Canceling my Amazon Prime

BlueFox
BlueFox Posts: 15,251
They just raised the rates to $119/year. When I started it was $79/year. Since I never use their videos or download their MP3s, I am just paying for 2 day shipping of CDs, DVDs, clothes, and other items I buy. I can wait a few more days for the regular free shipping they offer. It was kind of nice to order a CD and get it in two days, but it isn't $119 nice. :)
Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes

Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits.
«1345

Comments

  • Dabutcher
    Dabutcher Posts: 2,588
    Plus they renew your membership automatically without asking you. It’s worth it to me just for the trouble free return policy. Peace. D
    MIT Magnum MH-750, Monster HTS 5100MKII, Sony 77" Class - A80CJ Series - 4K UHD OLED,PS4, Def Tech 15” sub,LSIM 706c, Sunfire Signature Grand 425 x 4,Parasound hca 120, LSiM 702 x 4, Oppo 103D, SDA SRS 1.2, Pioneer Elite SC63 , Pioneer Elite BDP-05 “Why did you get married if you wanted big speakers?”
  • recoveryone
    recoveryone Posts: 885
    For what your using it for I would agree, I watch TV with the Fire TV boxes and sticks in my home. Its much cheaper than what I was paying with Direct TV (north of $200 per month) and that was with no HBO or any other premium channels just the HD package. Now Amazon is starting to offer 4k content, eye candy!!!!!!
    Family Room HT 7.2/i]:Vizio Oled55h1 Pioneer Elite SC-LX502 Pioneer Elite BDP 85FD Eversolo DMP A6 Panamax M5300-EXSpeakers Fronts Fluance XF8L Center Polk Audio S35 Side Surrounds Optimus LS30's Rear Surrounds Optimus LS30's Subs SVS PB4000 x2 Living room 2ch: Crown Xli 1500 amp Teac EQ MKII FX Audio X6 Mk II DAC Squeezebox Touch Fluance Signature Tower Speakers Panamax M5100-EXOffice media room:Vizio M50Q6 50" Pioneer Elite VSX LX103 Squeezebox Touch Polkaudio R50 Towers Polkaudio CS 10 Panamax M4300 Monoprice 12" subMaster bedroom:Vizio M55Q7 Pioneer Elite VSX LX302 Pioneer Elite BDP 85FD Squeezebox Touch Polk audio RTi 6 fronts, Rears Dayton B652 Polk Audio CS10 center Monoprice 12" sub Panamax M5300-EX
  • DaveHo
    DaveHo Posts: 3,471
    Just the shipping is worth it to me. Kids use some of the streaming, so bonus. I HATE shopping in stores. I think I have around 50 Amazon orders in the last 6 months. I'm probably the reason for the rate hike. :p
  • Airplay355
    Airplay355 Posts: 4,298
    Same here. I order a ton of stuff from them with free shipping. I used to get the student discount rate which was $50 I think but I guess they only hand that out for 4 years. What's a grad student to do? haha
  • halen
    halen Posts: 675
    Bezos gotta support his second head quarters you know... 50,000 additional employees. Long live AWS!!
  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,043
    I got a free 1 year membership when I switched internet providers. I barely ever use prime and to me it's not worth renewing. I was hoping their music streaming service would be worth the renewal price and the rest would be gravy but it's not
  • jeremymarcinko
    jeremymarcinko Posts: 3,785
    But now prime members get free two day shipping to their car. :D
    Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
  • maximillian
    maximillian Posts: 2,142
    I buy a bunch of stuff from them but it's not worth it. I can wait for my stuff or go to Walmart. Once the Grand Tour is done, I'll be done with them too. What's aggravating is Bezos' political BS. That alone is forcing me to use other stores more.
  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 7,952
    edited April 2018
    What's aggravating is Bezos' political BS. That alone is forcing me to use other stores more.

