Amazon Suck!

Amazon are huge, bigger than a big thing that's just had a Sunday dinner and decided on a second helping. They sell all and everything. Prime is great, in the UK we get stuff next day, in the US, it's within a couple or three days no charge for postage, there are videos, music, books as part of that. It's great, it's fab, except when Amazon isn't. Except when you notice and feel that perhaps they are screwing with you a bit..... sometimes more than a bit!

Let's get this straight, I love Amazon, always have and used them when all they sold were books - ah those days of yore, when things were simple. Now of course you can buy anything from Amazon and as a Prime member, you get much more. The delivery in the UK is next day for Prime, including sundays mostly - for example, I can order upto say 6pm the day before and get it in the morning. That, logistically is huge and Amazon is the king at such logistic wizardry. But Amazon seem to have a problem, of getting it out of the door sometimes.

I've noticed on too numerous occassion, that I have ordered something at a good price, promised next day delivery, usually say a bluray or a game on launch day, I've ordered way before hand. Fab, great. Good price, get it on the day and everyone is happy. Except when we are not. Each time I've ordered something, say a game for example and it's at a great price, then a few days before the price goes up! I feel good at having locked in a decent price. Hooray for me right! Nope. On more times I can mention, Amazon write to me on the day I'm expected to get the item, and tell me they have run out of stock and I will get it several days later. Yet, at no point does it appear as having done so on the website. Still has prime, still has next day delivery, still has stock, just at a higher price. This has happened to me several times.

I tried a little experiment. I ordered Super Mario Oddessy, yes I'm a geek get over it. When I ordered it the first time, I got it at £39.99, a great price. This was a the week it was due for release and it was promised to be delivered on the day. Great!. Yet, I knew it was unlikely to arrive. A couple of days later I noticed the price had gone up to £42.99, interesting me thinks. So I leave it. Then on the day before it was due, the price was £46.99. Promising next day delivery. So I order it again at this price. Wanting to see if both arrive or just one.

On the day, at 8.50am, I got an email from Amazon, on the cheaper order I had placed earlier that week. We have run out of stock! It will be with you in a few days! 4 days to be exact. Then I noticed, that the order I had placed the day before, that was at £46.99 had shipped. How odd. I go to the website, no mention of being out of stock and now at a solid £46.99

This has happened to me several times now. Support simply re-interate the company line of, we didn't have stock, yet no one could explain why I got the more expensive item, ordered the day before, before the cheaper same item, ordered a week before.

Are Amazon screwing with me, us? Are they processing the more profitable orders of the same item first - revenue is king and when it's done on a massive scale such as Amazon, those pounds and pence, over a few days difference between completing more expensive orders of the same item, then the cheaper initial orders made previously, can make a difference. It's easy money and additional profit, early on, meaning interest gained on additional reserves received earlier.

It's odd, it's strange, but given the power and size of Amazon, it could be something along those lines. Their algorithm is smart, it looks to eek out profit as much as possible. Is this another means of Amazon eeking out more from us?

What is your experience, have you had anything like this, what do you think is going on.