stvn1974

I wasn't going to be able to make it into town today so I ordered the Exorcist 4K with release day delivery. Yeah, it isn't going to be here today.

BobO'Link

Amazon's added yet another cheap packaging solution... instead of a thin plastic bag with zero padding you now might get a thin paper bag with zero padding. Think the quality of the recent "padded" paper envelop things without the middle "pads" of (whatever paper that is) and 2nd layer of paper. I got a board game in one of those yesterday... a board game... (I'm a collector so you really want best quality possible). Fortunately, the corner damage is quite slight, likely not even noticed by anyone *but* a collector, so I'm not going to complain - and it *is* better than the "just slap a label on the plastic wrap as it's a box anyway" method they like to pawn off on occasion. BUT... they *really* need to look at how "hobby game stores" package for shipment. I could throw one of those boxes off the roof and the contents would likely not suffer any damage.

stvn1974

Getting a Funko Pop shoved in one of those paper bags is always a joy.

BobO'Link

I purchase those occasionally for family members who collect very specific things Pop wise... I've had to return a few due to poor packaging.

fujishig

So today they announced that Prime video will be ad-supported and you have to pay an additional fee to take away ads.

Just now I got a notification that Alexa Guard, a free service, is going away but you can get the same features in a paid service, Alexa Emergency Assist.

Earlier they completely changed the Ring subscription model, removing many of the features of the app without a subscription unless you are grandfathered in.

Cost of doing business, I know, just ranting.

PhantomStranger

People were suckers if they didn't know streaming services would eventually become packed with commercials like broadcast and cable television. I'd wager in a few years streaming will practically resemble cable in terms of lock-in and pricing.

BobO'Link

Not at all surprised about Prime Video (they're already doing it on a "limited" basis with an ad based "channel" which has hundreds of formerly ad-free content - especially pre 70s movies/TV) - I'm a Prime subscriber but only for the "free" shipping (which I'd wager costs me far more than if I'd just pay for shipping as it encourages impulse purchases). The very few things I bother watching are movies and TV series I've "purchased" with those "Slow Shipping Digital Credits" and those will *not* contain ads (though you still see Amazon promos before the video starts... at least, for now, those pieces of junk are skippable).

Like *all* streaming services, their interface is a huge kludge. I can typically locate and put in a disc faster - even those with unskippable warnings/etc. - and I get better quality and more responsive controls for things like pause/rewind/fast forward/skip.

Josh-da-man

Streaming is the perfect commercial delivery system. The commercials are unskippable. And they know where you live, who you are, what your interests are, and your family situation is, so advertisers can directly target ads at you personally. No point in showing you diaper ads if you don't have a baby. Are you a boomer? Well here are ads for hearing aids and gold coins.

Noonan

I wish TV could provide targeted ads. No more Jardiance commercials would be worth letting the provider know my info.

tonyc3742

I've always disliked the Prime Video interface. Show me what I have 'free' (subscription) access to!
Yes, we are absolutely on the precipice of streaming services speeding toward 'crazy expensive, lots of ads, contracts, almost just like cable.'. The more things change....I'm at the point that when my prepaid subs for some services end, I'll be making decisions which to trim out.

Just noticed a new (to me) offer to get slower shipping or Amazon Day Delivery - 6% cash back on my Amazon Prime Visa card. Which, great, more money, but I'm already getting 5% cash back and this item is only 20 bucks, so...I'd rather have the 1.00 digital credit. (I know, I'm part of the problem.)
I'm OK with Amazon Day Delivery sometimes. More ok if they incentivize me with something of value to me.

Still haven't figured out how to get Alexa/Echo devices to "shuffle my music" anymore.

orangerunner

This might sound great at a board meeting but advertisers do have to approach this with a certain amount of caution when it comes to calculated micro-marketing. All of those Pampers, Preparation H, Geritol, Tide and life insurance ads you were exposed to before the age of 18, which were of no interest to you at the time you saw them, are now grilled into your sub-conscious as an adult.

zyzzle

... which is precisely why I avoid streaming, at any cost. Even free, or "negative".

It is evil incarnate. Reduced quality (low bitrates), contact tracing (they "know" you and exploit you), crappy Digital Rights Management (= they take it away when they want, and you can't copy or archive it), and unskippable ads all into one horrible, horrible package.

Rubbish, man, RUBBISH!

TomOpus

How do you deal with regular TV and their ads? Life must be hell.

TheBang

I haven't had to deal with ads on linear TV for 22 years, thanks to my TiVo. The thought of unskippable ads on streaming is really irritating.

zyzzle

You're out of the loop. I haven't watched "regular" TV since the bugs started appearing in the lower-right bottom corner of the screen in 1992-93. And the ads were already too numerous and too obnoxious by then, anyway. Good riddance. Life is grand; no more ads, no more bugs. So liberating.

PhantomStranger

Broadcast and cable television was more or less solved by TiVo, which is why I can't give it up. Now that streaming resembles the old days of cable more and more, TiVo feels light years better.

TomOpus

I barely even notice if they are there. I'm watching the actual content. Plus I stream more.

DJariya

Why are you even bothering engaging with him about TV or current media. You’ve seen his posts.

Abob Teff

Streaming ... broadcast TV ... bah! I can perform the shows myself for 1/5th the cost!

(Sorry, zyzz ... )

slop101

Had an amazon package "out for delivery" yesterday.
Didn't make it. Understandable.
But it's not out for delivery today.
Why?
If it was scanned out for delivery yesterday, but didn't make it to me, so why not try again today?
Is it lost now?

TomOpus

Never had that happen. If you never got the delivered email, I would start the process that it was never delivered. Since I've never done it, not sure if it would be better to call or use whatever feedback system they have on orders.

fujishig

So on Thursday Amazon had some gift card deals, including this one:

That's an insane deal and they took it down. So Friday I get an email saying "there's some suspect activity on your account, we're calling you in 10 minutes." They called, I didn't pick up because I'm not constantly monitoring my email.

Today they basically made me change my password alleging that there was fraudulent activity from the Thursday purchase. They removed all trace of buying this gift card (and all other gift cards bought that day), it's not in order history or anything. The weird thing is they sent an email saying if they DID mail a gift card, it wasn't active. I had no idea they could even do that, send out a gift card and inactivate it. Like imagine I hadn't seen this email and gave this out as a gift.

Now I have no idea if the other gift cards I bought that day are active, and so I don't think I can give them out as gifts. I guess I'll see what kind of refund is issued. But forcing the password change is some BS.

slop101

It never arrived and it was enough days that they offered me a refund or free replacement - I went for the replacement as one of the items was a gift.
The chat person said that it probably got scanned incorrectly and went off onto an inappropriate palate/bin, causing it to go elsewhere without being scanned and re-routed.
They must lose so much money from improper scanning - same with USPS - I've lost a ton of stuff with them, mostly because they can't seem to scan things. They're all to reliant on scanning, so when they fuck that up, they lose the package.

TheBang

A new one for me today. Received a completely empty envelope from an Amazon purchase. It was a shipped directly by the third-party seller (Amazon Direct Fulfillment), so it was really their fault, not Amazon's. But Amazon's return options didn't really have anything for "empty package" and when I tried to do a return with "part missing" it was offering a replacement, but I had to "send the original item back" or they would charge me for it.

Had to go through the chatbot, and it had an option for empty package. Still couldn't do the replacement cross-ship, but I was able to do a full refund without having to send anything back. I re-ordered a similar item from a different seller.

slop101

In weird instances like that where what happened isn't in a drop-down menu, you can always call them and talk to a person and explain.
1-888-280-4331