Since when is "guaranteed" synonymous with "maybe, possibly"??? Shipping/Ama*on vent

[AimeeM]

First, I realize that Ama*on and similar companies are slammed this time of year.

But WHY, when you purchase an item do they "guarantee delivery by Christmas" if you "pay this much more" to upgrade shipping to "one-day Prime shipping" - and THEN, much later in the day, send you an e-mail "estimating" delivery basically any time before the end of December - so quite possibly well AFTER Christmas? This is an item that was stated as "in stock" and "guaranteed by Christmas" - even with just REGULAR Prime free shipping, but my husband upgraded the shipping "just to make sure".

 

I called customer service and was actually yelled at. I understand that I wasn't a happy camper, but they kept repeating what the e-mail I had already read said! I can read, I promise. I asked to speak to a supervisor. Was shouted at again and accused of not reading the delivery confirmation. We DID read the delivery confirmation - it stated "guaranteed by Christmas" and then said that it would "need more time to estimate the exact date of delivery" (which explains the e-mail I received later, estimating any time before the 29th). CS just kept repeating it over and over and over again. Then she kept saying that it would be there by Christmas - sometime between the 23rd and the 29th. Did she not know when Christmas is? 

 

This is totally a JAWM post. I'm upset. We finally figured out what to get FIL for Christmas. A keurig. He hasn't had the energy to make himself a nice cup of coffee lately, so he's been shoving instant into the microwave. DH ordered him a Keurig and what seems like a lifetime supply of k-cups. We won't be with him this Christmas and we want him to have something to open on Christmas. It looks like he'll have the k-cups, but quite possibly not the keurig. Not that he'll care (in fact, he'll probably kill DH for buying him "more electronics" - because anything with that many buttons on it is classified as an electronic, lol), but still... I'm (probably ridiculously) disappointed. 

Edited December 22, 2015 by AimeeM

[Tsuga]

I don't know but the lack of clarity in their shipping times drives me flipping INSANE. I completely empathize with you on this one.

 

I don't mind a lot about Amazon but the lack of clarity in shipping times (they could EASILY put the rates up front) is just plain a time-waster for their customers.

 

I am also very sorry you got yelled at.

[Aiden]

I totally sympathize.

 

When we had ongoing issues with Amazon shipping, I sent an email to Jeff@amazon.com. That's purportedly the CEO's email address. I'm not naive enough to think it's actually his, but it does seem to go to a higher level customer service team than you're likely to get on a phone call. The issue we had was ongoing, and my husband received several followup emails basically to let us know they hadn't forgotten and were working on the problem.

 

Also, for first contact when we have problems with them, we never call. We use the online chat. We do that because we don't like to be on the phone and we like to do other things while dealing with them, but it also helps with tempers. I know we've always been taught to think before we put anything in writing, but it's easier to just say whatever comes to mind. And I think they have scripts that they copy and paste so even if they're cursing at us out loud, all we see is the approved script. When we need to escalate, as we did for our ongoing shipping issue, we email the jeff@amazon account.

 

In your case, I'd either hit the chat or email jeff@amazon with my concerns over whether this would arrive in time and with my expectation that if it doesn't arrive by the promised time (promised when you placed your order--i.e., "guaranteed by Christmas"), that the delay will result in a refund of the extra shipping charges. And I'd also mention that their CS people yelled at you, providing a date, time, and name(s) if possible. I doubt anyone will be fired or disciplined, but you can pretend ;)

[abba12]

Yep, ordered from amazon on the 21st, all in stock items. Selected two day shipping and paid the extra for it, but apparently they'll arrive some time before the 30th, hopefully. 

[flyingaway]

You never should have been shouted at by anyone in customer service. I would probably not be able to let that go.

 

I would be upset and disappointed about the delivery as well.

[Guest]

I had an item overnighted with guaranteed delivery today. Not even Amazon and it made it to the drop center in town this morning. But did it get delivered? No. My husband's package due the same day came, from the same carrier, but not mine.

