I've just purchased something from Amazon at a price 30% cheaper than I
found elsewhere.

They really are trying harder to get people to join Prime

Going to the checkout a half page banner appeared giving all the
benefits of Prime with a large continue with Prime button.

Next to the banner is the wording "With Prime" and the price with next
day free postage is shown. Then underneath the wording "Without Prime"
"Unavailable"

Initially I took it to mean that the item was unavailable without taking
up the Prime trial. I then noticed some small print low contrast text
"continue purchase without Prime"

The "Unavailable" was just the next day free delivery!

They still offer free delivery but not next day

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 09/12/2022 16:00, alan_m wrote:
>
> I've just purchased something from Amazon at a price 30% cheaper than I
> found elsewhere.
>
> They really are trying harder to get people to join Prime
>
> Going to the checkout a half page banner appeared giving all the
> benefits of Prime with a large continue with Prime button.
>
> Next to the banner is the wording "With Prime" and the price with next
> day free postage is shown. Then underneath the wording "Without Prime"
> "Unavailable"
>
> Initially I took it to mean that the item was unavailable without taking
> up the Prime trial. I then noticed some small print low contrast text
> "continue purchase without Prime"
>
> The "Unavailable" was just the next day free delivery!
>
> They still offer free delivery but not next day

Yes, I'm afraid that's totally normal now, I expect quite a lot of
people fall for it.

--

Fake news kills!

I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website:
www.macfh.co.uk

alan_m wrote:

> I've just purchased something from Amazon at a price 30% cheaper than I found
> elsewhere.
>
> They really are trying harder to get people to join Prime

If you do join prime, don't fall into the trap of thinking everything is
cheapest that way ...

Java Jive wrote:

> alan_m wrote:
>
>> They still offer free delivery but not next day
>
> Yes, I'm afraid that's totally normal now, I expect quite a lot of people fall
> for it.

Amazon are the masters of "dark patterns" on their websites, making buttons you
don't want be the default, highlighting options they want you to follow etc, I
don't think I know anyone who hasn't accidentally signed-up for prime without
thinking they have (though they're good about cancelling it)

On 09/12/2022 17:03, Andy Burns wrote:
> alan_m wrote:
>
>> I've just purchased something from Amazon at a price 30% cheaper than
>> I found elsewhere.
>>
>> They really are trying harder to get people to join Prime
>
>
> If you do join prime, don't fall into the trap of thinking everything is
> cheapest that way ...

I'm well aware of Prime not being the cheapest and Amazon actually
increasing prices for the "Prime Sales" as well as for Black
Friday/Cyber Monday.

With Amazon market traders often their Ebay shops are cheaper.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

Andy Burns wrote:

>Amazon are the masters of "dark patterns" on their websites, making buttons you
>don't want be the default, highlighting options they want you to follow etc, I
>don't think I know anyone who hasn't accidentally signed-up for prime without
>thinking they have (though they're good about cancelling it)

Indeed! Though compare the number of times they check that you
_really_ want to cancel, with the number of times they check that
you want to join. (Zero)

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK
chris@cdixon.me.uk @ChrisJDixon1

Plant amazing Acers.

The beauty of using a screenreader is that it cares not what size the font
is.
Brian

--

--:
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...
briang1@blueyonder.co.uk
Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"alan_m" <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote in message
news:jvh4djFsoidU1@mid.individual.net...
>
> I've just purchased something from Amazon at a price 30% cheaper than I
> found elsewhere.
>
> They really are trying harder to get people to join Prime
>
> Going to the checkout a half page banner appeared giving all the benefits
> of Prime with a large continue with Prime button.
>
> Next to the banner is the wording "With Prime" and the price with next day
> free postage is shown. Then underneath the wording "Without Prime"
> "Unavailable"
>
> Initially I took it to mean that the item was unavailable without taking
> up the Prime trial. I then noticed some small print low contrast text
> "continue purchase without Prime"
>
> The "Unavailable" was just the next day free delivery!
>
> They still offer free delivery but not next day
>
>
>
> --
> mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 10/12/2022 08:11, Brian Gaff wrote:
> The beauty of using a screenreader is that it cares not what size the font
> is.

In this case the positioning of the text that says continue without
prime comes after the text that ambiguously suggests the item is
unavailable unless you join prime. They have thought long and hard about
how to fool people that rely on screen readers.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On Friday, 9 December 2022 at 17:07:39 UTC, Andy Burns wrote:
> Java Jive wrote:
> > alan_m wrote:
> >
> >> They still offer free delivery but not next day
> >
> > Yes, I'm afraid that's totally normal now, I expect quite a lot of people fall
> > for it.
> Amazon are the masters of "dark patterns" on their websites, making buttons you
> don't want be the default, highlighting options they want you to follow etc, I
> don't think I know anyone who hasn't accidentally signed-up for prime without
> thinking they have (though they're good about cancelling it)

Indeed - I accidentally signed up for Prime twice about five years apart.