    That’s funny. Because I refuse to shop at Walmart for ethical reasons. And I am growing weary of shopping on amazon for the same ethical - not political - reasons...
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es; Squeezebox Touch with Bolder Power Supply
    Game Room 5.1.4:
    Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra

    Bedroom 2.1
    Cambridge Azur 551r; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
  • Jimbo18
    Jimbo18 Posts: 2,310
    I was just getting ready to join Prime for the first time. It was marginally worth it to me because my wife has a Kindle and there's free books available, and for the free shipping. The higher price changed my mind on that.
  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,346
    DaveHo wrote: »
    Just the shipping is worth it to me. Kids use some of the streaming, so bonus. I HATE shopping in stores. I think I have around 50 Amazon orders in the last 6 months. I'm probably the reason for the rate hike. :p

    Since it's easy to check, I did that too. I placed 159 orders of multiple items with Amazon in 2017. Going out to brick and mortar stores 159 times to try and get things I'd be unlikely to find in them anyway would cost way more than the annual fee just in gas alone. Prices on Amazon aren't always lower than in store, but in most cases for the things I buy they can be 20 to 30 percent lower. The 2 day shipping is a convenience, not a need. And I use their video streaming service a lot. HBO on my cable service would cost double the annual Prime fee, and their programming isn't worth much at all.

    Amazon still does not make much profit on their online shopping service which is why they have been diversifying. Most of their income comes from their web services side because of its vast scale and low costs.

    There is a cost point at which I would drop Amazon Prime, but I don't know what it is. They just passed the 100 million subscriber figure, so I'm not alone!

  • Jimbo18
    Jimbo18 Posts: 2,310
    Ya'll are talking me back into the idea of joining.
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,053
    edited April 2018
    I don't use it enough for the annual fee.
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
  • verb
    verb Posts: 10,176
    I'm currently using a free trial of prime. I think they automatically pushed it to me, I've got til the end of the month to cancel or they will renew.

    I get prime video and netflix as a guest through my son's accounts. :smile:

    I don't buy a bunch of stuff through amazon, not sure if I'll keep it.
    Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
    Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
    Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
    Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
    Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
    Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD.
  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 7,952
    Think about it this way, if you live in a smaller market you can get lots of things on amazon that you cannot find nearby. If you live in a large market you can save so much time by not running to the store every time you need something. And it’s often cheaper.

    Case in point. I got a new laptop for work with usb c, so I need a usb c to usb a cable. I can drive to Best Buy or office max and pay $10 for the cable, or order it off amazon while sitting on the can for $7 and get it in 2 days max, and like it often happens, it came the next day. Throw in books, cds, household goods, all kinds of random crap, and you are saving a ton of time, and often, money. It’s 100% worth it to me...
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es; Squeezebox Touch with Bolder Power Supply
    Game Room 5.1.4:
    Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra

    Bedroom 2.1
    Cambridge Azur 551r; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
  • chumlie
    chumlie Posts: 8,658
    Well worth it. IMO
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    Even we use Prime -- and, as you know, I'm kinda stuck in the late Nineteenth Century in general. :#
  • verb
    verb Posts: 10,176
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    Even we use Prime -- and, as you know, I'm kinda stuck in the late Nineteenth Century in general. :#

    Must be weird seeing drone delivery in the 19th century setting! :smile:
    Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
    Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
    Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
    Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
    Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
    Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD.
  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
    Dont forget prime video. I'm getting caught up on shows that are not on Netflix or Hulu (such as "The Expanse"), on top of the other things mentioned here.

    Also there is the subscribe and save function for things you tend to buy every X amount of time. I cannot tell you how nice it is to have monthly deliveries of diapers and wipes simply appear at my door, normally right in the nick of time...

    Plus as stated since Amazon has two facilities nearby normally stuff to us is next day....
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • verb
    verb Posts: 10,176
    I really like Man in the High Castle, on prime. Especially since my son's paying for it! :smile:
    Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
    Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
    Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
    Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
    Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
    Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD.
  • maximillian
    maximillian Posts: 2,142
    Both Amazon and Walmart offers free shipping if you spend a minimum amount, $25 and $35 respectively. Just plan ahead and you can get free shipping without prime.
  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,043
    rooftop59 wrote: »
    Think about it this way, if you live in a smaller market you can get lots of things on amazon that you cannot find nearby. If you live in a large market you can save so much time by not running to the store every time you need something. And it’s often cheaper.

    Case in point. I got a new laptop for work with usb c, so I need a usb c to usb a cable. I can drive to Best Buy or office max and pay $10 for the cable, or order it off amazon while sitting on the can for $7 and get it in 2 days max, and like it often happens, it came the next day. Throw in books, cds, household goods, all kinds of random crap, and you are saving a ton of time, and often, money. It’s 100% worth it to me...