 

Grrr.

[Elfknitter.#]

I get this is a JAWM post and I understand the frustration of hoping a package will arrive on time.

 

I just wanted to peacefully offer up that those CS reps are sometimes as frustrated as you that your package has not arrived. More than likely, yours is not the only "guaranteed to arrive" item they have had to deal with. I can't comment to the yelling at you, and that's not code for I doubt you just that I do not have enough info to take a stand on it. I do know in many cases the CS reps can only repeat what they are instructed to say. If it were me, my beef would be against the manage or supervisor who cannot discern between when to accept responsibility for leniency when the company wrongs a customer vs firmness against those customers who wish to abuse a company's policy.

[Mom-ninja.]

I ordered something from B&N 4 weeks ago. Plenty of time for Xmas delivery. Every time I checked the status it said it was being prepared to ship. I received an email yesterday that they cannot fill the order and it has been canceled. So they finally decide 4 days before Xmas that oops don't have the product. 

 

It was a gift for my 7 yr old. Not happy. I have never had much success with B&N online. Done with them. 

[JudoMom]

I would call back. I think Amazon hires extra people this time of year and they tend to not have the same level of training. They have different keurigs in stock-could you get one of those for FIL?

 

I would keep calling until I got someone who cared and was capable of helping. I would also report the yelling at the same time.

Edited December 22, 2015 by JudoMom

[TammyS]

First, I realize that Ama*on and similar companies are slammed this time of year.

But WHY, when you purchase an item do they "guarantee delivery by Christmas" if you "pay this much more" to upgrade shipping to "one-day Prime shipping" - and THEN, much later in the day, send you an e-mail "estimating" delivery basically any time before the end of December - so quite possibly well AFTER Christmas? This is an item that was stated as "in stock" and "guaranteed by Christmas" - even with just REGULAR Prime free shipping, but my husband upgraded the shipping "just to make sure".

 

I called customer service and was actually yelled at. I understand that I wasn't a happy camper, but they kept repeating what the e-mail I had already read said! I can read, I promise. I asked to speak to a supervisor. Was shouted at again and accused of not reading the delivery confirmation. We DID read the delivery confirmation - it stated "guaranteed by Christmas" and then said that it would "need more time to estimate the exact date of delivery" (which explains the e-mail I received later, estimating any time before the 29th). CS just kept repeating it over and over and over again. Then she kept saying that it would be there by Christmas - sometime between the 23rd and the 29th. Did she not know when Christmas is? 

 

This is totally a JAWM post. I'm upset. We finally figured out what to get FIL for Christmas. A keurig. He hasn't had the energy to make himself a nice cup of coffee lately, so he's been shoving instant into the microwave. DH ordered him a Keurig and what seems like a lifetime supply of k-cups. We won't be with him this Christmas and we want him to have something to open on Christmas. It looks like he'll have the k-cups, but quite possibly not the keurig. Not that he'll care (in fact, he'll probably kill DH for buying him "more electronics" - because anything with that many buttons on it is classified as an electronic, lol), but still... I'm (probably ridiculously) disappointed. 

 

You are NOT being ridiculous.  The CS people yelled at you on the phone?  I can't even....

 

Ok, look up the company's headquarters and get the CEO's name.  Call that person directly (you'll probably  get an assistant, but that's ok).  Tell them exactly what happened.  If you have a CS number give it to them, if not the date and time you called and any other identifying information.

 

I'm so sorry.  That's just unbelievable.

[MSNative]

I ordered something from B&N 4 weeks ago. Plenty of time for Xmas delivery. Every time I checked the status it said it was being prepared to ship. I received an email yesterday that they cannot fill the order and it has been canceled. So they finally decide 4 days before Xmas that oops don't have the product.

 

It was a gift for my 7 yr old. Not happy. I have never had much success with B&N online. Done with them.

