12 ms·

Amazon suspends all deliveries in France

59 points by Raed667 7y ago

alexandercrohde 7y ago
This will be a boon for their competitors
- gregoriol 7y ago
  More like a big ad for them, because everyone is going to hate the state here, when there is one more month of lockdown and many people rely on amazon for distraction. Also, there is no "real" competitor, and even if there was they would also need to limit their offerings the same way.
  - morceauxdebois 7y ago
    Jokes on them, the French never stopped hating the state in the first place.
    - RareSoft 7y ago
      Next Amazon will build up a monopoly on Guillotines.
- gamblor956 7y ago
  Yes, for all zero of them.
aikah 7y ago
How big is Amazon compared to FNAC/Darty, Cdiscount and co? Personally I have never ordered anything there because - when it comes to books, they are not cheaper than at my local bookshop, in fact they are often more expensive. - for home appliances, I always prefer buying things sold directly by the platform and not a third party seller or dropshiper, unless it's something used, but then I use ebay. - I don't care about one day delivery, personally, I'm fine with waiting. - For some reason, I hate the UI I find confusing and way too busy. Even that monstrosity that is Cdiscount UI feels easier to browse. So what are the advantages of using Amazon in France compared to other platforms? cheaper delivery fees? better customer service? or having the convenience to be able to buy anything at the same place?
- cmehdy 7y ago
  More products, ability to constantly check for optimal price without moving (using camelcamelcamel), great customer service when sending back something, and convenience (even living within Paris, it's hard to easily find things when they're at a Castorama or Leroy-Merlin for example, and the quantities are limited, comparisons are difficult to make on the spot, and customer service is abysmal). disclaimer: I'm not living in France right now but I'm french and have lived in Paris for most of my life, and ordered on amazon countless times.
- alibert 7y ago
  By order of importance (my opinion): - next day delivery even on Sunday and public holiday - customer service (return, warranty, no question asked) - same site for everything Except very rare things like appliance or foods/household or very high discount, I don't use any other platform. I know how the platform works, it rarely failed me (order or delivery or quality), find everything I need and fast. I mainly buy things sold and shipped by Amazon, less often fulfilled by Amazon (FBA).
- Raed667 7y ago
  I might be in a bubble, but Amazon seems to be the first store people around me go to. Unless fnac or Darty have a big discount. For me its the return policy and warranty, I had to deal with other platforms such as cdiscount and fnac before and will never go back there.
  - lowdose 7y ago
    Amazon is first retail app in iOS store for months maybe years. In the G7 Amazon beat Alibaba in all markets.
- BrandoElFollito 7y ago
  First customer service. I never had any problems, hidden costs etc. Return is free, you get a sticker and that's all. Their prices are the same as Boulanger or Darty and I prefer to pay 3€ more and know I will never have problems. As a counter example, my family was always buying at Darty and one day I went to the shop with a defective device. They first wanted me to choose a similar device because they would/could not repair. I wanted the same or nothing. So the manager told me they would only give me vouchers. I got that in writing and told them I would be back. He was smirking and said good bye. When I came back with a letter from their CEO saying sorry (and a cheque) he was less snarky. This is the kind of trick I hate because of the tension and most time. This does not happen with Amazon. Then there is delivery in their lockers. Super easy, open till 21,no need to worry to miss someone. The only things I wrote not buy from them are home appliances because they do not provide installation (like Darty or Boulanger do)
jogundas 7y ago
It seems that a court has ordered Amazon to deliver only essential products [0], and Amazon's reaction is to suspend all deliveries. They write in their other tweets [1] that the decision is based on (i) the fine of €1M per infraction imposed by the court, and (ii) the risk of contravening the decision being high due to complex logistics. [0] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52285301 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52285301 [1] https://twitter.com/AmazonNewsFR/status/1250481151313154048 https://twitter.com/AmazonNewsFR/status/1250481151313154048
- bobbylarrybobby 7y ago
  I thought the court had ordered them to cease delivering non-essentials, but left the decision of whether to continue shipping essentials or to close altogether up to Amazon.
- downerending 7y ago
  Wow. Given the number of items they ship in a day, a million-dollar fine every mistake could turn out to be a lot of money. I'd shut down, too. EDIT: I read elsewhere that it was a million euros per day, not per infraction. Much more reasonable.
