business

Vendor Games with Subscriptions

I have subscriptions to a number of services, not just magazines. These include things like computer programs, hosting services, home supplies, groceries and so on. I’m sure vendors love this. Within the past two weeks though, I have canceled three subscriptions when the vendor started playing games at renewal time. It usually went down like this: I get notification of a renewal at an (often substantially) increased price. Increases of 30%+ are not uncommon.

Amazon's non-Prime Shipping

Since I’ve taken it upon myself to rail about Amazon’s behavior, here’s another thing. Does Amazon actually delay delivery for it’s non-Prime customers? In the times I have not had a Prime account, it seems that orders are delayed in being filled on purpose. It seems like they make an effort to delay picking and filling the order, not really changing the shipping method itself. This statement is based on two (unscientific) observations.

Two Day Shipping

Is it just me or does it seem like the “FREE Two-Day Shipping” promised by Amazon Prime never actually occurs? Sometimes I actually get things after one business day. But more often its three or four or five. Sometimes there’s an excuse like “Extreme Weather Conditions”. Sometimes things actually get here when promised. If Amazon is paying extra for two day shipping, they are getting robbed. Just sayin'.