I am quite furious at the moment with Amazon and could go into a long rant about it but I won't. I just have to say though that I think they have gotten "too big for their britches" and have become quite unreliable and not a very desirable place to shop anymore.

Anybody else agree or is it just me?

I haven't had any trouble with Amazon.

I have had trouble in the past with the Post Office claiming they delivered a package when they didn't, claiming they'd knocked on the door when they didn't. This hasn't happened recently though. According to Google searches, I wasn't the only person who had this happen with the Post Office.

Also Amazon stood up for me when an Amazon seller didn't send what they claimed and then refused to take it back. Amazon got after them and made them take it back.

Well I'm having problems with multiple things, none of which include the post office.

Things such as: availability, changing ship dates even though the item is in stock (but the price has tripled since I ordered and I think they just don't want to ship it to me at the price ordered), the Amazon shipping methods and delivery people, contacting customer service and getting stock answers that are not even true, etc.

I am sorry to hear this, oldbroad. I have not had the same experience. I've gotten a hold of Customer Service a few times in the last couple of years and always had more-than-satisfactory results. I choose the option of having them call me - which they do within 30 seconds of my having requested it - an option I appreciate, as I find going back and forth through email a tedious process.

I also have had the problem in the past that Jenny experienced - claiming that something had been delivered when it hadn't been (although in this case it was UPS). The item never showed up. I spoke to Amazon about it and they gave me a total refund.

Going back and forth through email certainly is a tedious process but when I am upset, I should not talk to people on the phone or at all (probably not even through email).

Probably not an appropriate question, but are you able to easily communicate with them on the phone? None of the names in the emails give me confidence of understanding their English. I mean no disrespect or offense to anybody.

Thus far, I have not had any trouble understanding anyone during the phone calls.

Actually, I am a HUGE Amazon fan. If not for them, I would not be able to have many of the things I use on a regular basis, because brick anmd mortar stores charge twice as much. I have returned plenty of things, had issues with things, but they have never not resolved something to my satisfaction. I am sorry you are having issues, but I am very happy with them.

Ana

Same for us, Ana. Not only do things cost more in the brick and mortar stores, but some things I wouldn't even be able to find around here - I would have to drive a 90-mile round trip just to look for them. Without Amazon, life would be even more complicated than it already is.

I'm with Ana... I live out in the country and use Amazon heavily. I've ordered hundreds of not thousands of items from them over the years from a large oak pedestal table to shoes to mouth mints for my mom. The few times I've had an issue, they have responded immediately and to my complete satisfaction. I had a television delivered with a cracked screen. I was able to box it up and they sent UPS to my door to pick it up. They even shipped a replacement before I had returned the faulty one.

I, too, get lots and lots of stuff from Amazon, and have never had a trouble getting problems settled. I use the "call me" option. But given the amount of stuff I get from them, it's a low percentage that I've even had problems with.

OK, thank you everyone. I have used them for years as I am not a 'go out of the house person'. It is only recently that I have been encountering problems with them. I know I will use them again but right now I am a very unhappy, unsatisfied customer.

I would definitely recommend calling them rather than emailing them - when you feel like you are up to it, of course.

I see you're in Chicago, oldbroad. It's likely that problems with shipping dates and deliveries are likely related to USPS or UPS problems. My daughter lived in the city for a number of years, so I know about such problems. I live in a small town in Ohio and order tons of stuff from Amazon. More often than not, my order is delivered sooner than the estimated delivery date.

I'm sorry you're having trouble. Amazon is just such a convenient way to shop for just about anything. As others have said, I often can find something I've been looking for on Amazon when I can't find it anywhere else. Latest news is that WalMart is working to try to compete with Amazon. I recently placed an order online with WalMart and received my order within 2 days. But items I've ordered from WalMart aren't always in good condition when they arrive. Haven't had that problem with Amazon.

My husband ordered my new computer from Amazon and got a great deal. Any electronics we've ordered were the best prices available and so far we've not had any complaints.

