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Yes wtf, I'm already paying and trying to watch a series I enjoy, stop pestering me. Just one of many dark patterns at Amazon, cancelling Prime is so difficult

Yes wtf, I'm already paying and trying to watch a series I enjoy, stop pestering me. Just one of many dark patterns at Amazon, cancelling Prime is so difficult that Norwegan Consumer Council and 15 others yesterday started a legal fight with Amazon: https://www.forbrukerradet.no/siste-nytt/amazon-manipulates-customers-to-stay-subscribed/ https://www.forbrukerradet.no/siste-nytt/amazon-manipulates-... The video there is quite aggravating.

KingOfCoders 6y ago
I've cancelled Prime, now they hit me with week long delivery times which after a day are reduced by half or less, just to get me back on Prime.
- uCantCauseUCant 6y ago
  Seven of Prime, Tertiary Attribute of Bezos
- delfinom 6y ago
  That's normal for non-prime. You get thrown onto the back of the priority queue but at the same time get on the wild scheduling ride their systems take.
- zwaps 6y ago
  I still have prime, and a good half of my "next day shipping" deliveries are delayed by a day, two days or even more. Granted, the current situation is problematic, but this happened even before and since you are prime, you don't get any money back or something like that. It's just bad luck then. Now, you might think you could rely on the services where you pay extra for same-day delivery or morning next day. But those end up missing the delivery window a good half of the times I used them - even before the pandemic. Next day or same day delivery just isn't something that seems to work reliably here in Western Europe. I know companies where a local driver will literally get in a car and bring me what I need right away, but that doesn't scale to Amazon levels. Given that prime delivery rarely holds its promise, it is no surprise that Amazon needs to make non-prime delivery even less attractive. But you know, there are other vendors! Plus, you are less likely to get a fake product if you order directly from there.
  - ndiscussion 6y ago
    Not sure if it still applies since I cancelled prime, but you can contact Amazon any time a package is late, and they will give you credits or extensions to your Prime sub. That was in the US a year or so ago.
- nkrisc 6y ago
  I just wait for the free month of prime offers and do my Amazon shopping only during that time. Why pay when they keep giving it to me a few times a year.
- dazc 6y ago
  I have Prime and, because many of my orders are for business use, I keep being invited to AmazonBusiness where I can download invoices (which I can do already) and buy another kind of Prime or start paying for deliveries again?
- ballenf 6y ago
  It's amazing to me how long deliveries take if you're not prime. Of course the actual delivery is just as fast, they just wait a few days to fill the order. And the dark patterns on placing an order without re-upping Prime feels like the fake download buttons on download.com without an ad blocker.
Symbiote 6y ago
As if that wasn't enough, the full complaint shows that after all that scrolling and clicking (I lost count), an email is sent with a big yellow button, and the website starts showing the same button, "Continue your membership", which re-subscribes with a single click.
- easton 6y ago
  Anyone who thinks charging a user $99 with a single click and no explanation near the button should be sent to UX jail (where the only way to get food is to come up with a grep command the warden needs to find part of a street address).
  - ascagnel_ 6y ago
    A recurring $99 -- I can't think of any other subscription service that doesn't take you through an explicit approval for signing up.
buckminster 6y ago
I'm receiving scam calls from India saying "Your Amazon Prime subscription is about to renew, please talk to our representative if you wish to cancel". If Amazon Prime was easy to cancel this scam wouldn't exist. (I actually tried going along with the scam, but his call centre was so noisy he couldn't hear what I was saying, ffs.)
mleonhard 6y ago
I called Amazon to cancel Prime. I wanted them to record my reason for cancelling. And I wanted them to spend some extra money answering my phone call and talking to me.

KingOfCoders 6y ago

I've cancelled Prime, now they hit me with week long delivery times which after a day are reduced by half or less, just to get me back on Prime.

uCantCauseUCant 6y ago
Seven of Prime, Tertiary Attribute of Bezos
delfinom 6y ago
That's normal for non-prime. You get thrown onto the back of the priority queue but at the same time get on the wild scheduling ride their systems take.
zwaps 6y ago
I still have prime, and a good half of my "next day shipping" deliveries are delayed by a day, two days or even more. Granted, the current situation is problematic, but this happened even before and since you are prime, you don't get any money back or something like that. It's just bad luck then. Now, you might think you could rely on the services where you pay extra for same-day delivery or morning next day. But those end up missing the delivery window a good half of the times I used them - even before the pandemic. Next day or same day delivery just isn't something that seems to work reliably here in Western Europe. I know companies where a local driver will literally get in a car and bring me what I need right away, but that doesn't scale to Amazon levels. Given that prime delivery rarely holds its promise, it is no surprise that Amazon needs to make non-prime delivery even less attractive. But you know, there are other vendors! Plus, you are less likely to get a fake product if you order directly from there.
- ndiscussion 6y ago
  Not sure if it still applies since I cancelled prime, but you can contact Amazon any time a package is late, and they will give you credits or extensions to your Prime sub. That was in the US a year or so ago.
nkrisc 6y ago
I just wait for the free month of prime offers and do my Amazon shopping only during that time. Why pay when they keep giving it to me a few times a year.
dazc 6y ago
I have Prime and, because many of my orders are for business use, I keep being invited to AmazonBusiness where I can download invoices (which I can do already) and buy another kind of Prime or start paying for deliveries again?
ballenf 6y ago
It's amazing to me how long deliveries take if you're not prime. Of course the actual delivery is just as fast, they just wait a few days to fill the order. And the dark patterns on placing an order without re-upping Prime feels like the fake download buttons on download.com without an ad blocker.

Symbiote 6y ago

As if that wasn't enough, the full complaint shows that after all that scrolling and clicking (I lost count), an email is sent with a big yellow button, and the website starts showing the same button, "Continue your membership", which re-subscribes with a single click.

easton 6y ago
Anyone who thinks charging a user $99 with a single click and no explanation near the button should be sent to UX jail (where the only way to get food is to come up with a grep command the warden needs to find part of a street address).
- ascagnel_ 6y ago
  A recurring $99 -- I can't think of any other subscription service that doesn't take you through an explicit approval for signing up.

buckminster 6y ago

I'm receiving scam calls from India saying "Your Amazon Prime subscription is about to renew, please talk to our representative if you wish to cancel". If Amazon Prime was easy to cancel this scam wouldn't exist. (I actually tried going along with the scam, but his call centre was so noisy he couldn't hear what I was saying, ffs.)

mleonhard 6y ago

I called Amazon to cancel Prime. I wanted them to record my reason for cancelling. And I wanted them to spend some extra money answering my phone call and talking to me.