What's going on with Amazon?

[MoonRiver]

We have had 3 recent orders, that were listed as delivered, and we never got them. We have been able to get refunds, but wtf? I would rather pay shipping than put up with this aggravation. Anybody else having similar issues?

[JenniferJuniper]

1. Do you know who was supposed to deliver them?

Amazon sometimes uses their own contractors to deliver packages, particularly on the weekends. I've had several packages delivered to neighbors because I'm at the end of a cul de sac and it confuses some GPSs. My house still should be easy to find with big numbers on the door and mailbox, but they seem content to throw them on the doorsteps of random neighbors.

[MoonRiver]

3. I think orders are usually transferred from UPS to the US postal service upon arrival in our town.

I have been an Amazon Prime member for 10 years, and this stuff has never happened, until recently. I just ordered my product from the manufacturer. Had to pay postage, but I think it was worth it to avoid the aggravation.

[Exilednight]

10. Might be a new driver.

I had this problem in PA. UPS uses part-time drivers who volunteer for weekend delivefies, but do not have a regular route.

[underpants]

11. Stick with UPS

I own stock in them

Actually don't go Fed Ex - their delivery people aren't actual employees. Hourly paid by franchisees. Everyone typically is on their own for taxes, healthcare, unemployment, Soc. Sec., retirement, etc.

[A HERETIC I AM]

53. That's not true.

their delivery people aren't actual employees. Hourly paid by franchisees. Everyone typically is on their own for taxes, healthcare, unemployment, Soc. Sec., retirement, etc.

That is not true. SOME FedEx employees are contractors, primarily under the FedEx Ground banner, as they hire owner/operators and small fleet owners who then hire drivers to operate their (the truck owner) vehicle, be it a van or road tractor. From the research I have done into the company, it depends on the small fleet owner as to what benefits he offers his drivers.

The guy driving the common FedEx van delivering a Priority Overnight package is indeed a FedEx employee with benefits.

FedEx Freight is another story altogether, as they have aligned themselves with a couple Common Carriers over the years and their drivers are both contractors (Owner Operators) and Company Drivers.

[Lucinda]

42. UPS has a weird contractor for some deliveries where we live

and any time I notice them as the delivery service I have to contact my PO because the packages will be dumped with them. My normal Fedex and UPS deliveries come as they should....If I remember the bad version is UPS Surepost.

[TheCowsCameHome]

48. UPS is a five day a week operation. Stuff sits idle for days.

Their service stinks.

[sailfla]

2. Yeah, I just had a 2 day delivery that took 6 days????? We'll see

[MoonRiver]

5. You should complain.

Amazon is going down hill.

[JenniferJuniper]

9. The 2 day delivery thing ain't what it used to be

I'm a Prime member who had a 2 day delivery confirmed for a Friday for a gift to be given on Saturday. It didn't arrive until Tuesday. No explanation.

[MissB]

12. Here is what happens when you complain (usually)

They will apologize, move your prime membership renewal one more month out and generally offer free shipping for your next order.

I think I had three "free" months of prime membership last year. I don't recall needing those items in two days, but they did promise to ship them to arrive in two days and I pay for the shipping (thru my prime membership). So I figure they should make good, which they do. Just open up the page and find customer service and start a chat.

[flyingfysh]

4. no problems here

I'm in Boston area, and we get deliveries just fine. You might consider putting up a security camera to see if anyone is stealing packages from you

[MoonRiver]

7. We've been in our very upscale neighborhood for 15 years.

Have NEVER had any problems with deliveries until the 3 recent Amazon orders. We already have outside cameras, plus a security system.

[Richard D]

6. If you're a Prime member . . .

. . . and a guaranteed 2 day shipping order arrives late, you can contact Amazon and they will give you an extra month of prime membership as a compensation.

[MoonRiver]

8. I have already gotten that, from a recent screw up.

[MissB]

13. They will stack them up

I had three free months last year.

[MoonRiver]

16. I don't think I will renew my prime membership next year.

I'd rather pay postage than put up with this aggravation.

[whatthehey]

47. What differrence do you imagine will be found?

Amazon uses a variety of shippers just like other sellers do, mostly UPS, UPS-USPS and contractors. Unless you believe Amazon never sent the items in the first place (they usually provide tracking) buying from other suppliers won't change your delivery/security woes.