Thanks for your input Sparkle but no, not related to USPS or UPS at all. I'd actually rather they use one of those than their own Amazon delivery. Their delivery people are PART of what I am not liking anymore. Part of it is not shipping when they say they will. I'm talking about the Amazon shipments (fulfilled by Amazon).

I'm not sure I'm understanding. I believe fulfilled by Amazon simply means the item ships direct from Amazon rather than a third party. My Amazon orders are always delivered by the USPS or UPS. USPS does sometimes use contract delivery services though. Maybe someone else can clarify if I have it wrong.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=106096011

My Amazon orders are delivered by special Amazon delivery trucks, not UPS or USPS. I have Amazon Prime though, not sure if that matters. Most things I can order in the morning and get it by the end of the day.

Yes Ana. I have Prime. I very much DISLIKE the Amazon delivery trucks/drivers. I miss the days when Amazon shipped via FedEx and I didn't get 10 deliveries from 10 different places and delivery services for 1 order. Also, the Amazon delivery drivers do NOT ring the bell. They just leave stuff on the porch and then I see in "my orders" things like this: left in mail room (I live in a house and there is no mail room here), and one delivery that was left on my porch said "delivery attempted, not able to deliver" and asked for me to advise which I didn't because it was left on my porch. Later they changed the info to "delivered per your instructions". NOT MY instructions. I never replied to them. There WAS NO ATTEMPTED delivery - it was delivered. My brother saw when they came up the front steps and 10 minutes later I received the "attempted delivery" email.

Sparkle - so far I haven't had any problem with third party sellers, only from the sold by Amazon or fulfilled by Amazon.

That's curious. Explains why I didn't understand the problem. I too have Amazom Prime. But, as I said, always get my deliveries via USPS or UPS. Must be a matter of where you're located.

https://consumerist.com/2016/07/05/whats...guy-in-a-sedan/

I can see why this would cause probems.

I love Amazon. I'm a Prime member and never had any problems.

Mine too, Sparkle... The vast majority of my items are shipped through UPS with some smaller items shipped through the USPS. If it's shipped through the post office, things are not as reliable as UPS. UPS has it here in 2 days unless there are things like severe weather causing delays.

All the things you describe above, oldbroad, are the fault of the delivery service, not Amazon. Unless, I've missed a huge news event, Amazon does not have their own delivery company. They use UPS and USPS with the USPS sometimes contracting out, as Sparkle says.

DRac, the vehicles that deliver to my house are "Amazon" trucks. They have an Amazon logo on them. THey look like this.

Ana

That is interesting, Ana! This must be location-dependent (and maybe requiring a Prime membership, too).

Almost all of my Amazon deliveries come through USPS, with the occasional UPS shipment if it's a particularly large item. But I live 45 miles away from the nearest big city.

We have local pickup areas all over too for Amazon fulfilled items. It will let you know if available and if so, you can just go pick it up yourself. Since I am a prime member and don't have to pay for shipping, I have never used that option.

My last Amazon purchase took 10 days because they didn't ship it for 5.

My Amazon purchases are delivered in a plain white non-marked small van. At first I didn't know who it was roaming the neighborhood and then at my door, but now I'm used to it. Only problem I ever had was my regular Post Office mail guy who scanned a DVD as delivered with the time he supposedly put it in my mailbox, and it never arrived. So I realized I was home at that time, went out to my mailbox, got all my mail and nowhere was the DVD. It was obvious that the mail guy took it himself, since the time scan was done right then. I complained, I got a replacement and now I watch my mailbox like a hawk and check what I get against the 'delivery confirmation' on line. We don't have a 'regular' USPS guy anymore. They changed his route and for the past 2 years we have had a series of people. I think they just grab whoever is around to deliver to our 3 block route. Weird. Can't count on time of day and many times, we get each other's mail mis-delivered and have to put it in the right boxes ourselves. AND we get a lot of mail for some guy who just can't figure out he needs to put EAST on his address. I'm about to write him a nastygram to update his address with all his contacts.

