Amazon Prime Day - take care

[Dave2002]

I was attracted for a few minutes by the notion of getting some items a fraction cheaper today - which is so-called Amazon Prime Day.

After having joined, I hoped temporarily, I decided to check what status my Prime membership had, and then decided to cancel immediately, without purchasing anything. Effectively I may have given Amazon a 3-4 day loan of £79 from my credit card company, though as I pay the bills each month anyway, hopefully no harm will have been done. They seem to take the £79 immediately, then take some "little" time to put the money back.

If there are really good deals to be had, then Prime could be useful, but otherwise I felt in the end that paying a few pounds extra per item to be sure that I would not have to pay £79 per annum to Amazon was an even better deal.

[VodkaDilc]

I have managed to reach my mid 60s without needing to use this particular retailer. The more I learn about it, the more I intend things to stay that way.

[ahinton]

I was attracted for a few minutes by the notion of getting some items a fraction cheaper today - which is so-called Amazon Prime Day.

After having joined, I hoped temporarily, I decided to check what status my Prime membership had, and then decided to cancel immediately, without purchasing anything. Effectively I may have given Amazon a 3-4 day loan of £79 from my credit card company, though as I pay the bills each month anyway, hopefully no harm will have been done. They seem to take the £79 immediately, then take some "little" time to put the money back.

If there are really good deals to be had, then Prime could be useful, but otherwise I felt in the end that paying a few pounds extra per item to be sure that I would not have to pay £79 per annum to Amazon was an even better deal.

I got caught with that one quite some time ago when it was £49; however, the £49 did not get deducted from my charge card and when I cancelled almost immediately after I'd signed up for it they "refunded" almost immediately the £49 that I'd not paid. Not a bad deal, methinks...

[Serial_Apologist]

I have managed to reach my mid 60s without needing to use this particular retailer. The more I learn about it, the more I intend things to stay that way.

And I my late 60s - others appear to have swallowed the Amazon.

[Richard Tarleton]

I'm mid. Living where I do, Amazon is a precious lifeline. I've recently bought more peppermint spray for keeping the field mice out of my car, and a cat-scarer for keeping feral cats out of my garden, having read the online reviews. (Well, if the feral cats only ate mice that would be fine, but they target our birds.....). That's on top of the books and CDs. Just steer clear of Prime and you'll be fine

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I dumped Prime as soon as they hiked up the price to cover the video downloads I didn't want and never asked for.

[Beef Oven!]

I'm mid. Living where I do, Amazon is a precious lifeline. I've recently bought more peppermint spray for keeping the field mice out of my car, and a cat-scarer for keeping feral cats out of my garden, having read the online reviews. (Well, if the feral cats only ate mice that would be fine, but they target our birds.....). That's on top of the books and CDs. Just steer clear of Prime and you'll be fine

I live in London and it's a life saver! I agree with you that all's good with Amazon, except Prime.

There's no doubt that for some people it will be an excellent, good value service, but I just don't watch enough films for it to make sense for me.

Amazon remains the best retailer out there, with the best customer experience on the planet. No other firm even comes close.

[Beef Oven!]

I dumped Prime as soon as they hiked up the price to cover the video downloads I didn't want and never asked for.

Same here. When it was £49 pa it was great value and the best delivery service available in the world. But throwing in the films and streaming, and upping the price to £79 turned it into a product that simply doesn't work for me.

I didn't dump it, I merely discontinued my subscription (but then I'm a very polite sort of chap).

[ahinton]

Same here. When it was £49 pa it was great value and the best delivery service available in the world. But throwing in the films and streaming, and upping the price to £79 turned it into a product that simply doesn't work for me.

I didn't dump it, I merely discontinued my subscription (but then I'm a very polite sort of chap).

You had no need to tell us that; we all know already!

[Beef Oven!]

You had no need to tell us that; we all know already!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I didn't dump it, I merely discontinued my subscription (but then I'm a very polite sort of chap).

I e-mailed Amazon to tell them exactly why I'd cancelled Prime. Politely, of course.

[P. G. Tipps]

Amazon is ideal for purchasing just about everything especially computer components, books, CDs, DVDs, and DIY stuff. For people who live in the country and/or hate tramping around shops in often useless exercises it's irreplaceable. If you add competitive pricing and usually smart (often 'free') delivery there is really not much more to be said. Of course there will always be little irritants like Prime but these are few and far between and mostly easily avoided.

The UK is noted for having arguably the most efficient and choice-ridden retail market in the world. Even the Americans send people over to learn from us. Only those retailers who offer the consumer what they want whether it be an Amazon, Poundland, Lidl, Sainsburys, Tesco, John Lewis or Waitrose, survive.