[MoonRiver]

50. I have NOT gotten my orders 3 times in a row.

Why would you think I should keep ordering from a source that does NOT deliver what it says it will deliver? And I do have (false) tracking information. It always says delivered TO MY ADDRESS, but the item is NOT there. I do order from other sources, and NOT ONE TIME have I had a product listed as DELIVERED, when it was NOT.

[Calista241]

49. Because a manufacturer is ALWAYS guaranteed to ship on time.

Not everything ships and is handled according to plan.

Me personally, i'd rather have my private info help by a company like Amazon rather than 10 or 15 separate vendors.

[Ron Obvious]

14. That's happened to me as well.

I place a lot of orders at Amazon, and I'm not always the most diligent in following up, but lately I have noticed that some orders never arrived but were listed as 'delivered'. Usually this only occurs to me well afterwards in a "Hey, what about..." fashion.

I assumed they were stolen off our doorstep or otherwise our innumerate postman misdelivered them, which he does rather a lot, seeing as we have a 5 digit house number on a 3 digit avenue. Usually the people come over and bring us our mail in person, but not always.

[etherealtruth]

15. I have never had a problem with Amazon ... however, there have been problems with the USPS

... jacking up delivery.

Contact both Amazon and the United States Postal Service (USPS) .... or UPS, if they were the delivery service

[tavernier]

17. No problems.

Love my Amazon.

I think it might be a regional problem?

[MoonRiver]

18. IDK, but I will not continue my long term subscription with Amazon Prime.

They are well aware of what's going on with my husband and I, yet the issues continue. I've had enough.

[milestogo]

19. 11 orders in the last 6 months, zero problems

[Greybnk48]

20. Use the USPS and you will have no problems.

It's got to be with the carrier.

[philosslayer]

37. USPS is the best

I've never had a problem with them and find them more reliable than UPS and FedEx

[katmondoo]

58. I agree, the USPS is underestimated

[HipChick]

21. If they are using Lasership, or local carrier

that is not UPS or USPS, they seem to always screw up...

They reported deliveries to my office on Sundays...thing is the entire building is closed on Sunday

Amazon have stellar customer service, and always replace or provide refunds, so not going to quit Prime

[d_r]

22. we have had problems with Sunday deliveries

And only with Sunday deliveries. I think that they use new people or part timers or something on Sundays and they take them to the wrong address.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

23. The only problem I've had with Amazon is when their orders are "fulfilled" by a third party

When Amazon is sending the shipment from their facility, I've never had an issue.

[MoonRiver]

25. Yes, that is another beef I've had. Might be a large part of the problem, actually.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

27. Basically, Amazon is trusting that a random person will adhere to their standards

As someone who has sold stuff on there, I know I try to, in fact go above and beyond. But in the end it's like eBay. You are trusting a random person whose rep you can only guess.

It's why I will pay a few bucks extra if I know Amazon will be the one fulfilling.

[planetc]

24. I have been taking my book orders to Barnes & Noble for awhile, with no problems.

Since Amazon tried to use the profits of actual writers as part of its contract negotiations, I have been steadily avoiding Amazon, with no problems so far. Also, I always choose USPS for delivery (when I get a choice) because I want the Post Office to stay in business. No delivery problems except for two delayed deliveries which turned out to be a confused postal delivery person, who took them to the wrong address. Of course, the owners of this property have not seen fit to put up street signs, so confusion is practically inevitable. Since I supplied the PO with a map, no problems.

[still_one]

26. I am assuming you confirmed on your Amazon account that the products were listed as being

sent to the correct address.

Did you inquire with Amazon customer support what the problem is:

1 [phone]

[MoonRiver]

28. Yes, I did. That's why this is very concerning.

[still_one]

30. The only suggestion I would have is to require the packages delievered by Amazon to

require a signature. That is a pain, but it might find out what is happening

[anneboleyn]

35. See my post below -- and call amazon's customer service. They are very good at resolving issues

[Kali]

29. a month ago

I had a mess, ordered a mattress and frame, received two frames no mattress, customer service couldn't handle what I told them, and it still isn't straight yet. ended up cancelling the mattress order and getting a different one was supposed to return the extra frame. the new mattress came AND SO DID THE ORIGINAL. tried to pay for the extra frame or send both it and the mattress back (wanted to keep both after thinking about it) and they never could figure out the original mattress but sent me an email saying I could keep the extra frame.

