Amazom Prime membership really worth the $12?

[Warmsignal]

I don't think so. I just cancelled actually. Reason being I was under the expectation that you would actually receive your orders in 2 days. Nothing I ever ordered with Prime came in 2 days, and yes I'm only counting business days. All of my Prime orders have came within 3 - 5 days. I get the same speed of shipping, or faster from random eBay sellers.

I think they make 2-day shipping sound like you'll literally get it that fast. Customer service told me no, you won't. They can take however long they want in processioning, and they do in order to save themselves money. So why was I paying a bunch up front for Amazon to ship my stuff at a standard rate of speed? Made no sense. So I cancelled. I kinda see it as a scam. Deceptive advertising. Lousy company. They also treat their employees really poorly or so I've heard. I hate what they've done to the retail business. Amazon is the evil empire.

[kamikazekeeg]

Might just be your area, because I always get my stuff in 2 days, sometimes one on the rare occasion.  I've never had a problem with it.  You also get free games with through Twitch every month, and Prime video tends to have something to watch series wise.  Amazon definitely has issues as a company and with how they treat employees, but the service has been good to me.

[NickAwesome]

Amazon for me ships out quick and usually arrives in 1-2 business days, might be because i live in the city.  I don't order as much from amazon these days but my wife does so it's worth it for us. 

[weirdfeline]

$12!!??

[hoshichiri]

My orders come in 1-2 days (literally order one day, comes the next- even on Sundays). I live close to Seattle though, so I have that going for me. I typically tell them not to ship quickly, though- if you ask for 'no rush shipping' you get $1 in digital credit. So I guess if you order often enough, you can get enough in free song/app credit to cover the costs?

But yeah- Amazon treats their employees like crap & pays no taxes 'round here, I've been cutting back on my amazon shopping as a result.

[oldgamerz]

is that $12 now a one time payment? or is it a monthly payment? if that is $12 USD a month than that would make it cost $144 USD a year.

The last time I had prime membership I think it was 2015, it used to cost $100 USD upfront, a one time payment for an entire one year length. after one year I never bothered to renew the membership.

I bought many new music CD's from them but I never used the video service but I did use their music service a few times

Amazon Prime only is decent in my opinion if you buy a lot of new things, it's not good for a lot of used things in my experience

the reason is only the new stuff is cheaper to afford with Amazon Prime Membership the used stuff in my experience is still about the same prices as the new with prime membership though

(edit) as for the 2-day shipping like someone else said. It all depends on where you live

[emporerdragon]

Always been 1-2 day delivery for me, and I'm in South Dakota.

[jce3000gt]

I don't think so. I just cancelled actually. Reason being I was under the expectation that you would actually receive your orders in 2 days. Nothing I ever ordered with Prime came in 2 days, and yes I'm only counting business days. All of my Prime orders have came within 3 - 5 days. I get the same speed of shipping, or faster from random eBay sellers.

Definitely your area and or you do not have enough local courier companies delivering them themselves.  I get packages pretty much 99% when it says I should get it. 

I think they make 2-day shipping sound like you'll literally get it that fast. Customer service told me no, you won't. They can take however long they want in processioning, and they do in order to save themselves money. So why was I paying a bunch up front for Amazon to ship my stuff at a standard rate of speed? Made no sense. So I cancelled. I kinda see it as a scam. Deceptive advertising. Lousy company. They also treat their employees really poorly or so I've heard. I hate what they've done to the retail business. Amazon is the evil empire.

