I'm digging Amazon.com's new business model

[phylodog]

I don't consider the shipping free when you pay a membership fee to get it.

 

[MrsGungho]

I'm old enough to remember saving cereal boxtops and sending them in and waiting weeks (which to an 8 year old kid might as well be YEARS) for some little crappy "free" toy to arrive by mail.

I remember getting home with that box of cereal, opening it up, pouring it into a mixing bowl and retrieving the toy. I also remember getting my ass beat for it.

I remember mailing in those box tops for my girls. ugh

 

[Cameramonkey]

'Ordering lots of stuff on Amazon' and 'stuff can't be found locally' should remind you of a chicken/egg problem - two sides if the same coin

Forget about Google and FaceTube, Amazon is really taking over the world

As for USPS, NPS (Nazi Parcel Svc) or FE, I'd pay extra for FE if they'd only let me. If I know no one will be home I can direct the shipment electronically to a local FedEx Office where it will be held until I come and pick it up. NPS just throws it on the stoop and runs and if its bigger than my mailbox or the space between my stormdoor and front door, USPS doesn't seem to have much of a plan

With NPS, I can't even ask for signature release, only the shipper can. Uugh

Not defending Amazon, but I've had carrier problems recently with both UPS and FedEx. Not with Amazon, but other companies, they'll both sit on deliveries until their farther out ship date is matched. The difficulty is that their tracking shows exactly what they are doing.

I'm betting, behind the scenes, these shippers are pressuring Amazon financially.

Ive only had FedEx do that to me. UPS wants it in and out of their system ASAP. (as long as it doesnt cost them more) FedEX had an annoying policy of "If you dont pay for the speed, you dont get the speed."; Fedex will hold the package 2 days to ship it across town even though they could deliver it next day with no extra burden. UPS will turn it around next day ground. I regularly get packages ground from Chicago via UPS. Last time I looked, FedEx said it is a 3 day service unless I pay for overnight delivery.

I had a package I needed fast but the vendor would only ship fedex ground. I saw it arrive in Castleton overnight so I stopped to pick it up. "sorry, I cant unlock that trailer for you until tomorrow after 4 when the sorters are scheduled to move it to the trucks for the following day's delivery because that is when you are scheduled to get it."

Granted UPS doesnt GUARANTEE it next day via ground, but I only DONT get it that fast Black Friday to January 1. Fedex can go F themselves.

I don't consider the shipping free when you pay a membership fee to get it.

Yep. its not FREE shipping, just insanely priced over the span of 50 orders. But where do you draw the line? Is it shipping you pay for in exchange for free services like streaming video, or are you paying for video and getting fee delivery? (and free returns, which is YUUUUUGE for shoes and clothes)

 

[jgressley2003]

Did you order a case of filters or just a single? There are plenty of auto parts stores around to pick up a quality filter.

 

[bwframe]

What's wrong with you Phylodog? Have you never heard of Autozone, O'Reilly, Napa?

 

[bwframe]

Ive only had FedEx do that to me. UPS wants it in and out of their system ASAP. (as long as it doesnt cost them more) FedEX had an annoying policy of "If you dont pay for the speed, you dont get the speed."; Fedex will hold the package 2 days to ship it across town even though they could deliver it next day with no extra burden. UPS will turn it around next day ground. I regularly get packages ground from Chicago via UPS. Last time I looked, FedEx said it is a 3 day service unless I pay for overnight delivery...

UPS/USPS Mail Innovations just sent my Brownells package from KS Missouri past Indianapolis to Urbandale, OH to return 200 miles back to Indy, then Btown.

 

[phylodog]

Did you order a case of filters or just a single? There are plenty of auto parts stores around to pick up a quality filter.

I was out of town when I ordered it and it was supposed to be here waiting on me when I got home. I had an issue with my truck which I suspected an oil/filter change would correct. I was anxious to get it done and didn't want to go find a quality filter since neither the Advance & Auto Zone near me carries what I wanted (Wix).

 

[Cameramonkey]

UPS/USPS Mail Innovations just sent my Brownells package from KS Missouri past Indianapolis to Urbandale, OH to return 200 miles back to Indy, then Btown.

I had similar. Ordered something out of NJ. No exaggeration it made 5 hops within 25 miles before it hit the main hub. (the equivalent of going from West Newton to Camby to Airport, to Speedway to Haughville before finally hitting the downtown hub to be sent across country)

 

[bwframe]

I had similar. Ordered something out of NJ. No exaggeration it made 5 hops within 25 miles before it hit the main hub. (the equivalent of going from West Newton to Camby to Airport, to Speedway to Haughville before finally hitting the downtown hub to be sent across country)

UPS poo poo'd me, blaming it all on USPS. Said to report it to the shipper (as if they should have upgraded to the next tier by default.) I CC'd Brownells on the reply, letting them both know that this WILL affect my future purchase decisions.

 

[eldirector]

Did you order a case of filters or just a single? There are plenty of auto parts stores around to pick up a quality filter.

Not Amazon related, but on that note...

I just ordered a set of filters for both vehicles through RockAuto. Oil filters for $4 and change. Air filters for $8. Fuel filter for the diesel for $35. Regular price @ Autozone is $15, $30, and $65 respectively. So, less than 1/2 price, even with shipping. And that wasn't even the cheapest they had.

 

[IndyTom]

Not defending Amazon, but I've had carrier problems recently with both UPS and FedEx. Not with Amazon, but other companies, they'll both sit on deliveries until their farther out ship date is matched. The difficulty is that their tracking shows exactly what they are doing.

I'm betting, behind the scenes, these shippers are pressuring Amazon financially.

Something like this that is coming from Sig?



