Erik68

I don't feel guilty and I won't rationalize. The fact is, this was a Saturday before Christmas, there was no chance in hell that hurrying to ship these orders out, even on overnight, would get them to you by Christmas. My last order (the only 100% free) gave shipping notice this afternoon, USPS does not pick up on Sundays.

Amazon had the right and the ability to cancel all these orders, even if they said "shipping soon". Shipping soon does not mean they have been picked from the bins and are in the boxes waiting for USPS. Odds are all the orders are still at the shipping dock waiting for Tuesday morning pick up.

I doubt Bill, Bob or Wayne had the packages in their car/truck and drove them to the post office on a Saturday before closing and said, "These orders must arrive by Christmas!".

Be real.

supfool!

That played out very well in my head and made me chuckle.

Peep

Uh, one of the differences is the Wal-Mart has been regularly raping the underprivileged people of the world for years. Mom & Pop stores rarely do.

I'm not sure why Wal-Mart is being discussed in this thread, but if a pricing mistake was causing them to give away store-loads of inventory for free, I'd be in for 10 stores' worth.

Brent L

I wish that we could keep this thread on the topic of the "deal", whatever you want to call it, and take all of the ethics talk to another thread just for that. I want to be kept updated on the orders of everyone and all of that.

Sweet Baby James

If this is true, then why did the orders that never entered the "Shipping Soon" stage get cancelled(just ask Al Pedrino). Do you really think that Amazon decided to let these orders go through out of the goodness of their heart? If they did, then they would not have cancelled any of the orders. During any other time of the year, my order would have taken days to enter the "Shipping Soon" stage, not hours. They are processing orders rapidly because of the time of the year. The orders that shipped out, including mine, slipped through the cracks. We got lucky-no more, no less. I have no doubt that Amazon would have cancelled every last order if they could have-they always have in the past.

chrisih8u

My tracking number says "Carrier notified to pick up package". Seems to me that the package is just sitting there waiting for USPS to pick up. Its been over 24 hours since I placed the order and USPS wont pick it up until Tuesday. Plenty of time for them to cancel the order if they choose to. They obviously are aware of the glitch.

Sweet Baby James

I know that WM is an odious company. It has nothing to do with WM or Mom & Pop. It's the principal that should matter, not the store. With that said, I'd be standing right behind you in that WM line to get the store-loads of inventory.

I'm done having my fun with the ethical mumbo-jumbo, Brent. I think that if your order hasn't been cancelled yet, then it's most likely going to go through. Good luck to all that placed an order.

Brent L

I wasn't complaining about it SBJ, I like the subject and the discussion. I just meant that it would be easier for both topics of discussion if they weren't mixed totally together.

Sweet Baby James

I know that you weren't, no worries. I think that the subject has run its' course. I hope that I didn't ruffle any feathers out there, I was just having some good fun. Like I said many times, I'm no angel so it would be hypocritical of me to judge anyone for what they choose to do.

creekdipper

I know that the "ethical" debate is tiresome for some, as Brent said, yet interesting for others...especially since the "deal" was dead yesterday & the thread serves no purpose except to tell when some receive orders, etc. Since some orders were cancelled, some were charged full price, & some disappeared altogether, I'm not sure what good that will do, either. Personally, I skip the posts that tell when people get orders, what they ordered (unless the sale is still ongoing as with DDD's 20% off...get good ideas about items that way). I'd simply advise anyone not interested to just skip the "ethical" posts.

Not trying to beat a dead horse but do think the topic is an important one. Too many times in our society "ethics" takes a back seat to "the ends justify the means". When I see a point that seems to require refutation, it seems worthwhile to respond to it. If all this forum is about is getting DVDs as cheaply as possible by any means necessary....I find that too sad to even try to comment about that. I mean, is that what life is all about? To those who think it's not a big deal, where do you start drawing the line? Is it okay to take a little but not a lot? I'm ashamed to say that I was applying that "logic" to my 3 small orders...but the principle didn't change. Either it was okay to take advantage of the situation...or it wasn't. Simple as that.

To Nightfall's point re: finding $20 in the street: If it were in a very public place with heavy traffic (mall or stadium parking lot, etc.), I would probably keep it. Of course, these days you could always put it in the Salvation Army pot. When I was a little younger than you I stupidly laid my wallet on top of my car and drove back to the college campus. After giving it up as lost & spending part of the night figuring out what needed to be replaced (fortunately, no credit cards), I found a note in my campus mailbox saying someone had found my wallet & turned it in. Everything was there...even the $50 (I worked at Dairy Queen 6 days a week to pay tuition, so I really needed every penny). So, yes, we do turn in found money when there is a good possibility that the owner might come forth, especially in small businesses, etc. Over my teaching career I had many students turn in money found in the hallways...sometimes more money that I carried! In the Amazon case, it was obvious to whom the product belonged. (And I do appreciate that you are trying to understand the other person's views...I can certainly understand the pressures of living on a tight budget & also the temptation of a "deal too good to be true". I like cheap DVDs as much as anyone else...but there is a limit).

To Wren's point re: the 'if the situation were reversed', I think there is a difference. We all knew that this had to be a mistake and yet we deliberately took advantage (even if we expected cancellations). The only way the reverse would be true is if Amazon deliberately cancelled the discount and charged us full rate for both sets. If it were a mistake, I certainly would expect Amazon to apply the ADVERTISED discount and stick to it. To do otherwise would be fraud. So I'm not sure that your analogy totally applies in this situation.

