Amazon prime

[Garless]

Moderator Message:
Moved from DAK to the Snug. - Chris

Is anyone finding prime is being pushed too hard, wanted to by a CD but found it was only with prime,

[SteelCamel]

They do certainly push it - offering a sign up every time you go to buy something, special offers for subscribers etc - but I've yet to see them offer no other option. Do you have a link to the item that's only for subscribers?

[mutantpoodle]

they way to avoid auto joining Prime is also getting harde to find and smaller on screen when eventually found.

currently however they do seem quite easy to cancel once you have been tricked ...sorry trapped into joining

[88V8]

the way to avoid auto joining Prime is also getting harde to find and smaller on screen when eventually found

One reason that I don't use Amazon.
I never did to any great extent, but two years ago I cancelled Prime, again, having, as you say, been tricked into it and vowed never to go back.
My go-to for purchases I can't make in local shops is eBay.

The only problem with eBay is that for a lover of second-hand doodads, it's a rabbit hole in which a whole day can easily vanish.

V8

[johnhemming]

I must admit they did put quite a bit of effort into signing me up for Prime, but I am quite happy with it.

[PhaseThree]

I'm about to cancel.
The list of items they won't ship to Northern Ireland is growing longer by the day.
It is really getting to be a bit pointless from my perspective.

[Dod101]

I have always found an option not to use Prime although it is not always very obvious. But then why would you? I can get the first month free and once an order is placed with free delivery next day you can cancel it immediately without paying a penny for it.

Dod

[6Tricia]

I'm happy with Prime too. After resisting their offers for years I finally succumbed last November thinking it would probably be useful in the run up to Christmas. I asked for a reminder email to warn me before the end of the trial and upon receipt was more than happy to accept their offer of a further month for free. This thread reminded me that this second free month comes to an end tomorrow so I've just subscribed for a year. Apart from grocery shopping most of my shopping is done online nowadays.

Also, with so much rubbish on TV these days I've been taking advantage of the 'free to Prime viewers' films on Prime Video to help pass the time when I tire of reading, playing Scrabble or doing jigsaws online.

Tricia

[SteMiS]

I've been watching the old episodes of Seinfeld, which is 'free' on Prime, and it's worth the monthly subscription just for that.

[AF62]

The thing I dislike about Prime TV (for the odd occasions I subscribe to Prime on a free/discounted offer) is that the interface is shockingly bad and they mix up the 'free with Prime' and the 'give me money now' shows, whereas with the other platforms (Netflix, NowTV, Mubi, etc.) everything you can see is paid for.

[AleisterCrowley]

I've been watching the old episodes of Seinfeld, which is 'free' on Prime, and it's worth the monthly subscription just for that.

me too!

I am still master of my domain

No soup for you!

[Stompa]

I find their constant pushing of Prime pretty irritating. I wish I could just opt out and they'd stop asking me!

Given that delivery is free for orders over £20, I find it simpler just to add some additional items (if necessary) to qualify for that. I'm never in any particular hurry to receive an item. The other benefits are of no interest to me.

[AleisterCrowley]

Horses for courses... I can remember them pushing it, but for me it's well worth it
I like the free delivery, and I don't have a TV so the films are handy. There's also a lot of music.
The interface on my Fire tablet is poor though

[staffordian]

I find their constant pushing of Prime pretty irritating. I wish I could just opt out and they'd stop asking me!

Given that delivery is free for orders over £20, I find it simpler just to add some additional items (if necessary) to qualify for that. I'm never in any particular hurry to receive an item. The other benefits are of no interest to me.

Totally agree, and I do the same. I once managed to sign up for Prime by not being careful enough to avoid it when placing an order, and it was not easy to find how to cancel.

I've not made that mistake since, but it does seem like Amazon place more and more obstacles in the way of simply placing an order without commiting to Prime.

[sg31]

I've been caught by Prime once and got out of it relatively easily. I find that I'm using Amazon much less than previously, I'm not sure if the 2 things are related.

When I do search for something now I find most of the products on Amazon are Chinese copies of the product I'm looking for. They are certainly cheap but when I've been tempted I find they aren't good value. There are some exceptions but I really only find them by recommendation from friends.

