Amazon SUCKS

[manly]

sadly Amazon is getting all my money for BF/CM. Their Haul department (a TEMU clone) has lots of deals. Amazon's fulfillment has been extremely efficient for years, although their packaging often leaves something to be desired. The majority of my orders are S&S deals, so once a month I usually get a large box of household goods. I don't actually use S&S the way it's intended; I use it for deals and free shipping on small orders.

If something liquid in the large, poorly packaged, shipping carton breaks, it can and will spoil the entire lot. Then, Amazon just recalls the shipment and automatically refunds your money. In theory, you can haggle with CS over their screw-up but I just move on. Back in July, this happened when presumably a jug of synthetic motor oil leaked? They don't tell you exactly, so you have to guess.

(Most of) my Haul order is arriving via USPS later today. But something weird happened with a conventional Amazon order from Black Friday for a few household goods. AFAIK everything was in stock when I ordered. But the items are arriving between Dec 9 - 15. Two other items are shipping individually and those are scheduled for Dec 15 or later. I don't care when I get this stuff, and I understand back ordered items can delay shipment. But most of the items are still in stock, and it's unusual for Amazon to have such long fulfillment windows.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Almost 90% of my purchases are from Ebay, 8% New Egg, 2% Amazon.

Been that way since 2004.


...but I love Alexa. Not sure I could live without it. 😱

 

[purbeast0]

I ordered some slippers on Amazon at 3:30pm for $16.

They arrived at my door at about 6:20pm.

I didn't have to pay any extra for shipping or anything.

Amazon owns.

 

[lxskllr]

Can you do anything with an alexa that doesn't connect to the mothership? My daughter has three of them she doesn't use, and offered me as many as I wanted, but I don't want a desk spy.

 

[nakedfrog]

Can you do anything with an alexa that doesn't connect to the mothership? My daughter has three of them she doesn't use, and offered me as many as I wanted, but I don't want a desk spy.

Seems like... maybe? As-is I think they're incredibly reliant on the mothership.

Amazon Echo hacks: You can unlock the bootloader and install custom ROMS on some older models - Liliputing

Amazon Echo hacks: You can unlock the bootloader and install custom ROMS on some older models

liliputing.com

 

[lxskllr]

I didn't inspect them, but I suspect they're newer models. I might grab one just to check it out. If they *are* old enough, an android desk tablet is something I could actually use.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Can you do anything with an alexa that doesn't connect to the mothership? My daughter has three of them she doesn't use, and offered me as many as I wanted, but I don't want a desk spy.

I dont think it works w/o internet, you get an error message. But for a long time before getting one (I have a 3nd gen dot clock), I too was concerned about privacy. You can just go into the app and delete your voice history every once and a while. I primarily use it for:

1) Alarm clock with time display
2) Timer of al sorts like over sleep for extra 10 mins, set wash timer, set dry timer, set cook timer
3) Dictionary and Encyclopedia
4) Calculator, including advanced functions like Sine/Cosine/Tangent/Exponent, etc
5) Foreign currency conversions
6) Weight, distance, measurement conversions
7) Streaming Sirius XM when I dont want to use my phone and I am working from home
8) Listening to pod casts like American Greed
9) Playing rain sounds, brown noise, etc, when I am trying to drown out outside noise to sleep
10) Random number generator within a range
11) Random "Yes / No" generator

And that is Basic Alexa. Its an all purpose tool, like a 3rd arm. It is not supposed to "listen" unless the keyword is spoken first.

I just enabled Alexa Plus which can carry on an extended conversation or randomly interject when you are thinking out loud according to my brother. Admittedly, that is creepy! But it can be disabled.

I got it free six years ago from Sirius and never looked back. It would suck not to have it. I was using an alarm clock from 1990 prior to this and thats all I had.

vs

 

[Red Squirrel]

Wonder if those things can be hacked so you can wipe the Amazon OS and put Linux on them. I assume it must be fairly proprietary hardware though and running an embedded OS. Probably is built similar to a smartphone.

 

[Indus]

I ordered a puffer jacket and when I opened the box it was...

missing the jacket and instead had some dental flosses! (is Amazon trying to tell me something?? LOL)

Called them and they sent over a replacement package with the jacket and told me to keep the floss.

I liked it so much I bought more at the current sale price and my wife also wanted some. Also ordered 2 multi port phonecharger and USB cables.. I'm hoping they're both good!

 

[Steltek]

Up until Black Friday this year, for about a year and a half I had mostly stopped buying anything from Amazon other than cheap crap I couldn't get anywhere else. The product reviews are a joke, and half the stuff sold there is cheap Chinese garbage being sold by random letter scam sellers. And, with my prior last big purchase, there was a situation I had where their customer service gaslighted me and outright lied to me multiple times about a refund on a $400+ WD Gold hard drive that arrived DOA due to their non-existent packaging (they litterally slapped a label on WD's display box which had no padding whatsoever and plopped it in the mail). They lost the return after receiving it, and were dead set on making me pay for it....