    In my case when I need something I check to see if ebay has the same item. 99% of the time the particular item I've needed is cheaper on ebay, I also really wish this wasn't the case as I get 5% cashback on my amazon purchases with my amazon cc. Even with that added bonus ebay still has won out most times here with the lowest price.
  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,722
    I cancelled my Prime membership a while back. I'm not there yet, but I'm weighing my options and am considering ceasing all business with Amazon for a few reasons:

    1 - They treat their employees like complete ****, do some research but they're consistently rated as a horrible company to work for. I know the manager for one of their largest distribution centers and hear all kinds of crazy stories from him.
    2 - They have a policy of intentionally delaying the processing of non-Prime orders. This isn't a matter of them just prioritizing Prime orders over non Prime, that I could understand, they go out of their way to delay non Prime orders, I assume in an effort to get more people into the Prime program.
    3 - They don't allow you to choose your shipping method, they ship how they want. This probably isn't a big deal for most people, but UPS is consistently horrible in the area I live in and I prefer to have things shipped FedEx and am willing to pay for it. I've contacted Amazon about this and have said I'm willing to pay the extra shipping cost but they won't/can't do it. This alone makes shopping with them a pretty horrible experience on the delivery end of things.
    4 - I just don't like what they're trying to do in general, I prefer working with my local shops and businesses where possible, hell I'd rather support Walmart because at least they're employing people in my town. My preference though is supporting small businesses, even when it means paying more, and I go that route whenever possible.

    Amazon has great customer service, a great return policy, and a HUGE selection of products but the negatives are at the point where they are outweighing the positives.
  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 6,646
    Amazon packages CDs like a bunch of big poopy-doodle dummy-heads and crap jerks.
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,053
    edited April 2018
    Both Amazon and Walmart offers free shipping if you spend a minimum amount, $25 and $35 respectively. Just plan ahead and you can get free shipping without prime.

    This is what I do with Amazon, but compared to before they pushed Prime, the free shipping takes forever. I'm sure it's on purpose to direct you to Prime. Before Amazon offered Prime, the free shipping option w/minimum purchase was 2-3 days max. Now it's 5-7 days or more. It's like your ISP throttling to guide you to a more expensive plan.

    Don't get me wrong I like Amazon and use them frequently, just not frequently enough to be worth the cost of Prime at this time. It also used to be that Amazon was the cheapest. It's not the cheapest alternative anymore. So shop around. Also Amazon doesn't pull up the cheapest price first in your search. So, you need to shop within Amazon to get the best deal.

    These were all subtle changes that most people didn't notice right away. But then at some point Amazon had to start making a profit. So it couldn't go on the old way forever.

    Like I said I like Amazon and still use Amazon, before it WAS the go to, now it's just another alternative when I'm shopping. They aren't always the cheapest or fastest like they used to be...............well, they can be if your willing to pay to join their "club".

    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    Nobody is putting a gun to anyones head FORCING them to work at Amazon. No matter where you work, there will ALWAYS be things you hate about your job or that you think they are treating you poorly. Unless you are independently wealthy...get over it. If you need a job, you need a job, Amazon has jobs.

    They can do business anyway they want so long as I get my packages in a couple of days.

    The 2 day free shipping must be costing Amazon a whole lot of profit hence the rate hike, but I'm benefiting from it since I find what I need on Amazon rather than running all over the place just to come back empty handed or exhausted.

    What they are doing is providing goods and services to people usually at a lower price, and most certainly at a time savings that is priceless.
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    Both Amazon and Walmart offers free shipping if you spend a minimum amount, $25 and $35 respectively. Just plan ahead and you can get free shipping without prime.


    Yes. Plus you get the same products as Prime. The only thing you lose without Prime is the two day shipping, along with all the other (video, music, etc.) services. If all you do is buy stuff then you do not need Prime. I wish they would offer a cheaper Prime without the music, video streaming, etc.
    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
    Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
    Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes

    Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
    Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
    Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
    Three 20 amp circuits.
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,308
    edited April 2018
    I think they should be grandfathering subscribers at their entry rates. This should be the de facto standard for all subscription services.
    I disabled signatures.