On Sat, 10 Dec 2022 06:10:40 -0800 (PST)
"R. Mark Clayton" <notyalckram@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Friday, 9 December 2022 at 17:07:39 UTC, Andy Burns wrote:
> > Java Jive wrote:
> > > alan_m wrote:
> > >
> > >> They still offer free delivery but not next day
> > >
> > > Yes, I'm afraid that's totally normal now, I expect quite a lot
> > > of people fall for it.
> > Amazon are the masters of "dark patterns" on their websites, making
> > buttons you don't want be the default, highlighting options they
> > want you to follow etc, I don't think I know anyone who hasn't
> > accidentally signed-up for prime without thinking they have (though
> > they're good about cancelling it)
>
> Indeed - I accidentally signed up for Prime twice about five years
> apart.

I've managed to avoid the accidental joining. I have joined twice
deliberately, to get Prime Video, and then cancelled within the
one month allowed.

--
Davey.

On 10/12/2022 14:10, R. Mark Clayton wrote:
> Indeed - I accidentally signed up for Prime twice about five years apart.

I think I have accidentally joined several times, it is annoying but
easy to cance.

I did once almost sign up for it but they then increased the price and
included their TV service. There was nothing of interest me on that so I
never signed up.

I don't think so, as it does not actually read the way you see it, it reads
in the correct order here. This is why so many page designers screw us up as
if they get the reading order or tab order incorrect, then you get the cart
before the horse.
Always on web sites one really needs to read the small print, but as I say,
there is no such thing as small print, left or right or anything like that
on some systems, since you are trying to keep it simple. Some oddities on
some pages hid the buy now button or checkout button merely due to an
accidental error in the coding, but which does not show up for a sighted
user.
Brian

--

--:
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...
briang1@blueyonder.co.uk
Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"alan_m" <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote in message
news:jvj0acF6hspU1@mid.individual.net...
> On 10/12/2022 08:11, Brian Gaff wrote:
>> The beauty of using a screenreader is that it cares not what size the
>> font
>> is.
>
> In this case the positioning of the text that says continue without prime
> comes after the text that ambiguously suggests the item is unavailable
> unless you join prime. They have thought long and hard about how to fool
> people that rely on screen readers.
>
> --
> mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk
>

On Fri, 9 Dec 2022 16:00:51 +0000, alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:

>
>I've just purchased something from Amazon at a price 30% cheaper than I
>found elsewhere.
>
>They really are trying harder to get people to join Prime
>
>Going to the checkout a half page banner appeared giving all the
>benefits of Prime with a large continue with Prime button.
>
>Next to the banner is the wording "With Prime" and the price with next
>day free postage is shown. Then underneath the wording "Without Prime"
>"Unavailable"
>
>Initially I took it to mean that the item was unavailable without taking
>up the Prime trial. I then noticed some small print low contrast text
>"continue purchase without Prime"
>
>The "Unavailable" was just the next day free delivery!
>
>They still offer free delivery but not next day

Accepting the offer and then canceling Prime has worked for me several times.
--

Martin in Zuid Holland

On Sat, 10 Dec 2022 06:10:40 -0800 (PST), "R. Mark Clayton"
<notyalckram@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Friday, 9 December 2022 at 17:07:39 UTC, Andy Burns wrote:
>> Java Jive wrote:
>> > alan_m wrote:
>> >
>> >> They still offer free delivery but not next day
>> >
>> > Yes, I'm afraid that's totally normal now, I expect quite a lot of people fall
>> > for it.
>> Amazon are the masters of "dark patterns" on their websites, making buttons you
>> don't want be the default, highlighting options they want you to follow etc, I
>> don't think I know anyone who hasn't accidentally signed-up for prime without
>> thinking they have (though they're good about cancelling it)
>
>Indeed - I accidentally signed up for Prime twice about five years apart.

