Why I opt for Amazon

[converse320]

The whole VAT thing for some major companies is just weird.  I bought a phone from OnePlus last year, and they refused to provide a VAT receipt, as the VAT was "Included" in the price, but not actually charged.  Meaning their phones are actually 20% more expensive than they look if you can claim VAT back,  which I can.  They claimed they had negotiated a deal whereby they were VAT exempt in return for a payment to HMRC.   Our finance person said EU rules oblige companies to provide a VAT receipt on request, but I only managed to get one from OnePlus by threatening legal action.  These large companies have a very tilted playing field in their favour.

 

[GuyR]

Based on a 10-minute google search, Amazon paid £4.6m tax in the UK last year on turnover of £10.96 billion. To put that in perspective, with a similar sized UK revenue, M&S paid £65.4m corporation tax alone on turnover of £10.46 billion in 2018, in addition to business rates and the tax generated by their 80000 employees (compared with 27500 for Amazon).

In effect, Amazon is subsidised by the UK taxpayer. Handy for Jeff Bezos, I'm sure he would find it difficult to make ends meet otherwise.

Until our "leaders" adopt a strategy to extract a proper contribution for access to our markets, our high streets and indigenous businesses will continue to wither. I never buy on Amazon, or from Starbucks or a variety of other businesses for these reasons.

[hooky_lowdown]

17 hours ago, Doctor J said:

If you didn’t type that on an electronic device made in an Asian sweat shop where worker’s rights are essentially non-existant, well done you!

The difference between myself and the OP is that I'm not advocating it. Well done you for missing the point! 😂

[Doctor J]

Nice try 😂

[Monkey Steve]

Have to say, my experience of Amazon's customer service is uniformly excellent, particularly for stuff that they are selling me direct (rather than from third party) - replacements sent out straight away (with the threat that they will charge you again if you don't send back the original item), and if it's low value quite often they'll just tell you to keep or dispose of the original faulty/incorrect item.  I've also had more than a few instances of £10 credits where I kick up a stink for a delivery slot being missed...you do need to kick up a stink though. 

The fact that I can order what I want at typically low prices and they'll deliver it at my convenience means that Amazon tends to be my default place to start looking for anything i want to buy.  Vinyl is one exception where I'll shop around (and annoying as it is to not be able to pre-order or get stuff on line for a week, I do applaud Record Store Day for keeping their releases out of Amazon's clutches...until the Marketplace sellers start listing their left overs) and won't buy from them unless they are the cheapest seller, but the returns process and the fact that they don't add on postage charges means that they're still in with a reasonable chance of getting my order.

That said, the website seems designed to make it as difficult as possible to actually make a complaint - directing you to a standard returns process, and restricting your options to deviate from that, and hiding how to make contact with CS direct.  Current issue is a faulty vinyl copy of The Bends.  Started the returns process and Amazon had a replacement with me the next day.  Albeit with the threat that unless I send the faulty copy back by the middle of July they'll charge me for the replacement.

Faulty copy dropped off for a Hermes return the next day (last Sunday)...website shows it as not having yet been received, and the main returns page doesn't give me any further options.  Going into a separate returns page lets me track the package...which falls over and tells me that somethings wrong...do I want to continue shopping?  So off to the well hidden page to send an e-mail to CS asking where it's got to given that I dropped it off a week ago.

For musical gear, I'll stick to small stuff like strings if there's a significant saving (and for the bigger stuff, i can't remember seeing a listing for any instrument or amp that I was interested in where it was actually in stock - lots of listing for everything but nothing they ever actually seem to have), but actually they usually come from third party sellers and if it's a shop I know and trust I'll often go straight to their website and order direct.  For the slightly more expensive stuff, like pedals, I tend to see what the price is on Amazon, which sellers have it for the cheapest price, and then go and order it from Andertons because they're always close enough and have next day delivery.

Edited July 5, 2019 by Monkey Steve

[hooky_lowdown]

28 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

Nice try 😂

Oh dear 😴

[Doctor J]

If you really think you’re in a position to pontificate on worker exploitation while paricipating in a society getting fat on what is little more than the slave labour of others, then “oh dear” indeed. That must be a very high horse! Not advocating it here while paying to sustain it there is, of course, most noble and not in any way hypocritical. Well done you! 😂

[hooky_lowdown]

30 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

If you really think you’re in a position to pontificate on worker exploitation while paricipating in a society getting fat on what is little more than the slave labour of others, then “oh dear” indeed. That must be a very high horse! Not advocating it here while paying to sustain it there is, of course, most noble and not in any way hypocritical. Well done you! 😂

Is that all you got. Blah.

