Octopus Overlords

I believe it.

For me the problem is when they use their own logistics. USPS handoff has always and has remained absolutely solid. One of my slipped shipments showed up at 10 pm on Sunday. A guy who I suspect was a manager dropped it off in a personal vehicle. I only know the exact time because my wife came back from yoga and freaked out because some guy followed her into our driveway. Not exactly the greatest.

Every delivery service has its ups and downs. With UPS here, my packages are often delayed a day and the driver never even comes up on the porch to ring my doorbell when they deliver. He will drop the package over the porch railing and run. Fed Ex on the other hand always puts my packages in the package delivery box on the porch and rings the bell. USPS is completely inconsistent with delivery times but at least they too will put my package in my delivery box. A lot depends on the actual delivery driver. I have seen more deliveries from Amazon coming through independent delivery people, that I figure Amazon is contracting in house. So far those deliveries have been fine, though they often arrive a day late. I have also noticed that Amazon's 2 day delivery is only 2 days if I order early in the week. The further in the week I order the greater the chance that the 2 day delivery will actually take 3 or 4 days. Over all I dont have any major issues with Amazons deliveries but the adherence to their two day policy has definitely slipped a lot over the past few years.

Occasionally I've had something slip past the two day delivery window, but more often than that I've had packages delivered in one day, including the last thing I ordered.

Amazon boosts monthly Prime fee to $12.99, while $99 annual fee remains unchanged.

Ring purchase

Tuesday, Amazon agreed to buy Ring, a company that makes smart doorbells, according to representatives of both companies.

"Ring's home security products and services have delighted customers since day one. We're excited to work with this talented team," an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC Tuesday. While the official deal hasn't yet been announced, it could cost Amazon over $1 billion, according to Reuters.

For Ring's CEO and founder Jamie Siminoff, achieving such success wasn't easy. In fact, there was a time when he couldn't even get an investment on ABC's "Shark Tank," and thought his company might go broke.

Siminoff went on the reality show in 2013, pitching his business that was then called Doorbot. It sold a WiFi-enabled doorbell that allowed users to see video of and talk to people as they arrived at the front door. All of the investors but Kevin O'Leary passed, and he made what Siminoff considered an unacceptable offer. Doorbot didn't make a deal.

Isgrimnur wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2018 4:31 pm Ring purchase

I look forward to my Ring subscriptions being rolled into Amazon Prime. We have a doorbell cam out front and a floodlight cam in the back.

Amazon just bought Prime.com.... i am more surprised it havent owned it yet.

I find the delivery efficiency perfectly reflect the corporate culture each tried to install.

USPS: it's a "government job" that people are after the pension / union benefits than with the efficiency. You obviously still have to perform, but you can get away with a lot, like tossing all the junk mail instead of delivering it. I actually have a friend work was a walking delivery guy for USPS and he's now medically retired for bad knees.

UPS: it's a "computer driven" where efficiency is measured up the wazoo. UPS drivers a festooned with invisible technology. They have NFC tags that unlock their truck as they walk up to it, GPS that guides them to next location with the most fuel efficient route, packages are loaded in the back in the most efficient order in order of delivery... Drivers are gaming the system to get the most efficient rating, which is why they don't ring doorbells any more. It slowed them down by seconds, but only if they can get away with it.

Fedex: between USPS and UPS, Fedex isn't all out on efficiency like UPS, so they have better customer service that lets you sign for ****.

Amazon FLEX: Lyft meets UPS, choose your own hours, your own number of packages.

So a few days ago I ordered an item - a five dollar folding magnifier, from Amazon.

Yesterday the package arrives. It is really, really light. Suspicious, I open it. Empty.

I contact Amazon support. They refund the price, tell me to re-order, that they'll honor the price I paid originally, and that they'll comp the fastest shipping option. Great!

This afternoon the replacement arrives, everything there, expedited shipping. And another package, identical, expedited shipping. They sent two.

So I write them back. They write back and say it can't be handled by email support, that they need to talk to me directly. Grumble. Ok, I put my number into the link they sent me. They call, I answer. "Hello, thank you for calling FireTV support." What? So I explain the situation to them. "Oh, you need retail support. Please hold." Five minutes of horrible music later, "Herllr teink yo fro cldkin Amzran spururt." Two minutes later I hang up. I can't understand a single word the rep is saying. I'm pretty good with accents - a benefit of having worked in casinos - but I can't make out a single word.

So I wrote them a nasty note. Ball's in their court. I'm only willing to bend over so far backwards to fix their mistakes.

