Consumerist reader Roy knows his stuff — there’s no messing around when it comes to scoring deals and as such, he keeps his peepers peel for the juiciest ones the Internet has to offer. In his pursuit of one item, he had to buy one other, tiny thing to make his deal dreams come true. The good news is, it arrived safely, and lickety split. The silly thing is, they arrived in the above packaging. Apparently Amazon doesn’t have the corner on the Stupid Shipping Gang. [More]
The over-packaging Stupid Shipping Gangsters don’t just work for Amazon. They’re everywhere. Reader Matt encountered the Gang when he made a purchase from Macy’s. He bought a pair of shoes and added a mug to make the free shipping limit. He received a box large enough to hold everything that he had purchased, and assumed that it did. It did not. It held only a mug and a great wealth of air pillows. [More]
We are glad to see that, in an effort to keep things consistent across their global retail operation, Amazon is also comically under-packaging some boxes. Reader EG’s box of light bulbs bumped their way to his house, and he is not pleased. [More]
Alex says that when a giant box from Amazon arrived on his doorstep, he was puzzled. There was a huge, huge box, but all he had ordered were some Munchies brand peanuts that were on sale. (Having Prime makes you do that kind of thing.) That couldn’t possibly be all that was in the box: there was enough space in there for hundreds of packets of peanuts. He had only ordered 32. So what was in the box? [More]
Reader T. would like everyone to know that the members of the notorious Stupid Shipping Gang aren’t necessarily stupid. There could be a perfectly valid reason why your bubble wrap is wrapped in bubble wrap, a small clock comes in a box large enough to store your fiancée, and every ten-foot power cord requires its own wooden pallet. They’re just working with what they have, within the rules they’re provided, and trying to get your item to you in one piece. On their end of the transaction, these decisions aren’t so stupid. What seems wasteful to us consumers may actually save the company money.
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Sure, right now is the season of gift-giving. But soon enough, we’ll change gears and consumers will be lined up to return some of the things they’ve been given. So there are some things you should be aware of before Dec. 26. [More]
After years of buying electronics from Newegg, Consumerist reader Willie says he won’t be doing business with the e-tailer in the future because of the way his friend was treated by the company. [More]
Okay, so there are probably more than a few people out there with the last name of “Amazon,” but when you tell someone at a major prepaid wireless provider that you bought your phone “on Amazon,” they should understand that you are referencing the mammoth online retailer and not a particular human being. [More]
Nate saw that he could get a few bucks for his old Canon Digital Rebel camera using Amazon Trade-In. It was a few bucks more than he could get using eBay, so he packed it up and waited for his $97. They didn’t agree about its condition, so he asked to have it sent back. He received back the manual and cables in a smaller Amazon box…but where was the camera? [More]
Ian decided to use Amazon’s trade-in service to get cash for his iPad. The third-party company that runs the trade-in service decided that his device had invisible scratches, and downgraded its condition. They offered him $30 less than if it had been in “like new” shape. He was annoyed, and contacted Amazon about it. Amazon stepped in and promised him that if he sends the iPad again, he’ll get the full balance of the “like new” price. [More]
Yes, buying used books can save a lot of money, but Spencer went to the trouble and expense to buy a new copy of the trade paperback he wanted from Amazon. A Star Wars graphic novel, thank you very much. Only Amazon was unable to send any books to him in mint condition, or without getting banged up in the box or puny padded envelope. [More]
When he had problems with his ASUS tablet dock, he packed up the dock and its power cable and sent it off to ASUS for some loving warranty repair care. Both the dock and the power cable had separate, seemingly unrelated problems. He suspected this might cause some confusion at ASUS, so he was sure to clarify that both parts had their own issues. He had not anticipated that the dock’s cable would disappear somewhere between his house and when the equipment was checked in at ASUS repair. [More]
A man living in Washington, D.C. was expecting a new high-definition TV he ordered from Amazon through a third-party seller, but somewhere along the way, his order got turned into something he (or anyone) wouldn’t have ever expected: A high-caliber, semi-automatic assault rifle that is very large and very illegal in D.C. [More]
UPS delivered a large, light, somewhat damaged box to Erick’s workplace. What was inside? Gosh, what if it was damaged when the box was dented? Better open it to make sure. [More]
Coca-Cola might be super proprietary about its secret soda formula, but when it comes to sharing technology that could help the earth, it’s willing to to spread the wealth with other big American businesses. Coca-Cola, Ford, Heinz, Nike and Procter & Gamble announced today they’ve teamed up to work on how to develop plant-based plastic material. [More]
Anyone can appreciate a good bargain on a used product that works just as well as when it was in brand new condition. Used cars? Great! Gently worn clothing? Sign me up. But perhaps when describing an item such as say, feminine hygiene products, such a term should not be attached. [More]
It wastes resources, money, and shipping companies’ resources. It generates extra trash and annoys customers. What is it? Companies’ insistence on employing members of the Stupid Shipping Gang to send packages!
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In a world where mega-retailers trying to make a buck anywhere they can will resort to terrible tactics (say it in a movie trailer voice and it sounds cooler), any examples of companies going above and beyond to serve the customer warms the cockles of our very cold and jaded hearts. Michael wrote in to shed light on one such positive experience with Amazon. [More]