A "scam"?  Treating their employees "badly"?  "Amazon is an evil empire".  Wow, that's pretty inflammatory.  I hope you realize Prime has more benefits than just expedited free shipping.  Obviously tens of millions of people or more disagree with you as well.  Lastly, I've always had great customer service when I've had to contact them--they are very pro-consumer which is something that is NOT standard today.  While I like a brick and mortar stores unfortunately you gotta evolve or be crushed.  It is just the nature of evolution and Amazon has cornered the market on the consumer goods marketplace so if you see that as an "evil empire" thing then you really must hate pretty much everything ever designed, made and or sold.  I suspect what happened here is you had one or two bad experiences and judge the entire system negatively based on your personal experience.  And you do realize even if you get Prime packages delivered to you at the standard shipping speed IT IS STILL FREE whereas the standard non-Prime shipping IS NOT when you aren't a Prime member.  So you are still getting a net benefit from being a Prime member--and that pretty much debunks your "scam" comment. 

Life's too short to get this worked up over something petty mate.  Have a drink and fire up a game and relax.   

[hoshichiri]

A "scam"?  Treating their employees "badly"?  "Amazon is an evil empire".  Wow, that's pretty inflammatory.

Lastly, I've always had great customer service when I've had to contact them--they are very pro-consumer which is something that is NOT standard today. 

So here's the thing: Amazon is very pro-consumer... to the point of being anti-worker. Like I said, I live near Seattle, I have friends in Seattle & other local warehouses. Here's the deal: you're put in charge of a single order. You have a scanner, with a timer counting at all times. It tells you were an item is, and also how long they expect you to take finding & scanning it. You can easily end up in a situation where you have to move the length of a football field in-between items, and you're given a minute and a half to do so regardless of how long you've been working or what else you're hauling around from said order. Can't find a thing? Scan rate drops & you're in trouble. Can't move fast enough through the massive warehouse? Scan rate drops & you're in trouble. Stop to use the bathroom? Don't be surprised if your boss is standing outside when you leave becuase your scan rate dropped too low. 12 hour days are common & often mandatory. That's just the packers- delivery drivers are often subcontractors paid by order delivered, so the hours are longer, the pay is worse, and there's no benefits. The typical wages regardless of where you're working are minimum or close-to, so many employees qualify for (and need) government services to get by- which Amazon does not pay for, as their city contracts exempt them from taxes. It's definitely a point of contention around here.

I don't think evil empire is necessarily off the mark. Not specifically trying to stop anyone from shopping there, mind you- but it's in the vein of Walmart for cost/convenience vs. worker exploitation, so if you care about that kind of thing, it should be affecting your shopping habits.

[oldgamerz]

A "scam"?  Treating their employees "badly"?  "Amazon is an evil empire".  Wow, that's pretty inflammatory.

Lastly, I've always had great customer service when I've had to contact them--they are very pro-consumer which is something that is NOT standard today. 

So here's the thing: Amazon is very pro-consumer... to the point of being anti-worker. Like I said, I live near Seattle, I have friends in Seattle & other local warehouses. Here's the deal: you're put in charge of a single order. You have a scanner, with a timer counting at all times. It tells you were an item is, and also how long they expect you to take finding & scanning it. You can easily end up in a situation where you have to move the length of a football field in-between items, and you're given a minute and a half to do so regardless of how long you've been working or what else you're hauling around from said order. Can't find a thing? Scan rate drops & you're in trouble. Can't move fast enough through the massive warehouse? Scan rate drops & you're in trouble. Stop to use the bathroom? Don't be surprised if your boss is standing outside when you leave becuase your scan rate dropped too low. 12 hour days are common & often mandatory. That's just the packers- delivery drivers are often subcontractors paid by order delivered, so the hours are longer, the pay is worse, and there's no benefits. The typical wages regardless of where you're working are minimum or close-to, so many employees qualify for (and need) government services to get by- which Amazon does not pay for, as their city contracts exempt them from taxes. It's definitely a point of contention around here.

I don't think evil empire is necessarily off the mark. Not specifically trying to stop anyone from shopping there, mind you- but it's in the vein of Walmart for cost/convenience vs. worker exploitation, so if you care about that kind of thing, it should be affecting your shopping habits.