They're not going to ask you to ship back a $5 magnifier.

Have you tried Chat support? Those reps, probably offshore, are usually pretty responsive in small stuff like this.

coopasonic wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2018 5:44 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2018 4:31 pm Ring purchase

I look forward to my Ring subscriptions being rolled into Amazon Prime. We have a doorbell cam out front and a floodlight cam in the back.

Looks like the old ring is down to $100, as they probably have a new version out soon.

Kasey Chang wrote: Fri Apr 13, 2018 8:27 pm They're not going to ask you to ship back a $5 magnifier.

Have you tried Chat support? Those reps, probably offshore, are usually pretty responsive in small stuff like this.

I know. I'm still going to offer.

Amazon has made Disney’s Star Wars and Marvel DVDs and Blu-rays Prime exclusives

If you want to buy one of the recent Star Wars or Marvel Cinematic Universe films on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon, you’re out of luck if you’re not a member of Amazon Prime. The online retailer has reserved a number of the home releases for the two franchises exclusively for purchase by Prime members.
...
While Amazon has done this before with films like Birdman and Interstellar, the Star Wars and Marvel films are big sellers, and the company doesn’t appear to be worried about losing out on some sales to other vendors by making it an exclusive offering for Prime members. It makes a bit of sense that these films would be in high demand right now: Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters next week, while Solo: A Star Wars Story comes out in May. So there will likely be a lot of people looking to catch up on the franchises at home.

Fortunately, if you’re hankering for a copy of these films and you’re not a Prime member, this deal only applies to brand-new copies. You can still purchase the films from third-party sellers on Amazon or from other online or physical retailers.

Kasey Chang wrote: Tue Mar 06, 2018 3:14 am I find the delivery efficiency perfectly reflect the corporate culture each tried to install.

USPS: it's a "government job" that people are after the pension / union benefits than with the efficiency. You obviously still have to perform, but you can get away with a lot, like tossing all the junk mail instead of delivering it. I actually have a friend work was a walking delivery guy for USPS and he's now medically retired for bad knees.

Really? You get fired for that here. You work overtime here, even if you aren't on the overtime desired list (ODL). As a City Carrier Assistant, you are a 2 year contract worker and you usually have a couple of contracts before you become a regular employee. You will get a day off, but you will work Sundays. Fortunately, CCA's are capped at 56 hours a week, which you will work. Regulars have no such cap. About a month ago, I had just over 140 hours on my check. According to my phone, I have about 800 miles on the replacement hip since the return to work. We are short-handed, old, and working out of 25 year old trucks designed to deliver paper. Our scanners are gps enabled, and they track us in real time, if they choose to do so. We constantly have additional tasks loaded on to us,that the routes are not built for, but we have to absorb that somehow, Did I mention the prefunding debacle, that has tied up capital that we could have spent on better, larger trucks, better processing equipment?

Yes, but what are the chances of getting CAUGHT doing that? Those mailmen only got caught when the stuff they didn't deliver got discovered. Yes, they violated their job responsibilities, but then, it's a pretty thankless job that people get into mainly for the retirement benefits... if any.

After reading a story about how Amazon dupes people into subscribing to stuff they don't want, I found Wife paying $10/mo for Starz and another $9/mo for some Kindle library thing. They display big "try it for free" buttons without telling you that you're signing up for something and will henceforth pay them forever. I didn't spot the recurring charges because Wife buys so many one-off movies and books and stuff that they got lost in the noise. If you or if someone in your household is prone to clicking on free offers, check the Subscriptions area of your Amazon account to make sure you aren't getting ripped off. I saved $19/mo by checking.

BTW, (according to the article) if you protest those charges, Amazon will refund them without comment. Don't know if that's true because it's permanently at the bottom of Wife's to-do list, right below fixing her tax withholding (did I mention that we got a $2400 bill from the IRS last week?).

She subscribed to "Kindle Unlimited" which allows her to read ANY KU books on Amazon for FREE. Not all authors participate in that though, and not all publishers.

It's not absolutely necessary, as I've been able to get tons of free books without KU. But it's a "nice to have" thing as it makes a much wider range of books available.

I kinda just realized that if you have Amazon Prime, you also have Twitch Prime, and every month they give away 5-6 games through the Twitch Client. They are mainly indie stuff though.

Kasey Chang wrote: Wed Apr 25, 2018 12:24 am I kinda just realized that if you have Amazon Prime, you also have Twitch Prime, and every month they give away 5-6 games through the Twitch Client. They are mainly indie stuff though.