[MoonRiver]

33. That sounds very familiar!

[anneboleyn]

31. Contact Amazon itself, as the problem is usually with the delivery services (more)

We have been very loyal Amazon prime members for many years as we order LOTS of stuff from Amazon, books, personal products, gifts, clothing, all sorts of stuff. Their customer service is almost always superb. I see that a few others here are saying they had problems with delivery as prime members but we have never had problems (well, just once, see below -- we ordered a new laptop that never arrived. I explain what happened and how Amazon dealt with the matter).

It can be tricky to contact Amazon by phone but once you are able to speak to someone they are brilliant at resolving issues and very, very helpful. Amazon's customer service number (which you can use to speak to an actual human as we had mixed results trying to resolve the matter via the email and customer service forms route -- primarily because the seller was stonewalling us) is listed as 1-800-201-7575. That number was up-to-date as of 2014. Here are two additional recommended numbers: 1-866-216-1072 and 1-888-280-4331. As I stated, I recommend contacting them directly as they are usually very helpful once you get through to an actual person.

The only time we had a serious issue was about two years ago when my husband ordered a new laptop through a retailer on Amazon. The way Amazon works is that the retailer that sells the product is responsible for its safe and timely delivery. This retailer had its own "holding facility" where products were stored and then transferred to UPS. The retailer was trying to claim that they had turned over the new laptop to UPS for shipment (it had been given a UPS number but this was done by the seller when the seller arranged the shipping). UPS in fact never received the item, and on our Amazon page it keep saying that the "product is on its way." Of course it wasn't on its way. We contacted the seller several times, and we were blown off each time. Then we found amazon's HUMAN customer service number, and once we got through to Amazon they were incredibly helpful. They immediately refunded our money (which the retailer had been refusing to do saying that it was all the fault of UPS).

Anyway, long story, but Amazon has been a fantastic experience for us, and we continue to make all sorts of purchases from Amazon. With our prime membership they always arrive every quickly.

[MoonRiver]

34. It has been fantastic to me, also, up until about 3 months ago.

[radical noodle]

32. We buy a lot from Amazon

and things are usually on time. Last December I ordered something that didn't come the day it was promised. When I complained, they sent me another for free. The item came one day late and they didn't charge me for that either. I think some of it is because there are third party senders, though.

[BSdetect]

36. Check that they did not deliver to a similar street name etc

This has happened to us.

But three times? Sounds like a thief may be targeting parcels?

[Bonx]

38. How about Verizon? I had some calls drop recently. Could it be Trump?

[Stellar]

39. I thought I was having a problem but when I tracked them

I found that they put my package in the back of my house and now that's where I look and it's always there.

[MoonRiver]

40. We have a padlocked fence to the back yard, so that's not our problem.

Edit: Plus, these delivery problems ONLY happen with Amazon orders.

[geek tragedy]

41. Lemme guess, supposedly delivered by USPS?

We're lucky if the USPS delivers 75% of what they claim to have delivered.

[Adsos Letter]

43. I currently have just the opposite problem with an Amazon order.

I am currently out of town, nine hours away from my house. Last night I ordered a fairly expensive camera lens ($1200) and specified two day delivery through prime. I was guaranteed delivery on Tuesday (tomorrow) by 8:00 pm. I did this so I would be home when it arrived, as we are flying out late tonight.

I just received an e-mail from Amazon telling me that "Hey, we delivered your package this morning at 8:30am...we left it on your front porch!" (not an actual quote, but reflects the facts). So now I have a $1200 package sitting out on my front porch. I'm glad it's small, so perhaps it will remain unnoticed...

I think this is the first time they have been early on a delivery to us.

[GeorgeGist]

44. Nope ...

and I order at least once a week.

[MoonRiver]

45. Same here, previously. I'm done now though.

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

46. How are your packages placed?

One of my coworkers had his packages delivered to his porch, and they'd repeatedly disappear. It wasn't until he aimed a security camera at the area that he found a neighbor's kid was stealing them. Just a thought.

[Binkie The Clown]

51. I live in a gated senior neighborhood with locked mailboxes and have never missed a delivery.

Everything I order from Amazon is delivered promptly and reliably.

I'd start wondering who is following the delivery trucks around your neighborhood to steal stuff.

[Lee-Lee]

52. 3 orders in a row sounds like someone is stealing your packages

I'll bet they are snatching them from your porch or mailbox.

