"I am pretty upset with Amazon. I work in a local government agency where I am responsible for the purchasing of clothing and footwear for a large number of clients. I have been a frequent Amazon customer. I always look out for the free shipping as we are always working on a limiting budget and I am looking to save the government money. I have noticed lately (due to client complaints) that some items were taking an excessively long time to come in, but it wasn't until I tracked a recent personal purchase of my own that I realized what was going on here with the apparently intentional delay in shipping packages.

I was buying some parts to build a computer. Just the basics, a motherboard with CPU, a case, and two 4GB sticks of ram. I intentionally made sure that I bought all the items from Amazon instead of some other third party vendor. I also made sure all the items were in stock as I didn't want there to be any sort of complications with my order. Ironically, from what I understand now I probably would have been better off to go with one of the third party vendors on Amazon as they are required by Amazon to ship orders within 48 hours. How Amazon can possibly justify not holding themselves to the same standard is beyond me. I placed my order over the weekend. I was really excited about it so I tracked it from the start. On Monday my order status changed to shipping soon. I started to worry though when the message said it should ship in a few hours to a few days. A few days?! All my items are in stock supposedly. It should be a fairly simple matter to round them up and put them in a box and get them out to the shipper so I can enjoy building my new computer. The next day when it still said the same thing I really got perturbed and decided I better do some research into this. Then I found this thread with people describing a situation where it appears Amazon is deliberately delaying shipments:

http://www.amazon.com/Shipping-anyone-getting-shipping-Amazon-/forum/Fx4HQD057HT5OQ/TxRFEIDS67V903/11/ref=cm_cd_notf_message?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B000MG3LDA#MxAH1OWQ73YQC1

I have purchased from numerous other vendors with free shipping and never experienced these sorts of delays. On the third day after ordering my package, I followed the advice of a poster from the “Super Slow Shipping” thread who said if they can't ship it on the third day then cancel your order. Seems fair to me. So I shopped around and found OutletPC. I bought parts for an even better computer build for less money! I was given free shipping since I purchased over $100 worth of items and my parts came in in under 2 days! I ordered on a Wednesday and got the parts less than 48 hours later on Friday. Judging from how Amazon apparently treats customers who choose Super Saver shipping, I doubt the would have even had my order shipped within a week.

I'll be taking my purchases elsewhere. I am now in the process of testing alternative suppliers of clothing and footwear since Amazon let me down."

"Amazon has never disappointed me, in fact, I have often been pleasantly surprised by their excellent customer service. These guys will bend over backwards to make sure you are satisfied and answer any questions you may have quickly and politely. Amazon's policies show that this company has a great amount of integrity and strives to make their customers happy. Several times I have had shipping issues with independent sellers (out of stock, P.O. box problems, things that can't be helped) and Amazon has fixed my issue in a very satisfactory manner each time. Recently they took it upon themselves to issue me a refund when I hadn't even complained because they noticed that the rental movie I streamed from them lagged a lot. It means a lot to me that Amazon values a good product and a satisfied customer enough to fix problems that would have just been let go and forgotten about by the consumer. All in all, a great company and they can expect my patronage for years to come."

"I loved this store for general purchases, i have purchase a lot from them...... so im speaking this message in behalf of all of the purchases i have maid trough them..."

"I've been doing business with Amazon for at least 8 years now. I've bought tens of thousands of dollars worth of items from them; cameras, lenses, tv's, dvd and blu-ray players, computers, blank dvds, paper, printers, ink cartridges, home entertainment systems, lamps,etc. Other than groceries and gas, we buy darn near everything from Amazon. Why??? Lots of reasons; good pricing (not always the least expensive), free shipping on just about everything, and fantastic CUSTOMER SERVICE! (and THAT's worth something!) They NEVER debit my credit card UNTIL the item has shipped. They always have the whereabouts of the items during the shipping process, so we always know the exact day to expect the shipment. I have had a couple of times where the product was defective, or when it just didn't meet my expectations. After calling Amazon, the item is picked up the next day, and sent back to them at their expense; I've NEVER had to pay or do anything to return an item, other than putting a note on it and putting it outside the door - S I M P L E !!! Also, the replacement item, if desired, is shipped THE DAY OF THE CALL, and I usually get it in a couple of days. Bottomline, great company, great customer focus, very professional, good prices, high integrity and honesty. We're extremely satisfied, very long-term customers."

"Amazon is one of the best internet resellers around. They offer an incredible selection and prices that are usually better than retail stores. I have been buying from Amazon since the late 1990's. Unfortunately, they started charging sales tax to my state in July of this year, which makes them not as good a value as they used to be, especially on more expensive items, but I have still purchased 7 items from them in the past 1-1/2 months, and even with tax, got the best deal.

I am surprised to read all negative reviews for Amazon. But reading them makes me realize they are from clueless buyers, people that don't understand "subscribe and save" may not be the best value; yes, the convenience of a product regularly delivered to your home is going to cost you more than driving to Sam's Club to pick it up yourself. Amazon offers occasional deals with subscribe and save, but the secret is place your order, select the frequency to 6 months as a safety net, and then cancel the subscription after you order, and you still get the great price on the item. I have done this with snack chips, batteries, and other items.

