So is it just me or are they holding all orders until they are all released (i.e. pre-orders hold up catalog titles shipping) Previously I checked the hold entire order button to save on shipping and piece by piece my order would come out as available. My last two orders I pre-ordered one movie and ordered an in stock title and so far nothing has shipped. The pre-order titles are not due until 3/6

I don't think there is any logic to it. All the rules they have passed on to me (e.g. they will mail all "on hand" items regardless if all that is left are backorders) they have broken at one time or another. I finally decided to place preorders by month (e.g. 8 for January, 9 for February) and request ship when complete. So far they still ship partial orders when there are major date changes (e.g. they have shipped everything but 3 items with changed dates on the Jan. order). I order all my 24-hour/2-3 day items on separate orders

[This message has been edited by DFC-2 (edited January 25, 2001).]

They still do partial shipment as courtesy. I just received a shipping statement for 1 item yesterday.

I just ordered a couple new releases and 1 pre-order. They say I won't get any DVDs until June(release date for my pre-order). Thats 4 months away! Thats CRAZY!!!

I think in the past Amazon would ship items separately out of courtesy, but now they're tightening their belt and trying to save some money, so they're sticking to their ship as one policy. But it's nice that they still make an exception for date changes and also when you have an extremely long time between release dates.

I just got a shipment from them and it was the same old story, an ADD patient on crack. I ordered 5 books and they shipped them in 3 seperate orders, within 10 minutes of each other. So I got 3 boxes on the same day.

If you call them and act stupid about why they're shipping at the same time, they usually do ship them separately. I called about Rear Window & Ben Hur and they split the shipping even though I thought they make me wait since they're only a week apart.

I think it's annoying when they ship things in a gazillion separate orders, if you've asked for it to ship together. For one thing, I'd like the prices to stay low... so I don't want them to waste money on sending out things separately when I didn't ask for it, or giving me "complimentary upgrades" to 2-day air.

The other reason it's annoying is that here, I have to sign for every UPS package -- they won't just leave it at the door if you're not home. So if Amazon gets cute and sends out the order piecemeal, it ends up as a major headache for me, having to make sure to be home when the UPS guy is expected to arrive, or maybe missing the delivery, etc. If it is all coming in one package I can plan to be home to sign for it.

I don't see the point of people whining that they did a preorder 4 months in advance and Amazon won't ship the other, in-stock items beforehand. If it matters that much, then they should choose the "ship as items become available" and pay the extra cost. If saving money is more important (as it is to me), then you have to put up with the wait, or make the preorde a separate shipment from everything else. If enough people "act stupid" and/or complain about the "wait until order is complete" feature, I can just see Amazon getting rid of it "for the customer's convenience" -- and then raising shipping costs to compensate.

BTW, I do put my money where my mouth is, so to speak -- I placed an order in mid-February that included Ben Hur (to be released March 13), and I told them to ship everything together, so I'll be waiting until mid-March to get my order. I don't mind waiting, considering how I'm saving quite a bit on the shipping since it's a big order (thanks to the MCI GC)

What I *do* wish Amazon would get their act together on is the "available in 1-2 weeks" listing. What that means, I have found, is "we don't have it in stock and we have no clue when we're going to get any, but we don't want to look bad by saying it's out of stock". I ended up cancelling one order because one of the items just sat there... and sat there... always "available in 1-2 weeks". Now I know better!

Ordway, sometimes that 'complimentary upgrade' actually saves them money. They don't get discounts with USPS but they do from the overnight shippers. If there are enough items, it is cheaper for them to upgrade you...

That's interesting. Call me cynical, but I had always interpreted it as "sucking up to the customer" to try to develop store loyalty independently of the prices! Of course, the times that I did get something upgraded to overnight, it was usually just one item, not a large order. Hm, who knows.

If it doesn't end up coming out of my wallet in the end, the "upgrade" maneuver won't bother me, because the upgrade has usually been to USPS overnight, which the mailman can leave at my door if I'm not home. It's when they ship a bunch of different items by UPS that it bugs me, because I have to sign for them all!

I thought everyone was loyal to whoever had the lowest price or best coupon that second.

Yes and no. It's no good to go for the lowest price if that store nails you with overpriced shipping, or overcharges your credit card "by accident", or never has the promised items in stock, etc. I don't know about DVD stores in particular, but for cameras and electronics it is *very* important to look at customer ratings and reviews to get a reputable store. Trying to save a few extra bucks can lead to a world of grief if you get one of the sleazy retailers.

On the other hand, given the choice of reputable stores, I have *no* store loyalty whatsoever! The cheapest price for what I want, wins. The stores would *like* me to have an emotional preference ("oh, they're so nice/include free popcorn/upgrade my shipping for free") so that they can get customers to stick with them even when the prices are higher than the competitors. But it doesn't work with me

Man, I HATE HATE HATE UPS for the very same reason. In fact, I'll avoid stores that use them, or I'll deliberately take cheap shipping to get Priority Mail or First Class.

Fedex, Airborne, USPS seem to be able to leave stuff at my door. UPS has policies that even if you leave a note on the door, they might still require a signature. What gives. And office hours at UPS pickup points are a joke. At least Fedex is open late, or will make a second attempt later in the day.

Amazon never used to send stuff UPS, at least not to me at the cheapest shipping rates. Now they ship 30-40% via UPS. I have to ship everything to a neighbor who I know is home, now, just in case.

-Beebs

They've always held shipments to me until the whole thing was complete.

same here - they've always held my order until all items were in stock. When Requiem for a Dream was delayed I went back into the order and changed the shipping to separately (at the extra cost) so I'd get Meet the Parents when it's released.