Now that Netflix is stirring up a whole lot of viewers for its original series like House of Cards and this little show called Arrested Development, other media bigwigs are trying to figure out how to get a piece of this sweet, sweet action. To that end, Amazon announced today that it’s planning five new TV series in the nearish future. [More]
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Amazon Wants To Sell Your Vampire Fan Fiction To The World — If You Keep It Clean
By 5.23.13
Have you ever loved a book or movie so much, say, a teenage vampire romance, that you just can’t stand it when it’s all over? Fan fiction, that distinct genre that takes existing characters off into new storylines, or rewrites those stories in a more satisfactory way only rarely pays off for writers, but Amazon’s new Kindle Worlds wants to change that. [More]
My Late Mother’s Broken Kindle Leaves Me Brokenhearted, Amazon Goes Above & Beyond
By 5.21.13
Consumerist reader K. had one very important reminder of her late mother — her mom’s beloved Kindle. She says her mom treated it like a sensitive piece of electronic equipment, and really loved it. Every night when K. went to bed, she would read a book on the device and says it always made her smile and think of her mother. But when that Kindle broke, it seemed those sentimental moments would be over for good. [More]
Graphic: Which Internet Biggies Are Even Slightly Concerned About Your Privacy?
By 5.20.13
When it comes to online privacy, many consumers assume that their service provider, or the websites they are browsing, have the users’ best interest in mind and that these companies won’t simply hand over your information to authorities. These people are mistaken, as are those who believe that no online companies make user privacy a priority. The truth, as usual, is a bit from column A and a bit from column B. [More]
Zombie Amazon Returns More Common Than You Might Think
By 5.17.13
Earlier this week, we asked whether our readers had any experience with zombie refunds: items that you sent back to a retailer, only to have your refund later reversed for no clear reason. We heard from a surprising number of people whose transactions have risen from the archives and devoured their bank accounts. [More]
Security Questions Aren’t Very Secure When Your Whole Family Knows The Answers
By 5.17.13
If you’re a forgetful person or have too many accounts to keep track of, the ability to reset an account password by typing the answers to a few questions about yourself can be a lifesaver. But there’s a dark side, too: it leaves you vulnerable to social engineering. Or having your Amazon password reset by your 94-year-old dad. [More]
Zombie Amazon Return Rises From Dead, Gets Charged To Credit Card
By 5.15.13
We’ve discussed zombie debt, zombie bills, and zombie accounts, and even zombie retail on this site before, but we had never heard of zombie returned merchandise…until now. Reader Michael reports that he returned something to Amazon in March 2013, received a refund, and that was the end of the story. Until it wasn’t the end of the story. [More]
DOJ: Steve Jobs E-Mails Show That Apple Engaged In E-Book Price-Fixing
By 5.15.13
While all of the publishers involved in Justice Dept.’s e-book price-fixing lawsuit have settled, Apple has continued to maintain its innocence. With the trial set to begin in early June, the DOJ has some evidence it believes paints Apple in a rather damning light. [More]
Amazon Maintains Equilibrium, Sends Out Comically Under-Packaged Boxes Too
By 5.10.13
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]
Report: Amazon Working On 3-D Smartphone
By 5.9.13
Amazon has done pretty well with its Kindle line of e-readers and tablets, but it looks like the company is determined to expand beyond the market of “things to read and watch stuff on.” A new report says the e-tailer is working on a pair of devices different from any hardware it has released before. [More]
Amazon Packs Your Snacks Extra Safely In A Box Ten Times Too Big
By 5.9.13
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]
Senate Signs Off On Marketplace Fairness Act; Online Sales Tax Inches Closer To Reality
By 5.6.13 — Updated: 5.7.13
If you’re one of the many Amazon customers whose state has yet to reach an agreement about the collection of online sales tax, this will probably be bad news. This afternoon, the Senate voted in favor of the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would give each state the authority to compel online businesses to collect applicable taxes. [More]
Amazon Notices Our Streaming Video Was Glitchy, Proactively Issues Refund
By 5.2.13
We’ve always said that one of the true measures of quality customer service is how a company reacts to complaints. So it’s always good to hear about a company that doesn’t just respond well to a complaint, but preempts that complaint by proactively issuing a refund. [More]
Someone Is Probably Working On A Coffee Table Book Of Hilarious Amazon Reviews, Right?
By 5.1.13
We’ve read our fair share of hilarious reviews for products that practically beg to become comedic fodder — remember the Bic Cristal for Her pen? It’s often those same reviews that make once irrelevant products relevant again, or at least bring to light the very many things for sale out there that make us wonder why anyone bothered selling them in the first place. [More]
Amazon’s Stupid Shipping Gang Thinks Two Pieces Of Paper Will Protect My Speaker
By 4.25.13
Consumerist reader Howard must’ve breathed a hugesigh of relief upon opening a box from Amazon containing his new center speaker. Some thoughtful, kind person had tossed in not one, but two thin sheets of paper, as protection against all the calamities that can befall packages. [More]
Amazon Channels Target, Charges More To Buy More Games
By 4.22.13
The idea behind buying items in a bundle is that in exchange for buying a larger quantity of a single item or a variety of items, the merchant gives you a discount. You give them more business, they give you a better price. That’s how it’s supposed to work, but sometimes this whole system falls apart and prices go up as you buy more. [More]
Legislators Maybe Kinda Sorta Thinking About Finally Voting On Online Sales Tax
By 4.18.13
Will they or won’t they? That’s the question now as legislators over yonder in Washington, D.C. are considering perhaps finally voting on whether or not to allow businesses to collect online sales tax. As it stands now, retailers can only impose the tax on a customer if they have a physical location in that state. Amazon is all for the bill, but eBay, not so much. The Senate could vote next week, so now it’s all about waiting and then, seeing. [via Reuters] [More]
Court Ruling Highlights Huge Roadblock To Reselling Digital Content
By 4.2.13
Even though huge online players like Amazon and Apple are working on ways to provide users a marketplace to resell “used” digital downloads like mp3s and e-books, neither plan really deals with the most salient problem with reselling digital products — getting rid of the original copy. [More]
