator1007
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 08:01:26 pm
content: Quote from: bd139 on November 14, 2018, 07:44:51 pmIt seems that delivery has become more complicated than just "delivered" here. When it says "Delivered (date) package was handed off directly", the options to claim the package was not received are not available.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2018, 09:11:33 pm
content: Have you been to their face recognition convenience store?I would love to know more how this store without checkout works. (No, I don't think its a good idea, nor do I think that the 'cashless cities' initiative and the influential "Better Than Cash" agenda is a good one).Its scary coming as it does just as deep learning tech is poised to eliminate billions of jobs, worldwide. People without money would be excluded from cashless cities, obviously.Another reason- because of solar storms potential to wipe out the electricity grid for years, its totally unwise to get rid of cash.That would then result in large scale starvation.I really worry about the implementation of biometrics as the main method of id in poor countries like India where many people are illiterate. (Now they are setting up a biometric ID system called Aardhaar) Then - what happens if the power goes out and networks go out, globally, because of a Carrington class coronal mass ejection- a huge solar flare could trigger a chain of disasters which could really turn out to be unspeakably horrible. How can people transact essential things like buying food. Basically, it seems to me that nobody has really thought this cashless thing out. They want to implement it because its a way of locking in governments, giving them an unprecedented level of surveillance, if people cannot use cash.We also may have problems from multiple nuclear power plants if a solar flare happens without warning - (Then many of the world's power grid's transformers might pop and if the grid goes out, it could be out for years - Then we'll need to start worrying about cooling the nuclear cores, fast too. Because thats why multiple 'melt-downs' happened at Fukushima.)Lets pray none of this happens. We don't know how much the incidence of these flares is, but its likely than the average once every 80 years (half of the 160 yrs since 1859) they had previously estimated, until 2013 when one of these flares did happen and the stream of charged particles just narrowly missed the Earth. It did hit a space probe which was parked at one of the Lagrangian points, however which recorded the magnitude of it.But to return to my original question, I think we all would like to know more about buying essentials in the store that uses peoples faces as their ID.Quote from: james_s on November 14, 2018, 04:21:48 pm

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2018, 11:50:07 am
content: I have an Amazon account and my wife has prime, recently anything ordered on for next day delivery is getting put back on the delivery date by Amazon or DPD and not being delivered for several days, I think it is due to being out in the sticks and not on a regular van route. If the same thing is ordered elsewhere such as ebay it comes via the post very often the next day and usually at a lower price with free postage. I very rarely buy anything on Amazon now and my wife is using other online stores more and Amazon less.Amazon will have to change or start loosing out,maybe they are past their prime.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2018, 07:34:17 am
content: Quote from: G7PSK on November 15, 2018, 11:50:07 amPun intended?