Draclvr: It seems Amazon does have it's own delivery people. See my link above. These delivery people are somewhat like Uber drivers. I can see that such delivery persons may not be as reliable as USPS or UPS and harder to get accurate tracking info. from them.

Yes, Ana. We too have the option to pick up at various locations. But much more convenient for me to have delivered with Amazon Prime. In addition, my husband loves that he can movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime without paying extra for them.

Draclvr - it is Amazon delivery service.

AND Amazon LLC when they do not ship the packages when they say they will and keep changing the delivery date even though I see the item showing "in stock". Two different CS reps told me the item was in process of being packed up, then one told me that they only had a limited quantity in stock and other orders were fulfilled, mine has to wait, no new delivery date available.

This may be just a one time problem as I never had that happen before but I still say they are starting to spread themselves thin, trying to be too many different things and starting to lose their way.

I have Prime but really don't use all/any of that stuff so I find it way over priced now. Keep telling myself not to renew, but then keep letting it auto renew.

Interesting... must depend on where you live for delivery options. Sounds to me like whoever they are contracting with to provide this Amazon deliver service is not doing a good job. Maybe they need to go back to UPS!

Interesting... must depend on where you live for delivery options. Sounds to me like whoever they are contracting with to provide this Amazon deliver service is not doing a good job. Maybe they need to go back to UPS!

Sorta, I thought we were the only ones who had different mail people everyday. Sometimes not till after 6PM. I also have had several things scanned as delivered that I never received. I have never had a problem with Amazon, only the Postal service. I'm a Prime member. We are getting a Huge Amazon warehouse built in Orlando. It will cover around 6 blocks.

Just let me loose in an Amazon warehouse for one night! Oh the stuff I would grab!!!

I was looking for a timer for my 15 year old dishwasher and couldn't find it anywhere but guess what, yes you are right, Amazon had it. The same thing happened when I was looking for a motor starting capacitor for my 15 year old air conditioner.

Geo, we needed a part for our kitchen sink. The manufacturer had it, but sent us to Amazon as they had it for a much better price and much faster delivery. I don't quite understand how, but......

Good to hear these opinions. Let me offer a European perspective. I owe it completely to Amazon that I've been able to find and buy so many great vintage games, books that are out of print, rare DVDs and CDs, which I could not get otherwise, and nearly always at very reasonable prices. Well, I'm exaggerating just a little bit here, because a reasonable number of them could have been ordered second-hand from eBay or the Dutch Marktplaats ('Marketplace'), but Amazon is far more institutionalized and offers far greater control and safety. Because I order from US Amazon, as well as its British, French and German branches, availability is nearly always guaranteed as well as an affordable price.

As far as the delivery of items is concerned, I've never experienced any trouble, apart from the fact that I won't order any expensive books from Amazon. The one time I did, it came in a very large cardboard box, directly from Amazon, completely unprotected by any bubble wrap, foam or crumpled cardboard, so its edges got damaged from the shaking and scraping inside. Never again!

There are two things that I find really annoying, the sometimes ridiculously high cost of packaging and shipping, and weird territorial restrictions. Often, when I order an item, sometimes even from neighbouring Germany, the product itself may just cost a few euros, but when I place my order, it turns out I have to pay twice as much or more for packaging and handling. It happened to me yesterday: a DVD would cost me just $ 2.50, but then shipping and handling added more than 13 dollars, so I cancelled the order. And for a DVD and CD from Germany, together just 16 euros retail price, but 30 euros in all including shipping costs.

Territorial restrictions are another, apparently increasing irritant around the world. Let's say 10 options are shown to me for ordering the item, but then it turns out none of these would ship to the Netherlands. As Amazon states for third party sellers: "Note: Buyers outside the U.S. cannot purchase software or computer games from Amazon sellers". Why on earth? I'm not talking about recent movies here which may get a later European release, or some 'classified' item. And, to be sure, none of this has to do with regional protection of DVDs. I rang up Customer Service about it, and in the end they had to admit that these restrictions were completely arbitrary.