- s1artibartfast 7y ago
  Interesting that the BBC says the fine is €1M per day while Amazon says it is €1M per infraction. Which is it?
  - sylvinus 7y ago
    From what I understood it's both :)
brenden2 7y ago
Profit above all else.
- dang 7y ago
  Maybe so, but please don't post unsubstantive comments here.
decebalus1 7y ago
Good. Much `Customer Obsession` wow. France will be just fine and Amazon's competitors will be more than happy to get the business. Hopefully this would be a good example for everyone considering Amazon as being 'essential'. I personally cancelled Prime 3 years ago and have not ordered anything from Amazon since (I live in the US). Very ballsy move by Amazon. The world would get a glimpse of an Amazon-free economy and maybe they'll be inspired.
ProAm 7y ago
This clearly shows why Amazon needs to be broken up. To allow a company to disrupt and disband local supply chains and then try to strong arm governments is very dangerous. Walmart is known as a town killer. Amazon is an industry killer.
- splintercell 7y ago
  I see it as a good reason for why France needs to be broken up. EDIT: Those who're getting upset at it, think why or how is this any different than what OP wrote. If you want to create a liberal democracy with prosperous free markets then you create a set of deterministic rules and let people act under it. IF you don't like an outcome, don't apply hacks to it like break up a big company because you're upset at it, but change the basic rules (if you need to, which I think is a terrible idea in this situation). Amazon didn't do anything wrong other than played by the rules. If you don't like the outcome, don't try to apply hacks.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- wavepruner 7y ago
  Twitter's translation of one of the tweets in the thread: "Considering the complexity inherent in our logistics activities and the fine of one million euros per infraction imposed by the court, the risk of contravening the decision was too high." This seems to be a valid reason for suspending operations, although no where in the tweet-thread explains how frequent the fines would be. If they can't comply with the order fast enough, shutting down operations in order to have time to comply without getting fined seems reasonable.
- mav3rick 7y ago
  France clearly wants to fill its coffers by fining every big SV company. Soon they will all pull out of France and no the local companies won't be even half as good. Then the people will clamor for Amazon etc. to be back.
  - 7y ago
ismail 7y ago
It is only fair. If other businesses that are selling items which are “non essential “ and have to close, it would not be fair for amazon to continue since they will have an advantage. Here in South Africa regulations were put in place so online and physical both have the same regulations applied. Therefore online stores do not get undue advantage. It forced the e-commerce companies to make quick changes and they were able to get it done in a few days. all non essential items cannot be added to your cart. Even Uber eats added functionality to get essential items delivered.
user5994461 7y ago
Translations: Top twitter comment from Amazon: Following the decision of the court on 14th April, we (Amazon Inc) have to temporarily suspend activity in our distribution centers. Decision from the court, in a screenshot few comments below: We order Amazon Inc to evaluate work-related risks inherent to the covid-19 pandemic, across all its warehouses and to put in place measures expected by article L4121-1 from labor laws (not sure what's in this article)... we order Amazon, until the above measures are put in place and within 24h of being notified of this decision, to restrict warehouse activity to reception of merchandises, preparation and shipping of food items, hygiene items and medical supplies, otherwise it will be subject to a fine of 1M EUR per day late and per infraction. https://twitter.com/AmazonNewsFR/status/1250481148209369088 https://twitter.com/AmazonNewsFR/status/1250481148209369088 https://twitter.com/BlaisePere/status/1250522103952158722/photo/1 https://twitter.com/BlaisePere/status/1250522103952158722/ph...
mthoms 7y ago
I think Amazon is prioritizing based on product category. That's entirely reasonable given the size of their catalog. The problem is, any single category will have any number of non-essential items along with the essential ones. Case-in-point was a D*ldo just mentioned by John Oliver on Last Week Tonight that Amazon is shipping. As I understand it, sex toys are categorised under "Health and Personal Care" (or something similar) so it makes sense that this category is still shipping with priority. Side note: I think there's a valid (no doubt controversial) argument that while sex toys are not "essential", they are indeed helpful at time when everyone is confined to their homes for literally months on end. But that's another debate.

