Recent Amazon Pre-Order issues

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by WarEagleRK, May 17, 2019.

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  1. WarEagleRK

    WarEagleRK Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chattanooga, TN
    Has anyone had any problems lately with Amazon pre-order CDs and DVD's arriving on the release date? If you have Amazon Prime and pre-order items they are supposed to arrive on the release date. Lately the majority of my pre-orders aren't even shipping until either the release date or a couple of days after. I know it is a petty complaint, but since they promise them on the release date and I am generally receiving them on the following Tuesday that has become a recent issue.

    Is this happening for anyone else?
     
    905 likes this.
  2. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Heh, this was asked a few weeks ago
    Are they manufactured in Europe? If so they sometimes don't get them in for a few weeks/months- sometimes.
     
  3. marc with a c

    marc with a c Forum Resident

    Location:
    Orlando, FL
    Yes. Nearly EVERY time. The amount of angry calls I’ve made about it have only served to show me that I’m not alone in this, and the employees seem to feel pretty powerless, getting yelled at weekly for it via people like me.

    Yet, I keep going back, thinking next order will be different...
     
  4. WarEagleRK

    WarEagleRK Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chattanooga, TN
    No, most of them are worldwide releases that they show as having in stock on the Friday of release, they just aren't shipping out as promised.
     
    marc with a c and c-eling like this.
  5. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Worldwide could be manufactured in Europe. Amazon sometimes, probably due to whomever they use for imports sometimes arrive late. I don't think I've ever had an issue with domestic made releases.
    Late arrivals could be due to where the warehouses are located in relation to where we live as well.
     
  6. WarEagleRK

    WarEagleRK Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chattanooga, TN
    I live in TN one state away from a huge warehouse in KY where Amazon, importcds and many others ship from.

    Up until probably 2 months ago pretty much all of my pre-order arrived on the Friday they went on sale. I assure you all of these aren't coming from Europe.
     
    c-eling likes this.
  7. marc with a c

    marc with a c Forum Resident

    Location:
    Orlando, FL
    Right. And this is how people keep getting burnt. They've gotten big to the point of not caring about bait-and-switch.
     
    Motorcity supernaut likes this.
  8. SJP

    SJP Forum Resident

    Location:
    Anaheim
    Pre-orders not arriving on the release date, certainly a first world problem.

    I have never lost a wink of sleep over when a pre-order arrives. They price it. I buy it. It gets here when it gets here. All is good.
     
  9. PHILLYQ

    PHILLYQ Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn NY
    How do you react when something important goes wrong? This is a minor issue at best...
     
    Marko K likes this.
  10. WarEagleRK

    WarEagleRK Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chattanooga, TN
    Well glad we were informed about how much better someone is because they don't blink something they paid for doesn't arrive at the promised date. I even said in my original post it was a petty complaint and just wanted to see if it happened to others.

    But hey, if it made you feel better to be awesome and let everyone know it, then that's just a bonus. Glad I could assist.

    Geez, you ask a question to see if this is a common occurrence and people feel the need to pat themselves on the back or go criticize someone else for how they handled the situation.

    Sorry I asked, I guess I forgot this was the internet. Mods can delete if they want.
     
  11. WarEagleRK

    WarEagleRK Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chattanooga, TN
    I just found the other thread discussing this, the mods can close or delete this. I didn't realize there was another one.
     
    marc with a c likes this.
  12. marc with a c

    marc with a c Forum Resident

    Location:
    Orlando, FL
    I wish they would. I'm tired of my inbox blowing up because I dared to answer. This has been an upsetting experience for reasons beyond what is apparent in the mere thread.
     
  13. SJP

    SJP Forum Resident

    Location:
    Anaheim
    Lots of sensitivity here.

    Yes, this whole "issue" is a first world problem but the gist of my response was aimed at those who yell at Amazon reps for a package not arriving "on time". Good gosh, is that what we have come to as human beings, yelling at others for something so trivial?

    Thing is, part of the reason this doesn't bother me in the least bit is that I can recall very few pre-orders which have in fact "qualified" for release date shipping. Here is the applicable part of the policy.

    About Release-Date Delivery
    Release-Date Delivery is available for eligible pre-order items we can deliver on the release date to ZIP codes within the continental U.S. Some carriers make deliveries to residential addresses as late as 9 p.m. local time.

    Select eligible items and choose Release-Date Delivery at checkout to receive pre-order items on the day of release.

    Shipping charges for Release-Date Delivery vary by item and are displayed on the order confirmation page. For Amazon Prime members, Release-Date Delivery is free when selecting Two-Day Shipping.

    Tracking information isn't always available from carriers online for Release-Date Delivery. To see if it's available for your order, go to Track Your Package.

    In the event of a missed delivery, we'll refund the shipping charge.


    Good luck finding eligible items. I have Prime and live in a metropolitan area with nearby Amazon warehouses/distribution centers so should be zip code eligible. I just spent way too much time attempting three different single item pre-orders and release-date delivery was not listed as an option. You can even search on release-date-delivery and much of what turns up has already been out for years. I attempted to get a release-date-delivery button out of this search for a genuine pre-order and nothing. Only the usual Prime choices.

    OP, if you consistently order and get release-date-delivery as a distinct option, then shame on me for minimizing the issue, you have my apology. My purpose in this expanded response is to point out that simply pre-ordering doesn't imply or guarantee release-date-delivery based on Amazon's terms.
     
    Lost In The Flood and lightbulb like this.
  14. WarEagleRK

    WarEagleRK Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chattanooga, TN
    Like I said before I just wanted to inquire if this change in delivery timing has happened to anyone else.