For those who persist in calling this a great "deal", I think the term is incredibly misapplied here. Recently I bought a bunch of DVDs from DVDPlanet's B1G1 sale and then applied the $10off Googe Checkout. Box sets as low as $8...now THAT was a deal. I totally missed the "Apes" DDD deal to which Nightfall alluded; I'm assuming that it was a misprice on the site. Even there, there is a big difference: If DDD posted that price on the site, that was the advertised price...even if it was the wrong price. I don't know that the customer is morally obligated to question a suspiciously low price; I have seen some strange price cuts down throught the years that were legitimate, and it was possible (not probable, mind you) that DDD's price was accurate. In Amazon's case, the actual advertised deal was "Buy One, Get One Free". NOWHERE on the pages did it say "Order One, Order a 2nd, Get Both Free". So let's be clear about this: no one who ordered blindly thought they would be getting both sets free. I could see someone ordering at the advertised price in a hurry and not paying close attention to the final total & then being in shock when they got the confirmation email or the shipping invoice. But that would be an accident, not a situation of deliberately taking advantage of a mistake. And that's what most of us did. That Amazon honored some of the misprices either says they were willing to eat some of the loss or that it wouldn't be worth trying to cancel so many of the orders that had been processed...I'm not sure what their motives were. I just know that I'm not holding my breath waiting for Amazon to send out an email saying that this was a deliberate "surprise holiday promotion" for their loyal customers (although I'm not sure how they would sort out the loyal customers from 1st-timers, if that were the case, as someone theorized...perhaps jokingly).
And even if they DID say that it was a planned promotion...we didn't know that when we ordered from the "deal".

BTW...it was predictable that some would label those who didn't find this situation kosher as being "Ned Flanders" types who are "holier-than-thou". That's okay. I like the Simpsons, too, and we laugh at Ned & his family. However, we also acknowledge that we could trust Ned to live up to his word and watch our backs. It's interesting that most people want the Neds of the world handling their money, performing their surgeries, looking after their kids in an emergency,etc. There are a lot worse things in the world than being called Ned Flanders (who, if you have paid attention...is overly tolerant of the Homers of the world & actually does care about his neighbors). I would far more trust someone who at least tried to analyze the ethics of getting DVDs for free without the company's PRIOR knowledge rather than someone who says "Screw it, I don't care how I got 'em, as long as they show up and they're free"...and then proceeds to gloat about the "good deal" he/she got.

And yes, like Sweet Baby James, I agree that the topic has run its course. I doubt that many minds have been changed. Personally, I think it was a good exchange of ideas on a serious topic...far more interesting than "Got my package today". Just wanted to respond to a few points. And I will continue to post legitimate, advertised deals (such as the Narnia $10 rebate recently) if I run across them. I have recommended this site to countless DVD fans as being the best source of information all in one spot and visit the forums every day. In a way, I feel a little sorry for the OP on this thread (probably didn't expect controversy). I am a little surprised that no one mentioned some of the early posters who wanted to bury this thread so the deal wouldn't be killed. I'm not sure ends up looking greedier in that case...the early birds who want to make sure that they get in on the "deal", even if it means fellow DVDtalkers miss out...or the latecomers whom the early risers fear will abuse the deal & kill it. That might be a good test of a "fair deal" (such as the 20% Off Sale)...you don't worry that letting the word out will stop the deal. If the deal is legitimate, why are you so worried? Wouldn't Amazon WANT you to advertise their "deal" for them? Think about it if you still have any doubts to the legitimacy of this "deal".

One late "thought": Not that it changes anything about the right & wrong of it, but if it bothers you a little bit to get the sets for free, you might at least consider spending some of the "saved" money at Amazon. Although the CSR cleared my order when I asked them to apply the correct charge, I still think I'll order some stuff I wouldn't have otherwise (for instance, they have BONES Season 1 right now for $24.99...unless there's another "gift" glitch LOL).

duganrm

The "DEAL" is still and has been B1G1 Free as the title suggests. The deal is not dead. The thread went a different direction because of a couple questions from the OP about why his shopping cart was giving him a lower price.

i86time

Creekdipper,
Between post 206 and 262, I'm left wondering what you will do when your package arrives. I realize you contacted Amazon and they told you they were shipping it to you and would only charge you the incorrect price the checkout calculated. So, just because you tried to correct the error (and your morals should be applauded), you still have benefitted from this pricing mistake and were able to pay much less than the items are actually worth. Whether one human CSR said it was OK for your order or the computerized system said it was OK for the hundreds (or thousands?!) of other orders that processed, you've received the same 'deal' as everyone else. So I'm left wondering if you will ship it back. And no, this is not meant to be an incendiary post, I really am wondering what you will do.

supfool!

Weird, that's what I was planning on doing, and that's the title I was planning on doing it with. WHOA!

creekdipper

Actually, I was referring to the "deal" (sarcastic quotes) that was giving away sets for free (which seemed to be the main topic of this thread from the intitial post on). You're absolutely right...the actual, advertised, authorized deal (no quotes) still is ongoing & has some good deals (again, no quotes). Sorry for the confusion.

pilot

this thread is now closed. check the new thread with the same title if you wish to discuss the REAL deal amazon is offering, and please do not continue to discuss the glitch and those who decided to abuse it. thank you.