An Amazon Prime membership comes with a lot of perks, the biggest being their 2-day shipping.
The idea of ordering almost anything and having it on your doorstep in 2-days more than makes their $99 fee worth it.
At least, it used to. I recently discovered there is a huge misconception about their 2-day shipping policy (one which Amazon purports) that is causing many members, myself included, to cancel their membership.
Turns out 2-day shipping means just that: the item will “ship” in 2 days and can take any number of days after that to arrive.
I know what you’re thinking: “that can’t be, I order from Amazon all the time and my items arrive in 2 days.”
Yes, I thought the same thing for the past 6 years. I’ve almost always gotten my packages within 2 days of ordering. In fact, I went back to check and in the 6 years I’ve been a member there have been just times that my package has taken longer than 2 days to come.
And in each of those instances, Amazon compensated me for the delay. On 5 of those occasions I was given a free month of Prime added onto the end of my membership, on 2 occasions I received a $10 credit, and for one delay, since it was near the holidays, I was refunded for the full order, $46, and allowed to keep the package when it arrived.
So, if Amazon is compensating me then obviously their 2-day shipping means the same thing as 2-day delivery right? Like when Domino’s had their get it in 30-minutes or it’s free policy right?
Wrong. After a recent order was delayed I called Amazon to see why it would take 5 days when I ordered through Prime. I spoke with Raul, who proceeded to explain (in a condescending tone) that “Amazon does not guarantee and has never guaranteed 2-day delivery. They promise to ship in-stock items within 2-days and although they may arrive in that time frame it is not guaranteed by them.”
He then told me that since I ordered on a Wednesday I wouldn’t get it until Monday because weekends don’t count (since when? I’ve gotten many deliveries on a Sunday!) and that if I mistakenly thought that was the case he was sorry.
Thinking he was wrong, rude, and slightly delusional I asked to speak to a manager. I was then connected with Aryan, who was quite possibly the most obnoxious customer service manager I have ever encountered. I know Amazon has a monopoly on online shopping but their customer service has seriously declined and they need to correct it. Frankly, they should be embarassed.
Aryan reiterated what Raul told me and was less than accommodating. When I asked her why Amazon would compensate me and hundreds of others if this is not their policy she was unable to give me a straight answer, or any answer.
Still not believing what I was hearing I hung up and called back thinking a different operator would clear up the confusion. This time I got Claire, who cleared it up- but not the way I had hoped as she gave me the same spiel.
I started to wonder if maybe I was the delusional one. So, I did my homework. I went on several forums and spoke with hundreds of Prime members. Turns out I’m not delusional as many told me they thought Prime guaranteed 2-day shipping and were often reimbursed for any inconvenience.
One shopper, Joann, told me that 2 years ago she had 3 back-to-back instances where her packages were late and ended up with 6-months of free membership. Another member, Vanessa, said up until a month ago she was always given some freebie when packages took longer than 2 days.
And here’s the thing: I understand, 100%, that Amazon has never had a 2-day delivery policy. I could even accept it, except I also understand that they have allowed people to believe that they did all these years, which to me is pretty unethical.
What Amazon needs to understand is that if they can’t deliver in 2-days, what am I paying $99 for? The streaming is cool, but I can stream on Hulu and Netflix. The beauty of Prime is the fast, convenient shipping, which apparently I have no guarantee of getting. I can order from Target and get my items in 3 or 4 days- no membership required!
Plus, their customer service, which I used to applaud, has become horrendous. I was given curt answers and the people I spoke with were almost robotic, with little or no knowledge of what I was asking. Even worse they did not even try to rectify the situation.
Which is why I canceled my membership last Friday (8 days ago), and you should too. I don’t want to support a company that is dishonest, and neither should you!
What do you think of Amazon Prime’s policy? Tell me your view below and be sure to share this article with your family and friends.
*PS- I canceled my membership last Friday and was told I’d be refunded. 5 days later I called to see where my refund was; surprise, they never issued it and assured me they would do it right then and there, which they did.
I also contacted Amazon’s media relations, who, as of this writing has still not responded.
Have A Question? Ask Jessica!
-
Jessica: Hi, I'm Jessica, the Consumer Press AI, can I help you with a consumer question?
