WARNING Amazon Christmas delivery problem

Phirefly

I've used Amazon for years now but this year we almost came a cropper.

We placed a sizable order (15 items or so) over a week ago using 'super saver' delivery. This means items will be delivered free of charge in 3-5 days. A third of the order was delivered as expected. This consisted of all the non-book items we'd ordered. An email was sent to Mr Phirefly saying that the remainder of the order would be dispatched 'shortly'

Being so frantic busy, if it were me I'd have just left it at that, but the more pedantic Mr P phoned Amazon to see what the status of our outstanding items was. He was told not to expect the rest of the order until after Christmas!!!

Turns out, ONE of our items was not expected back in stock before Christmas (Jeremy Clarkson - Don't Stop Me Now book) so they were going to deliver the rest of the order when that item was back in stock. How ridiculous is that? He told them to take that item off and they said they could deliver the outstanding items by Wednesday. On the website now the Clarkson book is shown with ' this item will be delivered in time for Christmas in the UK'

I'm completely livid. Had he not chased them, we'd never have known half our Chrismas gifts were not coming in time. Its madness not to dispatch a large order becaus ONE item is out of stock, and then not to alert us to the fact our items would not be with us before Chrismas. Thanks to Mr P's general mistust, we've managed to salvage the situation.

ANYONE EXPECTING ITEMS FROM AMAZON BEFORE CHRISTMAS, PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK THE STATUS OF YOUR ORDER!!!!!!

aurora_borealis_2

I use Amazon Prime - it's a wonderful thing

Phirefly

£49 a year for a service which you're supposed to get for free if you're prepared to wait 5 days doesn't strike me as especially moneysaving. I'd sooner support my local bookshops and spend a bit more with them....

aurora_borealis_2

Well yes ... but I need stuff NOW

I've used it every day for the last two weeks and have shared it with three other people (as per the terms).

Well worth it for next day delivery, with no minimum spend, again and again.

Lucia_D

Exactly the same happened with my Amazon order. When I placed it 2 weeks ago every item was 'in stock' and I'd placed it way in time for Christmas, or so I thought. My partner asked me to check and to my horror I discovered that the whole order was due to be despatched '21-24 Dec' - not in time for Christmas at all especially when you have to allow 3-5 days for SuperSaver Delivery. It turns out that after I put the order in they realised one of the items would have to come from the States and apparently I'd ticked the box to say I wanted the order in as few deliveries as possible so the whole order was on hold. I had to go into my account and take off the item and now the despatch date is 19-20 Dec - still cutting it a bit fine! Perhaps Amazon could have a button to tick that it's a Christmas order and to let the customer know if it's not going to be delivered in time so they can cancel the order, rather than relying on us all to keep checking they haven't changed the despatch date?

Tigsteroonie

I ordered one item from Amazon at the start of October, item was listed as in stock, I chose Supersaver delivery as I figured I had ordered early enough ... The estimated Despatch Date kept being put back until it became the first week of November ... At 2a.m. on the day after the final despatch date, they updated the order to say that the item could no longer be obtained until February 2008!!

Needless to say I cancelled the Amazon order and went elsewhere - in fact, me 'n' the DH ordered two from different companies (Tesco Direct & Misco) and both were delivered within the week.

(Sorry to be cagey about the item but I suspect one of the gift recipients may read this site!)

newmrslockwood

hi, when i ordered the other day, it warned me that one of my items wouldn't be delivered in time for Christmas, at checkout. I decided to remove that item and replace it with one that was available.

Phirefly

Interesting stuff - Perhaps Mr Phirefly had that 'few deliveries as possible' box checked, I've never even noticed that myself. It really is poor service from such a massive outfit....

debs66_2

i always used amazon without a problem, then in november i bought some software on super saver delivery. i was sent an email on the 13th saying it had been sent, and then ealy december i wondered where it was, so emailed for it to be tracked.

apparently they are using TNT as a (get this!) 'direct injection service provider' (good afternoon in the boardroom thinking that one up). however, TNT merely held on to it for 8 days, confirmed by their own tracking data, and then 'injected' it into the Royal Mail system.

hmmm...:cool:

it never arrived, i was issued a refund, then last week i received an email saying it had been returned to amazon as undeliverable.

not sure what's happening there, but I now use play.com or hmv.com. both quicker, cheaper, and free delivery whatever the item cost.

Phirefly

debs66 wrote: »

apparently they are using TNT as a (get this!) 'direct injection service provider' (good afternoon in the boardroom thinking that one up).

lol, quite.

Seems to me its all pointing towards Amazon having grown too big to control...

Fidget

I have had Christmas presents ordered at Amazon in the past that haven't arrived until the following February. Now I've got an order with them for OH this Christmas (had vouchers and thought that they might have booked their ideas up) they're saying it's been "despatched" but after reading this I'm worried, have already had to cancel another present today with sendit.com as it has mysteriously now become out of stock grrrr!