Octopus Overlords

Fitzy wrote:We've been using Prime for a few months now. It's a little odd. We've had:

5 delivery companies, UPS, USPS, Amazon, some local delivery company, and apparently random people (I suspect these are Amazon too, but who knows). We've had stuff delivered to our door, to the complex office, and now to a UPS access point. Not thrilled with that last. They listed an address that I couldn't find. However there was a UPS store one number off. That had to be it. Ah no. I got chewed out, but pointed in the right direction. The correct place was an Eastern European Grocery Store.

I'm sure there's a method, but it all seems crazy to me.

The random guys are AMZL_US. I had a guy call me at work yesterday. I don't like calling random callers whether anyone is at my house or not. Then an hour later Amazon called from Washington asking if the driver really couldn't deliver. Fed Ex delivered from Amazon the same day. Shrug.

The guy came back around 6pm so I got my stuff. But AMZL_US is my least favorite.

Fitzy wrote:We've been using Prime for a few months now. It's a little odd. We've had:

5 delivery companies, UPS, USPS, Amazon, some local delivery company, and apparently random people (I suspect these are Amazon too, but who knows). We've had stuff delivered to our door, to the complex office, and now to a UPS access point. Not thrilled with that last. They listed an address that I couldn't find. However there was a UPS store one number off. That had to be it. Ah no. I got chewed out, but pointed in the right direction. The correct place was an Eastern European Grocery Store.

I'm sure there's a method, but it all seems crazy to me.

There's definitely something screwy going on. Are you sure you're using Amazon.com and not going to an impostor service called Amazingzone.com or something?

I've put in over a thousand orders with Amazon over the years and every single one has gone to the address I specified. My general process is that I buy something, put in the address I want it sent to, and then it gets sent to that address.

That's a pretty good process. I'll have to try that. I had just been leaving a partial address in the comments box

There was a bit of system glitch last week. I tried to place an order but none of the orders would deliver to the Amazon lockbox I usually use, and I can't apply my gift certificates. Couple days later, I could. Don't know what to say.

AMZL_US dropped the ball again for us. It's so not ready for prime time.



Another annoyance: Pantry-only items. I have a few items I want but they are pantry only. Can't order them alone anymore, even with paid shipping. Have to do pantry. So annoying.

LawBeefaroni wrote:AMZL_US dropped the ball again for us. It's so not ready for prime time.



Another annoyance: Pantry-only items. I have a few items I want but they are pantry only. Can't order them alone anymore, even with paid shipping. Have to do pantry. So annoying.

Even more annoying is when I do subscribe to an item, the subscription doesn't begin for another 30 days. So if I need it now, I can't get the price advantage I get from subscribing in the first place.

Jeff V wrote:

LawBeefaroni wrote:AMZL_US dropped the ball again for us. It's so not ready for prime time.



Another annoyance: Pantry-only items. I have a few items I want but they are pantry only. Can't order them alone anymore, even with paid shipping. Have to do pantry. So annoying.

Even more annoying is when I do subscribe to an item, the subscription doesn't begin for another 30 days. So if I need it now, I can't get the price advantage I get from subscribing in the first place.

Also annoying when you get the $5.99 Pantry credit option when choosing no-rush shipping (something I don't want, at all) instead of the $1 digital anything credit that they usually offer (something I totally want and use 100% of the time). Your Pantry product sucks; kill it or fix it!

Zaxxon wrote:

Jeff V wrote:

LawBeefaroni wrote:AMZL_US dropped the ball again for us. It's so not ready for prime time.



Another annoyance: Pantry-only items. I have a few items I want but they are pantry only. Can't order them alone anymore, even with paid shipping. Have to do pantry. So annoying.

Even more annoying is when I do subscribe to an item, the subscription doesn't begin for another 30 days. So if I need it now, I can't get the price advantage I get from subscribing in the first place.