[jazzmanb]

On 04/07/2019 at 14:53, hooky_lowdown said:

So you're championing zero hours contract and minimum wage, well done you!

a lot of amazon stuff is from independants ,lots of music shops do zeros hours and min wage,in fact retail is built on it .Some shops may be paying better and are not sorting customers out very well so its a bit more complicated that Amazon or not 

[itu]

One big thing with faceless net shops and hometown entrepreneurs is the service. Net shop does not have that saucy teenager trying to convince me that this X is the best there is and I just have to buy it. Now!

On the other hand, my possibilities to try that thing in the net shop does not exist. Net shop sells something to me with maybe reasonable but time consuming return terms, where I have to pick that thing from the post office and then return it the other day. Pack, write papers and wish for the best.

Yes, the possibility to return stuff is very good addition to that net shop service, but that personal help and assist in the shop does not exist. I should rely on YT/net/BC comments. (Made by those saucy teenagers... maybe.)

I think that an introvert shoe-gazer loves this net opportunity, but as prices have gotten close or even under the net shop offerings, my choice is nowadays a local store. They remember me (or just say so), and they get me to their shops to lose my money. Touching the stuff and playing with one is something net shop is not able to offer. Yes, I do compare prices but my home town shops can make me very competitive offers. In. Real. Life.

[jazzmanb]

6 hours ago, converse320 said:

The whole VAT thing for some major companies is just weird.  I bought a phone from OnePlus last year, and they refused to provide a VAT receipt, as the VAT was "Included" in the price, but not actually charged.  Meaning their phones are actually 20% more expensive than they look if you can claim VAT back,  which I can.  They claimed they had negotiated a deal whereby they were VAT exempt in return for a payment to HMRC.   Our finance person said EU rules oblige companies to provide a VAT receipt on request, but I only managed to get one from OnePlus by threatening legal action.  These large companies have a very tilted playing field in their favour.

 

very few retail transactions show Vat but its in the price you've paid 

[jazzmanb]

19 hours ago, oZZma said:

Same as you. I dislike them for the reasons you listed, plus the fact they use A TON of unnecessary packaging. I made the decision once they sent me one single order of very small parts in three separate A4 size boxes. Never again.

Yeah that's my bug,they take it too far "you can have this tomorrow" ,I don't need it that fast,ive only paid £6 for something etc etc ….They are providing a service people rarely need .Bit like modern cars ,full of stuff no one wants or asked for 

[dave_bass5]

Amazon is my first port of call for any purchases, even socks or deodorant 🙂

I work very hard and have no issues trying to make my money go further. I tried supporting my local music shops years ago, but realised they weren't doing much to support their customers.

[Monkey Steve]

47 minutes ago, jazzmanb said:

Yeah that's my bug,they take it too far "you can have this tomorrow" ,I don't need it that fast,ive only paid £6 for something etc etc ….They are providing a service people rarely need .Bit like modern cars ,full of stuff no one wants or asked for 

It's not necessarily the "have it tomorrow" aspect of that which appeals to me, but the "arrange which day you want to have it, including the weekend".  I'm not often at home during the working week, and deliveries from other companies usually end up with a trip to the post office.  Amazon lets me arrange for everything to be delivered on a day when i will actually be in.  For me that is a major selling point

[dave_bass5]

1 minute ago, Monkey Steve said:

It's not necessarily the "have it tomorrow" aspect of that which appeals to me, but the "arrange which day you want to have it, including the weekend".  I'm not often at home during the working week, and deliveries from other companies usually end up with a trip to the post office.  Amazon lets me arrange for everything to be delivered on a day when i will actually be in.  For me that is a major selling point

Or even delivered the same day as ordered. I use Prime Now quite a bit, although admit its mainly for booze and snacks. I did get them to deliver a set of bass strings a while ago though. Ordered 3.30pm on a Sat, arrived just after 8pm that evening, along with 2 bottles of wine and a litre of Rum lol.