Where there is a Chinese product worth buying it's usually considerably cheaper on AliExpress. Delivery times are longer but the savings are worthwhile.A recent example was a fishing reel, The brand I really wanted was £420, a friend bought a Chinese copy which was very, very good and purchased from Amzon at £120, direct from the manufacturer on Ali Express it was £40.

If I want to purchase a known brand of something or other there are usually cheaper places now than Amazon. At one time you couldn't beat them but now other suppliers usually do if you are prepared to shop around.

[gryffron]

The thing I dislike about Prime TV (for the odd occasions I subscribe to Prime on a free/discounted offer) is that the interface is shockingly bad and they mix up the 'free with Prime' and the 'give me money now' shows, whereas with the other platforms (Netflix, NowTV, Mubi, etc.) everything you can see is paid for.

I agree. That's true by default and annoys me too. Although they there is a "free for me" button at the top of the screen which gets rid of all the premium-premium shows.

Gryff

[Rhyd6]

We don't watch very much on prime but by golly we get our money's worth with free delivery. Since lockdown we've increased our online shopping tenfold and find it a boon, the added advantage being that I only buy what I want, I'm not tempted to impulse buy, a failing of mine I admit.

R6

[bungeejumper]

Likewise, I enjoy the next day delivery so much that I tend to use it even when the end of the week would really be just as good. Which in turn makes me feel just a little bit guilty about making some poor van driver turn out just to deliver five quid's worth of something to my house, when I know perfectly well that I might order something equally insignificant the next day.

It isn't just that it's not very eco-friendly. It also gets me wondering how much the delivery guy is getting paid if it's cost-effective for them to send a van with my packet of seeds? And how much is Amazon charging its third-party suppliers for the privilege of qualifying their stuff for my next day delivery?

Amazon's logistics are phenomenally successful, but what exactly is Bezos's long term ambition? To kill off the competition and then hike all the prices when they're gone? There's a sniff of crack cocaine about how good Amazon's service is, and I'm not sure I'm easy about it. And anyway, when is the elusive beast going to start paying UK taxes on its UK profits?

So my new year's resolution is to ABA ("anyone but Amazon") whenever I reasonably can, and without inconveniencing myself too much. I can give up the crack any time I like, I honestly really really can......

BJ

[Lootman]

Likewise, I enjoy the next day delivery so much that I tend to use it even when the end of the week would really be just as good. Which in turn makes me feel just a little bit guilty about making some poor van driver turn out just to deliver five quid's worth of something to my house, when I know perfectly well that I might order something equally insignificant the next day.

It isn't just that it's not very eco-friendly. It also gets me wondering how much the delivery guy is getting paid if it's cost-effective for them to send a van with my packet of seeds? And how much is Amazon charging its third-party suppliers for the privilege of qualifying their stuff for my next day delivery?

Amazon's logistics are phenomenally successful, but what exactly is Bezos's long term ambition? To kill off the competition and then hike all the prices when they're gone? There's a sniff of crack cocaine about how good Amazon's service is, and I'm not sure I'm easy about it. And anyway, when is the elusive beast going to start paying UK taxes on its UK profits?

So my new year's resolution is to ABA ("anyone but Amazon") whenever I reasonably can, and without inconveniencing myself too much. I can give up the crack any time I like, I honestly really really can......

If you want to know where Amazon is heading, look to the US. There, Amazon has bought WholeFoods (the American Waitrose if you like, but even more upmarket and expensive). Now with Prime you can order groceries online and they arrive within a 2-hour window. You see Amazon vans all over US cities.

There are not enough WholeFoods in the UK to do that - about a dozen or so I believe, mostly in London. But more generally Amazon hopes to go from one-day delivery to same-day and even 2-hour delivery. And then you may never need to leave your home.

I do not use Amazon Prime a whole lot but, for a few quid a month, it is handy for the fast, free delivery and for streaming content.

[bungeejumper]

Answering one of my own questions about the hard lives of Amazon delivery drivers. Okay, it's the Grauniad, so it's got an axe to grind, but either those numbers are right or they aren't. £110 flat rate a day, regardless of caseload or mileage, but against that you've got to pay the company £28 a day for the van hire, seven days a week.

Doesn't sound like much of a life, does it? I feel a bit different now about those drivers who sod off home at the end of the day and deliver the next morning instead. Indeed, I wonder how most of them manage to be so chirpy and courteous?

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/ ... ers-driver

BJ