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"Prime Day" is a rip-off, and the pricing schemes border on fraudulent. Give yourselves a pat on the back for tricking people into spending money they'd be bett

"Prime Day" is a rip-off, and the pricing schemes border on fraudulent. Give yourselves a pat on the back for tricking people into spending money they'd be better off saving.

Flammy 9y ago
Not the point of the submission - keeping up with the interest, regardless of the contents, still is interesting and useful to know more about.
- brndnmtthws 9y ago
  Would you applaud a criminal for inventing a novel way to commit a crime?
  - azhenley 9y ago
    It seems like most of the documentaries I watch now a days are basically that! They're very interesting and entertaining.
dvt 9y ago
If you're going to say stuff like this, at least provide a modicum of evidence. What pricing scheme, in particular, is borderline fraudulent? Does it differ fundamentally from events like Black Friday? Why should people save money instead of spending it?
- brndnmtthws 9y ago
  Just do an internet search for "prime day scam", or something to that effect. The FTC has been investigating Amazon for their price deception tactics: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-whole-foods-m-a-amazon-ftc/ftc-probing-allegations-of-amazons-deceptive-discounting-idUSKBN1A52R5 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-whole-foods-m-a-amazon-ft... Here's more on the report: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/story/your-amazon-sale-item-truly-discounted-here%E2%80%99s-how-find-out http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/story/your-amazon-sale-item-...
  - plandis 9y ago
    I'm not going to say you're lying but I think you're being eh misleading. This investigation is happening due to increased scrutiny of the Whole Foods merger and isn't a formal investigation by the FTC. Effectively the FTC is required to do its due diligence and the FTC has not accused Amazon of anything. It's some third-party group making the accusation.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - brndnmtthws 9y ago
      > A study conducted by Consumer Watchdog in March found that for 61% of Amazon AMZN, -2.48% products, the pre-discounted price or “reference price” used for comparison with the new sale price was higher than what the products had been sold for in the past 90 days. This means the amount Amazon advertises under “you save” could be inaccurate. Amazon said the prices reflect averages of prices listed by competitors and other sources.
      - dvt 9y ago
        This sounds pretty tame to me. Hardly the Deep Throat moment you're making it out to be. In fact, I'd wager that most retailers probably do this for big sales events.
        clu3l355 9y ago
        Other retailers doing it doesn't absolve Amazon
      - GrinningFool 9y ago
        Isn't this what brick and mortar retailers do all the time? The "save" amount is (in my experience) often based on an inflated list price, which makes it look like you're "saving" more. Doing so is still dodgy - but what makes it different when Amazon does it vs anyone else?

"Prime Day" is a rip-off, and the pricing schemes border on fraudulent. Give yourselves a pat on the back for tricking people into spending money they'd be better off saving.

Flammy 9y ago

Not the point of the submission - keeping up with the interest, regardless of the contents, still is interesting and useful to know more about.

brndnmtthws 9y ago
Would you applaud a criminal for inventing a novel way to commit a crime?
- azhenley 9y ago
  It seems like most of the documentaries I watch now a days are basically that! They're very interesting and entertaining.

dvt 9y ago

If you're going to say stuff like this, at least provide a modicum of evidence. What pricing scheme, in particular, is borderline fraudulent? Does it differ fundamentally from events like Black Friday? Why should people save money instead of spending it?

brndnmtthws 9y ago
Just do an internet search for "prime day scam", or something to that effect. The FTC has been investigating Amazon for their price deception tactics: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-whole-foods-m-a-amazon-ftc/ftc-probing-allegations-of-amazons-deceptive-discounting-idUSKBN1A52R5 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-whole-foods-m-a-amazon-ft... Here's more on the report: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/story/your-amazon-sale-item-truly-discounted-here%E2%80%99s-how-find-out http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/story/your-amazon-sale-item-...
- plandis 9y ago
  I'm not going to say you're lying but I think you're being eh misleading. This investigation is happening due to increased scrutiny of the Whole Foods merger and isn't a formal investigation by the FTC. Effectively the FTC is required to do its due diligence and the FTC has not accused Amazon of anything. It's some third-party group making the accusation.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - brndnmtthws 9y ago
    > A study conducted by Consumer Watchdog in March found that for 61% of Amazon AMZN, -2.48% products, the pre-discounted price or “reference price” used for comparison with the new sale price was higher than what the products had been sold for in the past 90 days. This means the amount Amazon advertises under “you save” could be inaccurate. Amazon said the prices reflect averages of prices listed by competitors and other sources.
    - dvt 9y ago
      This sounds pretty tame to me. Hardly the Deep Throat moment you're making it out to be. In fact, I'd wager that most retailers probably do this for big sales events.
      - clu3l355 9y ago
        Other retailers doing it doesn't absolve Amazon
    - GrinningFool 9y ago
      Isn't this what brick and mortar retailers do all the time? The "save" amount is (in my experience) often based on an inflated list price, which makes it look like you're "saving" more. Doing so is still dodgy - but what makes it different when Amazon does it vs anyone else?