Oh no! I know exactly how you feel. That happened to me with Think Geek last year. I bought all the gifts for kids on my list from there. Less than a week before Christmas I got the o"ops that item isn't in stock weve cancelled your order" email. I was ticked off. Then they offered me a $10 gift certificate to make up for it. Really? And just like you said, it's not so much that they sold out. I understand that. How in this age of automation does it take three weeks to figure out you sold out- especially if it was supposed to ship in 10 days according to the order confirmation?

[Southern Ivy]

You are NOT being ridiculous.  The CS people yelled at you on the phone?  I can't even....

 

Ok, look up the company's headquarters and get the CEO's name.  Call that person directly (you'll probably  get an assistant, but that's ok).  Tell them exactly what happened.  If you have a CS number give it to them, if not the date and time you called and any other identifying information.

 

I'm so sorry.  That's just unbelievable.

I'm not sure how Amazon does it; but when I worked as a CS for a company, we always had to put a note in to the person's account with the time, date, and our initials stating we had talked to them and the content of the call. I'd be surprised if Amazon doesn't have something like that to trace back. 

[carriede]

I ordered something from B&N 4 weeks ago. Plenty of time for Xmas delivery. Every time I checked the status it said it was being prepared to ship. I received an email yesterday that they cannot fill the order and it has been canceled. So they finally decide 4 days before Xmas that oops don't have the product.

 

It was a gift for my 7 yr old. Not happy. I have never had much success with B&N online. Done with them.

This happened to me this year, but with JC Penney. Never ordering online from them again.

[Valley Girl]

I totally sympathize.

 

When we had ongoing issues with Amazon shipping, I sent an email to [email protected]<script data-cfhash='f9e31' type="text/javascript"> /* */</script> That's purportedly the CEO's email address. I'm not naive enough to think it's actually his, but it does seem to go to a higher level customer service team than you're likely to get on a phone call. The issue we had was ongoing, and my husband received several followup emails basically to let us know they hadn't forgotten and were working on the problem.

 

Also, for first contact when we have problems with them, we never call. We use the online chat. We do that because we don't like to be on the phone and we like to do other things while dealing with them, but it also helps with tempers. I know we've always been taught to think before we put anything in writing, but it's easier to just say whatever comes to mind. And I think they have scripts that they copy and paste so even if they're cursing at us out loud, all we see is the approved script. When we need to escalate, as we did for our ongoing shipping issue, we email the jeff@amazon account.

 

In your case, I'd either hit the chat or email jeff@amazon with my concerns over whether this would arrive in time and with my expectation that if it doesn't arrive by the promised time (promised when you placed your order--i.e., "guaranteed by Christmas"), that the delay will result in a refund of the extra shipping charges. And I'd also mention that their CS people yelled at you, providing a date, time, and name(s) if possible. I doubt anyone will be fired or disciplined, but you can pretend ;)

 

I've used the email address above in the past to complain about a major issue. I received a prompt, thorough reply--much better than the runaround I was getting from their regular customer service people who, in the past, had always been excellent.

 

No way should you have been yelled at by the CSR. Frustrated or not, there's no excuse for that. It absolutely should be reported. At the very least, you should be refunded the extra shipping you paid. I don't understand why the person you talked to didn't at least offer to that. I think we all get that at a certain point, things are out of their control. But that's no excuse for not offering empathy and whatever resolution options are within their power.

 

Hopefully, UPS comes through and your FIL is able to enjoy good coffee on Christmas. The gift is a lovely idea and sounds like it will be perfect for him in his situation.

[Soror]

It seems Amazon is having a hard time these days, used to I never had any difficulty shipping, now it could be 2 or 3 days for Prime, they really need to stop saying it is 2 days. I ordered dh a present yesterday- inspiration finally hit and I ordered it yesterday after around 2 maybe, guaranteed prime shipping wasn't until the 30th(considering the holidays I was expecting the 28th at the latest- although I know UPS works on Christmas Eve) !!!!! I could understand somewhat of a delay but that is ridiculous. So, I upgraded to 1 day shipping for $20 and the arrival was supposed to be by Wednesday but it showsThursday on their site now and it still hasn't shipped out. I will be asking for a refund of my shipping charges if it doesn't make it. Don't offer a guarantee if you can't guarantee it!