Also annoying when you get the $5.99 Pantry credit option when choosing no-rush shipping (something I don't want, at all) instead of the $1 digital anything credit that they usually offer (something I totally want and use 100% of the time). Your Pantry product sucks; kill it or fix it!

I pick the 2day if they offer the pantry option. I tried it once, I can't shop like that.

LawBeefaroni wrote:

Zaxxon wrote:

Jeff V wrote:

LawBeefaroni wrote:AMZL_US dropped the ball again for us. It's so not ready for prime time.



Another annoyance: Pantry-only items. I have a few items I want but they are pantry only. Can't order them alone anymore, even with paid shipping. Have to do pantry. So annoying.

Even more annoying is when I do subscribe to an item, the subscription doesn't begin for another 30 days. So if I need it now, I can't get the price advantage I get from subscribing in the first place.

Also annoying when you get the $5.99 Pantry credit option when choosing no-rush shipping (something I don't want, at all) instead of the $1 digital anything credit that they usually offer (something I totally want and use 100% of the time). Your Pantry product sucks; kill it or fix it!

I pick the 2day if they offer the pantry option. I tried it once, I can't shop like that.

Same here.

Zaxxon wrote:
Same here.

Sometimes changing up the order (dropping one item) will get the digital discount. Haven't figured out their system but if there's something I can wait for I'll try it.

wonderpug wrote:

Fitzy wrote:We've been using Prime for a few months now. It's a little odd. We've had:

5 delivery companies, UPS, USPS, Amazon, some local delivery company, and apparently random people (I suspect these are Amazon too, but who knows). We've had stuff delivered to our door, to the complex office, and now to a UPS access point. Not thrilled with that last. They listed an address that I couldn't find. However there was a UPS store one number off. That had to be it. Ah no. I got chewed out, but pointed in the right direction. The correct place was an Eastern European Grocery Store.

I'm sure there's a method, but it all seems crazy to me.

There's definitely something screwy going on. Are you sure you're using Amazon.com and not going to an impostor service called Amazingzone.com or something?

I've put in over a thousand orders with Amazon over the years and every single one has gone to the address I specified. My general process is that I buy something, put in the address I want it sent to, and then it gets sent to that address.

Interesting

My process seems to be: buy something, pick my address, it gets shipped into the general vicinity, they pretend they tried to deliver it, I pick it up at the complex office/weird Eastern European grocery store/neighbor/and or post office.

And I'm not kidding about the Eastern European grocery store. That is the ups access point. A quarter block from the UPS store.

I haven't counted, but about 25% of my packages end up intentionally elsewhere. Normally the complex office so not a big deal. Polish Mob store scared me a bit.

That's weird. While I live closer to Baltimore than DC, I never have the issues you're mentioning. I've had the variety of delivery services bring the items to the house. And I have the option to pick Amazon lockers at the grocery stores (but I don't go to Shoppers around here. I think that's all they're currently using). But I've never had my items delivered somewhere else. That'd be a pretty big problem, in my opinion.

I am tempted to to order pantry but with nobody at the door to accept (can't do pantry to a locker) it's kinda impossible.

Baroquen wrote:That's weird. While I live closer to Baltimore than DC, I never have the issues you're mentioning. I've had the variety of delivery services bring the items to the house. And I have the option to pick Amazon lockers at the grocery stores (but I don't go to Shoppers around here. I think that's all they're currently using). But I've never had my items delivered somewhere else. That'd be a pretty big problem, in my opinion.

I suspect the issue is actually house vs apartment. I'm fairly certain the ones ending up at the office are almost entirely USPS. Same thing happened when we lived in Colorado. It's easier for them to drop off a pile of packages when they arrive rather than see if someone is home.

UPS is making one delivery attempt. After that the package goes to their access point. I'm not sure when they started this. But it happened to me for the first time the other day. And I have a notice of a second one.

Oddly the Amazon delivery people seem to always get the package into my hands.

