Amazon Tries Really Hard

[George7941]

Needed a pair of garage door safety sensors not readily available locally, placed the order Friday evening and the item was at my doorstep Saturday morning at 11am. I was impressed.

I can see why Amazon is growing by leaps and bounds. I understand they plough most of their revenue back into the company for improvement and expansion, unlike a lot of companies whose focus is short term and is more concerned about dividends and immediate return.

I wish local businesses tried as hard at customer service as Amazon.

 

[xxch4osxx]

Originally Posted By: George7941
Needed a pair of garage door safety sensors not readily available locally, placed the order Friday evening and the item was at my doorstep Saturday morning at 11am. I was impressed.

I can see why Amazon is growing by leaps and bounds. I understand they plough most of their revenue back into the company for improvement and expansion, unlike a lot of companies whose focus is short term and is more concerned about dividends and immediate return.

I wish local businesses tried as hard at customer service as Amazon.


I agree. I ordered a set of NGK Irridium plugs for the girlfriend's Mazda on thursday afternoon and they were in the mailbox friday afternoon. Set of 4 plugs was $62.00 shipped. Dealer wanted $32.00 per plug!!!

 

[eljefino]

I disagree... picked a part for my project car Saturday night and the website read, if I order in the next 55 minutes I'd have it by Monday, guaranteed.

So I do, and now tracking reads Wed/Thu.

The guarantee is that if stuff's late, I get my shipping money back. But I have free Prime shipping, so this is a scam.

They still get me stuff faster than the ebay vendors that use Fedex Smartpost, though. That's an easy week-and-a-half.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
The guarantee is that if stuff's late, I get my shipping money back. But I have free Prime shipping, so this is a scam.
Apparently you can ask them to extend your Primer membership by a month every time they miss a delivery date.

 

[robertcope]

Meh 9/10 Amazon orders get there [censored] fast. Probably more than that. Sure, every once in a while something goes askew and it takes a day or two more. Overall, they are amazing logistically. And their customer support is also great. I've had a radiator get lost in the mail. Let them know, they shipped a second one. Never a question. Never asked for the original one back, either, when it did finally arrive.

The biggest problem they have right now is with counterfeit goods. I wouldn't buy something like an Apple power adapter from them. Too hard to tell if you're going to get the real deal.

 

[123Saab]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: eljefino
The guarantee is that if stuff's late, I get my shipping money back. But I have free Prime shipping, so this is a scam.
Apparently you can ask them to extend your Primer membership by a month every time they miss a delivery date.


This.

I got 3 months free for a Camera Lens that was 2 days late, I mentioned that I needed it for work.

 

[SZR48207]

Amazon has "spoiled" a lot of people when it comes to retail, but maybe they have been so disruptive to norms that we're just seeing a paradigm change?

Pretty much any brick & mortar retailer can't compete with Amazon because having actual stores in cities adds overhead costs that MUST be accounted for. Autozone can't always price match Amazon or they wouldn't be able to afford counter employees, lease costs, local taxes, etc.

I try to use my local places for hard to get items or emergency purchases, but even they rarely carry what I need at the last minute.

I fear we are shooting ourselves in the foot by abandoning traditional retail.

 

[123Saab]

Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Amazon has "spoiled" a lot of people when it comes to retail, but maybe they have been so disruptive to norms that we're just seeing a paradigm change?

Pretty much any brick & mortar retailer can't compete with Amazon because having actual stores in cities adds overhead costs that MUST be accounted for. Autozone can't always price match Amazon or they wouldn't be able to afford counter employees, lease costs, local taxes, etc.

I try to use my local places for hard to get items or emergency purchases, but even they rarely carry what I need at the last minute.

I fear we are shooting ourselves in the foot by abandoning traditional retail.


At this stage I don't think us as consumers have much say anymore. It would take a massive movement to get people to return to brick & mortar small businesses.

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
I disagree... picked a part for my project car Saturday night and the website read, if I order in the next 55 minutes I'd have it by Monday, guaranteed.

So I do, and now tracking reads Wed/Thu.

The guarantee is that if stuff's late, I get my shipping money back. But I have free Prime shipping, so this is a scam.

They still get me stuff faster than the ebay vendors that use Fedex Smartpost, though. That's an easy week-and-a-half.


It’s a scam, but you have Prime?

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Originally Posted By: eljefino
I disagree... picked a part for my project car Saturday night and the website read, if I order in the next 55 minutes I'd have it by Monday, guaranteed.

So I do, and now tracking reads Wed/Thu.

The guarantee is that if stuff's late, I get my shipping money back. But I have free Prime shipping, so this is a scam.

They still get me stuff faster than the ebay vendors that use Fedex Smartpost, though. That's an easy week-and-a-half.


It’s a scam, but you have Prime?



Calling something a guarantee implies they have a way of making good on it. Paying me $0.00 for my shipping expense isn't much skin in the game.

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Amazon has "spoiled" a lot of people when it comes to retail, but maybe they have been so disruptive to norms that we're just seeing a paradigm change?

Pretty much any brick & mortar retailer can't compete with Amazon because having actual stores in cities adds overhead costs that MUST be accounted for. Autozone can't always price match Amazon or they wouldn't be able to afford counter employees, lease costs, local taxes, etc.

I try to use my local places for hard to get items or emergency purchases, but even they rarely carry what I need at the last minute.

