Amazon offers many perks to people with a Prime subscription. But last fall it did away with one of the bigger benefits — and Prime members aren't happy.
The online giant used to offer members an extra month of Prime for free if an order with a guaranteed delivery date arrived late. Unfortunately, now you'll be lucky to receive a small credit from Amazon if your package doesn't arrive on time.
No More Free Amazon Prime?
Amazon now refunds shipping fees if a package doesn't arrive by the guaranteed delivery date, according to the company's policy on the topic.
The language is a little vague, though, as Amazon states, "If we provide a guaranteed delivery date on the checkout page, your shipping fees may be refunded if we miss our promised delivery date." This phrasing indicates you might have to jump through hoops to receive a mediocre appeasement. Bottom line: It might not be worth your time.
But how does the policy change apply to Prime members? They used to be eligible for a free 1-month Prime extension, and they already get free shipping in most cases. DealNews readers say Amazon has told them they could receive between $5 and $10 in promotional credit now, depending on the value of the items that arrive late. But when Prime members do need to pay for delivery, shipping fees can be as low as $2.99. So it's not guaranteed you'll receive that higher credit.
How Do You Get a Shipping Refund From Amazon?
Your order has to meet several requirements if you want to qualify for a shipping refund. For one, you have to place the order before the "order within" window has closed. And if your order includes products that aren't eligible for guaranteed delivery, you must choose "Ship my items as they become available" when placing your order. Amazon also notes the guarantee isn't valid when situations arise that are beyond its control. It states that "delivery scans might be inaccurate," as well — which could theoretically absolve Amazon of any blame in many cases.
SEE ALSO: Yikes! What to Do When Your Amazon Package Is Not Delivered
Importantly, Amazon 2-day shipping could also take longer than you'd think. Most customers assume the clock starts as soon as they place an order, but that's not true. In fact, Amazon notes that if items aren't in stock or otherwise immediately available, the 2-day period doesn't start until the items actually ship.
Case in point: User dmiles521 was told that if an item was in stock and Prime eligible, and shipped a week after the order date, as long as it arrived within two business days, it would still count as meeting the 2-day shipping guarantee. Meaning it wouldn't be eligible for a refund.
How Did the Old Amazon Prime Policy Die?
Amazon used to provide Prime members with a free month of the subscription service if a package didn't arrive by its guaranteed delivery date. Whether by calling, emailing, or live chatting, our readers successfully received an extension in several cases. Some boasted about getting six months or even a full year for free due to this perk. However, in July 2017, we began to see complaints that the policy was no longer being honored.
In the comments of a previous DealNews article, several users spoke out about their issues. For example, in March 2018, user shoemkr27 noted they didn't outright receive a free month of Prime after inquiring about it, but they were credited with $13 to cover the cost of another month of the service.
Six months later, user gck105 said they were offered a $5 promotional code rather than a free month of Prime. And user jackson.austinson reported in November 2018 that the $5 promotional credit did seem to be the most popular measure taken, although they noted Amazon could increase the credit to $10 or $15 in some circumstances.
Always Be Polite
Don't expect Amazon to refund any shipping fees easily. You'll still need to contact Amazon, and you might have to be persistent. But remember to be polite! One user told us that pushing too much can backfire; apparently certain Amazon customer service reps aren't opposed to closing user accounts. Other users have reported that Amazon will argue about the guaranteed delivery date, stating it was suggested or expected, and therefore not guaranteed. Be prepared to not receive any compensation for your trouble, and you'll be pleasantly surprised if you do.
Readers, what are your thoughts on Amazon's delivery policy change? What has your experience been like since the new policy began? Let us know in the comments below!
It didn't happen very often in the past but when it did they had a wonderful policy on guaranteed shipping. The issue was resolved very quickly with a we're sorry email and refund, credit, or an extra month of prime. I couldn't even find the issue with your order link to talk to a rep today. Instead I kept getting links to orders I just placed and then finally their sales assistant telling me to call the third about the late order.
When I called CS all the rep did was email the vendor and told me it's guaranteed next week. I tried to ask about the new policy and all I got was it's guaranteed to come by the new date. Which is over a week later.
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There are allot of other features on prime but if it goes up another $20 next year, I don't think it's worth it.
Every time it happens I ask a customer support person why I'm paying for Prime when they so often miss their guaranteed delivery dates, and they apologize but have never once offered me a credit or anything like that.
Often on the Amazon app I can watch the driver on the map, where it says my delivery is up next, and then watch the driver continue on to make every other delivery for the day, until eventually I can track them driving back to the distribution center (while it still says my delivery is next). I've bought so many things online over the years and the last 6 months with Amazon have been the absolute worst.
I hate to tell you this but many many many many.... no most mega corporations pay little to no federal taxes. They would fire their accountants if they did.
There was one major US drug company that went so far as to move it's corporate headquarters to Ireland to avoid federal taxation. I'm not making this up.
Corporations are excellent tax collectors for the government but do not per se pay them themselves....
I've been ordering from Amazon since 2000, and for the past several years have averaged about 110 separate order per year. I live in the Rochester NY area, and don't recall ever receiving a shipment promised in two days late...and I always keep track of this. I don't know why I've had such good luck with shipping. Regarding Prime Video, I know I'm in the minority, but I think it has very good content, quite different from, but a good complement to, Netflix (which I also have).
Having said all that, I'm not at all happy with the increase in Prime's subscription, which has become an issue. But for me, it's still worth it. By the way, I have absolutely nothing to do with Amazon, except as a customer.
Think about that April 15.
Probably a nightmare for sellers as well because all the buyer has to do is say they didn't receive it and the seller eats the money. But if you're trying to sell a product you need Amazon.
I only wish they were as effective at actually having lower prices, not being full of fake reviews, and full of scammers who post something low but then never ship it. You can get a refund but months later after a lot of effort.
Amazon is a business and their main purpose is to make money. Every penny.
It's mostly list price now. We used to go to Amazon because it was cheaper, now for convenience.
Usually about this point some Amazon fanboy says oh no they're awesome!
I myself have received 4 or 5 monthly credits in the past few years, all done through chat. I even got an item refunded because it still hadn't arrived in 3 weeks..and when it actually arrived, I was told to keep it with no need to return. When Prime was only $79/yr, a 1 month credit was worth about $6.70. Now a 1 month credit is worth $10. I can see why they are trying to give only a $5 credit.
There used to be a function to check your gift cards to see what the balance was. Now, there's no way to check your gift card balance without AUTOMATICALLY adding it to your account. I've had to argue for hours with them to remove the credit and "unredeem" the gift card because I was just trying to figure out how to check the balance without actually adding it to anything. Totally frustrating and just another way that Amazon screws with their customers.
I only use Amazon now to pricematch. Plus, I still enjoy walking into the big box stores to get hands-on experience with whatever it is I want to buy.
The shill reviews get worse all the time and its increasingly difficult to get things resolved.
Amazon is convenient when it works but simply no longer worth the price of Prime.
I live in Cincinnati. (as my screen name says) I live about 15 minutes from the Prime Air hub and right about 100 miles from another major distribution hub. I see Prime Air planes taking off from CVG every day and I see Amazon semi trucks every single day so I am in the thick of their shipping infrastructure. My shipments are for the most part on time but I constantly have shipping delays. I can't imagine what someone who lives in a rural area in a lesser populated state endures in the way of shipping delays.
I have stopped calling Amazon for shipping delays. It seems like I get more runaround than I get resolution. Maybe I'm becoming complacent about my issues because there isn't any real restitution paid for doing so. I think that this may be their goal.