Amazon Subprime

BarkingGhostar · Apr 30, 2024

Morning All,

About 2-3 months ago I decided I wasn't going to renew my Amazon Prime membership. What once was a perceived benefit has certainly degraded into what I consider to be a face. Initially, I used the membership for free two-day shipping, and only after that got into their Prime Video streaming service. Admittedly, I was late in the video streaming game but eventually the free service from Amazon that came with Prime was used and enjoyed. Life since those days have changed tremendously, and not for the better.

During this initial membership days I struggled with missing/lost deliveries, two-day promises turning into two-week realities. Items constantly got misdelivered with Amazon greatly dependent on the USPS and things only began to get better once the Amazon Prime deliver carrier came into existence. Finally I got reliable deliveries in terms of the product actually reaching me even if it didn't necessarily mean in those two-days.

As far as Amazon offering streaming video ... well, let's just say Amazon knows how to use and abuse its Prime membership customer base. Content that was once there got yanked and other content got moved to Amazon's Freevue service (originally called IMDB Stream after they bought IMDB). I was never into tolerating free streaming services as the whole notion of ad-driven services were counter to the idea of paid-for streaming. I felt if I wanted to tolerate ads then I should stay with cable/satellite services. Hope came in the form of Amazon buying the MGM catalog, but that hope got dashed when Amazon decided this new, addition content shouldn't go to Prime or Freevue, and instead created a whole new paid-for streaming service. Thus, the perceived abuse by this one customer continued.

When hearing about the plans by Amazon to place ads into the Prime video streaming service I decided to not renew the service. Consequences? Unless I am buying something from Amazon that is heavy, or bulky, Amazon immediately switched the delivery agent from the Prime vehicles back to the USPS, and in those short two weeks I have already experienced two non-missed deliveries thanks to the wonderful f'tards over at the USPS. Additionally, I have noticed that the Amazon Prime app on both the Fire TV stick and the video game consoles have recently experiencing hangs following the required advertisements before starting the content. Closing the app and restarting it didn't help. Rebooting the hardware device didn't help. Whether this is coincidence or just the facts only service to keep me in the I'm glad I got rid of Prime because of their owner Amazon.

But I am curious to ask those that have Amazon Prime how you feel about the ads, or the Amazon mechanism to avoid them, which is a monthly leach payment.

[DHT]Osiris · Apr 30, 2024

BarkingGhostar said:
But I am curious to ask those that have Amazon Prime how you feel about the ads, or the Amazon mechanism to avoid them, which is a monthly leach payment.

Not quite your target audience, but I've never had a prime sub and never felt the need for one. I order stuff off Amazon constantly but I just wait until I've got enough for free delivery before ordering. It all comes within a few days anyhow so I don't particularly care. I rarely order something so time sensitive that I care when it arrives.

As for ads, well, that's as much a problem as you let it be.

Tech Junky · Apr 30, 2024

Rates keep going up and service keeps going down. I used to tag them for refunds when they didn't show up on time to the point of paying for the membership in credits each month there was an order that didn't show up on time.

Their latest tactic though for me was to impose a return deduction of 10-20% if I had to send something back.

The final straw was their non-refund on a set of 4 items I sent back that were in the same bundle when sent back. We went back and forth for a few months until I got pissed enough to open a case with the CC instead and force a chargeback instead. Removed all of my saved payments from my AMA account so they couldn't charge another card and called it a day. I blocked them on pihole to resist the temptation to even browse items and it's been all good since.

I tend to look for unique tech stuff and have been using AliExpress instead of crapazon and most of the other stuff I was using them for is much cheaper to just go to WM / Sam's for. There's a few things that were marked up 300% if you go the AMA route vs local. There are some perks outside of the subprime membership when it comes to pricing things out but, they're really data hungry and their tentacles run deep across the web. Blocking them by domain names hits across a broad spectrum of sites and functions to places you wouldn't think of until you hit a page.