I fear we are shooting ourselves in the foot by abandoning traditional retail.





Retail abandoned the consumer. They offer poor customer service and in reality they all stock the same stuff. It may have different labeling but it’s all from the same sources. Selections are limited.

The only retailers that are successful are those filling a certain niche.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: PimTac
Retail abandoned the consumer. They offer poor customer service and in reality they all stock the same stuff. It may have different labeling but it’s all from the same sources. Selections are limited. The only retailers that are successful are those filling a certain niche.


I agree completely. For years I heard how places like Wal-Mart and Target were killing the mom and pop local business. Now I'm hearing the same nonsense how Amazon is killing them. They have all become victims of their own creation. Business evolves on a never ending basis. I remember when self service gas stations were starting to come on line in the early 70's. Full service stations warned of explosions and car fires because people, "had no idea what they were doing". As if pumping gas was rocket science.

Checkout girls in supermarkets cried and whined much the same when scanners were introduced into grocery stores. People resist chance. Some change is worth resistance. But most isn't. I remember people saying new cars were "bad", because they were getting so complex, you couldn't work on them yourself. This kind of thing never ends. Direct, to your front door Internet marketing is fast, easy, convenient, and cheaper. Brick and mortar is slowly going the way of Blockbuster Video in many cases. It has simply outlived it's time. Much like the horse drawn wagon, selling ice door to door before electric refrigeration.

 

[sprite1741]

What is the secret. It takes them 7 to 8 days for me. I ordered an O2 sensor on a Monday and it showed up Tuesday a week later. I even used my Amazon CC. I ordered a polarizing filter for my dashcam on ebay Friday and tracking shows delivery Monday by 8pm. Amazon hates me I guess.

 

[OilFilters]

Originally Posted By: Reddy45
I fear we are shooting ourselves in the foot by abandoning traditional retail.


To me it seems like we're coming full circle, just like in the days before big stores and everybody ordered everything out of the Sears catalog. For people like me that live in a rural area, Amazon is a miracle. Many things are unavailable without an hour+ drive one way, and if anything is available, there is no selection. The only "local" stores I could shop at are generally Walmart, Lowes, and Autozone...but what is local about any of those? They're basically just self help warehouses with internet stuff stored strategically around the country. No reason I need to pay their rent and for the wages for the losers that work there and generally don't do much.

I say good riddance to all the things Amazon is putting out of business. They treat their customers well, offer good prices, and great selection. Businesses are not a charity, even small local ones, so if they can't offer me the best price, I'll find it elsewhere.

On top of that, small businesses can sign up to sell their stuff through Amazon, even allowing Amazon to store products and fulfill orders with free prime shipping...thus the small business can compete on that stage.

 

[SZR48207]

Originally Posted By: sprite1741
What is the secret. It takes them 7 to 8 days for me. I ordered an O2 sensor on a Monday and it showed up Tuesday a week later. I even used my Amazon CC. I ordered a polarizing filter for my dashcam on ebay Friday and tracking shows delivery Monday by 8pm. Amazon hates me I guess.


Get Amazon Prime and ONLY order items with "Prime fulfillment".

If you order an item sold by a 3rd party merchant without expedited shipping, it will take a week.

 

[OilFilters]

Originally Posted By: sprite1741
What is the secret. It takes them 7 to 8 days for me. I ordered an O2 sensor on a Monday and it showed up Tuesday a week later. I even used my Amazon CC. I ordered a polarizing filter for my dashcam on ebay Friday and tracking shows delivery Monday by 8pm. Amazon hates me I guess.


Their shipping times are heavily dependent on your location and the location of what you are buying. They have stuff stashed throughout the country, but sometimes the one thing you want is only located 3,000 miles away. Other times it might be 100 miles away. Also if you live in a big city or heavily populated area you are going to get your stuff much sooner because all the carriers have closer hubs.

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Originally Posted By: eljefino
I disagree... picked a part for my project car Saturday night and the website read, if I order in the next 55 minutes I'd have it by Monday, guaranteed.

So I do, and now tracking reads Wed/Thu.

The guarantee is that if stuff's late, I get my shipping money back. But I have free Prime shipping, so this is a scam.

They still get me stuff faster than the ebay vendors that use Fedex Smartpost, though. That's an easy week-and-a-half.


It’s a scam, but you have Prime?



Calling something a guarantee implies they have a way of making good on it. Paying me $0.00 for my shipping expense isn't much skin in the game.


The world isn't perfect. Stuff happens.

Did you ask them to extend your membership 1 month as previously mentioned?

***Also you said PROJECT car.. not worth losing sleep over IMO.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world, by a bunch. Never knew selling books on line was so darn profitable.

Actually, Amazon is bucking general business thought. Over the past 20 years, businesses focused on what they did well and outsourced the rest.
Bezos wants to conquer (own) the world.
He insources one thing after another.

 

[Dallas69]

Amazon is hurting America.
Or I should say we Americans are allowing it to happen.
We are so used to just pushing a button and buying stuff that we don't see the harm done to local stores.
Iam guilty as others for using them but I will try every other option before I use Amazon again.
Society wants things right now,people don't have patience anymore.
I enjoy going to stores shopping.
I like holding and actually seeing what I am buying.
What will happen if all the local stores disappear?
I am old and hope I don't see it.

 

[dblshock]

Sears did it to the locals 125 yrs. ago with catalogs...call it progress