I agree that, in general, there is a problem with deliveries. Because of the insane pressure of competition between online stores to deliver goods free of charge, they more and more rely on private, anonymous (unmarked) delivery vans, owned by the driver, who have to take the risk of investing in their own cars, and only get paid per ordered product, no longer per delivery. This means they try to get rid of their parcels as soon as they can, and illegally (!) offer it to your neighbours, dump it on the porch, throw it through an open window etc. The number of complaints indicates that this is on the increase. Anyway, this was something unheard of until about a decade ago.

In this sense, I hope neighbourhood stores will survive, I try to buy as much from them as I can, and God forbid future deliveries will be done by armies of drones trying to evade one another (or your trees or own heads) and dropping stuff in your garden. At that point, despite my satisfactory Amazon experiences, I will end my membership immediately!

As always, the underlying issue remains: are we willing to pay a reasonable price for personal service and care, or only go for the lowest offer, and leave it to underpaid workers, computers and robots?

Best,

Rich

Excellent comments, Rich! For me, since I live in the country and an hour away from any kind of serious shopping, Amazon has been wonderful. Out here, they use UPS and their service and delivery is flawless. I was able to order a dedicated tomato and vegetable press yesterday after doing extensive research and comparisons on-line. I could have never done this otherwise. I do not patronize big stores like Wal Mart, but at every chance I will patronize locally owned businesses.

While living in an apartment complex we did have issues with Amazon Logistics. They had a habit of leaving our boxes at the lobby door without ringing the bell, outside and were often stolen.

From what I understand, if you are near a distribution center, Amazon will utilize their logistical (tracking, stocking and delivery services) to deliver goods when it's cost effective for them. Now that we've moved to a more rural area, all of our deliveries are coming through UPS because we are much more distant from an Amazon distribution center.

Oldbroad, when you mentioned the cost of something tripling, I'm guessing that's because it's being sold by an Amazon partner, but being fulfilled by Amazon logistics. If it is a product being handled by Amazon and they tripled the price, I'd just look for another supplier. We go back and forth between Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart for most goods. Walmart is the same story though, they have "partners" as well with odd price point spreads for the same product. Supply and demand has a lot to do with it as well. When they get low on stock for a particular item or if the item has been discontinued it seems they occasionally engage an exponential upward curve for pricing as the inventory drops.

I actually dropped Prime for a year due to the aforementioned delivery issues and some pricing discrepancies. We're back on it again and so far, knock on wood, things have been running OK. Again though, it's because we aren't dealing with their logistics and delivery service here.

I hope things improve for you OldBroad.,.it can be "very frustrating" in this digital age when the item you get comes from ??? and not the store down the street. The years ahead are going to be very interesting for our kids and gkids

Dano

Well, in the end, I cancelled the order and paid a little extra to have it shipped from Canada as I got tired of the run around I was getting.

And RichAlexis, I also will cancel my membership if the drones start coming!

soot - I'm glad I won't be around when everything is digital only. At least I hope I won't be. I won't know how to survive.

In my youth, the biggest new invention was the 'electronic calculator' and 'transistor radios'. Amazing stuff. No cords, and oh the things they could do. My first, Casio, calculator did add, subtract, multiply and divide. Period. No percentage, no square roots. Just a simple, small, palm size gadget that made my algebra teacher angry.

Now it's so much stuff with digital, HD, Wi-Fi, phones that do everything and those new Ciri, Echo, thingies that talk back to you. Wild stuff, most of which I am resisting because I like living a simple life.

I remember when I was a teenager and my friend bought her sister (who was also my friend) some kind of digital phone book. I asked my friend why would she need that? Is she too lazy to use a regular phone book?

Boy, I must admit, I wish I had took a look at it and been more interested in it and learned early on about this stuff!

My ex hubby had one of those phone book thingies. He let the battery die and LOST all the programming. Ha. So much for the new and improved gadgets. I laughed a lot. Now things are so much better. Never ending improvement on electronics. I'm resisting except for my very simple computer.