Edited December 22, 2015 by soror

[Word Nerd]

I'm tired of the Marketplace sellers giving a delivery date range but not even shipping the item until after the first date in the range has come and gone. If it's not even theoretically possible for it to arrive in the first part of that timeframe, then it shouldn't be advertised that way.

[VaKim]

Just wanted to say that in my experience, those emails are nearly always wrong, and even though they may say it will take longer, it never does. 

Hopefully, that will be the case with your order. 

[Valley Girl]

Just wanted to say that in my experience, those emails are nearly always wrong, and even though they may say it will take longer, it never does. 

Hopefully, that will be the case with your order. 

 

Yeah. I just had something from them that wasn't supposed to arrive until Jan. 4 show up yesterday. So I'd keep my fingers crossed.

 

On the other hand, I just contacted another popular book company beause something hadn't arrived only to find out the package is now considered lost. They're refunding me, but I'm sure I'd not have been notified if I hadn't called (mainly because the CSR repeated ignored my question as to when they would have informed me).

 

Hope it arrives in time, Aimee.

[Kathryn]

I ordered something from Amazon on Dec 1. The next day, I got shipping confirmation. When it still hasn't come the day after it was supposed to arrive and the tracking showed no movement at all, I emailed. They said that the item was not in stock (even though the page said it was when I bought it and now at that point it was saying in stock but may require 1-2 days) and they would upgrade my shipping to one day and I would be at the top of the list to get it when they got it in on the 11th. On the 11th it listed as in stock for a few hours, then the in stock but 1-2 days thing, then out of stock. Then I emailed again and was told it still hasn't come in, they'd give me a free month of prime, and as soon as it came in, I'd get it. Since then, it keeps going through the same process and when out of stock listing various dates when it will be back in stock. Yesterday, it was saying the 28th, so I finally sent them a request to cancel it and paid more at Target to get it. Today, it's listed as in stock from a third party at 3x the price. Amazon still hasn't replied to my last email requesting cancellation. I'm not impressed.

[Serenade]

Oh no! I know exactly how you feel. That happened to me with Think Geek last year. I bought all the gifts for kids on my list from there. Less than a week before Christmas I got the o"ops that item isn't in stock weve cancelled your order" email. I was ticked off. Then they offered me a $10 gift certificate to make up for it. Really? And just like you said, it's not so much that they sold out. I understand that. How in this age of automation does it take three weeks to figure out you sold out- especially if it was supposed to ship in 10 days according to the order confirmation?

 

 

You know, places like this don't seem to understand how that sort of customer service loses them business.  I remember a thread last year about Think Geek and its problems, and it helped me decide not to order from them.  I wonder how many other people came to the same conclusion and how much business they might have lost as a result.  And if people are talking about their slow shipping on TWTM, you know they're talking about it elsewhere, too.

 

Right now I have an order in for something from Williams Sonoma, which is generally a great company.  It is not an important item -- a couple of holiday quick bread mixes.  I ordered these before Thanksgiving, and they were supposed to ship before Thanksgiving.  I never got them, never got an update, so I followed the link from my order online, and noticed that the ship date has changed.  LOL, it has since changed multiple times. I have never ONCE gotten an e-mail about this delay.  I only find out when I take the time to check online.  I've been meaning to call them and ask them to substitute a different bread, because I got a good price on those two, but I just haven't had the time.  I'm not in the mood for arguing, either, if they don't want to honor the deal.  Usually Williams Sonoma is good, so maybe I'll call in January and ask them to substitute Lemon Bread for the Toffee Pumpkin bread.  Sigh.

