Wow, impressive, Amazon

[SparkyJJO]

Now if only Amazon would package things a little bit better. I don't want to order anything too fragile from them (hard drives as an example) as they never seem to use enough or proper packaging. Nothing has ever arrived damaged, but I've not ordered anything overly fragile from them either.

 

[zinfamous]

When my GF was still living in Latvia, many years ago, she got a call from the local post office to come pick up a package. it didn't have a name on it or anything--must have fallen off, I guess.

She asked how they knew it was her package.

"You're the only one in town [~80k people] that gets these Amazon packages."

 

[zerocool84]

I love Amazon. I let my prime membership run out because even free shipping is extremely quick for me.

 

[Meghan54]

I think that's Seattle area only. I've done 2 day and 1 day shipping with Prime and they skipped Saturday and Sunday... I remember ordering 1 day shipping on a Thursday or something and didn't get it until Monday or Tuesday because that's just how it was with them. Of course, I didn't live in Seattle at the time.

Then you are thinking wrong. Completely depends on what the item is. Ordered a Silverstone TJ07, paid the $3.99 1 day shipping, and it was delivered on a Saturday....to GA from CA.

Some things can be delivered Sat. if you have Prime and pay for overnight shipping, some stuff can't. Completely depends upon what the item is.

 

[velillen]

Amazon is normally pretty good. Though i will say last item i ordered (kingston 96gb SSD) with my prime took 4 days. And i live damn close to Seattle It came from Kentucky or some place is why. actually most orders ive done with amazon have just come n the time specified.

Now backcountry.com i love their shipping/pricing. Free shipping is 7-14 days. It usually shows up in 3-4 days. I've gotten a couple items in 2 days before as well. They are based in Salt Lake so not that close.

 

[xSauronx]

I love Amazon. I let my prime membership run out because even free shipping is extremely quick for me.

because i have prime i buy all sorts of stuff there...need an hdmi cable? yeah, ok

an extra flash drive? yep
cheap earbuds? ok
ohhhh, hawaiian sea salt? thank you

i dont have to package stuff together, i just hit a button. having the app on my phone makes price comparison while shopping (if for some odd reason i didnt buy something on amazon already) way, way too easy.

oh hey! i need an ice cream scoop--*click* amazon had one, itll be here monday, its cheaper, and theres no taxes (yet, but hell, i wont care when that eventually changes)

now, if they do something about making ebooks cheaper (a buck off the regular price? my ass) ill start buying those, as well, but i recognize that this isnt entirely amazons doing.

 

[LikeLinus]

I think that's Seattle area only. I've done 2 day and 1 day shipping with Prime and they skipped Saturday and Sunday... I remember ordering 1 day shipping on a Thursday or something and didn't get it until Monday or Tuesday because that's just how it was with them. Of course, I didn't live in Seattle at the time.

No true. You're doing it wrong.

If you pay 3.99 for overnight shipping on most items and it ships on Friday, it will show up Saturday morning. I've order things on Friday many many times and paid the $3.99 for overnight shipping and gotten it on Saturday. I've never once had it not delivered on Saturday when selecting overnight and having it ship on Friday.

 

[thescreensavers]

^ Same, If it says "Order in the next xxx to get it on Saturday" then I get in on Saturday, I have never had it get pushed to Monday.


Amazon uses local shipper now, so for the OP it was Dynamex and me in South Florida it was lasership

I got to say, lasership was kinda ghetto, white van no markings, puffing a cig in the other hand while carrying my package to my door.

Just an observation never had an issue.

Amazon has been great, only time they bothered me is when I got my SSD it was in a box twice its size with no padding or what not.

 

[Sid59]

Amazon is awesome. Last month, I got a Garmin Forerunner on a Thursday. After one use, it wouldn't turn on except in the charger. I filed a replacement on Friday and they would ship asap. Saturday morning, went for a run and when I came back, a package from Amazon with my replacement.

No questions asked, shipped overnight for Saturday delivery. Awesome. I don't know if it had to with Prime, but I have a Prime account.

 

[brblx]

meh. never gotten anything awesome from amazon. if 'they've never fucked up my order in a way that i am on the losing end' is the criteria, then yeah, amazon is cool.

i would vote 1800contacts for the 'ridiculously good customer service' award, personally. seems like their people must get shitcanned if they're not 100% extremely nice and helpful.

 

[duragezic]

Now if only Amazon would package things a little bit better. I don't want to order anything too fragile from them (hard drives as an example) as they never seem to use enough or proper packaging. Nothing has ever arrived damaged, but I've not ordered anything overly fragile from them either.

I always hear the same about Newegg but never seen it. Like I always hear how poorly Newegg packs their hard drives but in May I bought a 2 TB and it was packed solid like always.

I haven't ordered enough on Amazon to know. Haven't ordered anything from Amazon since 2009 actually. I don't buy many toys.

 

[brblx]

the newegg HDD thing may have been addressed due to their RAMPANT hard drive failures. when you combine modern drives that seem to have a >50% failure rate, even in warranty, with an OEM being thrown loose into a box of peanuts, you're probably going to have issues. they need to understand the need for padding on all sides of something.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I always hear the same about Newegg but never seen it. Like I always hear how poorly Newegg packs their hard drives but in May I bought a 2 TB and it was packed solid like always.

I haven't ordered enough on Amazon to know. Haven't ordered anything from Amazon since 2009 actually. I don't buy many toys.

the newegg HDD thing may have been addressed due to their RAMPANT hard drive failures. when you combine modern drives that seem to have a >50% failure rate, even in warranty, with an OEM being thrown loose into a box of peanuts, you're probably going to have issues. they need to understand the need for padding on all sides of something.

