The Gravity Defyer debacle has had me thinking a great deal about Amazon. It is frustrating enough after weeks of dealing with customer service, listening to soothing assurances that the situation is going to be resolved, but the final straw for me came when I was flatly accused of dishonesty by the final customer service specialist.
That made me mad. I make every effort to be polite dealing with customer service. I used to DO customer service, and I know it's a tough job. The fact was that I wasn't lying. The boots wore out before the 60 day warranty, and the company refused to honor their warranty because Amazon had a 30 day return policy and I had made the purchase via Amazon. After weeks of being assured this would be resolved, it wound up with someone who called me dishonest.
Why do I use Amazon so much? Well. They are convenient, that's why. And because we have Amazon Prime, we get free shipping. It's just easy.
I said to Tim, "You know, I think we are going to cancel Amazon Prime. I know we'll probably order from them again at some point, but I am going to avoid the company as much as possible."
He said, "Fine by me."
So I canceled Amazon Prime. I've also begun buying Christmas gifts. So far, none of them have been through Amazon. It hasn't been a struggle, really. I guess Amazon had become a habit. I've broken bad habits before....
Ellie K? You want to check in and mark yourself safe from Idalia?
I've never signed up for Amazon Prime (thank goodness) but I'm trying to break my habit of them too. It's hard as I don't have a car (and they have an excellent website and are too convenient), but EVERY time I've ordered something from Walmart's online site vs Amazon, they bust their butt to get it right. I'm going to try and give them priority online.
ReplyDeleteI ditched Amazon a few years ago for similar reasons. Now, I try to "Buy Local" as much as I can. It helps our local small businesses and the island's economy. Costs more though!
ReplyDeleteWhat interests me is that the main reason that I bought through Amazon is that free shipping. Only one of my Christmas purchases has not qualified for free shipping. That surprised me. I am hopefully shopping early enough that I can still find good deals.
DeleteI've tried to avoid using Amazon for a while now. They have enough money without getting mine. I shop local whenever I can.
ReplyDeleteWe use Amazon. But we don't buy a whole lot of stuff from them. I will say that they make it too easy. "Buy now with one click." Phew. And then it shows up in your mailbox. But I suppose when it goes wrong, it is very wrong. You've had a horrible experience with them.
ReplyDeleteFor me, leaving Amazon would be a real hardship. Most of the things I buy would require a 80 mile round trip to obtain. I suppose I could just order online at other places, but I like minimizing my digital information footprint as much as possible in this age of frequent digital hacks. But if something better or similar comes along, I'm not opposed to leaving them.
ReplyDeleteWe have never had a problem returning items with Prime. We live in a town and don't prefer to drive into the city, so it serves us well to use Amazon. I can see why you're are peeved at that last encounter, but up until then, I think it was more the boot company's fault. I don't see why Amazon's 30-day policy should negate the company's 60-day policy.
ReplyDeleteThat was exactly my point, AC. Where my beef with Amazon comes in is that Gravity Defyer would only speak with me through Amazon. Amazon customer service has been telling me that it wasn't right, and that they would take care of it. In the end, they did not, after stringing me along for weeks. In the end, it was THEIR customer service rep who said I was dishonest.
ReplyDeleteI'm mystified about why they gave you such a hard time. What is a pair of shoes to Amazon? Nothing!
ReplyDeleteWell, it is my goal to make sure they lose more than they gained.
DeleteThat's a good step to take with Amazon. I've survived so far without Amazon, aside from Kindle books.
ReplyDeleteI shop a lot of different sources, including Amazon, which I'm not ready to give up, unless that little Capital (?) notice comes up and tells me who has a better deal.
ReplyDeleteI only buy about one thing a year from Amazon and only if I can’t get it elsewhere. I never had prime as I am never in a hurry for anything. I am finding the quality sometimes isn’t what I expected. I buy all my clothes from llbean online because I am plus size and no stores have my size near me. I have no trouble returning in there store near me that don’t carry my size. I am sorry you got burned by amazon, Debby.
ReplyDeleteVirtually every piece of clothing I have is thrifted, undergarments excepted. I did buy a new pair of hiking/work shoes this summer because I couldn't find what I needed. I got burned by Gravity Defyer. Amazon was just the extremely unhelpful middle man. I made up my mind never to buy 'third party' through Amazon. But when Amazon's guy said that I was being dishonest in those words, that did it for them. I really had quite a think about how we have become so addicted to convenience that we tolerate poor service, unhealthy food, rudeness. I have decided not to be addicted to convenience any more.
DeleteI buy from Amazon all of the time and always get free shipping without Prime. Just wait to purchase until you have enough in the cart to qualify. The minimum is $35 and you have to wait a week or so for your stuff, but it works for me.
ReplyDelete