[dsmith]

Dh said a lot of items he ordered were guaranteed delivery when he placed the order, but he is getting emails saying they may come the 24th. Other packages that were due on the 24th showed up here at 6am this morning! We are getting deliveries by people wearing Amazon shirts driving trucks from Enterprise. Oddly, I have seen only 1 UPS truck around here in the last few days, but while running some errands yesterday within 2 miles of my home I must have seen 6 or 7 Fedex  ground trucks. Being 30 minutes away from NYC, that's really strange. I wonder if Amazon is shifting away from UPS... I'm glad I have everything for ds, but one thing for my nephew may not make it in time. The biggest fail so far has been from Toys R Us. I ordered for our church giving tree and it showed up 4 days after I needed the gift. I never received any emails and whenever I tracked it it would only show shipping info received from the shipper. When I ordered it I was given a delivery date of 5 days from the day I placed the order, which would have been plenty of time. I ended up buying a similar item in Target and donating the TRU one to Toys for Tots, so in the end it worked out well. I remember a few years ago Amazon had some shipping issue before Christmas and an item we were guaranteed to come on the 24th did not come. They gave us a gift certificate to compensate. I don't see that happening this year, lol.

[zoobie]

You know it's bad when you think Amazon is a cuss word. :rofl:

 

They've been ridiculous with two of my good friends. One had multiple fails on the same order (four, count them four left baseball gloves instead of a right) and the rep just kept repeating it would be fixed by Christmas despite her saying I AM JEWISH. I DO NOT CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS. She said she had to call several times to get a non-automaton rep who spoke English enough to step outside the script.

[scbusf]

I totally sympathize.  I do a lot of Amazon shopping w/ Prime shipping.  Their delivery estimates are so all over the place.  I frequently receive packages early AND late.

[Annie G]

I think Amazon tries but they figure when the item doesn't arrive in time they'll just refund your shipping charge if you complain enough to the right person. Or extend your Prime membership, which just makes them more money.

 

 To them, getting 95% of the orders delivered on time is wildly successful. But if your gifts are among the 5% that don't make it, it really puts a damper on your holiday. 

 

I hope your stuff arrives pronto. 

 

 

[OH_Homeschooler]

There was a thread here last week about the crappy service lately. I've personally disconnected my credit card information from Amazon because it will no longer be my go-to for stuff I need. I will not renew Prime when it is time. 

 

I will say I have had decent resolution to my complaints with Amazon, eventually. I haven't been yelled at by customer service, but I did have condescending responses to my first emailed complaints. They suggested I call to resolve the issue but I hate talking on the phone, so I just kept on emailing. Sounds like I made a good decision. 

[AimeeM]

I would call back. I think Amazon hires extra people this time of year and they tend to not have the same level of training. They have different keurigs in stock-could you get one of those for FIL?

 

I would keep calling until I got someone who cared and was capable of helping. I would also report the yelling at the same time.

Supposedly this one IS in stock. I have no clue what is going on. 

 

Around 3 this morning, I received an estimated delivery date for the Kindle we ordered for my sister. Same shipping estimate when we PLACED the order - but WELL AFTER we placed it, e-mail estimates it will be several days after she leaves to head back home (to Wisconsin, so far, far, from me).

[forty-two]

When we paid for overnight delivery and Amazon failed to get it to us on time, they did automatically refund the extra shipping cost - I didn't have to contact them or complain or anything.  Not great when you wanted the item enough to pay for quicker shipping, but it's better than having to fight to get the extra shipping refunded.

 

Yesterday I ordered an item that's not estimated to get here until next Monday - a full week with Prime shipping.  It was marked with "extra processing time".  It's not a Christmas present, and it's something that we've been procrastinating going to the store to get for 3 months, so we probably can live with an extra week.

 

OTOH, my sister said the Amazon stuff she bought us was supposed to be here Christmas Eve, and it arrived at 8am this morning (Enterprise truck).

 

WRT Think Geek and their epic fail in a previous year - I wonder if they just were. not. expecting. the level of demand they got.  Something similar happened to our church with our Easter egg hunt - we planned for 50-75 kids and got 200 :scared:.  It was not pretty, and there were lots of unhappy people, but we had *no idea* we were going to get that many people and there wasn't all that much we could do to accommodate them on the fly.  A little more success than you expected is nice, but a *lot* more success than you expected is as bad (or worse) than no success :doh.