59 points by Raed667 7y ago

alexandercrohde 7y ago

This will be a boon for their competitors

gregoriol 7y ago
More like a big ad for them, because everyone is going to hate the state here, when there is one more month of lockdown and many people rely on amazon for distraction. Also, there is no "real" competitor, and even if there was they would also need to limit their offerings the same way.
- morceauxdebois 7y ago
  Jokes on them, the French never stopped hating the state in the first place.
  - RareSoft 7y ago
    Next Amazon will build up a monopoly on Guillotines.
gamblor956 7y ago
Yes, for all zero of them.

aikah 7y ago

How big is Amazon compared to FNAC/Darty, Cdiscount and co? Personally I have never ordered anything there because - when it comes to books, they are not cheaper than at my local bookshop, in fact they are often more expensive. - for home appliances, I always prefer buying things sold directly by the platform and not a third party seller or dropshiper, unless it's something used, but then I use ebay. - I don't care about one day delivery, personally, I'm fine with waiting. - For some reason, I hate the UI I find confusing and way too busy. Even that monstrosity that is Cdiscount UI feels easier to browse. So what are the advantages of using Amazon in France compared to other platforms? cheaper delivery fees? better customer service? or having the convenience to be able to buy anything at the same place?

cmehdy 7y ago
More products, ability to constantly check for optimal price without moving (using camelcamelcamel), great customer service when sending back something, and convenience (even living within Paris, it's hard to easily find things when they're at a Castorama or Leroy-Merlin for example, and the quantities are limited, comparisons are difficult to make on the spot, and customer service is abysmal). disclaimer: I'm not living in France right now but I'm french and have lived in Paris for most of my life, and ordered on amazon countless times.
alibert 7y ago
By order of importance (my opinion): - next day delivery even on Sunday and public holiday - customer service (return, warranty, no question asked) - same site for everything Except very rare things like appliance or foods/household or very high discount, I don't use any other platform. I know how the platform works, it rarely failed me (order or delivery or quality), find everything I need and fast. I mainly buy things sold and shipped by Amazon, less often fulfilled by Amazon (FBA).
Raed667 7y ago
I might be in a bubble, but Amazon seems to be the first store people around me go to. Unless fnac or Darty have a big discount. For me its the return policy and warranty, I had to deal with other platforms such as cdiscount and fnac before and will never go back there.
- lowdose 7y ago
  Amazon is first retail app in iOS store for months maybe years. In the G7 Amazon beat Alibaba in all markets.
BrandoElFollito 7y ago
First customer service. I never had any problems, hidden costs etc. Return is free, you get a sticker and that's all. Their prices are the same as Boulanger or Darty and I prefer to pay 3€ more and know I will never have problems. As a counter example, my family was always buying at Darty and one day I went to the shop with a defective device. They first wanted me to choose a similar device because they would/could not repair. I wanted the same or nothing. So the manager told me they would only give me vouchers. I got that in writing and told them I would be back. He was smirking and said good bye. When I came back with a letter from their CEO saying sorry (and a cheque) he was less snarky. This is the kind of trick I hate because of the tension and most time. This does not happen with Amazon. Then there is delivery in their lockers. Super easy, open till 21,no need to worry to miss someone. The only things I wrote not buy from them are home appliances because they do not provide installation (like Darty or Boulanger do)

jogundas 7y ago

It seems that a court has ordered Amazon to deliver only essential products [0], and Amazon's reaction is to suspend all deliveries. They write in their other tweets [1] that the decision is based on (i) the fine of €1M per infraction imposed by the court, and (ii) the risk of contravening the decision being high due to complex logistics. [0] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52285301 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52285301 [1] https://twitter.com/AmazonNewsFR/status/1250481151313154048 https://twitter.com/AmazonNewsFR/status/1250481151313154048

bobbylarrybobby 7y ago
I thought the court had ordered them to cease delivering non-essentials, but left the decision of whether to continue shipping essentials or to close altogether up to Amazon.
downerending 7y ago
Wow. Given the number of items they ship in a day, a million-dollar fine every mistake could turn out to be a lot of money. I'd shut down, too. EDIT: I read elsewhere that it was a million euros per day, not per infraction. Much more reasonable.
s1artibartfast 7y ago
Interesting that the BBC says the fine is €1M per day while Amazon says it is €1M per infraction. Which is it?
- sylvinus 7y ago
  From what I understood it's both :)

brenden2 7y ago

Profit above all else.