I got caught only once.
--

Martin in Zuid Holland

On Sat, 10 Dec 2022 16:15:02 +0000, Davey <davey@example.invalid> wrote:

>On Sat, 10 Dec 2022 06:10:40 -0800 (PST)
>"R. Mark Clayton" <notyalckram@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On Friday, 9 December 2022 at 17:07:39 UTC, Andy Burns wrote:
>> > Java Jive wrote:
>> > > alan_m wrote:
>> > >
>> > >> They still offer free delivery but not next day
>> > >
>> > > Yes, I'm afraid that's totally normal now, I expect quite a lot
>> > > of people fall for it.
>> > Amazon are the masters of "dark patterns" on their websites, making
>> > buttons you don't want be the default, highlighting options they
>> > want you to follow etc, I don't think I know anyone who hasn't
>> > accidentally signed-up for prime without thinking they have (though
>> > they're good about cancelling it)
>>
>> Indeed - I accidentally signed up for Prime twice about five years
>> apart.
>
>I've managed to avoid the accidental joining. I have joined twice
>deliberately, to get Prime Video, and then cancelled within the
>one month allowed.

+1
--

Martin in Zuid Holland

On 11/12/2022 15:27, Martin wrote:
> On Sat, 10 Dec 2022 16:15:02 +0000, Davey <davey@example.invalid> wrote:
>> On Sat, 10 Dec 2022 06:10:40 -0800 (PST)
>> "R. Mark Clayton" <notyalckram@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On Friday, 9 December 2022 at 17:07:39 UTC, Andy Burns wrote:
>>>> Java Jive wrote:
>>>>> alan_m wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> They still offer free delivery but not next day
>>>>>
>>>>> Yes, I'm afraid that's totally normal now, I expect quite a lot
>>>>> of people fall for it.
>>>> Amazon are the masters of "dark patterns" on their websites, making
>>>> buttons you don't want be the default, highlighting options they
>>>> want you to follow etc, I don't think I know anyone who hasn't
>>>> accidentally signed-up for prime without thinking they have (though
>>>> they're good about cancelling it)
>>>
>>> Indeed - I accidentally signed up for Prime twice about five years
>>> apart.
>>
>> I've managed to avoid the accidental joining. I have joined twice
>> deliberately, to get Prime Video, and then cancelled within the
>> one month allowed.
>
> +1

I never have signed up to Prime, deliberately or accidentally. Maybe as
I avoid Amazon as they charge £2 postage if the package goes through the
letterbox or £4 if it doesn't. And, in the latter case, I have to
arrange to be in: the Royal Mail postman knows where my flats are (and
how to get in), where my flat is (if they are regulars) *and* I know
more or less when they will call. Amazon marketplace is better: many
have free postage and use Royal Mail for the last few miles.

--
Max Demian

On Sat, 10 Dec 2022 06:10:40 -0800 (PST)
"R. Mark Clayton" <notyalckram@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Friday, 9 December 2022 at 17:07:39 UTC, Andy Burns wrote:
> > Java Jive wrote:
> > > alan_m wrote:
> > >
> > >> They still offer free delivery but not next day
> > >
> > > Yes, I'm afraid that's totally normal now, I expect quite a lot of people fall
> > > for it.
> > Amazon are the masters of "dark patterns" on their websites, making buttons you
> > don't want be the default, highlighting options they want you to follow etc, I
> > don't think I know anyone who hasn't accidentally signed-up for prime without
> > thinking they have (though they're good about cancelling it)
>
> Indeed - I accidentally signed up for Prime twice about five years apart.

Me too. :(

--
Mint 20.3, kernel 5.4.0-132-generic, Cinnamon 5.2.7
running on an AMD Phenom II X4 Black edition processor with 16GB of DRAM.

On Mon, 12 Dec 2022 14:45:41 +0000, Max Demian
<max_demian@bigfoot.com> wrote:

>I never have signed up to Prime, deliberately or accidentally. Maybe as
>I avoid Amazon as they charge £2 postage if the package goes through the
>letterbox or £4 if it doesn't. And, in the latter case, I have to
>arrange to be in: the Royal Mail postman knows where my flats are (and
>how to get in), where my flat is (if they are regulars) *and* I know
>more or less when they will call. Amazon marketplace is better: many
>have free postage and use Royal Mail for the last few miles.

Is there a set of yellow lockers near where you live? If so, you don't
need to stay in at all, just go and collect your parcels whenever
convenient. If not, another option is to designate an "Amazon day"
which is a particular day of the week for deliveries, so that you can
order things on several days throughout the week but only stay in for
one day because they'll all be delivered at once. You can change your
Amazon day whenever you like.

Online tracking shows when a delivery is expected and is updated
throughout the day, culminating in an online map of the area near your
home that shows, for the last hour or so, exactly where the van is.

A Prime subscription includes delivery costs for many items, and a lot
of movies and TV programmes you can watch online.

Your money, your choice...

Rod.

