Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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hepcat
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Post by hepcat »

Blackhawk wrote: Sat Sep 25, 2021 4:51 pm Amazon has apparently been going ban-happy on companies abusing its policies - false reviews, bribing for reviews, etc. That's good.

Unfortunately, it resulted in the removal of the company that I've used for wireless earbuds for years (MPow.) Now I need to either pay shipping, or find a new brand with comparable quality at a comparable price.
I have one of their earbuds (the MPow Flame Light) and was surprised to learn they were dropped because they were paying users to give them good reviews. Seems kind of stupid on their part, but I guess they felt it was the only way to compete. I would have given them a good review for mine (except that they sometimes don't make a good enough contact to recharge when I put them in their case), but they were gone by that time.

The JBL Tune earbuds are a bit more expensive (not by much though), but they're fantastic. I got them as a Christmas gift from a vendor last year.

edit: actually, it looks like there's a massive black friday type sale on many of the JBL earbuds. I would highly recommend that line and I would say the quality is even better than Mpow.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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hepcat wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 1:19 pm
Blackhawk wrote: Sat Sep 25, 2021 4:51 pm Amazon has apparently been going ban-happy on companies abusing its policies - false reviews, bribing for reviews, etc. That's good.

Unfortunately, it resulted in the removal of the company that I've used for wireless earbuds for years (MPow.) Now I need to either pay shipping, or find a new brand with comparable quality at a comparable price.
I have one of their earbuds (the MPow Flame Light) and was surprised to learn they were dropped because they were paying users to give them good reviews. Seems kind of stupid on their part, but I guess they felt it was the only way to compete. I would have given them a good review for mine (except that they sometimes don't make a good enough contact to recharge when I put them in their case), but they were gone by that time.
Cough Mpow is still selling their line on Amazon. They just removed the branding from the pages. The case itself still has the Mpow logo.

And the thing is, they're actually pretty danged good for budget earbuds. I really like them - I've owned three pair now, and both of my kids have them. They could have gotten by on legitimate reviews.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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I would still recommend the JBL earbuds over the MPow. Especially with the price being about the same or just a little higher during this sale. The quality is better.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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I'd likely look at that if I still needed a set - but I'm good until one of my current ones dies.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Post by Pyperkub »

Looks like Visa jacked the credit card fees in the UK and Amazon is having none of it:
An Amazon spokesperson said the dispute was to do with "pretty egregious" price rises from Visa over a number of years with no additional value to its service.

Amazon is offering £20 for Prime customers to switch from using Visa to an alternative payment method, and £10 for other customers....

...Amazon and Visa said any changes in fees had nothing to do with Brexit.

Both Visa and its rival Mastercard have raised the so-called interchange fee on cross-border transactions between businesses in the UK and the European Union following Brexit.

The dispute between Amazon and Visa is to do with the fees the credit card company charges Amazon for its services in the UK.
This could also be a trial balloon for other regions, IMHO.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Federal Reserve
The Board's Regulation II provides that an issuer subject to the interchange fee standard (a covered issuer) may not receive, for any electronic debit transaction, an interchange fee that exceeds 21 cents plus 0.05 percent multiplied by the value of the transaction, plus a 1-cent fraud-prevention adjustment, if eligible. Transactions made using certain reloadable general-use prepaid cards and debit cards issued pursuant to government-administered payment programs are exempt from the interchange fee standard, even if the card is issued by a covered issuer.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Isgrimnur wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 2:58 pm Federal Reserve
The Board's Regulation II provides that an issuer subject to the interchange fee standard (a covered issuer) may not receive, for any electronic debit transaction, an interchange fee that exceeds 21 cents plus 0.05 percent multiplied by the value of the transaction, plus a 1-cent fraud-prevention adjustment, if eligible. Transactions made using certain reloadable general-use prepaid cards and debit cards issued pursuant to government-administered payment programs are exempt from the interchange fee standard, even if the card is issued by a covered issuer.
Fed applies to US transactions only, IMHO. A bit curious as to how the "exempt" classification works:
2. Exempt transactions: Transactions processed by issuers exempt from the interchange fee standard, as well as transactions processed by issuers otherwise covered by the interchange fee standard that qualify for another exemption from the standard. Exempt issuers have total worldwide banking and nonbanking assets (including assets of affiliates), other than trust assets under management, of less than $10 billion as of December 31 of the previous year. Exempt transactions for covered issuers are transactions made with certain debit cards provided pursuant to government-administered payment programs and certain reloadable general-use prepaid cards
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Yeah, my contextless post was meant more to show that we Americans don’t have to worry about similar in the near future.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Ugh. It looks like Amazon ended their Prime Pantry system since last time I tried to buy food there and replaced it with a new Whole Foods system. The difference? Prime Pantry was everywhere. The new system is only available if you live near a Whole Foods. Since that won't be happening anytime soon, regular food on Amazon isn't a thing anymore. I checked what they had, and pretty much everything is third party with third party markups. A bag of potato chips for $15. $2 worth of mustard for $5. The only things that are close to a reasonable price require you to buy packs of eight. Or twelve.