That being said, in the last 3-4 months, I did purchase a bunch of Del Monte canned green beans and some canned corn from them, along with a case of Bumblebee Albacore tuna as they were both very cheap relative to my local stores.

In recent years, though, it has become more difficult to find trustworthy places to purchase computer components at decent prices. I had stopped buying from Newegg years ago due to their poor customer service, so this year I decided to give Amazon another try.

I purchased a PNY 5070TI video card, a Samsung 9100 2TB NVMe drive (from Amazon Resale -- took a chance on that one but it worked out), and an Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420mm AIO cooler.

Everything showed up. I didn't get a brick in my video card box, and the NVMe drive was both working and a genuine Samsung drive (at least, according to the serial number which I registered on the Samsung website, anyway). The Artic AIO box was not sealed, but it doesn't appear to have been installed before. We'll see in a few days when I start building my new system.

The shared inventory model Amazon operates under still bothers me, though, so I still don't trust them in general on expensive purchases (or even name brand items, for that matter, due to scammers mixing inventory). Prices being relatively equal, I'll just purchase from Provantage and pay the shipping.

At least until we see how this massive Mastercard/Visa settlement credit card surcharge mess is going to shake out, anyway.....

 

[lxskllr]

I've never had an issue with dodgy products/sellers on amazon. I've had some dumb packaging where things got battered more than they should've. Not ideal, but I can live with it. I don't really buy mainstream stuff from them aside from food though. No electronics. The crossbow was the last non food thing I got. Price adjusted, it's a 5* bow. A bunch of little imperfections, but what do you expect for $60? It throws a bolt downrange fast, and that's what I bought it for.

 

[AdamK47]

I ordered a puffer jacket and when I opened the box it was...

missing the jacket and instead had some dental flosses! (is Amazon trying to tell me something?? LOL)

Called them and they sent over a replacement package with the jacket and told me to keep the floss.

I liked it so much I bought more at the current sale price and my wife also wanted some. Also ordered 2 multi port phonecharger and USB cables.. I'm hoping they're both good!

Food bank - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[BoomerD]

After 3 pairs of shoes from Amazon that don't fit, (the two pairs from above plus a pair of Dunham shoes) NONE OF WHICH fit my Flintstone feet, and NONE OF WHICH Amazon will give me a printed label to return...I ordered a pair of shoes from Orthofeet. They're not the highest quality shoes, (lightweight material, made in the PRC) but I've worn their slippers for more than 10 years and have one pair my podiatrist got for me...3 years ago, and they're still in decent shape and they fit...more or less. Should be here in a few days. <knock on wood they fit>
I DID manage to return one pair of the original two pairs of shoes...used the QR code and actually had to go to the town where the closest UPS store is located. When I knew I was going there, I contacted Amazon to see if they could generate a QR return code for the second pair of shoes. Nope, their system wouldn't do it. <scratch head> BEFORE I ordered the 3rd pair, I contacted Amazon about possible return shipping. "Oh, I am so happy to be helping you. If you need to return these shoes, ve vill be happy to be providing you vith a printable label"... When I contacted them after the 3rd pair didn't fit...nope, No printable label again...just a QR code for the UPS store. Once again, I explained the dilemma about no UPS store within about 25 miles/45 minutes drive time each way..."Oh I am so sorry to be hearing this. You keep those shoes, donate them, sell them, give them away, throw them away."
I had to go back to the town where the UPS store is...to the actual grocery store in which the UPS store is located...so once again, I contacted Amazon to see about getting a QR code for this pair of shoes. Nope, not available since they were listed as non-refundable. (dammit...I've worn 12 3E or 4E shoes for 40 years...why now, all of a sudden do they not fit? I mean...I'm fat, so I understand my feet being wide...but not longer.)

 

[Red Squirrel]

I can't imagine trying to buy something like shoes online. I always have to try shoes on before I buy. Sizes are not the same across all brands.

 

[FelixDeCat]

I can't imagine trying to buy something like shoes online. I always have to try shoes on before I buy. Sizes are not the same across all brands.

I've bought from Zappos a few times and returned a couple of pairs.

 

[Steltek]

I went to Academy to purchase a new pair of leather lace up work boots the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Tried on different three pairs of the same Wolverine boots that were supposed to be the same size, but none of them were. Every pair fit differently. Had the same problem with Timberland boots, though I eventually found a pair that fit well enough to buy. This isn't the first time I've seen this, either. Same thing happened last time I bought athletic shoes.

Apparently, making sure shoes are sized correctly is considered a lower priority than penny pinching to pay excessive c-suite bonuses.

 

[waffleironhead]

I have an order stuck in limbo. Ordered some coffee pods to try out becuase they were on a 25% off coupon.
Order has been out for delivery 3 times since last week monday. Other days it just sits at the local hub not doing anything.
Wondering if the driver just hates my house or something(long walkway up hill to house).
Ordered a few more things hoping to unclog the mess when they have to deliver 4 packages.

 

[nakedfrog]

Due to circumstances, ordered a few things on the 9th, with free super saver shipping. Still waiting for them to actually ship.

 

[lxskllr]

I'm getting ready to make an order. I need a valve for a tire pump. Have to figure what else I need so I only have to make one order.