Go ahead and sit on it for 5 days. USPS got it to them in 1 or 2 days, but FE Ground...

 

[ghuns]

I ordered an oil filter for my truck on the 20th, supposed to be delivered today. Yet again, Amazon fails to deliver when they say they will, keeps telling me it'll be here today by 8pm then at 8pm it changes to sometime between now & Wednesday. This makes 5 or 6 times this year and I never had a problem in several years until January. So I log on and tell them to keep it and remind them that they're sucking pretty hard these days. The screen pops up that I'm being refunded but this time it says I don't have to return the item to them. Sweet. I've never in my life been a take something for nothing type of person but for the aggravation they've caused me in not delivering on time I don't mind this a bit. I might just have to start buying everything on there just to roll the dice and get things I need for free. Late of course but free.

I order something much more expensive than an oil filter, around $200 in fact.

It was a gift... That I could not obtain locally... For a special occasion... That I may have nearly forgotten about...

I paid extra for next day delivery and had it shipped to work instead of home. That would get it to me one day before I really needed it. It didn't show. It was a Friday. Even if it showed Saturday morning, there would be nobody there to receive it.

I called in a panic. They said, no problem. Re-order it, change the shipping address to your home and you'll have it by 10AM. I was skeptical. And I was scared. I described the dimensions of the doghouse I'd be sleeping in if they failed to deliver. They assured me it would arrive on time. It did. And a happy anniversary was had by all.

Several days later, the original order showed up at work. I called back, I thought the original order had been cancelled. A nice lady pulled up my account, she said there was only the one order. I said, but I have two items. She said keep it. Have a nice day.

 

[femurphy77]

'Ordering lots of stuff on Amazon' and 'stuff can't be found locally' should remind you of a chicken/egg problem - two sides if the same coin

Forget about Google and FaceTube, Amazon is really taking over the world

As for USPS, NPS (Nazi Parcel Svc) or FE, I'd pay extra for FE if they'd only let me. If I know no one will be home I can direct the shipment electronically to a local FedEx Office where it will be held until I come and pick it up. NPS just throws it on the stoop and runs and if its bigger than my mailbox or the space between my stormdoor and front door, USPS doesn't seem to have much of a plan

With NPS, I can't even ask for signature release, only the shipper can. Uugh

wait'll you have to file a damage claim. Might as well write it off! FEDEX and UPS both have NEVER paid on a claim, seems they both use the same excuse book: "if it had been properly packaged it wouldn't have been damaged", or "you didn't present the item for inspection". In the first case they drove a fork lift fork thru an item 3 times, in the second instance they said to keep it for inspection if requested. They never requested then refused because I didn't keep it for inspection.

Shipping is a crap shoot and I don't pay for shipping insurance anymore.

 

[WebSnyper]

Did he/she have a camera too?(ok, I have no idea if the driver was misidentified according to gender, but camera?)

Yes, noticed they were taking a picture of the delivery.

 

[phylodog]

I order something much more expensive than an oil filter, around $200 in fact.

It was a gift... That I could not obtain locally... For a special occasion... That I may have nearly forgotten about...

I paid extra for next day delivery and had it shipped to work instead of home. That would get it to me one day before I really needed it. It didn't show. It was a Friday. Even if it showed Saturday morning, there would be nobody there to receive it.

I called in a panic. They said, no problem. Re-order it, change the shipping address to your home and you'll have it by 10AM. I was skeptical. And I was scared. I described the dimensions of the doghouse I'd be sleeping in if they failed to deliver. They assured me it would arrive on time. It did. And a happy anniversary was had by all.

Several days later, the original order showed up at work. I called back, I thought the original order had been cancelled. A nice lady pulled up my account, she said there was only the one order. I said, but I have two items. She said keep it. Have a nice day.

I'm not surprised to hear that. Honestly before this year I was extremely pleased with Amazon all the way around. Something happened, I don't know what it was but they've spiraled downhill this year.

 

[eldirector]

So... the Jabra bluetooth headset I JUST got via Amazon pooped out today. No audio.

So, I hit their product support, chatted with "Victoria". They are shipping a new one, and I have a shipping label to slap on the package to return the defective one. It'll be here on Wednesday.

 

[fordmanchris]

I had a 5 or 6 year old knock on my door and deliver an Amazon package while mommy sat in the car on her phone! The kid looked terrified to be walking up to strangers houses. On top of that, he just hopped back in the car not strapped into a child seat or with a seat belt and she took off down the road!

 

[WebSnyper]

I had a 5 or 6 year old knock on my door and deliver an Amazon package while mommy sat in the car on her phone! The kid looked terrified to be walking up to strangers houses. On top of that, he just hopped back in the car not strapped into a child seat or with a seat belt and she took off down the road!

Yep, I've seen this a bit as well. Amazon is driving down the cost of shipping their products, but it is going to come at a cost to them either in some crazy lawsuit or just customers turning away from them a bit. Though it does seem that Amazon is adapting a bit with putting in the picture requirements, etc. However, the seemingly unprofessional nature of many of the people performing their deliveries is just interesting to say the least.

 

[eldirector]

Anyone reported the bad delivery experience to Amazon? They have a "packaging feedback" option for most every order. You can even upload a picture. If the delivery service really is a problem, they should know about it.

 

[ghuns]

We have had a lot of trouble at work lately with UPS. Several lost or badly damaged packages.

A sales rep sent 4 of our drills to the manufacturer for sharpening and re-coating. These drills run about $500/each. UPS lost them on the return trip. The salesguy was fighting with UPS to get reimbursed, in the meantime, I had parts stacking up waiting on drills. Luckily for me, he's a good salesguy and he sent me 4 brand new drills.