Since Prime Pantry closed, I've noticed the same trend with other normal household supplies, too - the available options are usually double retail (or more.)

/edit - and their kimchi is through the roof, too. I'd thought about picking some up, but not at those prices.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Yep it appears they rededicated the warehouse space to more profitable endeavors. I used it for several items regularly and they've all slowly phased out of stock and they've been pushing me towards the whole foods in the area.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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I get the feeling their attempt to break into the grocery business didn’t pan out for them.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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hepcat wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 12:13 am I get the feeling their attempt to break into the grocery business didn’t pan out for them.
It is mixed. Whole Foods was a good buy for them. They expanded service but didnt break into the rural markets that they targeted. Competing with Walmart and regional chains was probably a long-shot. But they took the shot and still have a healthy business in the end. That's not too bad in the grand scheme of things.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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If you've ever been to a rural Wal-Mart, you'll see two things:
1. Everything is typical salty, greasy heavily processed American blandness, only a couple of varieties, and only the cheapest possible versions of those things made with the cheapest ingredients.
2. Most people who shop at rural Wal-Marts only want #1. They have no desire for better food, 'cause that ain't what Mom used to make.

Amazon was nice for the things that you can't get locally. It was also nice when you have Amazon points/credits and want to use them to buy groceries to ease pressure on your budget. I may just use the Amazon credit to buy Visa gift cards in the same amount. There is a small loss for doing so, but not a significant one.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the vegetable and meat selection at Walmart more than once.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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You live in one of the top five metroplexes.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Isgrimnur wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 12:41 am You live in one of the top five metroplexes.
It is super variable. The Walmart in my town is a horror show of crappy produce and meat. The one in the nicer part of the town next door is quite nice.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Isgrimnur wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 12:41 am You live in one of the top five metroplexes.
Ah, I missed the “rural” in his post. My mistake.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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malchior wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 12:17 am
hepcat wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 12:13 am I get the feeling their attempt to break into the grocery business didn’t pan out for them.
It is mixed. Whole Foods was a good buy for them. They expanded service but didnt break into the rural markets that they targeted. Competing with Walmart and regional chains was probably a long-shot. But they took the shot and still have a healthy business in the end. That's not too bad in the grand scheme of things.
There's an Amazon Fresh store under construction a couple of miles from me. That's the concept where you log into your Amazon account at the door and they monitor your every move as you grab stuff and just leave, then they charge you based on what they saw you take.