Edited December 22, 2015 by forty-two

[MomtoCandJ]

hmm I haven't had any issues (a package did arrive a day late but it didn't matter as long as I got it before Christmas Eve). I'm on my moms prime account though and do plan on getting a student prime account (I can't use streaming being linked to my mom's) I'm only getting my own so I can use streaming (dd2 is obsessed with curious George and I can stream all the seasons for free if I have my own account)

[UCF612]

I'm sorry you're having issues. I hope it arrives on time.

[MSNative]

You know it's bad when you think Amazon is a cuss word. :rofl:

 

They've been ridiculous with two of my good friends. One had multiple fails on the same order (four, count them four left baseball gloves instead of a right) and the rep just kept repeating it would be fixed by Christmas despite her saying I AM JEWISH. I DO NOT CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS. She said she had to call several times to get a non-automaton rep who spoke English enough to step outside the script.

😂😂😂. That is awful but so funny too! Honestly it sounds like a SNL skit doesn't it?

[RioSamba]

I'm up to seven late deliveries this holiday season, and not very happy with Amazon. I'm sorry that the CS person yelled at you! How rude! I will second the recommendation to use chat in the future; I receive much better results that way. I hope the Keurig maker arrives in time.

[school17777]

I had a similar issue with a Walmart order last night. The stuff we wanted was sold out at the store so I ordered on-line. An ad kept scrolling that said delivery in time for Christmas if you selected standard shipping. When I went to check out, it said standard shipping would arrive on Dec 26th, despite the scrolling ad saying it would arrive in time for Christmas.

[AimeeM]

You know it's bad when you think Amazon is a cuss word. :rofl:

 

They've been ridiculous with two of my good friends. One had multiple fails on the same order (four, count them four left baseball gloves instead of a right) and the rep just kept repeating it would be fixed by Christmas despite her saying I AM JEWISH. I DO NOT CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS. She said she had to call several times to get a non-automaton rep who spoke English enough to step outside the script.

Yes, the language barrier was definitely one issue. Didn't want to say it in the post because... well, I didn't want my head torn off, lol, but it was a problem. 

Edited December 22, 2015 by AimeeM

[mamiof5]

So sorry you got yelled at, that's just not OK. The minor issues I've had with Amazon in the past have been resolved to my satisfaction, so I can't complain. The best of luck getting your package on time! There's still hope. Sunday evening I saw a USPS gal working on our neighborhood, so I stopped to thank her for her service (I thought USPS didn't deliver Sundays, so I was surprised to see her). She said it was all Amazon shipments, and she had probably 5000 that day. I know this is frustrating for you, and I'd definitely wait til after Christmas to address the yelling issue, maybe they can do something to keep you as a customer? But, on their behalf? Maybe they are trying as hard as they can? Just trying to give them a little bit of the benefit of the doubt :)

Edited December 22, 2015 by mamiof5

[lispy]

Hopefully your item will still make it in time.  I got a similar email this morning, that said my package was delayed in transit and it would be late (scheduled delivery was tomorrow).  But not 10 minutes after getting that email, UPS showed up with my package---a day early.  I was just curious so went and looked on UPS tracking, where they had made two notations that flight delays had caused delays and they were working to get the package moved asap.  So I'm thinking that UPS is updating, then amazon updates to cover themselves.  But as it turned out in this case, UPS apparently compensated for the delay.   Hopefully, your package will show up when it's supposed to.

But they shouldn't yell at you either way!

[Amy in NH]

My (long) Amazon CS story:

 

My men's Payless lined winter boots last about year before they die.  I went through the second pair last winter and they were splitting by spring. 

I decided to take some time to shop around to find something warm and stylish. 

I chose a pair of Comfy Moda boots on Amazon and ordered them June 23.  Put them in the closet for the summer.