Amazon allows other sellers to sell items on their website. Whenever I have had a problem, it was with one of these sellers, not from Amazon. Amazon always came through for me, refunding my money or doing what it takes to make me happy. Amazon's customer service is very responsive and bends over backwards to help. Reading some of these low reviews it sounds like they never even contacted customer service. I always look for items to be shipped direct from Amazon for the most trouble-free experience.

Amazon is a 5-star company and still a great place for online purchases. "

"a good selection, but very hard to place order. too many scams going on while trying to place order. "

"I used to be a prime member of Amazon and have spent lots of money there. However, I've noticed increasing amounts of fake reviews on the site. I contacted Bezos' office and received a nice reply. After a few months, I noticed even more fake reviews, so I checked the product I initially emailed Amazon about - fake reviews still intact. I emailed again but this time, rec'd no reply. In addition, I've had increasing problems with poor quality products. Yes, Amazon is always willing to take them back, but what a hassle. I don't always manage to get things returned, as I'm sure a lot of people don't, and you can bet they bank on that. And lastly, while they couldn't manage to curtail the fake reviews, they rejected several of mine because they were negative. When I complained, they apologized, said it was an oversight, and then posted my reviews. To me, all of this screams money grubbing dishonesty. I believe the same type of thing happened to Ebay and to Etsy. At first, they're great, and then they get greedy. I've ceased to be a customer of all three. I'd rather pay more and buy local, or do without, and take a stand against a dishonest, greedy company."

"Great prices! Awesome customer service! Fast and cheap delivery!"

"Amazon is running a scam called Subscribe & Save.
This is how Amazon advertizes it: “When you order through our Subscribe & Save program, you'll: • automatically receive a new shipment of the item in the monthly intervals you select • get a discount on our everyday price • get free shipping on every Subscribe & Save shipment • pay for each order only when the item is shipped • have the option to cancel at any time.”
This is meant to apply to consumables that you may need on a periodic basis. In reality, Amazon will charge you 10 times the price on the next shipment in the hopes that you will use the product before you realize how much you were charged. The fine print in the Terms and Conditions includes the following: “The total cost charged to your credit card for each Subscribe & Save order will be the cost of the item on the day the order is processed.” Sounds innocuous right? In reality, Amazon interprets this to mean that they have the right to charge you whatever they want after the first shipment even if it is 10 times more than the price. The scam is that, since the product is consumable, Amazon hopes that you will consume it before you realize how much they charged you, since the charge goes on your credit card and you will not see your statement until the end of your cycle.
Here’s how it works: They charge you 10 times more for the item, you consume it, you find out how much they charged, you call, they say that you can return it if you like, but it’s too late because you already consumed it and they get to keep 10 times the price.
I ordered a box of chewing gum for $10 with Subscribe & Save with the expectation of receiving a box every month. Next month, they sent me another box and charged me $100 instead of $10. I was lucky enough to notice the charge before I opened the box. I called and they said that there is no mistake, that they have the right to change the price of any item however they choose without notifying me because of the sentence in the Terms and Conditions saying that I will be charged the cost of the item on the day the order is processed. Needless to say, I returned the item, got a refund, and swore off Subscribe & Save.
I wonder how many people began consuming the product before they found out how much they were charged and then had to accept the charge because they could not return the item. This sort of practice can be expected from a fly by night operation not from Amazon. It is really unfortunate that Amazon would resort to this type of egregious scam."

"The First Alert CO410 carbon monoxide detector I received from Amazon was nearly a year beyond its recommended replacement date and was useless to me or anyone else who is concerned for the safety of their loved ones. According to the manufacturer (First Alert) and fire department officials in NY City and Oregon, CO detectors should be replaced 5 years from date of manufacture. The First Alert Model CO410 Carbon Monoxide detector that I received from Amazon in August 2012 was manufactured on November 16, 2006, nearly 6 years ago! Consequently, it was nearly a year past its replacement date and was useless. So, I recommend that you either not buy this product from Amazon or determine what the manufacture date is before ordering. Very disappointing that Amazon would sell an outdated product that could endanger the lives of its customers, many of whom either are not aware of the 5-year life span or don't check the manufacture date shown on the rear of the detector. Would a responsible retailer sell a quart of milk in 2012 with a 2011 "Sell By" date? "

"I've purchased several things from Amazon. All were great transactions and experience. Great customer service. This is how a business should be run."

"I would always recommend AMAZON..i trusted cells4u after beleiving AMAZON but cells4u put me down..

i would always order from AMAZON now..i made a mistake by buying cell from cells4u

i really appreciate amazon for speedy delivery and quality products...thanks for nbeing their for customers like us who needs to travel time to time to their home land.."

"They suck in terms of consistent order fulfillment. The past two orders I had with them were cancelled for no reason whatsoever. Called CS, and no further information. Then, on the most recent one (Amazon Wireless) they sent me an email to apologize and for me to go ahead and reorder. No thanks! I went to Wirefly and had my phone the next day. I had avoided Amazon for almost a year due to the last snafu, and after this issue for a wireless phone upgrade I will cross them off of my list."

"Selling on Amazon is the WORST!!! OK if you want to wait up to 21 days for payment.
NEVER AGAIN!!!"

"Awesome place. Ordered a kids motorcycle for my son and received it 4 days later. In perfect condition. Happy customer will be recommending this site around"