Very well said David. Amazon does make up the rules as they go! I am a member of Amazon Prime and have had charges for delivery after I made the purchase. Even on the confirmation email there is no mention of a delivery fee however when I received the invoice they had added on delivery without my approval and when the item was 100% delivery free (I double check these things especially with Amazon). So they illegally stole money from my account and on top of this, they charged me three times for the same product which I didnāt pickup straight away and only discovered it when I checked my bank balance. (Everyone, please check your bank accounts the day after purchase. Imagine how much money they make from people who donāt check their bank statements!) It took months of going back and forward with copious amounts of emails and telephone calls. And the lies they told just kept coming each day with different reasons for what happened.
My other personal gripe is how they virtually have stopped being able to purchase overseas products. And even as a Prime Member, having found a product from overseas that can also be purchased from Australia, and displaying free shipping for Prime members, you end up having to pay the delivery! It is infuriating as I used to purchase quite a bit from OS before they initiated this ridiculous rule. Itās enough to pull your hair out! Sorry David, I didnāt mean to jump on my soapbox in relations to my āpersonal gripeā on your posting. Once I had started my reply, it just all came out.
Hi Stevie, Thanks for your response. It is just a little devious to work like this because itās not immediately obvious that you can exercise the right to free delivery. I am not a member of Prime, but an ordinary Amazon user. Having said that, I am not a fan of Amazon in any shape and would prefer almost any other seller ahead of them. I have bought from the US in the past, but had to use an intermediate shipper (in Portland, Oregon) to get the goods here. When the $AU was higher it worked and was worth doing and it was for goods that werenāt easily available here. Now the dollar has slumped a little thereās little advantage unless you are buying stuff that isnāt sold in Australia. Iād rather give my business to an Australian business, just not one thatās beholden to Amazon! Cheers.
Even with Amazon Australia, we find that it is more often the same price or cheaper to buy elsewhere. I suspect Amazon suits those who chose it for its convenience or succumb to its marketing hype.
Iāve been using Amazon Prime for more than a year, particularly on goods shipped from USA. Absolutely no complaints from US or Australian shipping, in fact delighted.
Delivery speed is sensational. Ordered an item from Australian site on Boxing Day 26th December. Delivered first working day after Xmas break, Tuesday 27th.
Have ordered from US and delivered here in Newcastle a week later. Can only recommend
Thatās great. Delivery wasnāt an issue, itās the fact that the website is so opaque to be almost deceptive about how to take up the free delivery offer that is made at cart level once you get to checkout.
Just to say something positive, Amazon has a brilliant delivery service. Free delivery is offered to Prime members on a majority of products clearly spelt out and free international delivery on most items IF your order is over $49 Australian dollars. If there is an issue or mistake Amazon has excellent customer service.
Yes it was āFreeā. What they did not bother to say clearly was that you would get a monthly charge on your credit card six months later and continuing because you had become a member.
So sure I absolutely agree that after the free trial you have to pay either monthly or yearly for membership but you get other benefits with that Prime membership as well. If there is no value to a user after they have to start to pay they can cancel and pay no further amounts for membership. My personal use of Prime has saved me lots more in delivery fees than the cost of membership, I also use the Prime Streaming service, Prime Games, Amazon Music and Prime reading. I think I get great value for my monthly membership but others may not, each user has to weigh up the benefits vs the cost to see if they get value for money.
Having made an Amazon purchase last week their checkout display continues to be confusing about signing up for Prime but if one just ālets it goā with standard delivery checked they do not sign you up for Prime unless you tick another box that is presented in a beckoning manner.
What I found interesting is standard (free) delivery for my item was for Friday, but for an additional $7.95 or if I was a Prime subscriber I could have it Thursday. Tracking showed it was not even shipped until Thursday; it was delivered on Friday as āadvertisedā by a gent in a smart Amazon uniform who required the OTP sent to me for the delivery to happen. Yes, a OTP for a delivery although there was a single alternative āsecret numberā possible.
Nobody home with the OTP or āsecret numberā and they would reschedule for the next business day - no post office option offered. Delivery window? [Anytime] Before 8PM!
You needed an OTP? I never haveā¦ was it something very expensive? And as an asideā¦ that window for delivery is just ridiculous, luckily mine almost always arrive mid afternoon. I think the thing I appreciate about Amazon is that sometimes you need something PDQ and can even get it on a Sunday (Saturday order)
$370. Whether that is expensive or not varies with the individualās outlook. It isnāt in my value system.
That is kind. Not a worry for items not requiring signatures/OTPs but for those that do? Not home to take delivery? It would be nice if it went to the post office (when available) rather than āanother attempt on the next business dayā that might or might not be more successful.
Even Auspost provides me a 2 hour window as well as an update when it is, as usual, going to be later. Even when no signature is required, as is the norm.
