Amazon.Ca Prime - What have I been cornered into?

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by John B Good, Nov 13, 2019.

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  1. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame Thread Starter

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    What have I been cornered into?

    I always decline that Prime option when placing an order. But in my last order I could not find the route to decline.

    And the button that seemed my best possible way to bypass it failed to do so, so I now have a free 30 day trial. :(

    I think I saw something about $8 a month so I’d get free shipping. But there were other things, some video thing called Prime Video and Prime Music (streaming). I don’t watch much on TV and have less interest in watching it on my computer, if that’s what is involved.

    If I don’t order a lot from Amazon.ca itself, its hard to see any advantage to paying $8 a month...

    A lot of things I am interested in on Amazon.CA these days come from 3rd part sellers.

    Am I missing something?
     
  2. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Amazon Prime tv streaming is like Netflix; you can use the code on most modern televisions. Prime Music can be used on devices: phones, tablets, whatever's hooked up to your stereo, as well as Alexa doohickeys.

    I don't use Prime Music, but we do watch a few series on Prime.
     
    John B Good likes this.
  3. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Prime is faster shipping for free, usually next-day, from Amazon themselves. Their video app is a Netflix competitor. They have a free audio streaming app as well though the selection us limited.

    Some items have a very good discount only offered to Prime members, something that happens even more during major sales events like Black Friday or Boxing Day.

    If none of this is attractive, keep your 8$/month.
     
    John B Good likes this.
  4. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialist™

    Location:
    B.C.
    John, I tried the free Prime and all I can say is that if you want out be certain to cancel it before the 30 day free trial ends otherwise it's a real pita to get out of their loop.
     
    ScramMan2 and John B Good like this.
  5. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame Thread Starter

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    I was afraid that would the case, Dave.

    So, my next question is, what is the Amazon Canada phone number where I can stop them reverse Negative Optioning me.

    I still don't understand how I was trapped into signing up for it in the first place. :(
     
  6. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialist™

    Location:
    B.C.
    Sorry John, I don't know Amazon Ca's phone number. I was able to unsubscribe in my account settings somewhere. :shrug: Perhaps the Prime link in the Accounts drop-down menu?
     
  7. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    I'm in the UK and am a Prime Member. And just because I feel like a rant.... an order (for Bowie's Conversation Piece).... was shipped yesterday - via Royal Mail! They're telling me this is perfectly normal, as they are a "provider". I've asked them to explain to me what value Prime has if they're going to use Royal Mail, and they say they'll get back to me tomorrow.

    In other words, it doesn't always do what it says on the tin. My item didn't arrive today as it should (and as the status said it would all day long). It seems that sometimes they just stick the item in the post......

    As for Prime Day, I made an order for a Miles Davis box set on Prime Day 16th July this year, and it STILL hasn't shipped.

    So yeah, call me somewhat dubious of their level of service. I guess if it works for you great, but it's clearly not a uniform service they offer.
     
  8. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    They're pretty evil sometimes. There's a wizard you go through for some purchases, and the responses to that wizard are designed to trick you. It's easy to make a mistake and accidentally sign up - but if you contact them (they use a chat based system which connects you to somewhere in Asia) you can get them to cancel it.

    Here's a link on Amazon UK you use to contact them, perhaps a similar URL for Amazon CA?

    Amazon Sign In
     
  9. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    I haven't experienced that. I did get a couple of orders 1-2 days later. After mentioning it, they credited me 2 months of Prime.
     
    Vaughan likes this.
  10. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Years ago (many years ago, so I can't remember the exact details), we accidentally clicked the "Yes, I wish to accept your gracious offer of the 30-day trial" when we only used Amazon about five times a year. It was a simple mistake but we got stuck with the trial. We cancelled the trial right away, it showed that old crying Native American photo when we went away (obviously joking, but they tried to convince us they were heartbroken), but we did eventually get out of it. Around this time the bank we used went under so we had to change banks. Later on (can't remember if it was at the end of the month or end of the year), we got an email from Amazon saying "Hey! We tried to take $90 out of your bank account, but it wouldn't let us. Please give us your information so we can take $90." For what? For our Amazon Prime subscription. Which we cancelled during the trial period! We would have been screwed out of the fee had our bank not gone bankrupt.

