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102 votes
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Man unable to interact with any of his smart devices for a week after delivery driver accuses him of being racist
89 votes -
I filed a complaint against Amazon to the US Federal Trade Commission
Mods: I put this in Tech because Amazon is a tech company, if this is the wrong group I apologize. For the last several purchases I have made through Amazon, not only has the advertised "expected...
Mods: I put this in Tech because Amazon is a tech company, if this is the wrong group I apologize.
For the last several purchases I have made through Amazon, not only has the advertised "expected delivery date" been wrong, Amazon hasn't even shipped the product by the delivery date. The day I expect an order to arrive, I get a notice from Amazon saying it's "running late" and the new expected delivery date is anywhere from 4 to 10 days away.
This is on top of the fact that I have Amazon Prime. Prime eligible meant "it would be delivered within two days" for the better part of a decade. They slowly transitioned away from that to "two days delivery after it ships," and now it seems like half of everything takes 5-8 days to deliver, even with Prime.
Anyway, the reason I reported them to the FTC because I believe they are advertising misleading or downright incorrect delivery times in hopes of winning your business over a competitor who is honest about their delivery times. If I want a monitor and Best Buy has it for $200 with 3-5 day shipping, and Amazon advertises it being delivered on day 3, I'm probably going to go with Amazon if I'm in urgent need of a monitor. But then the third day rolls around and Amazon indicates "oh, well, it's probably going to be 3-4 more days." If I had known that, I would have just gone with Best Buy, where I know it would have at least been delivered in 5 days; now I'm stuck waiting a week for Amazon.
I don't even know if this is something the FTC cares about. But it should. I encourage everyone to report this if they've encountered the same issue.
80 votes -
Amazon is warning employees they risk undermining their own promotion prospects unless they return to the office (RTO) for three days a week, as was mandated by CEO Andy Jassy months ago
60 votes -
Elizabeth Warren proposes breaking up Amazon, Google, and Facebook
48 votes -
Fallout | Teaser trailer
45 votes -
Good Omens: Season 2 | Official trailer
The one-off series 'Good Omens' from 2019 is getting a follow-up! Here's the trailer for Season 2, which is being released on Amazon Prime later this month. I only know this as a one-off novel,...
The one-off series 'Good Omens' from 2019 is getting a follow-up!
Here's the trailer for Season 2, which is being released on Amazon Prime later this month.
I only know this as a one-off novel, and a series based on that novel. I didn't expect any form of follow-up.
However, Neil Gaiman, who is listed as an executive producer and the show-runner for this new season, has supposedly said in the past that he and Terry Pratchett discussed a possible sequel to the novel (although Pratchett gave up on the idea when Gaiman moved to the USA). Maybe Gaiman is going to use ideas from that unwritten sequel for this second series.
43 votes -
US Federal Trade Commission accuses Amazon of illegally protecting monopoly in online retail
42 votes -
Fallout | Official trailer
40 votes -
Refund fraud schemes promoted on TikTok, Telegram are costing Amazon and other retailers billions of dollars
37 votes -
Utah cat found safe in California after sneaking into Amazon return box
36 votes -
The Boys | Season 4 official teaser trailer
36 votes -
Dangerous AI-generated mushroom foraging books are all over Amazon
36 votes -
I think I'm done with Amazon. Recommend me some alternative storefronts.
This story was basically the last straw, but the bigger frustration is that I ordered a NAS on Black Friday that STILL hasn't shipped. I have zero trust in this company to actually deliver me what...
This story was basically the last straw, but the bigger frustration is that I ordered a NAS on Black Friday that STILL hasn't shipped. I have zero trust in this company to actually deliver me what they claim to be anymore, and their listings are crap.
So instead of just spending my time whining (like the Ars comment section seems to be), I'd like to brainstorm alternative places to buy stuff. The main problem is breaking the Amazon habit, especially as it dominates all Google results for whatever you're looking for.
Nothing will ever be as much of a "one stop shop" as the A->Z store, naturally. But I think I'll just set myself up some bookmarks and go to one based on what I'm looking for. Also, while I get that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism, there is definitely a sliding scale of better and worse so that should weigh into things.
So let's go by category. I'm just listing out places where I've started to look for things instead. Please feel free to make suggestions. Whatever people recommend, I'll edit back into this list. If you include any general comments about what you like or what they could do better on any of your recommendations or any of mine let me know.
Groceries (Dry goods and sundries)
- Target.com
- Jet.com
- WalMart.com
- CostCo
- Chewy.com: For dog/pet supplies
Groceries (Fresh/perishable and specialty foods)
- Peapod (is this still a thing? Has anyone used it?)
Electronics
- BestBuy.com
- WalMart.com
- Target.com
- Drop.com: Unfortunately, it's whatever happens to be a deal at the time. So good to check in on and get alerts if there is something you're waiting for but not reliable.
- TechnaBob: Same as Drop
- NewEgg: Obviously
- Monoprice: For cables and other staples.
Clothes (basics like socks, t-shirts, underwear, etc.)
Clothes (designer)
- Gilt.com is basically for overstock and weird fashion items. Sometimes there are good finds there though, particularly good deals on designer versions of basics.