On Tue, 13 Dec 2022 07:39:22 +0000
Roderick Stewart <rjfs@escapetime.myzen.co.uk> wrote:

> On Mon, 12 Dec 2022 14:45:41 +0000, Max Demian
> <max_demian@bigfoot.com> wrote:
>
> >I never have signed up to Prime, deliberately or accidentally. Maybe
> >as I avoid Amazon as they charge £2 postage if the package goes
> >through the letterbox or £4 if it doesn't. And, in the latter case,
> >I have to arrange to be in: the Royal Mail postman knows where my
> >flats are (and how to get in), where my flat is (if they are
> >regulars) *and* I know more or less when they will call. Amazon
> >marketplace is better: many have free postage and use Royal Mail for
> >the last few miles.
>
> Is there a set of yellow lockers near where you live? If so, you don't
> need to stay in at all, just go and collect your parcels whenever
> convenient. If not, another option is to designate an "Amazon day"
> which is a particular day of the week for deliveries, so that you can
> order things on several days throughout the week but only stay in for
> one day because they'll all be delivered at once. You can change your
> Amazon day whenever you like.
>
> Online tracking shows when a delivery is expected and is updated
> throughout the day, culminating in an online map of the area near your
> home that shows, for the last hour or so, exactly where the van is.
>
> A Prime subscription includes delivery costs for many items, and a lot
> of movies and TV programmes you can watch online.
>
> Your money, your choice...
>
> Rod.

Oddly, although there is a set of those yellow lockers in our local
Morrisons, they didn't come up as an option when I wanted to collect
something from there. Hopefully just a one-off system failure, but
annoying nevertheless.
--
Davey.

Davey <davey@example.invalid> wrote:
> On Tue, 13 Dec 2022 07:39:22 +0000
> Roderick Stewart <rjfs@escapetime.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 12 Dec 2022 14:45:41 +0000, Max Demian
>> <max_demian@bigfoot.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I never have signed up to Prime, deliberately or accidentally. Maybe
>>> as I avoid Amazon as they charge £2 postage if the package goes
>>> through the letterbox or £4 if it doesn't. And, in the latter case,
>>> I have to arrange to be in: the Royal Mail postman knows where my
>>> flats are (and how to get in), where my flat is (if they are
>>> regulars) *and* I know more or less when they will call. Amazon
>>> marketplace is better: many have free postage and use Royal Mail for
>>> the last few miles.
>>
>> Is there a set of yellow lockers near where you live? If so, you don't
>> need to stay in at all, just go and collect your parcels whenever
>> convenient. If not, another option is to designate an "Amazon day"
>> which is a particular day of the week for deliveries, so that you can
>> order things on several days throughout the week but only stay in for
>> one day because they'll all be delivered at once. You can change your
>> Amazon day whenever you like.
>>
>> Online tracking shows when a delivery is expected and is updated
>> throughout the day, culminating in an online map of the area near your
>> home that shows, for the last hour or so, exactly where the van is.
>>
>> A Prime subscription includes delivery costs for many items, and a lot
>> of movies and TV programmes you can watch online.
>>
>> Your money, your choice...
>>
>> Rod.
>
> Oddly, although there is a set of those yellow lockers in our local
> Morrisons, they didn't come up as an option when I wanted to collect
> something from there. Hopefully just a one-off system failure, but
> annoying nevertheless.

I’m not sure everything on sale via Amazon can be sent to their lockers. My
tenuous understanding is there are three main classes of goods: those sold
by Amazon themselves from their own warehouses, those sold by third parties
but held as stock in Amazon’s warehouses, and those sold by third parties
but dispatched from the third party establishment. The final category can’t
go to the lockers.

On Tue, 13 Dec 2022 09:12:41 +0000, Davey <davey@example.invalid>
wrote:

>Oddly, although there is a set of those yellow lockers in our local
>Morrisons, they didn't come up as an option when I wanted to collect
>something from there. Hopefully just a one-off system failure, but
>annoying nevertheless.

Yes, not every item can be sent to the lockers, and sometimes an
individual locker will be greyed out in the list, or there will be a
message saying that it's currently full. Like everything else, the
system doesn't always work perfectly, but it's useful when it does.

Rod.

On Tue, 13 Dec 2022 09:44:43 +0000
Roderick Stewart <rjfs@escapetime.myzen.co.uk> wrote:

> On Tue, 13 Dec 2022 09:12:41 +0000, Davey <davey@example.invalid>
> wrote:
>
> >Oddly, although there is a set of those yellow lockers in our local
> >Morrisons, they didn't come up as an option when I wanted to collect
> >something from there. Hopefully just a one-off system failure, but
> >annoying nevertheless.
>
> Yes, not every item can be sent to the lockers, and sometimes an
> individual locker will be greyed out in the list, or there will be a
> message saying that it's currently full. Like everything else, the
> system doesn't always work perfectly, but it's useful when it does.
>
> Rod.