dang 7y ago
Maybe so, but please don't post unsubstantive comments here.

decebalus1 7y ago

Good. Much `Customer Obsession` wow. France will be just fine and Amazon's competitors will be more than happy to get the business. Hopefully this would be a good example for everyone considering Amazon as being 'essential'. I personally cancelled Prime 3 years ago and have not ordered anything from Amazon since (I live in the US). Very ballsy move by Amazon. The world would get a glimpse of an Amazon-free economy and maybe they'll be inspired.

ProAm 7y ago

This clearly shows why Amazon needs to be broken up. To allow a company to disrupt and disband local supply chains and then try to strong arm governments is very dangerous. Walmart is known as a town killer. Amazon is an industry killer.

splintercell 7y ago
I see it as a good reason for why France needs to be broken up. EDIT: Those who're getting upset at it, think why or how is this any different than what OP wrote. If you want to create a liberal democracy with prosperous free markets then you create a set of deterministic rules and let people act under it. IF you don't like an outcome, don't apply hacks to it like break up a big company because you're upset at it, but change the basic rules (if you need to, which I think is a terrible idea in this situation). Amazon didn't do anything wrong other than played by the rules. If you don't like the outcome, don't try to apply hacks.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
wavepruner 7y ago
Twitter's translation of one of the tweets in the thread: "Considering the complexity inherent in our logistics activities and the fine of one million euros per infraction imposed by the court, the risk of contravening the decision was too high." This seems to be a valid reason for suspending operations, although no where in the tweet-thread explains how frequent the fines would be. If they can't comply with the order fast enough, shutting down operations in order to have time to comply without getting fined seems reasonable.
mav3rick 7y ago
France clearly wants to fill its coffers by fining every big SV company. Soon they will all pull out of France and no the local companies won't be even half as good. Then the people will clamor for Amazon etc. to be back.
- 7y ago

ismail 7y ago

It is only fair. If other businesses that are selling items which are “non essential “ and have to close, it would not be fair for amazon to continue since they will have an advantage. Here in South Africa regulations were put in place so online and physical both have the same regulations applied. Therefore online stores do not get undue advantage. It forced the e-commerce companies to make quick changes and they were able to get it done in a few days. all non essential items cannot be added to your cart. Even Uber eats added functionality to get essential items delivered.

user5994461 7y ago

Translations: Top twitter comment from Amazon: Following the decision of the court on 14th April, we (Amazon Inc) have to temporarily suspend activity in our distribution centers. Decision from the court, in a screenshot few comments below: We order Amazon Inc to evaluate work-related risks inherent to the covid-19 pandemic, across all its warehouses and to put in place measures expected by article L4121-1 from labor laws (not sure what's in this article)... we order Amazon, until the above measures are put in place and within 24h of being notified of this decision, to restrict warehouse activity to reception of merchandises, preparation and shipping of food items, hygiene items and medical supplies, otherwise it will be subject to a fine of 1M EUR per day late and per infraction. https://twitter.com/AmazonNewsFR/status/1250481148209369088 https://twitter.com/AmazonNewsFR/status/1250481148209369088 https://twitter.com/BlaisePere/status/1250522103952158722/photo/1 https://twitter.com/BlaisePere/status/1250522103952158722/ph...

mthoms 7y ago

I think Amazon is prioritizing based on product category. That's entirely reasonable given the size of their catalog. The problem is, any single category will have any number of non-essential items along with the essential ones. Case-in-point was a D*ldo just mentioned by John Oliver on Last Week Tonight that Amazon is shipping. As I understand it, sex toys are categorised under "Health and Personal Care" (or something similar) so it makes sense that this category is still shipping with priority. Side note: I think there's a valid (no doubt controversial) argument that while sex toys are not "essential", they are indeed helpful at time when everyone is confined to their homes for literally months on end. But that's another debate.