I didn't realize how badly the warehouse workers were treated at the Seattle location and probably every other amazon warehouse

Walmart might be the same way also

I like to shop at places I get the best deal, amazon is not always one of those places. For what people pay on Amazon.com? they should be better to their employees also I second this opinion.

But as for customer service they are really nice people to talk too I never had an issue with their customer service line yet.

however $12 USD for prime even if they charge that each month I have to admit I am now tempted to get prime, but the last time I ever heard of prime was when it was actually at least $120 USD upfront for one year

[wolff242]

We pay prime yearly, not monthly. I'm pretty sure it's $120. I think it's a great deal because I share it with my Mom and my Brother. They ship to any of us (3 difft addresses in 2 states) and we can all use the prime videos, etc. Shipping is always here on time, and my family usually gets their stuff faster (Same state as a warehouse). I have also sent things to friends using our prime. If you share with people it's a great deal. Customer Service is also super fast, though I rarely have issues.

[jce3000gt]

A "scam"?  Treating their employees "badly"?  "Amazon is an evil empire".  Wow, that's pretty inflammatory.

Lastly, I've always had great customer service when I've had to contact them--they are very pro-consumer which is something that is NOT standard today. 

So here's the thing: Amazon is very pro-consumer... to the point of being anti-worker. Like I said, I live near Seattle, I have friends in Seattle & other local warehouses. Here's the deal: you're put in charge of a single order. You have a scanner, with a timer counting at all times. It tells you were an item is, and also how long they expect you to take finding & scanning it. You can easily end up in a situation where you have to move the length of a football field in-between items, and you're given a minute and a half to do so regardless of how long you've been working or what else you're hauling around from said order. Can't find a thing? Scan rate drops & you're in trouble. Can't move fast enough through the massive warehouse? Scan rate drops & you're in trouble. Stop to use the bathroom? Don't be surprised if your boss is standing outside when you leave becuase your scan rate dropped too low. 12 hour days are common & often mandatory. That's just the packers- delivery drivers are often subcontractors paid by order delivered, so the hours are longer, the pay is worse, and there's no benefits. The typical wages regardless of where you're working are minimum or close-to, so many employees qualify for (and need) government services to get by- which Amazon does not pay for, as their city contracts exempt them from taxes. It's definitely a point of contention around here.

I don't think evil empire is necessarily off the mark. Not specifically trying to stop anyone from shopping there, mind you- but it's in the vein of Walmart for cost/convenience vs. worker exploitation, so if you care about that kind of thing, it should be affecting your shopping habits.

FYI, this is not anything new or uniquely reflective of Amazon.  This is how businesses and especially distribution centers and delivery drivers work and have worked for decades.  Been there and done that myself.  If you don't like where you work for whatever reason, even legitimate or not, change your situation and find somewhere else to work.  I'm not defending it, I'm merely pointing out that this is not a uniquely Amazon problem.  And if there are any labor violations then it is your responsibility to report it to the appropriate authorities.  I don't have sympathy for anyone who doesn't look to change a bad situation and report illegal labor practices. 

Also, the fact that you say "there are no benefits" is a result of them pushing the minimum wage to that stupid $15/hr thing and also if they are contract labor.   Amazon ditched the bonus structure and lowered hours to their employees when they raised the minimum wage.  But that's a whole other subject I don't want to get in to due to it being political.  And if you "care about that sort of thing" in regards to your last statement you better not buy anything anywhere in person or online.  Newsflash, it is shit everywhere.  I know I've lived it for 10 years before I bettered myself by changing careers and finding a suitable job.  Yes it is wrong, but good luck trying to avoid it by "buying goods elsewhere" when they all do it.  Just a fact unfortunately.  Gotta pick your poison in life and do what ever makes you happy.   

[Warmsignal]

I don't think so. I just cancelled actually. Reason being I was under the expectation that you would actually receive your orders in 2 days. Nothing I ever ordered with Prime came in 2 days, and yes I'm only counting business days. All of my Prime orders have came within 3 - 5 days. I get the same speed of shipping, or faster from random eBay sellers.