Random stuff (specifically random "flea market" type sites)
- Meh.com
- Etsy (for handicrafts and consignment/antiques, although this is also starting to get lousy with shitty knockoffs)
- eBay (can be pretty dodgy, once again crappy knockoff scammers ruin everything)
- CraigsList (if you're okay with used)
Other (specialty sites for very specific things)
- Drop: For stuff in drop communities. Currently they have a very active one for mechanical keyboards along with audiophile gear, writing/stationary, EDC, and random tech.
- The Clymb: A deal site for camping clothes and outdoor gear
- REI.com: More outdoors gear
36 votes -
Amazon will remove the Parler site from AWS
35 votes -
‘Coyote vs. Acme’ now to be shelved forever as WB rejected offers from Netflix, Amazon, and Paramount
34 votes -
Looking to cancel Amazon Prime for ethical reasons (and quality decline) - what are my alternatives for online shopping?
For the past few years, I've grown more and more uneasy with Amazon's business practices. I think it's time to move on. Not to mention the declining quality in products since international...
For the past few years, I've grown more and more uneasy with Amazon's business practices. I think it's time to move on. Not to mention the declining quality in products since international shippers were added (as discussed in the podcast Reply All).
I'm addicted to the convenience of 2 day shipping, even though we use Amazon less and less, I like knowing I have that option.
I've been considering a Costco membership instead - how does their online shopping and shipping times/prices compare?
I've also considered using Jet more but I don't know much about their ethics, does anyone?
Open to other alternatives and discussion about business ethics here.
33 votes -
Amazon Ring cameras were used to spy on customers
32 votes -
Why Microsoft's new Flight Simulator should make Google and Amazon nervous
32 votes -
Amazon shared Ring security camera and video doorbell footage with police without a warrant
31 votes -
Amazon lobbyists to be barred from European parliament
30 votes -
TIL: Don't use your points directly on Amazon
Maybe everyone knows this, but I suspect not. For years, I've been using the points I earn on a Chase Freedom card directly on Amazon. I just found out today that I'm only getting 80% of the...
Maybe everyone knows this, but I suspect not. For years, I've been using the points I earn on a Chase Freedom card directly on Amazon. I just found out today that I'm only getting 80% of the value. Redeeming 26,345 points at Amazon yields $210.76. Redeeming 26,345 points on the Chase website (for an Amazon gift card) yields $263.45.
The Chase Amazon Prime Visa does give 100% of value directly on Amazon's site.
30 votes -
Amazon devices in the US will automatically join the Amazon Sidewalk mesh network and start sharing internet with neighbors on June 10th, unless opted out
30 votes -
A simple plan to dissolve Facebook, Google, and Amazon, from the man who coined the term "net neutrality"
30 votes -
Amazon grows to over 750,000 robots as world's second-largest private employer replaces over 100,000 humans
29 votes -
Amazon seeks to evade EU regulations by claiming it isn't a Very Large Online Platform
29 votes -
Why we don’t recommend Ring cameras: They’re affordable and ubiquitous, but homeowners shouldn’t be able to act as vigilantes
29 votes -
Amazon destroys millions of items of brand new, unsold stock each year
29 votes -
Streamers turn off ads to protest Twitch Prime dropping its ad-free perk
29 votes -
Engineers say 'no thanks' to Silicon Valley recruiters, citing ethical concerns
29 votes -
Stability AI reportedly ran out of cash to pay its bills for rented cloudy GPUs
28 votes -
AWS eIP price change. What's your plan?
28 votes -
What exactly are these “Amazon FC Ambassadors” on Twitter, how many of them are there, and are they actually real people?
28 votes -
Amazon pulls out of planned New York City campus
28 votes -
Extraverted introverts, cautious risk-takers, and selfless narcissists: A demonstration of why you can’t trust data collected on MTurk
27 votes -
Leaving Amazon - Tim Bray (former VP) on whistleblowers, climate strikes, sexism, and racism at Amazon
27 votes -
The Kindle is fine. It could’ve been much more than that.
27 votes -
Netflix, YouTube, Amazon and Apple accused of GDPR breach
27 votes -
Charity for profit: Brandfluence/Softgiving, the marketing agency behind some of Twitch's most successful fundraising streams quietly collected 42% of donations
26 votes -
Amazon CEO asks his Hollywood studio to explain its big spending
26 votes -
The Wild West of streaming TV is here and it’s free. Welcome to FAST: The free, ad-supported, streaming television bargain bin.
26 votes -
Amazon workers vote down Alabama union campaign
26 votes -
The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power | Season 2 official teaser trailer
25 votes -
In US lawsuit, ex-Amazon AI exec claims she was asked to ignore IP law
25 votes -
Anyone else having a bad day because of the AWS us-east-1 outage?
25 votes -
"Amazon's Choice" is given to products automatically and doesn't indicate quality - Many have troubling product defects and warnings, as well as review manipulation
25 votes -
Amazon eliminates monthly bonuses and stock grants after minimum wage increase
25 votes -
The comfortable problem of mid TV (gifted link)
24 votes -
Documents show Amazon is aware drivers pee in bottles and even defecate en route, despite company denial
24 votes -
Thousands of Zoom cloud recordings have been exposed on the web because of the way Zoom names its recordings in unprotected AWS buckets
24 votes