[converse320]

2 hours ago, jazzmanb said:

very few retail transactions show Vat but its in the price you've paid 

No, thats not what I meant.  One Plus refused to supply a VAT receipt, and claimed their supply was VAT exempt because of a deal they had done with HMRC.  Most UK retailers will happily give you a VAT invoice showing VAT component if you ask for it.  We're VAT registered, so can claim back the VAT on most business purchases through our VAT returns.    A mobile phone bought from most suppliers will have a VAT component - but not oneplus.

Edited July 5, 2019 by converse320

[Guest oZZma]

8 hours ago, Doctor J said:

If you really think you’re in a position to pontificate on worker exploitation while paricipating in a society getting fat on what is little more than the slave labour of others, then “oh dear” indeed. That must be a very high horse! Not advocating it here while paying to sustain it there is, of course, most noble and not in any way hypocritical. Well done you! 😂

Whataboutism at its worse.

[mikel]

6 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

Amazon is my first port of call for any purchases, even socks or deodorant 🙂

I work very hard and have no issues trying to make my money go further. I tried supporting my local music shops years ago, but realised they weren't doing much to support their customers.

So you only buy instruments from Amazon? We all work hard, its a given, and most shops I use will price match online prices.

[dave_bass5]

15 minutes ago, mikel said:

So you only buy instruments from Amazon? We all work hard, its a given, and most shops I use will price match online prices.

Nope, never have, although sometimes through amazon. Mostly i buy from Andertons, GAK and G4M. 

As i said, Amazon is my first port of call, but that doesn’t mean i only buy from them. In fact for instruments they are useless, but i still look first. 

I dont drive, work 5-6 days a week, i dont have time to go to shops,  and to be honest I prefer to buy on line and have the safety net of having 14-30 days to return something if i dont like it. I recently got a bass on line that was £150 than the nearest competitor, but the shop is about 600 miles from me. I asked my local stores and the above stores to match and none wanted to know. The shop i used is a small shop in Glasgow, so in a way i did support them, it just wasn’t local to me lol. 

. 

[SH73]

18 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

mazon is my first port of call, but that doesn’t mean i only buy from them. In fact for instruments they are useless, but i still look first. 

I work 5-6 days a week, i dont have time to go to shops,  and to be honest I prefer to buy on line and have the safety net of having 14-30 days to return something if i dont like it. 

. 

This

[mikel]

21 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

Nope, never have, although sometimes through amazon. Mostly i buy from Andertons, GAK and G4M. 

As i said, Amazon is my first port of call, but that doesn’t mean i only buy from them. In fact for instruments they are useless, but i still look first. 

I dont drive, work 5-6 days a week, i dont have time to go to shops,  and to be honest I prefer to buy on line and have the safety net of having 14-30 days to return something if i dont like it. I recently got a bass on line that was £150 than the nearest competitor, but the shop is about 600 miles from me. I asked my local stores and the above stores to match and none wanted to know. The shop i used is a small shop in Glasgow, so in a way i did support them, it just wasn’t local to me lol. 

. 

Returns can be made to any shop, its the law.

[T-Bay]

4 minutes ago, mikel said:

Returns can be made to any shop, its the law.

Sadly the likes of Amazon are so big that in our unfortunate case even trading standards didn’t want to know.

[dave_bass5]

1 hour ago, mikel said:

Returns can be made to any shop, its the law.

Really, ive never had much luck with that. Anyway, its twice as much hassle to do that, 

Edited July 6, 2019 by dave_bass5

[Maude]

As far as I know if an item is faulty then you can return it to a shop for a refund, but if you've simply changed your mind then they don't have to refund you, most will for a credit note and some will for cash but I don't think they're obliged to. That's why you get the 14 days online or over the phone, because you can't physically see or touch the item like you can in a shop. 

But I'm not positive, that's just the way I've always understood it. 

Edit - just checked and nope, a shop does not have to give a refund on non faulty items. 

Edited July 6, 2019 by Maude

[dave_bass5]

1 minute ago, Maude said:

As far as I know if an item is faulty then you can return it to a shop for a refund, but if you've simply changed your mind then they don't have to refund you, most will for a credit note and some will for cash but I don't think they're obliged to. That's why you get the 14 days online or over the phone, because you can't physically see or touch the item like you can in a shop. 

But I'm not positive, that's just the way I've always understood it. 

Yes, that’s been my experience. The distance  selling regulation sates that you can return an item if you just change you mind, but this doesn’t apply to items brought from a shop. Saying that, a lot of shops do offer this but i dont think its law.