Sounds like a good bargain.

Amazon Increases Price of Prime Membership

The e-commerce giant will start charging $20 more for its membership program, which includes perks such as two-day shipping and access to video and music streaming libraries. The new price, $119, will go into effect May 11 for new subscribers, CFO Brian Olsavsky announced Thursday during the company's quarterly earnings call with investors. Existing members will be charged the higher price beginning June 16 as their accounts become eligible for renewal.

Well nuts. Now I'll have to cancel.

Just kidding. They'd have me at $150.

In-car delivery!

As a Prime member, get your Amazon packages securely delivered right into your vehicle parked at home, at work or near other locations in your address book. Park your vehicle in a publicly accessible area to receive in-car deliveries, and track your packages with real-time notifications. FREE for Prime members in select cities and surrounding areas with supported vehicles. Check your eligibility, or download the Amazon Key App to get started.
...
Amazon Key In-Car Delivery supports most 2015 model year or newer Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, and Volvo vehicles with an active connected car service plan such as OnStar or Volvo On Call. Stay tuned for future partner announcements.

Need intravenous medication? Our medi-drones will enter your home at night when you least expect it and tap into your veins for you! Over an 88% chance of the right medicine being administered!

Zaxxon wrote: Thu Apr 26, 2018 7:03 pm Well nuts. Now I'll have to cancel.

Just kidding. They'd have me at $150.

Don't make me smack you.

I'm sure Amazon has a list of Prime users that are costing them a fortune. I'm also sure I'm on that list.

An extra 38 cents per week will not get me off that list.

Damn, and it seems like they just raised it.

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Apr 26, 2018 9:30 pm Damn, and it seems like they just raised it.

Last increase was in 2014 (from $79 to $99).

Wow, I could have sworn that was in the last year or two.

Blackhawk wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:31 am Wow, I could have sworn that was in the last year or two.

We're old, now. Time flies.

Zaxxon wrote: Thu Apr 26, 2018 7:03 pm Well nuts. Now I'll have to cancel.

Just kidding. They'd have me at $150.

Me too. And I don'tse anything besides the shipping benefit and video. No music, no books, not sure what else there is.

LawBeefaroni wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:58 am

Zaxxon wrote: Thu Apr 26, 2018 7:03 pm Well nuts. Now I'll have to cancel.

Just kidding. They'd have me at $150.

Me too. And I don'tse anything besides the shipping benefit and video. No music, no books, not sure what else there is.

Free PC games via Twitch.

* Prime Now 2-hour delivery (if available in your area)
* Exclusive Prime-only deals on phones and other products
* Unlimited photo storage
* Prime Wardrobe now gives you 7 days to try some clothing items
* Prime sharing with family members
* Prime Reading, selection of books you can read for free (up to 10 at a time), as well as Prime Reading magazines (about 50 each month)
* Audible Prime channel, free audio content, and some audiobooks are free for Prime members
* Amazon Prime exclusive music
* Twitch Prime has both ingame loot bonus and free games every month

Kasey Chang wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 6:13 pm * Prime Now 2-hour delivery (if available in your area)
* Exclusive Prime-only deals on phones and other products
* Unlimited photo storage
* Prime Wardrobe now gives you 7 days to try some clothing items
* Prime sharing with family members
* Prime Reading, selection of books you can read for free (up to 10 at a time), as well as Prime Reading magazines (about 50 each month)
* Audible Prime channel, free audio content, and some audiobooks are free for Prime members
* Amazon Prime exclusive music
* Twitch Prime has both ingame loot bonus and free games every month

And the thing I use the most: Prime Video. It's on par with what I get from Netflix in terms of content watched.

Babylon 5 is coming to Amazon Prime streaming in June!

https://twitter.com/straczynski/status/ ... 4489703424

Woo!

Zaxxon wrote: Thu May 17, 2018 5:47 pmWoo!

Zathras approves.

pr0ner wrote: Thu May 17, 2018 5:41 pm Babylon 5 is coming to Amazon Prime streaming in June!

Eep!

Finally, some good news today.

Also cool to see The Waltons will be available. I don't see myself binging it, but I'll probably sample a couple of episodes to get a sweet, sweet nostalgia fix.

I've got all of B5 on DVD, but it's amazing how much of a hassle it seems to swap disks now. Streaming has made me lazy.

I plan on buying a portable DVD player so that I can start working on my DVD collection when the wife is on the computer. I need to find one that supports Bluetooth headphones.