Ive had UPS fail to deliver to me. When I check their site its listed as due to me not being home....even though I'd be home all day expecting them. I dont know how drivers get by with total out right lies. Then the local UPS truck place is literally about 2 blocks from me..if the hill was not blocking my view I could see it right there......but yet they wouldn't let me just come and pick it up. Made me wait until the next day delivery. Then of course theres no guarantee that the driver wont be a jerk again.

But that was the rare one and usually I had no trouble.

Daehawk wrote:Ive had UPS fail to deliver to me. When I check their site its listed as due to me not being home....even though I'd be home all day expecting them. I dont know how drivers get by with total out right lies. Then the local UPS truck place is literally about 2 blocks from me..if the hill was not blocking my view I could see it right there......but yet they wouldn't let me just come and pick it up. Made me wait until the next day delivery. Then of course theres no guarantee that the driver wont be a jerk again.

But that was the rare one and usually I had no trouble.

yeah that's happened to me. Very frustrating.

Another somewhat related gripe. Amazon owns Audible, right? Why can't I buy an Audible upgrade through the Kindle app when the Amazon store card is my default payment option?

Chrisoc13 wrote:

Daehawk wrote:Ive had UPS fail to deliver to me. When I check their site its listed as due to me not being home....even though I'd be home all day expecting them. I dont know how drivers get by with total out right lies. Then the local UPS truck place is literally about 2 blocks from me..if the hill was not blocking my view I could see it right there......but yet they wouldn't let me just come and pick it up. Made me wait until the next day delivery. Then of course theres no guarantee that the driver wont be a jerk again.

But that was the rare one and usually I had no trouble.

yeah that's happened to me. Very frustrating.

Why would you want them to be willing to give out your package to some random person that comes walking up to their truck claiming to be you? I get where it would be frustrating but I'd rather wait for the package than have someone see them try to deliver to my house, run them down a block and a half later, and claim my package as their own.

Baroquen wrote:That's weird. While I live closer to Baltimore than DC, I never have the issues you're mentioning. I've had the variety of delivery services bring the items to the house. And I have the option to pick Amazon lockers at the grocery stores (but I don't go to Shoppers around here. I think that's all they're currently using). But I've never had my items delivered somewhere else. That'd be a pretty big problem, in my opinion.

UPS has a system where f they can't deliver, they drop at an "access point" in he neighborhood. Ours is a cleaner a few blocks away. It's annoying at first but you can turn it off online. I don't mind anymore since I don't have to worry about someone being home. If they miss a delivery, I pick it up at the cleaner the next day.

Jeff V wrote:Another somewhat related gripe. Amazon owns Audible, right? Why can't I buy an Audible upgrade through the Kindle app when the Amazon store card is my default payment option?

Money.

For applications and in-app products that you offer on Google Play, the transaction fee is equivalent to 30% of the price.

You receive 70% of the payment. The remaining 30% goes to the distribution partner and operating fees.

Isgrimnur wrote:

Jeff V wrote:Another somewhat related gripe. Amazon owns Audible, right? Why can't I buy an Audible upgrade through the Kindle app when the Amazon store card is my default payment option?

Money.

For applications and in-app products that you offer on Google Play, the transaction fee is equivalent to 30% of the price.

You receive 70% of the payment. The remaining 30% goes to the distribution partner and operating fees.

What does Google Play have to do with it? It's an Amazon-owned product being used in a Amazon-created app. Hell, Amazon is even touting that other companies are now accepting the Amazon Store credit card as a form of payment. Why can't their own business unit take it? And there is absolutely no way Amazon is charging vendors 30% for using their credit card when the norm is 2-4%.

What device and OS are you using? Is it on an Android phone? Then Google wants 30% of every sale made through the app. If you're using the Amazon Fire phone, you have bigger issues.

Isgrimnur wrote:What device and OS are you using? Is it on an Android phone? Then Google wants 30% of every sale made through the app. If you're using the Amazon Fire phone, you have bigger issues.

Amazon web site. But when I changed my payment to Amex, the phone app accepted the payment just fine.