 

[Steltek]

I have an order stuck in limbo. Ordered some coffee pods to try out becuase they were on a 25% off coupon.
Order has been out for delivery 3 times since last week monday. Other days it just sits at the local hub not doing anything.
Wondering if the driver just hates my house or something(long walkway up hill to house).
Ordered a few more things hoping to unclog the mess when they have to deliver 4 packages.

You'll know he hates your house location if he puts the package on the ground and continually kicks it forward like a soccer ball as he walks up to your front door.

Or, maybe the driver who delivers to me is just unique...

 

[manly]

The shared inventory model Amazon operates under still bothers me, though, so I still don't trust them in general on expensive purchases (or even name brand items, for that matter, due to scammers mixing inventory). Prices being relatively equal, I'll just purchase from Provantage and pay the shipping.

reportedly, Amazon will stop commingling inventory but that sounds very challenging. Let's say they're stocking some B850 motherboard for sale. Before, a specific SKU is stacked in some huge bin regardless of where inventory came from. But going forward, they have to separate inventory by FBA merchant?

As efficient as Amazon is at fulfillment, I find it hard to believe they are actually going to separate inventory on a per-merchant basis. With AI and robots, I guess it's feasible. 😛

 

[bbhaag]

I have an order stuck in limbo. Ordered some coffee pods to try out becuase they were on a 25% off coupon.
Order has been out for delivery 3 times since last week monday. Other days it just sits at the local hub not doing anything.
Wondering if the driver just hates my house or something(long walkway up hill to house).
Ordered a few more things hoping to unclog the mess when they have to deliver 4 packages.

I wouldn't take it too personally. It probably has more to do with it being that time of year when logistics companies like FedEx, UPS, USPS, Amazon, and others have to go into overdrive because of all the additional orders being created and a lot of times stuff just gets delayed. Throw in some bad weather and then the shit really hits the fan.

I don't have some moral issue against Amazon. I'm a Prime member and am on track to have around 140 orders placed this year. Up until about a week or two ago everything was being delivered on time but now I'm also seeing delays so I doubt it is you. It's just that time of year.🤷‍♂️

 

[Steltek]

reportedly, Amazon will stop commingling inventory but that sounds very challenging. Let's say they're stocking some B850 motherboard for sale. Before, a specific SKU is stacked in some huge bin regardless of where inventory came from. But going forward, they have to separate inventory by FBA merchant?

As efficient as Amazon is at fulfillment, I find it hard to believe they are actually going to separate inventory on a per-merchant basis. With AI and robots, I guess it's feasible. 😛

Believe it or not, there was a time years ago when Amazon didn't commingle its inventory with 3rd party sellers. The company didn't have any problems keeping the separate inventory then.

They only went to the current mixed-inventory model out of a short-sighted need to maximize their greed before they realized how much more profitable selling web services was.

Honestly, I'm shocked that Amazon doesn't just spin off their e-commerce platform into a totally separate company, sell it outright, and just concentrate on AWS. While Amazon e-commerce is profitable, AWS is what makes the hand over fist money.

Last I read, AWS was generating like 75% of Amazon's revenue.

 

[manly]

I don't know what you're reading, but AWS most certainly isn't 75% of Amazon's revenue. 🙂

I'll actually walk back my earlier skepticism. If Amazon says they're going to de-commingle their inventory, I actually believe them. How they used to do things 15 years ago is arguably not relevant. Why? FBA today is significantly larger than it was then. I suspect that FBA is a more meaningful contributor to net income than their traditional e-commerce business ("Ships and sold by Amazon.com").

It's possible I've bought some "fake" merch from Amazon since 1998 (first order), but I couldn't identify a single time I've gotten burned by that. But we've all read that it does happen with a variety of products.

This one is pretty gross.

Sigh, DDR5 RAM scams are here: sealed DDR5 kits sold with DDR2 sticks, fake weight plates

New DDR5 RAM scams are here, with sealed DDR5 kits sold as new on Amazon but included DDR2 memory with fake weight plates, fake labels.

www.tweaktown.com

 

[Steltek]

I don't know what you're reading, but AWS most certainly isn't 75% of Amazon's revenue. 🙂

I'll actually walk back my earlier skepticism. If Amazon says they're going to de-commingle their inventory, I actually believe them. How they used to do things 15 years ago is arguably not relevant. Why? FBA today is significantly larger than it was then. I suspect that FBA is a more meaningful contributor to net income than their traditional e-commerce business ("Ships and sold by Amazon.com").

It's possible I've bought some "fake" merch from Amazon since 1998 (first order), but I couldn't identify a single time I've gotten burned by that. But we've all read that it does happen with a variety of products.

This one is pretty gross.

Sigh, DDR5 RAM scams are here: sealed DDR5 kits sold with DDR2 sticks, fake weight plates

New DDR5 RAM scams are here, with sealed DDR5 kits sold as new on Amazon but included DDR2 memory with fake weight plates, fake labels.

www.tweaktown.com

Yeah, you are right. I looked at the incorrect data in the 2024 financial statements.