Why we’ve stopped shopping at Amazon
Amazon used to be my first port of call when shopping online. Not any more. First came the indefensible increase in the minimum spend to qualify for a free delivery. Then I found that Amazon’s policy concerning reviews forbade me from mentioning the seller of a product or anything concerning its delivery. This meant I couldn’t tell the whole story to other prospective buyers.
The final straw came when I bought a Fire TV box, mainly to watch Youtube and BBC iplayer on my TV. Amazon’s advertising clearly states: “Voice search that actually works – simply say the title of what you want to watch and start enjoying in seconds”.
But what they don’t say is that this only works with Amazon services. In other words, it cannot be used to search Youtube or BBC iplayer, both of which still require tedious, time-consuming clicks on individual letters. With Fire TV remotes costing £25 to replace, this is simply not on. I’m sure Amazon’s lawyers would explain that its claims for voice search are not misleading, but I still feel conned. As a result, I will be thinking twice before trusting Amazon in future.
Nicholas Kersov
I’ve been reading the letters lambasting Amazon’s £20 minimum order for free delivery and I couldn’t agree more. I thought I’d share an experience, and a revelation.
I had a problem with an electric guitar which I bought from Amazon. After it developed a fault, Amazon supplied a refurbished one as new, but it was in a terrible condition. The customer-service debacle that followed ruined a perfectly good Saturday. I vowed I would not buy any more musical instruments from Amazon because I’d found a great independent music store nearby in the meantime.
I have also now found an excellent computer store, a great bookshop and started going back to HMV to buy DVDS and CDS. Although they are slightly more expensive, when you take into account the postage you have to pay online they are highly competitive. Amazon no longer has a monopoly on good prices. Bricksand-mortar retailers have caught up and realised the way to survive is to sell in volume at a lower margin.
Now, when I look on Amazon’s website, if there’s something I need to buy I’ll find a way to do so locally. I don’t need to wait indoors for delivery. It’s all liberating, and makes me feel good about not supporting a corporate leviathan that has forgotten its roots – if it ever had any.
My dad had a business supplying a large whisky distributor. He always
taught me that demand comes in arcs and I can’t help thinking Amazon is pushing itself towards that downward arc faster and faster. Glad I’m not a shareholder.
Stuart Mitchell