Took them out and started wearing them on September 13 when the weather turned cooler.

By October 24 the leather upper had started to separate from the sole, and they were unwearable by October 27.  I can lift the leather upper and see lots of daylight between it and the bottom sole.

I emailed the Amazon seller, ShoeMetro, and was told they don't warranty their products - contact the manufacturer.

I emailed the manufacturer and was told the seller is not an authorized Comfy Moda seller, and they couldn't be sure they aren't a fake (didn't ask me to ship them for confirmation, or anything), so they won't warranty them.

I spoke with an Amazon CS rep who said to file an A-Z claim and it would take 1-2 weeks before I'd get my refund.

Got an email 2 days later that my issue does not qualify for A-Z.

Called Amazon CS again, and was told I can appeal, but it will likely not go through because it is not an Amazon issue. 

I explained that I bought them from the Amazon website, and she offered me a $20 credit.

 

So, boots last one month and I'm out the money (-$20).

Edited December 22, 2015 by Amy in NH

[Entropymama]

It's not just Amazon. I ordered gifts for the grandparents on Shutterfuly the day before, according to their website, I had to order to have them arrive by Christmas. Today, one of them has still not shipped. There's no way it's going to be there by Christmas, I'm hoping for New Year's at this point. I would happily have paid extra to get it there on time, but their site assured me it would all work out. Next year I'm ordering Christmas presents in October. 

[Ellyndria]

I'm sorry CS yelled at you.

 

My irritation with Amazon Prime lately, is sometimes the delivery date is 3 or 4 or more days out.  I was going to order a couple things over the weekend, both stating they were Prime, and one item had a delivery date of Monday (yesterday) and the other a delivery date of Thursday.  How is that Prime?  I ended up cancelling my order.

 

Another thing I'm looking at right now says Prime, it's "In stock but may require an extra 1-2 days to process." and has an estimated delivery date of Dec. 29.  I realize we have a pretty major holiday in there, but I still don't see how a week for shipping is Prime.

 

On the other hand, a few weeks ago, I received some Amazon orders on a couple different Sunday mornings by 11AM.  I kinda felt bad for the USPS person who was out delivering on Sunday morning, but I was super happy to get my packages in the morning on a Sunday!

[AimeeM]

They did offer to refund the shipping cost. I'll admit that I told them I was far less concerned with getting a refund on the extra shipping cost, and far more concerned with that I ordered from them specifically because the website guaranteed delivery by Christmas, and it wasn't until well after the order was placed that I find out it's more of a suggestion that it be delivered by Christmas. 

Just DON'T guarantee it if you can't REALLY guarantee it! I know they're slammed this time of year. We already had a Keurig here that we had purchased for FIL, but found out that USPS was placing priorities on Amazon shipments, so we turned around and bought ANOTHER from Amazon, instead of sending the one we had already purchased. At the rate that Amazon is anticipating delivery, we could have just sent the other USPS.

 

I suggested to DH that we just pay pal the money, plus some for their trouble, to someone we know who lives close to FIL, and have them just go buy one in-store, wrap it up, and take it to FIL so he would have something to open on Christmas. He refuses to put someone out that close to Christmas. Logically, I agree with him, but I'm still made enough at Amazon to consider it in the back of my mind :P

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

My late items are always 2 day items that end up on the USPS 2-7 day shipping method.

[Patches]

I had a similar bad experience with Amazon's customer service this week. I called back, got a person who both cared, could speak English well, and did not lie to me. I was given 15 dollars credit. It did not change the time the package arrived, but at least I felt better about it. I encourage you to call back. 

 

[Lanny]

My belief is that when people pay extra, for faster shipping, it is not uncommon for that to actually delay the delivery. The reason for that is that the order is not handled in the normal manner.  The things I order most frequently from Amazon are textbooks for DD, from Marketplace Sellers. Reading Feedbacks of the Sellers, before clicking to buy, I have read more than a few Feedbacks where the people wrote they paid extra, for Expedited Shipping, and the item took forever to arrive.  I always select the least expensive shipping method, which more than once has been awesome, including shipments from the West Coast to Miami, FL

 

I suspect that also applies to items that are not textbooks.