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2018, 02:15:29 pm
content: I haven't used Amazon in years (no need - other reputable retailers are available), but my mother seems to be a regular customer. Here, they seem to use their own delivery service, as opposed to the Royal Mail, which means things come at peculiar times and often end up being left next door.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2018, 03:21:36 pm
content: On Prime here and have been for.... well, apparently I first shopped on Amazon in 1999 (but didn't get heavy for a few years).Amazon is my goto for pretty much anything, although it's not necessarily where I will ultimately buy something. The reviews are important, but what makes it for me is the service - it is hard to imagine how it could be any better. As a for instance, I ordered something from another online store the other day and it's now been delivered to Portland TN (bit of an issue since the delivery address was in the UK). A couple of emails and contact-us form missives later there is nothing from them - I am going to have to get PayPal involved.If this had been Amazon I would have started a chat session at any time of day or night and would have a refund a few minutes later. The worst experience I've had with their online reps has been where their carrier failed to deliver some item but his GPS showed he had been here. Indeed he had - I have CCTV footage that shows that he rolled up and got out of the van but couldn't find the front door (you need to see the place to understand how this could happen). Got back in and drove off. But from Amazon's viewpoint he must have delivered since the gps showed he scanned at the right location. Clearly, Amazon were suspicious I might be pulling a fast one, but I still got a replacement (actually a refund because I'd reordered before we got to that point since it was an urgent item).Which brings me to the main use of Prime - I am too used to realising I want something and then having it in my hands ASAP. Which, of course, is Amazon's fault. I can recall being surprised, at the start, when I'd order something late one day and it'd be on the doorstep in the morning. Now, that's the default I'll accept, and sometimes I specifically buy stuff for delivery later the same day. Which might even be a Sunday. It is hard for any other retailer to beat that.I see the comment above:QuoteThat is true. But you may also recall that we managed just fine when datasheets involved a call to a disty and then waiting for the book to arrive in the post. Now, I have a wall full of datasheets and the like right behind my chair (literally), yet whenever I want to look up something I go to Google and pop up a pdf. Frankly, we managed just fine then because there was no other way to manage, but it's not appropriate to now.Amazon does have a lot of issues and it is a personal thing as to whether one can ignore those whilst taking advantage of it. But from a customer perspective, using it as it's intended to be used, I don't see anything even approaching the same heights. Which is no doubt part of the reason it's a trillion dollar company.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2018, 03:38:54 pm
content: I'm refusing to get Prime. I was tempted to subscribe years ago, but then Amazon bundled the fast-track shipping with their video streaming service (and made it much more expensive). I have no need for video streaming, and find the compulsory bundling of two completely unrelated services annoying.Over the last three years or so, I have ordered less and less from Amazon. Most of the time, other dealers have better prices; and other dealers' regular shipping is consistently faster than Amazon's non-Prime service. In fact, before Amazon started pushing Prime in Germany, their regular shipments arrived within 1 or 2 days. Once they started to emphasize Prime, it feels like their regular shipping has slowed down, by at least a day on average.Many small online sellers offer a "purchase without an account" option these days. So the nuisance of leaving a "trail" of rarely used accounts and passwords behind is no longer the issue it used to be, if you prefer to buy from a variety of sellers rather than the Amazon monopoly.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2018, 04:13:30 pm
content: Quote from: ebastler on November 20, 2018, 03:38:54 pmI noticed that as well.

author: Bassman59
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2018, 08:08:32 pm
content: Quote from: bd139 on November 13, 2018, 07:32:21 pmI have noticed this. I'm in the habit of doing a general web search for a product to see if it's available elsewhere for less. Usually, it is.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2018, 08:24:33 pm
content: I still order from amazon though because it comes next day...

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2018, 11:41:52 pm
content: I love the reviews on Amazon, they're very handy. Otherwise I shop by price, if I can save $1 by waiting a week I usually will. Otherwise I can usually find what I need locally if I'm in a hurry.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2018, 12:32:46 am
content: QuoteYou might like to install a browser extension fromReviewMetawhich helps to identify fake reviews.At one time Amazon allowed kind of paid-for reviews (where the payment was essentially the product for free) and insisted that the review noted that it was based on free kit. Easy to skip those reviews, or at least take into account the genesis, but apparently some reviewers took the piss and obfuscated the required statement in various ways so it wasn't obvious. Amazon's response was to ban solicited reviews completely.Trouble is, now the transactions are done off-Amazon and there is no indication that a review has been bought (except that it is probably a 5-star). You have no idea which reviews are pukka and which are dodgy (sometimes all of them). That website uses analytics to try and figure it out.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2018, 04:16:52 am
content: I find it's pretty easy to identify the fake reviews. I'm sure a few clever ones manage to sneak by but for the most part I can tell. For one thing any review that doesn't list any negative factors is automatically suspect, and some just read like advertisements. I tend to pay the most attention to the 3-4 star reviews, the highest rate of fake ones are in 5 stars and a lot of the 1 star reviews are people who bought the wrong item, don't know how to use it, or are griping about problems they had with the transaction.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2018, 11:07:22 am
content: Low hanging fruit. The site mentioned can turn up some surprising things because it does stuff like look at what other products groups of reviewers have reviewed together. The way these things work, that's a bigger indicator than the rating given, but it's not one a viewer can normally find.