Jeff V wrote:Audible upgrade through the Kindle app

Switching to the website means that Google can't get their grubby hands on the passthrough.

Isgrimnur wrote:

Jeff V wrote:Audible upgrade through the Kindle app

Switching to the website means that Google can't get their grubby hands on the passthrough.

Considering Amazon has a full shopping app, I'm quite sure they aren't sacrificing 30% of each transaction. They'd be bankrupt in no time.

But I just bought another upgrade using the phone app. It processed from the Kindle app just fine, because I switched the payment method. Google had nothing to do with this issue, the issue is Audible not taking the Amazon credit card. It's like if you purchased a new refrigerator from Sears and was told that the appliance department doesn't take the Sears credit card.

Remus West wrote:

Chrisoc13 wrote:

Daehawk wrote:Ive had UPS fail to deliver to me. When I check their site its listed as due to me not being home....even though I'd be home all day expecting them. I dont know how drivers get by with total out right lies. Then the local UPS truck place is literally about 2 blocks from me..if the hill was not blocking my view I could see it right there......but yet they wouldn't let me just come and pick it up. Made me wait until the next day delivery. Then of course theres no guarantee that the driver wont be a jerk again.

But that was the rare one and usually I had no trouble.

yeah that's happened to me. Very frustrating.

Why would you want them to be willing to give out your package to some random person that comes walking up to their truck claiming to be you? I get where it would be frustrating but I'd rather wait for the package than have someone see them try to deliver to my house, run them down a block and a half later, and claim my package as their own.

no... I've been home and my buzzer never sounded. They never tried but I'm home. Then they mark it down as delivery attempted - no answer. Its ridiculous and it has happened several times both in Chicago and now here in Maine.

This is why you submit corporate compliments and give holiday gifts to your regular delivery guy. The last time they tried to move our UPS guy and have someone play that fake delivery game, we had a few houses on the block lodge complaints at corporate and ask for the old guy by name.

Chrisoc13 wrote:

Remus West wrote:

Chrisoc13 wrote:

Daehawk wrote:Ive had UPS fail to deliver to me. When I check their site its listed as due to me not being home....even though I'd be home all day expecting them. I dont know how drivers get by with total out right lies. Then the local UPS truck place is literally about 2 blocks from me..if the hill was not blocking my view I could see it right there......but yet they wouldn't let me just come and pick it up. Made me wait until the next day delivery. Then of course theres no guarantee that the driver wont be a jerk again.

But that was the rare one and usually I had no trouble.

yeah that's happened to me. Very frustrating.

Why would you want them to be willing to give out your package to some random person that comes walking up to their truck claiming to be you? I get where it would be frustrating but I'd rather wait for the package than have someone see them try to deliver to my house, run them down a block and a half later, and claim my package as their own.

no... I've been home and my buzzer never sounded. They never tried but I'm home. Then they mark it down as delivery attempted - no answer. Its ridiculous and it has happened several times both in Chicago and now here in Maine.

I'm not commenting on their non-delivery delivery bull. I'm commenting on them not being willing to let someone run up to the truck to claim a package. The colored part above. For whatever reason they did not manage to deliver the package properly I still don't want them handing out my things on the street.

Remus West wrote:

Chrisoc13 wrote:

Remus West wrote:

Chrisoc13 wrote:

Daehawk wrote:Ive had UPS fail to deliver to me. When I check their site its listed as due to me not being home....even though I'd be home all day expecting them. I dont know how drivers get by with total out right lies. Then the local UPS truck place is literally about 2 blocks from me..if the hill was not blocking my view I could see it right there......but yet they wouldn't let me just come and pick it up. Made me wait until the next day delivery. Then of course theres no guarantee that the driver wont be a jerk again.

But that was the rare one and usually I had no trouble.

yeah that's happened to me. Very frustrating.