Hmm. Ok. In this case, I asked the website to offer delivery options,
and the lockers were not mentioned at all, and it was them that I was
looking for. Oh well, it was the only time I have tried to use them. I
can't remember now which category the item was in. I used our local
Post Office instead.
--
Davey.

Roderick Stewart <rjfs@escapetime.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
> On Tue, 13 Dec 2022 09:12:41 +0000, Davey <davey@example.invalid>
> wrote:
>
> >Oddly, although there is a set of those yellow lockers in our local
> >Morrisons, they didn't come up as an option when I wanted to collect
> >something from there. Hopefully just a one-off system failure, but
> >annoying nevertheless.
>
> Yes, not every item can be sent to the lockers, and sometimes an
> individual locker will be greyed out in the list, or there will be a
> message saying that it's currently full. Like everything else, the
> system doesn't always work perfectly, but it's useful when it does.
>
It's also *very* useful when you want to buy things 'away from home'.
I use the Amazon Lockers at the town in France where our boat is moored.

--
Chris Green
·

Chris Green <cl@isbd.net> wrote:
> Roderick Stewart <rjfs@escapetime.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
>> On Tue, 13 Dec 2022 09:12:41 +0000, Davey <davey@example.invalid>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Oddly, although there is a set of those yellow lockers in our local
>>> Morrisons, they didn't come up as an option when I wanted to collect
>>> something from there. Hopefully just a one-off system failure, but
>>> annoying nevertheless.
>>
>> Yes, not every item can be sent to the lockers, and sometimes an
>> individual locker will be greyed out in the list, or there will be a
>> message saying that it's currently full. Like everything else, the
>> system doesn't always work perfectly, but it's useful when it does.
>>
> It's also *very* useful when you want to buy things 'away from home'.
> I use the Amazon Lockers at the town in France where our boat is moored.
>

Just on the subject of useful services, with DPD Local you as a domestic
non business customer can send parcels to pick up locations. I had to send
a cake to my son who is rarely in to accept parcels. Royal Mail parcels end
up at the local depot. RM won’t allow non business users to send to pick up
locations. DPD let me send the package to his local Morrisons. I dropped it
off at the local news agent, who is a drop off point. Think it cost me
around £3.50 for a couple of kg.

On 13/12/2022 07:39, Roderick Stewart wrote:
> On Mon, 12 Dec 2022 14:45:41 +0000, Max Demian
> <max_demian@bigfoot.com> wrote:
>
>> I never have signed up to Prime, deliberately or accidentally. Maybe as
>> I avoid Amazon as they charge £2 postage if the package goes through the
>> letterbox or £4 if it doesn't. And, in the latter case, I have to
>> arrange to be in: the Royal Mail postman knows where my flats are (and
>> how to get in), where my flat is (if they are regulars) *and* I know
>> more or less when they will call. Amazon marketplace is better: many
>> have free postage and use Royal Mail for the last few miles.
>
> Is there a set of yellow lockers near where you live? If so, you don't
> need to stay in at all, just go and collect your parcels whenever
> convenient. If not, another option is to designate an "Amazon day"
> which is a particular day of the week for deliveries, so that you can
> order things on several days throughout the week but only stay in for
> one day because they'll all be delivered at once. You can change your
> Amazon day whenever you like.

I don't think there are any lockers near me. In any case, it seems a bit
of a bother.

> Online tracking shows when a delivery is expected and is updated
> throughout the day, culminating in an online map of the area near your
> home that shows, for the last hour or so, exactly where the van is.
>
> A Prime subscription includes delivery costs for many items, and a lot
> of movies and TV programmes you can watch online.

I don't use them often enough for it to be worthwhile.

Rather odd to bundle free delivery with streaming - you might want one
and not the other.

I used to subscribe to their streaming service (before Prime), and
LoveFilm before (that they bought up), but I found that the films they
showed were the sort that get shown on Freeview anyway eventually. I
watched the whole of Blackadder and started watching Only Fools and
Horses, but I'm not sure I want to watch a lump of programmes like that.
Also some shows are removed without warning. Maybe streaming services
deal with this better nowadays. It's rather stupid having lots of
different services in any case as it's hardly going to be worthwhile
subscribing to more than one at a time.

--
Max Demian