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2018, 01:46:32 am
content: I go Amazon as well just to look at the reviews and also Trustpilot.What I find I have to do is to look at the reviewer's profile because of the way they speak of a product and I get suspicious and quite a few of them never left a review before.I look for things like negative feedback and honesty in what you would expect to find.Good thing is most of the time you get some grumpy person on there leaving a one star review to know what the worst case might be and what can go wrong with it.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2018, 08:01:19 am
content: Yeah I always read the one star reviews first. For example the toaster my wife made me buy.Good reviews: 500x amazing toaster. Wow just looks great in the kitchenBad review (just one): this thing is stupid: two handles to put the toast down and only one eject button for both sides and you have to put the right two slices in first because the left handles don’t work unless the right are down.That toaster was a pile of shite. Horrid to use.A lot of the one star reviews are basically just idiots but they’re easy to filter out.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2018, 12:35:50 am
content: https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/seasonal-associate-is-a-labor-memoir-for-the-amazon-eraQuote

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2018, 01:36:22 am
content: QuoteThat reminds me of a change to mouse acceleration in Windows XP that affected certain games. It is adjustable with the X and Y curves registry keys but there is a good tool "Mark C mouse fix" for that. With that change the Y axis becomes slower than the X axis making it difficult to aim.Today when I was out someone spoke to me.He was trying to post a picture using "an Instagram app" on their phone.He said it was complicated.I can believe that when they make things so difficult through over simplification.

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2018, 06:29:50 pm
content: I got an letter from Amazon today and I guessed what might be in there.Amazon Prime oh and they give a card as well.See attachment.QuoteThey might be hoping I'll get stuck in or forget.It says at the bottom in the small writing:QuoteI suppose isn't bad £79 a year saving £15.98 but why is it in the small the print?If they want give me a bargain price for a year I'd expect the lowest price to be shown as well in the big print.

author: hermit
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2018, 09:01:59 pm
content: Why? Because they have a lot of marketing research to tell them what EVERY space in the email should contain for maximum effect in accord with local law. You think they want to tell you the price? You think they want to tell you the REAL PRICE?Oh those pesky consumer laws.

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2018, 10:15:48 pm
content: So they want me to forget about the real price and forgive them afterwards for forgetting.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2018, 01:44:24 am
content: So I just read that NY officialsoffered to condemn whatever properties that Amazon might so desire- under eminent domain. Which is legal now here in the US, even when no public use is contemplated, under the theory that more money=good.Total amount of tax concessions offered to them - $3 BILLION USD.Thats truly evil.The picture was part of the pitch. The building pictured (with the NY EDCs added text) is part of the new WTC complex!

author: maginnovision
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2018, 02:15:42 am
content: Quote from: cdev on December 13, 2018, 01:44:24 amYea, the government officials in NY should be ashamed.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2018, 02:25:50 am
content: Somebody with a bunch of money should condemn a bunch of elected official's homes to make a point.This is something you'd think the right would be all over, individual property rights. Personally I think eminent domain should be abolished outside of very specific circumstances. It should absolutely have to be public infrastructure like roads or rails, never a private interest.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2018, 05:25:58 am
content: Quote from: cdev on December 13, 2018, 01:44:24 am"Priming us to never leave the house"?Was that a subversive graphics designer who put that slogan into the photo, or someone who didn't realize that this wasnotAmazon's own pitch?

author: DarkShadowsX5
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 21, 2018, 06:56:30 am
content: I've actually had Amazon prime for 4 years. I abused the crap out of the prime shipping to make it worth it. I ordered a bunch of stuff every week for my hobbies, watched movies on prime and almost never used the music as you can find all that on youtube anyway.Sometimes you find something cheaper elsewhere but if you add the shipping its about the same cost and slower arrival.For me it all worked out great product replacement policy etc. one day i needed themed clothing for a wedding and i had to 1 day ship it because no one told me the got dang theme until it was way too fkn late... lolBut lately amazon lost my trust when they blamed me for getting a "free product for reviews" when in reality i got standard product replacement.. they use to be so much better about things and not even care.i think what they got confused by was me telling the seller that "i would leave my positive review as is" (note the "as is" as in i already left one) because frankly i didn't have much time to go back and change it. the product failed within a the standard 30 day policy. i was in my right to get a refund.So now i cant write reviews and i dont have prime anymore.