Definitely your area and or you do not have enough local courier companies delivering them themselves.  I get packages pretty much 99% when it says I should get it. 

I think they make 2-day shipping sound like you'll literally get it that fast. Customer service told me no, you won't. They can take however long they want in processioning, and they do in order to save themselves money. So why was I paying a bunch up front for Amazon to ship my stuff at a standard rate of speed? Made no sense. So I cancelled. I kinda see it as a scam. Deceptive advertising. Lousy company. They also treat their employees really poorly or so I've heard. I hate what they've done to the retail business. Amazon is the evil empire.

A "scam"?  Treating their employees "badly"?  "Amazon is an evil empire".  Wow, that's pretty inflammatory.  I hope you realize Prime has more benefits than just expedited free shipping.  Obviously tens of millions of people or more disagree with you as well.  Lastly, I've always had great customer service when I've had to contact them--they are very pro-consumer which is something that is NOT standard today.  While I like a brick and mortar stores unfortunately you gotta evolve or be crushed.  It is just the nature of evolution and Amazon has cornered the market on the consumer goods marketplace so if you see that as an "evil empire" thing then you really must hate pretty much everything ever designed, made and or sold.  I suspect what happened here is you had one or two bad experiences and judge the entire system negatively based on your personal experience.  And you do realize even if you get Prime packages delivered to you at the standard shipping speed IT IS STILL FREE whereas the standard non-Prime shipping IS NOT when you aren't a Prime member.  So you are still getting a net benefit from being a Prime member--and that pretty much debunks your "scam" comment. 

Life's too short to get this worked up over something petty mate.  Have a drink and fire up a game and relax.   

I never had a single good experience with it. All of my orders came later than 2 days, granted I don't order often from them. So I would often maybe order 1 thing per month, and then pay them 12$ for each month for the membership. So it's like paying $12 for shipping that turned out to be a lot like standard shipping in my case. So it's not free. There was no net-benefit for me. It was a waste of money as I paid them probably a year's worth, used it very little and it didn't work efficiently in my area.

I tend to dislike mega-corporations which create a stranglehold, and reduce our choices so that we end up dealing their practices and policies and being at the mercy of the only option we have. It baffles why anyone would want to become dependent upon one mega-corporation for their every need. Sounds like some kind of Orwellian nightmare in the making. A company can only grown so large before mismanagement becomes a staple. I try to patronize the underdog, and the little guy over a company like Amazon any chance that I get, and I'll continue to go out of my way to support the brick and mortar store format until it's final days.

I just think Amazon Prime is overrated, and not exactly everything it's chalked up to be. Use whatever service you see fit to use. I'm not obligated to praise them just because x amount of others do. I've had sub-par experiences, and I don't like it.

[marvelvscapcom2]

If it were 100 dollars a month, i'd probably pay it.  It's worth more to me than about 8 of my family members 


For games it isn't so great, since you can just walk to walmart and get it same day but for Pops, any random thing you might need that are sold out locally.  It'll get it to your house in 2 days flat, sometimes next day for free.  Nobody can touch that.  Ebay you'll have to pay 20 bucks for a buyer to ship something next day air.


It feels good knowing my exactly delivery date and how fast it'll be.  And they rarely waiver from their estimate. 


I love amazon.  I also love Amazon for amazon music unlimited through my Alexa.  My Alexa is nicer to me than my Ex was.


As for them treating their employees poorly, I have 4 letters that solve that...


QUIT.   


Nobody is holding a gun to their head, people are overseas in 110 degrees dying from EMDs for under minimum wage and we got these people crying over a warehouse job.  Don't let the news fool you.  I have an Amazon Warehouse in my city.  They expect speed and efficiency and hire accordingly, but they don't mistreat anyone and they offer fair benefits.