 

I hope your FIL receives his gift very soon and enjoys his coffee!

[Valley Girl]

 

I suggested to DH that we just pay pal the money, plus some for their trouble, to someone we know who lives close to FIL, and have them just go buy one in-store, wrap it up, and take it to FIL so he would have something to open on Christmas. He refuses to put someone out that close to Christmas. Logically, I agree with him, but I'm still made enough at Amazon to consider it in the back of my mind :p

 

Obviously this is just my two cents, but we're still three days out from Christmas. Many people still have last-minute errands to do and will be out and about anyway. If I were to receive a call from someone I knew explaining the situation and asking for help in getting a gift to a seriously ill man--a gift that would help make his final days a little more enjoyable--I would not hesitate to help. It would make MY Christmas a little happier knowing I was able to bring a little cheer.

[Valley Girl]

 

Edited December 22, 2015 by Reluctant Homeschooler

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Obviously this is just my two cents, but we're still three days out from Christmas. Many people still have last-minute errands to do and will be out and about anyway. If I were to receive a call from someone I knew explaining the situation and asking for help in getting a gift to a seriously ill man--a gift that would help make his final days a little more enjoyable--I would not hesitate to help. It would make MY Christmas a little happier knowing I was able to bring a little cheer.

 

I was thinking the same thing. If I was near him (I don't think I am, but feel free to PM me if you want to check--I'm on the East Coast, if that narrows it down!), I'd be happy to do it. You could maybe even order it for store pickup (Walmart, Best Buy, Target and other stores are options) to make it easier for your delivery connection. 

[monstermama]

I wouldn't necessarily blame Amazon as much as I'd blame the shipping companies (Fedex, UPS, etc), if Amazon is actually getting it to the shipping company on time.  In my previous life, one of my job responsibilities was dealing with delayed parts shipments.  It's frustrating when your company has their act together but there's a courier issue (my favorite - we were delivering something ASAP to a rural hospital and the courier only had one van big enough for the particular part... which got into a traffic accident on the way to our depot.  ended up finding them a U Haul to rent a few towns over...).  Still, I'd expect Amazon to be having some seriously stern talks with the shippers if things are getting that badly delayed...

 

Shipping seems to be all over the place this year.  We ordered something from Amazon around 9pm Sunday night - it was sitting on our doorstep when DH left for work at 6:30 Monday morning!  A gift we ordered for someone on the other side of the country shipped right away, but the package got stuck due to weather delays so who knows if it'll make it there in time.

 

[JFSinIL]

I was checking my order status last week  to see where a desired item was and it originated in Wisconsin.,  I am in Illinois.  Tracking showed item made it to Illinois, then - item was noted as "out for delivery'...in FLORIDA.  Two hours afterwards,  it was listed as being in Moreno Valley, CA.   Just about when I was going to contact Amazon....bark bark bark (our Labrador serves as a doorbell) the package arrived on my front porch.  Go figure!

[Ellyndria]

Here's another one that I just saw:

 

Want it Tuesday, Dec. 29? Order within 36 hrs 42 mins and choose One-Day Shipping at checkout.

 

Although if you just want Prime shipping, then it'll get there Wednesday next week.

[Ellyndria]

Here's another one that I just saw:

 

Want it Tuesday, Dec. 29? Order within 36 hrs 42 mins and choose One-Day Shipping at checkout.

 

Although if you just want Prime shipping, then it'll get there Wednesday next week.

[Woodhaven]

I really dislike it when I order something "guaranteed" to arrive by a specific date, and it is late.  It is not something I soon forget.  A company that does to me won't have my trust.  And they will soon get a reputation for not being true to their word.  It is NOT OK to say one thing and do something else.  Guaranteed should mean just that. You don't offer a guarantee unless you know you can keep your word.