Amazon will refund and file claims with the shippers if it's high enough cost to make it worth it. If enough claims get filed at your location the shippers may flag your address as high-risk and require a signature on all deliveries.

[hunter]

54. I think the U.S.A. is becoming more like the nations we used to mock.

It's a consequence of the increasing disparity of wealth.

When shipping and delivery people hate their jobs, bad things happen, and opportunities for organized crime to infiltrate a business increase.

I remember when sending anything to Italy or Mexico was a hit-or-miss proposition. Even postcards would disappear forever.

We recently had a replacement cell phone disappear in transit. Both the cell phone company and the delivery company waffled about it for a few days, and then they sent us another phone. Talking to the cell phone company, it was almost as if they expected a certain number of phones to disappear.

[TeamPooka]

55. In our area there are a lot of box thieves who just steal every delivery they find right off your

porch.
Every night the news has video of some other douchebag stealing packages
It gets bad this time of year as holiday shopping starts.
Check with your neighbors to see if any of their shipments have gone missing too.
You might have a thief or ring working your area

[kiva]

56. Do you have Amazon lockers in your area?

There are four locations within a few miles of my house, including one outside my grocery store. I don't use it for deliveries - there's almost always someone home - but I used it for a return about a month ago and it was convenient and easy.

If you're not familiar with them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Locker

[MoonRiver]

59. No, and I don't want to be returning things every week.

But since I haven't gotten my orders a return is not necessary.

[kiva]

62. It's not just for returns,

it's also for deliveries. If I don't expect anyone to be at home for a delivery, I can have it sent to a locker near my house; Amazon e-mails me the code, I go to the locker and enter the info on the screen, the locker pops open and I get my package.

[WhiteTara]

57. Yes, I've had 2 orders cancelled even though I didn't

cancel them. Very weird.

[ecstatic]

60. Shipping partners are lying to keep their contracts. One time UPS lied and said they attempted

delivery for a package but that I wasn't home..I called them and told them I had surveillance cameras on my porch, was home all day waiting, and that they did NOT attempt delivery. When I mentioned the magic word, Amazon, they sent the driver back out to deliver the package. It was like 8:30pm. She gave the most unbelievable bullshit excuse ever.

I'm still a prime member, but I don't use the shopping service as much these days. Especially when a deadline is involved. The fault lies with the shippers. I've had UPS and USPS outright lie about delivery, etc., multiple times.

Amazon is always great about rectifying things, but it sucks when there's an important deadline that is missed (like needing new luggage to arrive before a trip).

[athena]

61. I have not used Amazon in years.

I was one of Amazon's first adopters and used to buy tons of stuff from them each month -- mostly books. But in the last few years, I read too many articles about how they treat their workers -- not just the tech workers but also the ones who work in packaging and for Amazon's "Mechanical Turk". Amazon is not a moral company. Fortunately, it's easy to avoid Amazon. Instead of doing a search on Amazon, you do a Google search for a company who sells what you're looking for. I haven't had any problems, and it feels great to be supporting many smaller businesses instead of one giant business that wants only to dominate the market.

Before I stopped using Amazon, I had one or two bad experiences. Once, I ordered a hardcover copy of a book that was listed as available through Amazon. It arrived with water damage. This was not through one of Amazon's sellers; it was through Amazon directly and was incorrectly listed as a new book.

For books, I now use Powell's and Biblio.

[JI7]

63. Maybe someone stole them

[Warren DeMontague]

64. Yeah, the 2 day prime shipping has gone way downhill.

They're using their own independent contractors or something, because they were getting clobbered on the 2 day shipping costs. But, tough, they made the deal.

[R B Garr]

65. Just heard a report on the radio that a couple videotaped what happened

after the Amazon truck drove away after delivering their package. They had similar problems of packages reported delivered, but they never got them.

Turns out that the video showed the Amazon truck pull up and a man delivered a package. Then it drove away only to turn around again and a second man got out and went and picked up the package. The story from the Amazon driver was that the ridealong guy paid off the Amazon driver at $50/day to ride along in the truck and pick up packages like that after they showed delivery.

So maybe that's happening elsewhere. Amazon drivers who get involved in this same type package stealing scam.

The report said that they fired the Amazon driver but the second ridealong guy hadn't been identified yet.

[MoonRiver]

66. That's horrible, and another reason not to use Amazon.