I've never had a problem with Newegg HD shipping, and never had a DOA drive. Every drive I've gotten from them has been wrapped in gobs of bubble wrap. Recently had one that was double boxed even. Maybe they just like me. <shrug>

Amazon's fairly lacking packaging is the main reason I'd never buy a hard drive from them. A box that is 2x the size of the item, with naught but a couple air pillows in it for "packaging" is really not enough. Fairly consistent on the low end of the scale, though I have gotten a couple packages that were packed decently. Oddly enough the couple that were packed ok were also the least fragile of all items I bought :|

 

[Brainonska511]

I've never had a problem with Newegg HD shipping, and never had a DOA drive. Every drive I've gotten from them has been wrapped in gobs of bubble wrap. Recently had one that was double boxed even. Maybe they just like me. <shrug>

Amazon's fairly lacking packaging is the main reason I'd never buy a hard drive from them. A box that is 2x the size of the item, with naught but a couple air pillows in it for "packaging" is really not enough. Fairly consistent on the low end of the scale, though I have gotten a couple packages that were packed decently. Oddly enough the couple that were packed ok were also the least fragile of all items I bought :|

I ordered one of my hard drives off Amazon - it came in one of those plastic holders that fit to the box.

 

[SparkyJJO]

That's good. I've just been too chicken to try it.

 

[brblx]

usually those plastic things that suspend the drive are in retail boxes, which is why i tend to buy retail packages. i even tried buying from best buy, figuring maybe they managed to get the stuff to their store without a 20ft fall, unlike a typical UPS delivery. HDD still failed in a year.

 

[ponyo]

I guess it doesn't take much to impress people. Amazon was merely doing what you paid them to do. I remember Outpost did this routinely yet they went out of business.

Webvan was impressive back in the day. Free grocery delivery in 30 minute window of your choosing. Now that was service. Amazon owns failed Webvan now I believe.

 

[tfinch2]

Don't you work for Amazon?

 

[Aikouka]

I've been noticing lately that Amazon doesn't seem to adhere to their "Order in x minutes and you'll get it tomorrow!" statement in regard to two-day shipping like they used to. Even though the statement is referring to 1-day shipping, they would ship it out even if it was 2-day and I only had 5 minutes left. Last time I tried that, it didn't ship until the next day.

Although, oddly enough, I ordered something as 2-day and they put overnight shipping on it, so I guess that makes up for it.

 

[brblx]

I guess it doesn't take much to impress people. Amazon was merely doing what you paid them to do. I remember Outpost did this routinely yet they went out of business.

Webvan was impressive back in the day. Free grocery delivery in 30 minute window of your choosing. Now that was service. Amazon owns failed Webvan now I believe.

pretty much what i thought about it.

like i said, 1800contacts is the only online retailer, possibly the only retailer ever, to actually 'impress' me. the first time i ordered from them, they needed an Rx confirmation and got it faxed over from the eye doctor at like 4PM so they could overnight contacts to me. and they even underpromised- said we can't guarantee it, but we will try our absolute best to help you out. and then they called me back in like an hour to let me know that they got the official Rx and the contacts were on their way. and i wanted to marry the chick she was so fucking nice.

the next time i ordered, it was more routine, but still REALLY nice, english-speaking, fairly intelligent people answering their phones. maybe it IS a bit sad that THAT still impresses me.

 

[Craig234]

Amazon is a pretty amazing retailer. They're also sons of bitches for what they're trying to do in preventing states from receiving the taxes they're owed - for unfair advantage.

I'm about ready to call for replacing the sales tax with an income tax increase to screw Amazon right back on the issue, and let B&M companies have a level playing field.

I'm a Prime subscriber who has raved about Amazon, but I'm avoiding buying right now. Not quite a boycott - that's a pretty high price with Amazon. They can 'do wrong'.

 

[brblx]

what? do you realize WHY they're trying to charge amazon tax?

it's not because they have a either a retail or shipping location in your state. 'cause they already charged for that. they're charging you tax for someone who has possibly no presense in your state.

...but i'm betting amazon already had a presense in say, a state as big as CA, so i don't see why it matters. did california not used to charge sales tax just based on the presence of a B&M warehouse?

 

[SparkyJJO]

Amazon is a pretty amazing retailer. They're also sons of bitches for what they're trying to do in preventing states from receiving the taxes they're owed - for unfair advantage.

I'm about ready to call for replacing the sales tax with an income tax increase to screw Amazon right back on the issue, and let B&M companies have a level playing field.

I'm a Prime subscriber who has raved about Amazon, but I'm avoiding buying right now. Not quite a boycott - that's a pretty high price with Amazon. They can 'do wrong'.

Take your screwy political BS back to P&N where it belongs.

 

[Deeko]

Don't you work for Amazon?

I do not. I do work for a software company nearby...

I guess it doesn't take much to impress people. Amazon was merely doing what you paid them to do. I remember Outpost did this routinely yet they went out of business.

Webvan was impressive back in the day. Free grocery delivery in 30 minute window of your choosing. Now that was service. Amazon owns failed Webvan now I believe.

Except thats not what I paid for. I paid for standard prime shipping, which, ordering on a Friday night, isn't required to arrive until Wednesday.

Amazon does have a grocery service in the Seattle region as well, AmazonFresh, maybe that's the remains of Webvan?

 

[timosyy]

I heart Amazon Prime. Sometimes it takes a while though (and by a while I mean actually two days) unless it's already in the area (I live in Northern VA).

Zappos on the other hand, what the crap. Everything I've ever ordered from them appears on my doorstep the next day.