Pesos has enough money and I don't need to contribute to the 500M yacht any longer. It's kind of like cutting the cord on TV and finding other routes for media instead. Once you get past the shock of letting go it's alright. Back in the day $79/yr wasn't such a bad deal but, the current structure just isn't appealing.

Shmee · Apr 30, 2024

I still use prime for the free, fast shipping, but I get a discounted rate. As for ads, I block them with ublock origin.

DAPUNISHER · Apr 30, 2024

I get most stuff in less than 24hrs. I pay $139 a year for that and ad free streaming. I have zero complaints. It'd be great if they started valuing their employees properly, but that can be said for any big r/etailer.

Brainonska511 · Apr 30, 2024

I don't bother paying for prime. I don't buy a lot from Amazon to start, and we use other streaming services. And because of where I live, standard free shipping is still pretty fast. The few recent trials with Prime showed me that prime shipping isn't really any faster, so not going to flush one hundred something dollars down the drain for little benefit.

olds · Apr 30, 2024

I cancelled when they added the ads. Not just because of the ads as my shipping was constantly delayed too.
Cancelled Max too when they added ads.

JM Aggie08 · Apr 30, 2024

I feel like I'm in the minority on this site that have never had an issue with Amazon Prime, shipping specifically. IDGAF about streaming, I have other means for consuming media. Getting shit delivered to my door in <24-48hrs is invaluable.

With that being said, I wish Amazon would prune their vendors a bit -- so much garbage proliferating the site.

nakedfrog · Apr 30, 2024

I used to use their music streaming that was included with Prime to preview albums to see if I wanted to buy them, guess what, they've wrecked that too. There's still some stuff there, but increasingly more has been moved into the extra-paid-only version. They've worked very hard to decrease the value a Prime subscription gets you, by offering less and charging more. I haven't decided if I'll be cancelling before renewal this year, but I'm definitely closer than ever. No issues with shipping times though. And yes, the proliferation of garbage products on the site has also decreased the value, a great many of them you might as well just get from AliExpress or whatever.

Fkstick McDuff · Apr 30, 2024

When Amazon Prime announced that they would be inserting ads into the video streaming service, I was so pissed I deleted my entire watch list and contemplated even keeping the service. It was Fallout that tempted me to go back and check it out. I have a pretty good monitor/speaker setup, so I mainly watch it on my computer with Firefox. I was delighted when none of the ads interrupted my experience, thanks to uBlock Origin. I could see the pauses in the show where the ads were intended to be placed, but the show continued on unimpeded. Now I just utter an evil laugh when I see the "subscribe for $$ a month for an ad free experience. Fuck that.

mikeymikec · Apr 30, 2024

Shmee said:
I still use prime for the free, fast shipping, but I get a discounted rate. As for ads, I block them with ublock origin.

Ditto. Amazon Prime Video happens to be a perk I very occasionally use, and if I check to see if a particular film is included in my subscription, way more often that not it's not.

Hypothetically speaking, paying for APV alone would be a hard nope from me unless they increased the video quality to better than DVD. As it is, as a freebie it's tolerable.

BurnItDwn · Apr 30, 2024

I dropped prime when they started the advertisements for prime video, but for the last few years I'd been kinda frustrated as they used to do free 2 day shipping with fedex. And then a number of years ago they started adding a bunch of other carriers. And then, things started to take 3 or 4 or 5 days. I tried to set it up so that they would only deliver packages Mon through Fri as some weekends the wife and I visit family in a bordering state. We always were careful to ensure whatever we ordered would have an ETA of either 2+ days before or 2+ days after we travel, but, they are so inconsistent with their dates that if you are going to travel, you need to remember to order stuff like 2+ weeks before you leave. Also, its really frickin annoying when things would show up at my neighbors house instead of my house. I also got annoyed when Amazon would deliver packages meant for one of my neighbors.
I don't want to do a scavenger hunt.
Also, i hate how they do their marketplace with intermingling of inventory and lots of scam products and fake products and knock offs. I hate their search returning all the advertised crap rather than what I actually searched for. They were the best in the business 20 years ago. Now, they seem to be inclined to race to the bottom like so many others.