    I am not one who yells at customer service reps, nor have I contacted Amazon about the issue because I know that won't change anything.

    My only complaint about CS reps when I do have to contact them is the language barrier and the over reliance on scripted answers vs listening to the actual issue and offering solutions. Half of the time they aren't reading the whole question before they give a blanket answer. That issue isn't a global issue, not just Amazon. I will call a CS rep out when it is obvious they didn't pay attention to the question asked, but not yell at them.

    Nothing I lose sleep over just a change in their trends. My earlier response was because too often on the internet people feel the need to tell everyone how much better they are than others and that post slightly came across that way. It just came across as only there to pat yourself on the back. I might have misread it.
     
    Motorcity supernaut likes this.
  15. SJP

    SJP Forum Resident

    Location:
    Anaheim
    No intent to pat myself on the back but then again, I'll own it if it means I'm not calling Amazon to pitch fits about this sort of thing.

    I later chose to explore why I felt this way, why this doesn't matter to me when apparently it matters to others. It is because I don't see Amazon making such a promise of release-day-delivery on anything more than a rare basis and as therefore, I don't rely upon such an expectation. I'd be genuinely curious if you are consistently able to choose release-day-delivery as an option or just assuming this is available for all pre-orders. I honestly cannot remember the last time I saw this as an option.
     
  16. WarEagleRK

    WarEagleRK Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chattanooga, TN
    When you (or at least when I) place a pre-order on Amazon when you select the shipping option it shows a delivery date of the day of release for Amazon Prime members. So yes, Amazon does promise release date delivery.

    Until a couple of months ago I would guess 99 percent of the time the delivery was day of release. However that is more like 50 percent in the last 2 months and lately they haven't even been shipping until after the release date. When you look at the item on Amazon it will show it as being in stock but not shipped so to me it is a recent change in their delivery methods and not delivering as promised.

    Yes in the big picture of life, it is a zero and I even said so in the initial post, and I never contacted them about it but was just curious if this was a change for anyone else. That was all.

    Since you were curious here is the info about pre-order release date delivery.

    Amazon.com Help: About Release-Date Delivery
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2019
    Motorcity supernaut likes this.
  17. I think Amazon is severely cutting back on stocking deep CD inventory. It's especially noticeable in genres that don't really sell much - new niche Rap CDs these days often go into "1-2 month backorder" within days of release and never really come back into full stock once Amazon sells their 10-20 initial copies.
     
  18. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Definitely!
    Why and how?
     
  19. WarEagleRK

    WarEagleRK Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chattanooga, TN
    Yes, I admit it's a zero, was just curious if it happened to others.

    Why? I don't know. I used to get them on Friday, lately they are coming later.

    How? I don't know what you are asking there.
     
  20. WarEagleRK

    WarEagleRK Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chattanooga, TN
    Makes sense.
     
  21. BigMikeATL

    BigMikeATL Well-Known Member

    Location:
    USA
    I haven't had any issues, though I haven't pre-ordered anything from Amazon in a couple months.

    The question is whether Amazon has the items and are failing to get them out on time vs. suppliers failing to deliver them early enough that Amazon can get them in people's hands on the release date.
     
    WarEagleRK likes this.
  22. Amazon is likely sitting on inventory, often waiting to include it with a larger order. I've noticed I can push my shipment date ahead (even as a Prime customer) on a supposed backordered item if I happen to order something larger and in stock.

    I believe Amazon is more or less lying to customers about availability.
     
    marc with a c likes this.
  23. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Here is why: when they lie to you.

    If you take ubrage for a customer not being okay with that...you should hope I never take your name down when I'm having a problem that you're not resolving. Because your supervisor's gonna find out about it eventually...most likely from his supervisor.

    Know how I know? Because the review I wrote in reference to both the product I bought, mostly detailing the runaround the customer service department put me through rather than the product itself...just got approved by some dumb robot, and now every customer looking for that product at Amazon, is gonna read it. And, within the hour, I'll be speaking personally to somebody in customer service, to tell him about the incident, the reason for the incident, the fallout from the incident, the proof I secured about the incident...and only then, the fact that my report about the incident is live right now, on their own website. And THEN I'm gonna have him patch me up to his supervisor, so I can tell him the same thing I just detailed.

    This is not gonna be a great day for Amazon customer service.
     
    marc with a c likes this.
  24. SJP

    SJP Forum Resident

    Location:
    Anaheim
    Wow, can’t wait to hear about the actual incident!
     
  25. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident

    Location:
    Evanston
    Things had been better, but since 2021 started, pre-orders are absolutely awful.

    Usually when I pre-order something my order says "Order Received" until release date, then updates with my shipping. Used to be how that works, but now every single pre-order I've made in the last month has not done that, instead it stays "Order Received" for many days and even weeks after release date, with no update on shipping or delivery.

    Latest example is the new Weezer on CD. I pre-ordered it a few weeks ago, but the release date was today. Woke up this morning and figured I'd have an update but, no, still "Order Received". I search for the CD on the site and see, well, that's because it's not available anymore to buy. Just a few sellers with really expensive shipping options for secondhand copies, but not possible to order one from Amazon. I just don't get it. This isn't some obscure minor label, I mean Amazon itself says it is "#82 in CDs & Vinyl". But not a copy to be had and no update to my pre-order.

    And I wish I could say this is the exception, but it appears to be more and more the rule. Still waiting for an update two CDs I pre-ordered that should have been shipped last week,
     
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