I'm leery of the "AI is watching you" model, but I'm going to try it a time or two just for novelty's sake. My regular grocers could use some new competition.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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If they are able to make an Amazon Fresh store work as well as Amazon Go convenience store, I'm all for it. I've tried it as there's one half mile away from me. You scan your membership barcode in the phone to get in, grab a cart or basket, and just grab whatever you want off the shelves, from sandwiches to drinks to desserts, walk back out through the gate, and voila, it's charged to your prime account. The prices are not that competitive, but they count toward your shopping if you are using the Prime Credit Card. :D
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Kraken wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 3:21 amI'm leery of the "AI is watching you" model, but I'm going to try it a time or two just for novelty's sake. My regular grocers could use some new competition.
Many large retailers have used AI to watch for shoplifting (and mining shopping preferences) for almost a decade now FWIW. That it is being used to enhance the user experience is a nice use case.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Blackhawk wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 12:11 am I checked what they had, and pretty much everything is third party with third party markups. A bag of potato chips for $15. $2 worth of mustard for $5. The only things that are close to a reasonable price require you to buy packs of eight. Or twelve.
Wal-Mart delivers.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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LawBeefaroni wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 10:03 am
Blackhawk wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 12:11 am I checked what they had, and pretty much everything is third party with third party markups. A bag of potato chips for $15. $2 worth of mustard for $5. The only things that are close to a reasonable price require you to buy packs of eight. Or twelve.
Wal-Mart delivers.
It wasn't an issue of delivery. It was an issue of using Amazon points for groceries so that we didn't have to spend from our budget.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Blackhawk wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 10:22 am
LawBeefaroni wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 10:03 am
Blackhawk wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 12:11 am I checked what they had, and pretty much everything is third party with third party markups. A bag of potato chips for $15. $2 worth of mustard for $5. The only things that are close to a reasonable price require you to buy packs of eight. Or twelve.
Wal-Mart delivers.
It wasn't an issue of delivery. It was an issue of using Amazon points for groceries so that we didn't have to spend from our budget.
If you have Amazon points, that means you buy stuff on Amazon. Just use the points for the stuff that you buy on Amazon instead of groceries. The "points hit" from not accumulating points by using points will be minimal.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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LawBeefaroni wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 10:24 am If you have Amazon points, that means you buy stuff on Amazon. Just use the points for the stuff that you buy on Amazon instead of groceries. The "points hit" from not accumulating points by using points will be minimal.
More accurately, I have a gift card balance. In the past, I've used Amazon gift card balances (and Amazon points, as I have a Prime credit card) to offset grocery costs by buying groceries with it. I'd spend $150 on groceries at Amazon, then only have to spend $50 out of the bank account or credit card balance for grocery shopping instead of $200. That's no longer possible, as they canceled their Prime Pantry program and buying groceries there isn't feasible anymore unless I want eight jars of mayo or $15 bags of chips. Buying stuff that I buy on Amazon doesn't help my budget while Michelle is on a three-week quarantine from work, as right now there is nothing I would be buying on Amazon, and any household items that would be coming out of cash in the next month are already bought (paper towels, toilet paper, toiletries) with a previous gift card. I mean, I could get stuff that we've been meaning to get and have put off (like clothes or a new lamp), but that doesn't help us not run out of money at home.

I was planning on using my gift card balance to buy a different gift card that I could take to the grocery store, but just discovered that it isn't allowed.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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That's right, I don't see Amazon Pantry any more. And What used to be Prime Now is now Amazon Fresh. And I use that a lot. Boneless chicken thighs are great in an air fryer, just need a little marinade in a Ziploc (tm) bag. Amazon Fresh can also deliver stuff from Whole Foods and Pet Express, if you shop that way, but they require separate carts.

I've tried InstaCart and Safeway delivery, they are tolerable.
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I pay $8 for 8 giant thighs at my local market. I buy them then rinse them and dry and wrap in foil and freeze until needed.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Kasey Chang wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 3:54 pm That's right, I don't see Amazon Pantry any more. And What used to be Prime Now is now Amazon Fresh. And I use that a lot. Boneless chicken thighs are great in an air fryer, just need a little marinade in a Ziploc (tm) bag. Amazon Fresh can also deliver stuff from Whole Foods and Pet Express, if you shop that way, but they require separate carts.
Yep. And if you don't live in a city with a Whole Foods, the Amazon Fresh site just says, "Amazon Fresh is not available for this location."
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Amazon Fresh failed me... TWICE

Normally delivery can be counted on... if I watch the delivery notice and greet them at the door.

But couple weeks back, they missed a whole case of 24 cans of diet coke.

Then on Sunday, my shipment somehow never left the depot. It says ready, but it stayed at the depot during the 2 hour delivery window.

So I contacted Amazon about having it delivered again for today.

In fact, I added on ANOTHER few items.

Noon came and went. Nothing. No ping, no notice, nothing. There was no SMS telling me the stuff's on the way. It seems AGAIN, my stuff got left behind at the depot.

I tried to put in ANOTHER replacement order, except there are NO free slots available for tomorrow or Thursday.

WTF... I'll have to wait until late at night and push the order through for Friday.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Post by Jeff V »

We have an Amazon Fresh store not too far away (our friend who came down with the "brain on fire" illness a few years ago works there now). There's another opening up, also in Naperville, across the street from the Korean supermarket. The one time we went there, it seemed a lot like Whole Foods, but with a plethora of mundane offerings.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Follow up...

Contacted Amazon support again, was forwarded to Amazon Fresh chat support.

He verified that indeed, both orders were canceled and undelivered.

He was trying to re-enter the order for delivery, when after 5 minutes, he suddenly gave up, said "your order was canceled and a refund is in progress. I am sorry, but there's nothing else I can do."