Muadib · Apr 30, 2024

DAPUNISHER said:
I get most stuff in less than 24hrs. I pay $139 a year for that and ad free streaming. I have zero complaints. It'd be great if they started valuing their employees properly, but that can be said for any big r/etailer.

I'm right there with you! I just ordered a headphone cable from AliExpress, and have to wait 2 weeks to get it. FWP, I know, but Amazon spoiled me.

DAPUNISHER · Apr 30, 2024

Prime VR is cool too. Content looks great on my Quest 2.

GodisanAtheist · Apr 30, 2024

I've got a Prime sub and their music sub.

Prime is alright for shopping/shipping, although I've been making an effort to try and buy more stuff directly from my favorite vendors or stuff like Redbubble than Amazon, but for stuff like computer components and odds and ends that retailers around me don't carry Amazon has been invaluable. Shipping is inconsistently around 2 days, but then again if I really need something ASAP I will travel.

Music streaming has been a major gamechanger for me in terms of how I interact with, discover, and rediscover music. Amazon has a pretty expansive selection, my biggest complaint is how much they push a family streaming plan. As the kids get into music more I figure its in my future at some point, but that day isn't today and I really wish Amazon would just let it drop for the moment instead of pushing an add for family streaming every time I open the app.

Prime Video is just another streaming service. It has a handful of really great shows, and then oceans of garbage like anything else. I've really enjoyed Fallout, The Boys, The Expanse, and Invincible through Prime Video, which is not bad as far as streaming originals tend to go. I tend to use it more as a movie rental service, has just about anything I might want to rent available for $2-4.

Otherwise we have a couple firesticks to allow our old ass TVs to stream, and then a couple Echo's and an Echo Sub all linked together to provide a pretty solid 2.1 home theater/ sound system. Every 6 months or so I have to reset and resync all the units cause they get stupid after a while but it was hard to argue with the price vs quality.

HomerJS · Apr 30, 2024

Family is about to merge our Prima accounts (3 households). Video allows 6 users so that works for now until they go the way of Netflix.

I was going to drop because when I worked out of DC during the week I needed exact delivery times. Quit so don't need that now.

Lost_in_the_HTTP · Apr 30, 2024

I don't care about how quick stuff arrives. I do the $35 thing, making a list of things and waiting until I can top that amount. I wait. Stuff arrives usually within a week, sometimes less.

I don't stream any video from anywhere.

I sometimes do the music thing, but not often.

I don't even know what else they offer any more.

Pohemi · Apr 30, 2024

I canceled Prime maybe 6 months ago.

I can 2nd/3rd/4th the remarks here of things going downhill over time, and the value of the service being lost. That 2-day shipping time use to mean it would arrive within 2 days from the time you placed the order. If orders were late, Amazon would sometimes even offer small credits for the inconvenience. Now orders can take 2 weeks to arrive, and Amazon just shrugs about it. Reps will now tell you that, "2-day shipping means 2 days after it leaves the warehouse", and too bad if the warehouse takes a full week to even get it out the door. They refuse to acknowledge/admit that it was ever any different than this. In summary, the 2-day shipping is completely bullshit unless you're in/near a metro area. This was why I started Prime in the first place many years back.

I will no longer order computer parts or electronics from AMZ, as their order picker/packer/shippers are apparently a bunch of glue-sniffers. Order a $300 mech HDD or a $600 GPU and they'll toss it into a plastic bag and slap a label on it. Or if it goes into a box, it might be 2 sizes too big of a box, and will have no padding or packing material inside. Have any issues? Better hope you get a decent rep if you need CS. Another thing that use to be great and has gone to crap.

Item selection going to hell, it's as bad a AliExpress or Fleabay now. AMZ navigation was always crap, but it's almost like they intentionally made it worse. If you're looking for a very specific item, you MIGHT get lucky by searching for it directly by name. Or you might get shown EVERY OTHER ITEM ON SITE for dozens of pages, without the item you were trying to find.