    I'm not surprised that they're hiding the option to say no to it, honestly. They've always struck me as very shady, even with all the free returns and customer service and all that. If they're that pushy about an expensive service I already told them I don't want, then I'm going to avoid them.
     
    Dave likes this.
  11. Pali Gap

    Pali Gap Whiskey, mystics and men

    Location:
    Under the bridge
    I am an experienced PRIME member, having ordered many things over the years (both U.S. and Canada sites), I can assure you there is no catch, it is VERY EASY to cancel your membership: Log in, click on 'ACCOUNTS & LISTS'- 'YOUR ACCOUNT' at top of screen, then click 'PRIME'. Then on left side of screen, scroll to the bottom box titled MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT, click on 'END MEMBERSHIP AND BENEFITS'.

    Amazon PRIME is great if you order from Amazon a lot, because all Prime items are available with FREE 2-day shipping (usually).
    On Amazon.ca you'll find that the shipping cost for (1) item sometimes costs more than an entire month of Prime membership (that gets you Free 2-day shipping), so by joining for a month you can actually SAVE money...Also, whenever I travel I can order from Amazon and be guaranteed that my purchases will be delivered free within 2 days, either to my hotel or a nearby 'Amazon Locker'...Very convenient to say the least...
     
  12. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame Thread Starter

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    I’m not sure why Prime can be of much use. My 2nd order as a (Roped in) Prime member was placed on Nov 28. Everything was in stock. The first part of the order arrived within 5 days, but the second part arrived 2 days later, and the last part says expected by Dec 12.

    When I follow the advice in the previous post, I get a nice clear "Are you sure you want to end your membership?", and a silly statement about how much shipping I’ve already saved. That’s silly because I nearly always order enough to get free shipping anyways.

    But no button that says YES! END these non-benefits.

    Instead there is a button that says "End my Benefits", so I’ll try that.

    Yes, it worked. Though there were a few more hoops which always presented a button for remaining or re-signing. Anyways, I am no longer a prime candidate.
     
  13. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Firstly, the option to decline Prime is always next to the option to accept. If you cannot find it (though I always thought it was rather obvious), you can contact Amazon and have them guide you through the ordering process.

    If you dislike your Prime experience, you can (again) contact Amazon and ask that you get a refund for the service as you are dissatisfied with it.

    You also need to ensure that ;

    a) Each item you're ordering is actually being ordered from Amazon themselves and *not* one of their other seller parties. *SO* many people confuse the two which leads to a whole lot of avoidable misunderstandings and frustration.

    b) Each item is in stock from Amazon themselves (and not a 3rd-party seller as mentioned above).

    c) You *specifically* select Prime Next-Day shipping on all orders. The default will always be something else.

    d) If you're ordering from multiple parties, that you select Prime Next-Day shipping on each separate item.

    Moreover, I'd like to bring your attention to the fact that some items are sold on Amazon directly by the manufacturer. Prime discounts and faster free shipping is available but Amazon simply relays the order to the manufacturer who then ships the item to you. Amazon has no control over such a scenario... and yes, that can be verified prior to ordering.
     
    John B Good likes this.
  14. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame Thread Starter

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    It seems strange that if I was a Prime member, that I would have to specifically select the next day shipping offer. I do check for most of the things you mention (3rd party). I think I have even seen an advice that Prime service is not available on such orders.

    One thing I wondered about in some cases was a statement that it was from a 3rd party, but fulfilled by Amazon. But as I get free shipping (and am not fanatic about getting things as quickly as possible) by ordering over the $35 or so eligibility level, I haven't worried about it.

    PS If you do know the phone number for Amca, I'd like to tuck that one away.
     
  15. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    In some cases, it is. In others, it isn't.

    They make it as easy as can be. At the very bottom of their website, there's a Customer Service link on the right side. You can chat, email, call, etc.
     
    John B Good likes this.
  16. Brenald79

    Brenald79 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    It’s very easy to manage your subscriptions and cancel you prime membership. Finding a customer service phone number is impossible though without searching google. Here it is: 1-877-586-3230.
     
    Dave likes this.
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