To think Amazon is overrated?

[SugarCanes]

I keep getting Amazon vouchers for Xmas and birthdays. And to be honest, I can never find anything I want so I end up spending it on presents for other people.

I don't buy DVDs - I have streaming services so no need. I don't buy music either and never have the time to read these days.

As for toiletries and household things etc, it's often more expensive on Amazon that it is in the supermarket or shops. I have bought some clothing bits in the past and it was always awful quality.

I don't understand the fuss?

Also had a couple of things to return .Super easy! One needed a label and my printer had broken down .Got hold of the "Bot" Ok to return at the PO.Also last week sent back a top Sat refunded by Mon!

I have a Kindle so can buy books with the vouchers . I agree things are often expensive on Amazon but if I have a voucher for them that is less of an issue. I pay for prime so find most things arrive very quickly and I watch prime video quite a lot Mostly however,O use it because it is so convenient. It is the inline equivalent of a department or superstore. Everything in one place and easy to buy.

@Adoptthisdogornot

Amzon treat their staff badly. Their suppliers badly. They don't pay their taxes. They don't care about the environment. They have created an impossible environment for other businesses and driven them out of the market with points 1 and 2. Their home listening devices are downright sinister. They have far too much influence over what media we consume, which is a threat to choice and ultimately, democracy (fake news, biased news, Alexa deciding which side of a story you hear etc.) They sell a huge amount of dodgy products, make up and toys which fall well below standards for example. They have been caught trading in truly horrible stuff, e.g. white supremacist merchandise. Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world, worth more money than some countries GDP, but does almost nothing to improve anyones lives. The company, business model, people and ethos of Amazon should be abhorrent to anyone with a social conscience. Every time you shop on amazon, you reduce the amount of money available for public spending here, and make the world's greediness man a bit richer.

Why should he? He has wealth that he has earned, incredible wealth but it doesn't mean he has to give lots away, it would be nice to but he's under no obligation to. As for the tax, many individuals wouldn't offer to pay more tax then they have to. He pays the legal amount, which people may not like. I personally love Amazon and would hate to see how much I've spent since I've had it. I use it to get most things including my sports supplements, and some fitness clothes. Using Prime right now too

@buttery81

But I do like it for books

Please support your local independent bookshop over Amazon.

We have two local independent shops. One is a childrens only which is lovely but the books are at least £10 more than Amazon, I simply cannot afford to do that all the time , I am not going to not get my children books because I can't afford their higher prices so I buy off Amazon if I can't afford the independent. Which is a lot. No it's not fair to DC to save up for ages every single time for the only reason being to support that bookshop.

As with other pp the other independent bookshop rarely has what I want to buy ,so if I find something I want to read I'll give my custom to the person that sells it.

I'm afraid as with many independents I would happily support them if their pricing was reasonable and the stock is what people want to buy . Often this is not the case.

Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world, worth more money than some countries GDP, but does almost nothing to improve anyones live
how do you know that! Why do people make the assumption that because someone is rich they dont do anything for anyone else or donate to charity

Charity donations

They sell everything !!!

There have been repeated reports of Amazon enabling the sale of dangerous products that don't meet UK safety standards.

Carbon monoxide alarms: www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-44563900

Child car seats: www.which.co.uk/news/2019/02/why-are-ebay-and-amazon-still-selling-killer-car-seats/ in 2019 and still happening a year later! www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51497010

Dangerous counterfeit electrical goods: www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jun/06/dangerous-fake-electrical-goods-sold-amazon-ebay-investigation
www.theguardian.com/money/2019/nov/
The way I see it, 27/e-shoppers-warned-after-electrical-goods-fail-safety-tests
Newest report from just a few days ago, it's still happening : www.which.co.uk/news/2020/12/amazon-com-ebay-and-wish-found-selling-dangerous-recalled-products/

These issues arise with "third party sellers" but they are inevitable in the way Amazon currently does things. There's no meaningful checks on sellers because Amazon want to make it easy peasy for anyone to sell there. Which means, surprise surprise, anyone can sell there including companies that really shouldn't be. It's an unregulated marketplace.

Products actually sold by Amazon may be trustworthy, but the site makes this far from simple to ensure.

Amazon is great. We use it for Christmas presents and birthday all the time.
I found it especially great this year as shopping with a baby in tow isn't fun. Much easier to order it and get it delivered and nearly always find what I want

Only "fakes" from china Ive seen were the ones when normally profuct costs £20, but some seller has it on for £2.99. Pretty obvious though.
I shop a lot from there, but a lot from normal shops too. Amazon has usually better service and let's be honest, more on offer. Bloody Argos is such a disappointment last year or so. So is quite a few of non amazon shops.

I am sure that if I searched enough, I could find a human liver for sale there. It has everything you can imagine and more😂

Amazon improves my life immensely!

Just counted mine too. It only went back for 6 months from June 19th and I ordered 217 times. No e~books, I prefer the physical book.

I suspect from March-June it was a lot too so way more than I thought. I wouldn’t want to know how much it comes too though, I would probably delete the app.

I have relied on it massively. I think they’re a great company, the customer service is excellent.
I ordered dd a pencil case which she had chosen. When it arrived it was slightly different and she wasn’t happy with it. I contacted them on web chat to arrange return and they told us to keep it anyway and refunded us instantly. We’ve had that happen a couple of times actually.

hate Amazon, I find it really tacky and overwhelming like an expensive online Pound shop. There's nothing enjoyable about shopping there, and the constant badgering to sign up for Prime has driven me away. I expect Jeff Bezos

Erm ok... I have Prime and think it's fantastic. Not sure how you can compare to Poundland etc. I just bought a Sony turntable rated best but by Hifi Magazine not sure you could pick that up in Poundland. I suppose you hate Halloween and Santa too.