AMZ use to be one of the cheapest places to buy the goods that they carried. There are definitely still deals to be found, but finding good prices overall has gone the way of the Dodo. Prices fluctuate wildly now, especially for any household goods or grocery items. It use to be that items with wildly exaggerated/overvalued pricing was always a 3rd party vendor. Now, it's just as frequently sold and shipped by AMZ. The reps blame their site algorithm. I don't care what/who is at fault, it's unacceptable in any case.

I used the APV service for a bit, and there were at least a few select items worth watching on it. The announcement of advertisements being added in-line made me /sigh but I had pretty much already decided on letting the sub drop. If I were still using it, it'd definitely piss me off. I cannot stand ads. If you pay for a streaming service, there shouldn't be "premium fees" to get rid of ads. Sure, I run Ublock Origin in my browser, but what about using the app installed directly on my TV?

Too many frustrations and too many reasons to stop shopping there. I haven't just dropped the Prime sub, I've stopped ordering from AMZ almost entirely.

Lost_in_the_HTTP · Apr 30, 2024

""2-day shipping means 2 days after it leaves the warehouse","

That's always what it mean, even if you usually got items sooner. I do not have Prime and I often get items the next day after they ship, sometimes within two days of when I order.

The simple fact is the volume is higher now, both in the warehouses and during shipment. It likely does take longer to get items out and the increase in the annual rate is partially to get at least some people to drop off.

Lost_in_the_HTTP · Apr 30, 2024

There are also stories like this out there:

Do Less & Earn More: Declining American Productivity - Forbes

May 19, 2022 The American worker is getting lazier. ... Labor force participation rates for young people have dropped, and according to the US Department of Labor in April of 2022, the 20 - 24 year old ...

Gen Z Workers Are 'Lazy' and Lack Soft Skills, Managers Say

Aug 4, 2023 Careers. Gen Z workers are lazy, some bosses say. They don't do anything unless every second of their day is managed. Jordan Hart. Aug 4, 2023, 2:06 AM PDT. Managers are worried that young workers ...

Lazy and Entitled? Why the Struggle is Real for US Millennials

Millennials often get a bad rap from older generations who think young adults had it too easy growing up, which prompted them to become lazy and entitled. However, experts say the struggle is real ...

Is it true? I don't know, there are also stories countering those.

nakedfrog · Apr 30, 2024

GodisanAtheist said:
I've got a Prime sub and their music sub.

Prime is alright for shopping/shipping, although I've been making an effort to try and buy more stuff directly from my favorite vendors or stuff like Redbubble than Amazon, but for stuff like computer components and odds and ends that retailers around me don't carry Amazon has been invaluable. Shipping is inconsistently around 2 days, but then again if I really need something ASAP I will travel.

Music streaming has been a major gamechanger for me in terms of how I interact with, discover, and rediscover music. Amazon has a pretty expansive selection, my biggest complaint is how much they push a family streaming plan. As the kids get into music more I figure its in my future at some point, but that day isn't today and I really wish Amazon would just let it drop for the moment instead of pushing an add for family streaming every time I open the app.

Prime Video is just another streaming service. It has a handful of really great shows, and then oceans of garbage like anything else. I've really enjoyed Fallout, The Boys, The Expanse, and Invincible through Prime Video, which is not bad as far as streaming originals tend to go. I tend to use it more as a movie rental service, has just about anything I might want to rent available for $2-4.

Otherwise we have a couple firesticks to allow our old ass TVs to stream, and then a couple Echo's and an Echo Sub all linked together to provide a pretty solid 2.1 home theater/ sound system. Every 6 months or so I have to reset and resync all the units cause they get stupid after a while but it was hard to argue with the price vs quality.

Ugh, every time I open the Amazon Music app to see if they have something I want to check out, it pesters me to get the paid version... and they still do that even if you have a paid version? Hella lame.