Then instead of a perfunctory "is there anything else I can help you with", he just disconnected.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Figured this is good a place as any to ask this question. Does anyone know any way to stop Alexa from constantly saying "By the way..."? Nothing worse than turning down the lights to watch a movie and then Alexa goes on to try to sell me Amazon products. It's annoyingness has gone through the roof lately.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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malchior wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 10:10 am Figured this is good a place as any to ask this question. Does anyone know any way to stop Alexa from constantly saying "By the way..."? Nothing worse than turning down the lights to watch a movie and then Alexa goes on to try to sell me Amazon products. It's annoyingness has gone through the roof lately.
This might help.

Semi-related, a couple of days ago I saw an ad for a Bluetooth Star Trek combadge that connects to Alexa as a voice input. Tap. bee-beeb. "Computer, time!" "The time is 3:45 PM." "By the way, have you tried Rigelian Flavor Crystals? Just say, 'Order flavor crystals!'"
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Blackhawk wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 10:58 am
malchior wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 10:10 am Figured this is good a place as any to ask this question. Does anyone know any way to stop Alexa from constantly saying "By the way..."? Nothing worse than turning down the lights to watch a movie and then Alexa goes on to try to sell me Amazon products. It's annoyingness has gone through the roof lately.
This might help.

Semi-related, a couple of days ago I saw an ad for a Bluetooth Star Trek combadge that connects to Alexa as a voice input. Tap. bee-beeb. "Computer, time!" "The time is 3:45 PM." "By the way, have you tried Rigelian Flavor Crystals? Just say, 'Order flavor crystals!'"
Yeah these have been off for awhile. I turned most off for privacy reasons. I just found an article that a lot of folks are complaining about this Seems it is intentional because Amazon isn't making enough money off the devices. I use them for light control and the weather mostly. I'm at the point where we're practically just yelling at it constantly to 'shut the f up'. I just want something that tells me the information I asked for without it selling something to me.

Edit: This isn't that article but I thought the title was riff-worthy.

Amazon trying to keep people from getting bored with Alexa - mission accomplished. I'm ready to send them to recycling. :)
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Yeah, I got the original Echo, and am currently using a 2nd or 3rd gen Show, and Alexa’s recent programming changes are about to outweigh her VERY slight advantages.

Her biggest contribution is providing entertainment for my kids when they hear me go off on a fist shaking, profanity-laced litany because the AI is still sooo bad after all these years.

Just BARELY worth it IMO, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend one to anybody.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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I mostly use mine for the lights as well, mostly because we have a painfully awkward system of lights for the birds that need to be turned off and on a couple of times per day, plus PC/TV backlights that involve gymnastics to reach.

That, and I discovered that if I go into the app on my phone, hit 'announcement', type in that I've arrived, and hit the trumpet icon, I can walk into the living room announced with fanfare. The family is constantly amused by this (at least I assume they are.)
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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Let me get this straight. You paid for something to eavesdrop on you 24/7 and it's also irritating and constantly trying to sell you stuff.
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

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We turned off voice ordering because it would always try to sell prime music when the kids asked for a song. The buying suggestions went away as well..
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Post by Blackhawk »

Jaymann wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 11:48 am Let me get this straight. You paid for something to eavesdrop on you 24/7 and it's also irritating and constantly trying to sell you stuff.
I think 'eavesdrop' is a little overstated, and yeah - I turned off enough stuff that after a month I have yet to hear a single 'ad.'
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Post by malchior »

Blackhawk wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 12:34 pm
Jaymann wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 11:48 am Let me get this straight. You paid for something to eavesdrop on you 24/7 and it's also irritating and constantly trying to sell you stuff.
I think 'eavesdrop' is a little overstated, and yeah - I turned off enough stuff that after a month I have yet to hear a single 'ad.'
Yeah this is more the issue tangential to the article I linked where Amazon is trying to get people engaged. In my case every 2nd or 3rd question I'm getting, "By the way...the something something app can tell you about something something". They are trying to get people to use it more but it is just getting unnecessarily annoying.
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hepcat
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Re: Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

Post by hepcat »

Jaymann wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 11:48 am Let me get this straight. You paid for something to eavesdrop on you 24/7 and it's also irritating and constantly trying to sell you stuff.
You're on the internet. I think that ship sailed for you as well a long time ago. :wink:
Covfefe!
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