Why would you want them to be willing to give out your package to some random person that comes walking up to their truck claiming to be you? I get where it would be frustrating but I'd rather wait for the package than have someone see them try to deliver to my house, run them down a block and a half later, and claim my package as their own.

no... I've been home and my buzzer never sounded. They never tried but I'm home. Then they mark it down as delivery attempted - no answer. Its ridiculous and it has happened several times both in Chicago and now here in Maine.

I'm not commenting on their non-delivery delivery bull. I'm commenting on them not being willing to let someone run up to the truck to claim a package. The colored part above. For whatever reason they did not manage to deliver the package properly I still don't want them handing out my things on the street.

I think he was talking about going to the actual UPS Delivery center, not the truck. Could be wrong.

Malificent wrote:

Remus West wrote:

Chrisoc13 wrote:

Remus West wrote:

Chrisoc13 wrote:

Daehawk wrote:Ive had UPS fail to deliver to me. When I check their site its listed as due to me not being home....even though I'd be home all day expecting them. I dont know how drivers get by with total out right lies. Then the local UPS truck place is literally about 2 blocks from me..if the hill was not blocking my view I could see it right there......but yet they wouldn't let me just come and pick it up. Made me wait until the next day delivery. Then of course theres no guarantee that the driver wont be a jerk again.

But that was the rare one and usually I had no trouble.

yeah that's happened to me. Very frustrating.

Why would you want them to be willing to give out your package to some random person that comes walking up to their truck claiming to be you? I get where it would be frustrating but I'd rather wait for the package than have someone see them try to deliver to my house, run them down a block and a half later, and claim my package as their own.

no... I've been home and my buzzer never sounded. They never tried but I'm home. Then they mark it down as delivery attempted - no answer. Its ridiculous and it has happened several times both in Chicago and now here in Maine.

I'm not commenting on their non-delivery delivery bull. I'm commenting on them not being willing to let someone run up to the truck to claim a package. The colored part above. For whatever reason they did not manage to deliver the package properly I still don't want them handing out my things on the street.

I think he was talking about going to the actual UPS Delivery center, not the truck. Could be wrong.

Then the location of the truck wouldn't matter. Anyway, once they pass your house for whatever reason they need to process the package so allowing you to go to the DC and get it wouldn't work as it would be on the trucks rather than available for pick up.

I'm pretty sure he was talking about a delivery center too btw. "Truck place" I took to mean some sort of ups center, not just the truck. And if the delivery center is what he was talking about then a photo id should be enough.

Also you quoted me but I was agreeing with the non delivery bull crap, so I think there was some confusion since my post wasn't real clear.

Chrisoc13 wrote: I've been home and my buzzer never sounded. They never tried but I'm home. Then they mark it down as delivery attempted - no answer. Its ridiculous and it has happened several times both in Chicago and now here in Maine.

Happened to me a few times. If the house doesn't look occupied and the driver can't find parking they'll just mark it as closed. I live in the middle of Chinatown, parking is unavailable, PERIOD, and often even double-park is impossible. And since I no longer have a front office there's no body sitting there to take package. They have to stop, check out the package, come to your door, ring ring, wait, ring ring, walk back to truck, check package back in, start and drive off. Some just use their "best" judgement and say "nah". Nowadays I always have stuff delivered to an Amazon Lockbox. Walk in, type in a code, grab box, walk out.

Chrisoc13 wrote:Also you quoted me but I was agreeing with the non delivery bull crap, so I think there was some confusion since my post wasn't real clear.

So you're saying something about your post was... lost in the delivery?

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Love the geek emojis.

Just loaded up my first Amazon Pantry box with stuff for an upcoming party - and it was a struggle. The prices were reasonably close to the store but judging on what will be in it to get it to 100% - it will be bigger than the truck. We'll see if it was worth it or not.

I just realized that I can download albums from Amazon Prime Music onto my phone for offline listening. That rocks. I thought that was limited to the music I purchased.

It was, until relatively recently.

I was hoping it was something where you crowdsourced what was in your next delivery.

Prime Reading lets you read 1000+ books for free as a but you can only "check out" 10 books at a time.