Pohemi · Apr 30, 2024

Lost_in_the_HTTP said:
""2-day shipping means 2 days after it leaves the warehouse","

That's always what it mean, even if you usually got items sooner. I do not have Prime and I often get items the next day after they ship, sometimes within two days of when I order.

No, it isn't, "always what it meant". Slow down and comprehend what I stated.

Pohemi said:
That 2-day shipping time use to mean it would arrive within 2 days from the time you placed the order. If orders were late, Amazon would sometimes even offer small credits for the inconvenience. Now orders can take 2 weeks to arrive, and Amazon just shrugs about it. Reps will now tell you that, "2-day shipping means 2 days after it leaves the warehouse", and too bad if the warehouse takes a full week to even get it out the door. They refuse to acknowledge/admit that it was ever any different than this. In summary, the 2-day shipping is completely bullshit unless you're in/near a metro area.

Pay attention to the highlighted. Why did AMZ use to offer compensation when that 2-day time wasn't met? That wasn't something I had to badger them into giving me, they offered it willingly. Now all they do is shirk responsibility and pass the buck.

I'm guessing you live in or near a larger metro area, or closer to an AMZ dist. warehouse. It most certainly use to be 2 days from order time, at least here. I'm not out in a rural area, but it's a small town an hour from any "sizeable" city. The delivery times are SO much worse than they use to be, and as I said, the shipping was the reason I first signed up for it.

I know that the volume plays some role in delivery times, and AMZ's volume has increased over the years. But the stated Prime benefits have not changed. It still states "2-day shipping times" the same as it always has, but it no longer means the same thing. And of course, they're not going to drop the sub fee because they loosen/lessen benefits. They just won't point out background changes like that, and pretend that it's always been that way.

Fee goes up, services go down. Gotta maximize those margins after all.

manly · Apr 30, 2024

JM Aggie08 said:
I feel like I'm in the minority on this site that have never had an issue with Amazon Prime, shipping specifically. IDGAF about streaming, I have other means for consuming media. Getting shit delivered to my door in <24-48hrs is invaluable.

With that being said, I wish Amazon would prune their vendors a bit -- so much garbage proliferating the site.

what happened is most ATOT millionaires moved out into the country, and Amazon Logistics doesn't extend that far. (It does sound like Louis DeJoy's USPS has gotten worse, no surprise to anyone.)

The rest of us stuck in urban doom loops and the suburbs get to keep our 2 day (or less) delivery time.

Lost_in_the_HTTP · Apr 30, 2024

I remember tearing a form out of a catalog, writing it all out by hand, writing a check, putting it all in an envelope with a stamp and dropping it in the mail. If you were lucky and it all worked out without getting lost in the mail, you got your stuff in 6-8 weeks, maybe 8-10 weeks. If something went wrong, you really didn't have much recourse.

I've never ordered anything I needed in two days. If I need something quick , I drive to the store in town.

Pohemi · Apr 30, 2024

Okay, so you use to order from Montgomery Wards. Grats. I'm not sure what that has to do with how Prime has changed in the past 20 years.

If you have the ability to drive to the store for something you need immediately, that's great. Not everyone does, though. Some people who don't have transportation might rely on services like Prime or WM+ for most of their needs, including household goods, groceries, etc.

Generally, I wouldn't suggest ordering something online if it's needed within a few days, even how their shipping times use to be. That was purely out of caution. That doesn't mean that it's acceptable to trash the specific benefit and then pretend like everything's as usual.

Amazon Subprime

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Do Less & Earn More: Declining American Productivity - Forbes​

Gen Z Workers Are 'Lazy' and Lack Soft Skills, Managers Say​

Lazy and Entitled? Why the Struggle is Real for US Millennials​

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Do Less & Earn More: Declining American Productivity - Forbes

Gen Z Workers Are 'Lazy' and Lack Soft Skills, Managers Say

Lazy and Entitled? Why the Struggle is Real for US Millennials