Amazon is here to stay and has the best customer service around.

Poundland!!! 😂

A Cartier watch popped up on mine. Not that I’d be interested. It was about 5k

I'm something of a luddite.
Ordering stuff on-line makes me nervous.
I also like to go into a shop (in normal times) and touch things, and try them on.
But even I can see that YABVVVVVVU.
This year, particularly, it has come into it's Prime ('cuse the pun).
No point in repeating the lists as we are a couple of hundred posts into this thread (where virtually everyone disagrees with you), but there really isn't much you can't buy via Amazon.
Your statement is like saying "AIBU to think shops are over rated". You can buy cheap stuff or expensive stuff on Amazon, just as you can from shops if you happen to live near a flourishing City Centre High Street.

Yes, I'm with all the people that are uncomfortable that one person can have SO much wealth (how many of you saw that things doing the rounds on Facebook where it did a graphic of his wealth, compared with what it would cost to eradicate various diseases from the world and various other costs that you think would be impossible to find money for?). But that isn't what the OP was asking about.

Over lockdown I've loved amazon as a substitute for actually going shopping.
I shop locally when I can too.
I know they are tax dodging scumbags but for speed and ease I dont think they can be beaten. Also the odd time there has been a problem, they are super quick to resolve issues.

People have come on here and said that they work for Amazon and are not badly treated. We're all anonymous here, so they're not trying to curry favour. I have heard bad things about working conditions but maybe they have genuinely improved. However, those people still need jobs, and it won't help them if I buy something I don't need or want from a local ship instead. And I am not sure all local shops treat their staff any better - no HR or oversight.

As for Alexa, I don't have it (her). It is possible to exist without a smart speaker in the house (although ds has a Google smart speaker - is that any less sinister?)

Please support your local independent bookshop over Amazon we don't have one, the 2008 recession killed it. We did have another second hand bookshop and I suggested to them that they used Hive, but they wouldn't. They have since gone bust - pre covid.

local shop not ship - I don't live by the sea!

@Adoptthisdogornot

Amzon treat their staff badly. Their suppliers badly. They don't pay their taxes. They don't care about the environment. They have created an impossible environment for other businesses and driven them out of the market with points 1 and 2. Their home listening devices are downright sinister. They have far too much influence over what media we consume, which is a threat to choice and ultimately, democracy (fake news, biased news, Alexa deciding which side of a story you hear etc.) They sell a huge amount of dodgy products, make up and toys which fall well below standards for example. They have been caught trading in truly horrible stuff, e.g. white supremacist merchandise. Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world, worth more money than some countries GDP, but does almost nothing to improve anyones lives. The company, business model, people and ethos of Amazon should be abhorrent to anyone with a social conscience. Every time you shop on amazon, you reduce the amount of money available for public spending here, and make the world's greediness man a bit richer.

Do you believe everything you read in the daily mirror? Or is there any other genuine source for all this?

I think it is massively underrated.

I would probably die without Amazon. Ok exaggeration there - but we probably have an Amazon delivery every week from them.

Amazon is here to stay and has the best customer service around.

Until 3 days ago I would have agreed as a customer of over 20 years standing.

However I've just had my second monthly "subscribe and save" order of Vitamin-D tablets (for DW) cancelled. After 27 previous orders for it going back over 2 years.

Now obviously recent events have created some supply issues. However chatting with Amazons supplier of the tablets revealed that they had expressly supplied enough to cover Amazons existing S&S customers.

So it's clear Amazon have themselves decided to shaft regulars and gouge the market by selling the tablets at a huge mark up compared to last month. And then lie about it claiming they "hadn't received the stock", not knowing I was in contact with the supplier.

Over the years I have repeatedly used Amazon in examples at work of what good customer service looks like. Looks like I will have to find a new paradigm.

My paradigm for absolute worst customer service is hotly contested, but any firm that acts as a middleman when it comes to being paid, and then fucks off when there are problems will do ...

The thing about poor staff conditions is true for most retailers though. Long hours and low pay, sudden change to shifts, short breaks ( ever wondered why there aren’t so many supermarket female delivery drivers - they have to ask customers if they can use their loo as the shifts in the van have no possible toilet breaks also useful when they’re on their period. Working at 5am on Boxing Day. The list goes on.

I love Amazon particularly with Prime. I’ve just ordered books and toys for Christmas presents for neighbours. Nothing like Poundland but the good quality you would expect from branded goods. We have Amazon deliveries all the time - today had phone charger, extension cable and vacuum cleaner.

@buttery81

But I do like it for books

Please support your local independent bookshop over Amazon.

A lot of independent bookshops sell through Amazon marketplace now.

I don't understand how the OP can't find anything on there, they sell almost everything and if you're careful about checking the seller you can easily avoid most of the crap.

Where I live our physical shopping is very limited (no independent bookshops for example!) and can be pricey due to import costs. I shop locally where and when I can for gifts and so on, but for a lot of stuff Amazon is a lifesaver.

they have to ask customers if they can use their loo as the shifts in the van have no possible toilet breaks also useful when they’re on their period.

I always wonder this about anyone in a job such as bus driver, delivery driver, postie- what if you need a wee!