Frankly, UK consumers don't know how lucky they are and yet retailers are still soft targets for the media and consumer interests. Only this morning we heard the truly ridiculous John Humphrys on Today complaining that supermarkets 'mislead people' with their special offers. Poor things. No one is forced to buy anything, even these so-called 'special offers'. In any case, The Great British Public is not quite as stupid and certainly 'not behind the door' in such matters as some would like us believe.

And as for being 'misleading', have Mr Humphrys and colleagues never been guilty of being somewhat exaggerated in their comments over just about every news event on Today most mornings of the week ?

'Nuff said ...

[ahinton]

Amazon is ideal for purchasing just about everything especially computer components, books, CDs, DVDs, and DIY stuff. For people who live in the country and/or hate tramping around shops in often useless exercises it's irreplaceable. If you add competitive pricing and usually smart (often 'free') delivery there is really not much more to be said. Of course there will always be little irritants like Prime but these are few and far between and mostly easily avoided.

The UK is noted for having arguably the most efficient and choice-ridden retail market in the world. Even the Americans send people over to learn from us. Only those retailers who offer the consumer what they want whether it be an Amazon, Poundland, Lidl, Sainsburys, Tesco, John Lewis or Waitrose, survive.

Frankly, UK consumers don't know how lucky they are and yet retailers are still soft targets for the media and consumer interests. Only this morning we heard the truly ridiculous John Humphrys on Today complaining that supermarkets 'mislead people' with their special offers. Poor things. No one is forced to buy anything, even these so-called 'special offers'. In any case, The Great British Public is not quite as stupid and certainly 'not behind the door' in such matters as some would like us believe.

And as for being 'misleading', have Mr Humphrys and colleagues never been guilty of being somewhat exaggerated in their comments over just about every news event on Today most mornings of the week ?

'Nuff said ...

Not quite 'nuff, methinks.

Whilst there's a fair amount with which I am broad agreement in what you write, the comment about John Humphrys is gratuitous, in part because when he and his colleagues conduct interviews he/they is not necessarily giving their own personal opinions. That said, he's right in any case on this and, having heard the interviews, one was with a representative of Which?, whose piece on the subject I'd already read. Supermarkets do indeed mislead customers in the ways described, although to what extent I have no idea. The facts that (a) supermarkets don't force anyone to buy anything whether or not they mislead and (b) not everyone is in any case misled by some of the misinformation do not excuse such conduct, which might on some occasions be accidental but on others is deliberate; it is unprofessional behaviour whichever way one looks at it.

As to what Mr Humphrys and his colleagues might say on Today, the programme is not entirely unscripted and is not - nor is it intended to be - a vehicle for their personal opinions.

[Dave2002]

I do use Amazon - and I find it very convenient, though slightly less so now that one has to have £20 worth of stuff to get free delivery - and that stuff only from Amazon or preferred sellers. There are many sellers which sell useful small items at ridiculously low costs and often no delivery charge. Things like moble phone cables (maybe as little as 90p - and might even come from China!), for example.

A few times a year I seem to be offered a Prime Trial. Looking at the T&Cs this seems to be within the rules. Often this happens round Christmas. Amazon presumably figures that if I can be persuaded to buy more from them then even if I do cancel the Trial they still make money out of me.

The reason I cancelled the latest Trial on Prime Day immediately was because when I checked the end date in the relevant account management section it was in 2016, and I was concerned that I had perhaps already been lured into enrolling into something which would be difficult to get out of.

95% of the time Am is really good - and that includes the external versions am.es, am.fr, am.de, am.it, am.ca, am.com etc.

Like some others I do have concerns that Amazon is not playing fair with UK and European tax systems, but they are almost certainly within the current rules. The national and European tax agencies should tighten up. Another concern is about employee working conditions - and if they are really poor, again they should be forced to improve. Others I know are boycotting any purchases from Amazon, but
without making their disapproval explicit to the company I think that will be about as effective as a flea biting an elephant.

[ahinton]

Like some others I do have concerns that Amazon is not playing fair with UK and European tax systems, but they are almost certainly within the current rules. The national and European tax agencies should tighten up. Another concern is about employee working conditions - and if they are really poor, again they should be forced to improve. Others I know are boycotting any purchases from Amazon, but without making their disapproval explicit to the company I think that will be about as effective as a flea biting an elephant.

Amazon are by no means alone in this and, where retailers are concerned, it's much easier for online ones because they're not so easily bound by territory of operation and administration so, at tthe very least, are in better positions to choose the tax régime most advantageous to their interests and change it when it suits them to do so.