Prime Rant

This has turned into a week for ranting.  If it isn't the global shortage of Greek-style yoghurt with honey, (in Crapchester, at least, you can't get such a thing for love or money, unless you are willing to pay for the over-priced Yeo Valley version), then it is yet another round of nonsense with Amazon.  You know, I have never wanted to join Amazon Prime, never been a member, never been tempted to join, never wanted their free trial and never foresee a time when I would want this over-priced service.  Yet, in attempting to order  a couple of items yesterday, I've ended up on their free trial.  I consequently wasted what felt like hours trying to cancel it.  In the past, I've been pretty good at avoiding their attempts to trick you into signing up for that trial (which turns into a full subscription if you don't cancel it), at the checkout stage.  But this time, they obviously succeeded in getting me to click on the wrong button.  From which there is no way back.  Going back in your browser doesn't cancel it.  Cancelling the entire order doesn't get rid of it.  You have no choice.  You are signed up for thirty days whether you like it or not.  As it turns out, there is a tortuous online process by which you can cancel (at every step Amazon tries to mislead you into keeping the trial), except that it doesn't really cancel the trial.  Sure, it stops it from turning into a paid subscription, but you are forced to retain the 'benefits' of membership for he full trial period.

Now, many will say, 'what's the problem? Thirty days of free delivery, access to Prime Video etc.' - but the point is that I don't want any of that.  I never wanted it, in a free trial or otherwise.  I get free delivery if I order over twenty quid anyway (sure it isn't delivered within two days, but I don't care).  I don't want their expensive streaming service.  I don't want any of the other supposed 'benefits' - I detest Audible, I don't have a Kindle and I'm simply not interested in any of their other shit.  I don't order enough from Amazon to make that £7.99 a month (£79.00 yearly, but they put you on the hifger rate by default) worthwhile.  But I'm apparently stuck with these unwanted and - most importantly - unasked for, 'benefits' for the next thirty days.  Damn it, if I cancel something, I expect it to end there and then. I'm funny like that - I've never liked receiving unsolicited 'gifts' (birthdays and Christmas involving reciprocal arrangements with people I know excepted, obviously), 'awards', 'bonuses' or 'trials'.  I always feel that they, in some way, make obligated toward the other party.  (I've turned down work-related 'awards' for such reasons - you wouldn't believe the amount of trouble it causes, no matter how subtly and politely you try to do it).  Perhaps more importantly in this case, I feel that I've been tricked into this 'obligation' by Amazon's chicanery.

The end result of all this is that I ended up ordering my items, but chose the delivery option closest to the normal, non-Prime, free delivery.  In retrospect, I should simply have found the items elsewhere and ordered them, (even if it meant paying more and having to deal with multiple suppliers), as I still feel as if I've incurred an 'obligation' by being forced to order via this 'free trial' I never asked for or wanted.  The positive side of this is that I've made a start in finding some more Amazon alternatives.  None can offer the sort of one stop shopping that Amazon does, but I don't care.  The reality is that using Amazon has been making me uneasy for a long time now, with their tax-dodging and poor treatment of staff.  Indeed, until the pandemic, I had brought my buying down to a minimum, but, like everyone else, I found myself using them to get stuff I couldn't get on the High Street during lockdowns.  Christmas was especially crucial as they delivered the stuff to recipients as well.  But this Amazon Prime nonsense has finally pushed me into seeking alternatives.  The fact that this 'trial' still continues despite having cancelled it continues to irk me - if I had the stamina I'd contact their customer services and insist that they stop it right now.  Experience, however, has taught me that even the simplest requests to Amazon's customer service can turn into a tortuous nightmare.