Amazon: Post-Order Price Guarantee Ending 8/31/08

[quote name='shrike4242']See, if Amazon was really smart and wanted people to get a Prime membership, they'd have the Post-order price guarantee be part of the benefits of Prime. :whistle2:s Now, that would be smart indeed, wouldn't it?[/QUOTE]

Exactly what I thought. But now, they lost me for good. Back to Best Buy I go.

Anyone know where we can share our disappointment with Amazon?
 
I'm glad I bought things when I did, including a tv. Nothing pisses me off more then buying something and then they drop the price an hour later. I guess this will keep me from buying more from Amazon unless I think items will not go down more.
 
I agree with the others above. This is news that I wouldn't have seen if it was posted in some other forum.

Thanks for the news, op. I don't like Amazon doing this, but there's nothing that can be done.
 
[quote name='wildnuts02']weak. all major retailers still do price protection...[/QUOTE]

QFT

In the future, I guess I will think twice (or even three or four times) before purchasing from Amazon.

This new policy sucks.

Basically, if an item is a borderline purchase for me, then I will probably wait to see if the price goes lower because there are no price adjustments for falling prices. Also, prices seem to change erratically and too often on the site. This new policy makes purchasing a bigger pain in the ass. I already know my spending with Amazon will be severely cut by this stupidity.
 
[quote name='mechachrome']I agree with the others above. This is news that I wouldn't have seen if it was posted in some other forum.

Thanks for the news, op. I don't like Amazon doing this, but there's nothing that can be done.[/quote]I too am glad it was posted here. Never would have seen it otherwise and would be blindsided with an email from Amazon on the day of the change I'm sure.

Also, there is still an opportunity to combat this.
Call them (1-800-201-7575, then press 7), give them your account email, make them add a note to your account that if this policy changes you will no longer shop at Amazon.
If you have a Prime account, tell them it will not be renewed if this policy comes true. I just called to confirm this with a CSR and they were very vague.

Amz: "We still are matching prices at this time."
Me: "But will this change?"
Amz: "We don't have that information at the moment."
Me: "Well please make a note in my account, that I've called and if this policy comes true, I will do little to no shopping with Amazon and my Prime account will not be renewed."

I will probably also email this just to make sure they know I'm serious.
Be polite but be firm.
If enough people do this, instead of just lying down and taking it, the folks in charge may change their mind on this policy change.
 
Yeah this blows. I have a Amazon rewards credit card which means I'll still be buying a majority of my games from them though. Maybe I should look into getting a credit card with better rewards starting next year.
 
I suppose the return and rebuy method is always an option though; unless Amazon has that a insanely hard return policy
 
Very weak. From all the online retailers (or retailers in general) Amazon really switched up the prices on products a lot, sometimes multiple times a day.
 
This is totally lame! :bomb: I will probably continue to buy small purchases that are much better deals than in store from them ... but I will never again purchase a high price item! I bought a TV from them several months back and the price dropped almost 200$ w/in 30 days (it was just around the holidays).... had that happened and I couldn't price adjust, I would have been very frustrated!!
 
Yeah that sucks (and I agree this was important enough to post in the deals section), I'll certainly be more hesitant buying from Amazon now.

I'll probably not renew Prime in October and will cancel my Amazon visa card.

Bad news, but it will probably save me some money as I'll be buying less stuff.
 
This definitely sucks. I have never done it personally, but it's a great feature to have. Amazon will still get my business, because of the no tax/free shipping. Disappointed in Amazon though with this news.
 
Yes this news totally sucks for me, because everytime I buy something from Amazon, they always lower the price within 30-days. Not by a few cents it's like 50% off. Well I guess I just have to be absolutely sure it's a good price, before I buy I guess.
 
[quote name='jererjerer']I suppose the return and rebuy method is always an option though; unless Amazon has that a insanely hard return policy[/quote]

Anything that involves shipping back a product becomes not worth it, especially when its a game and differences are only a few bucks - shipping is going to be on you if theres nothing wrong with the item as well.
 
[quote name='Vader582']I too am glad it was posted here. Never would have seen it otherwise and would be blindsided with an email from Amazon on the day of the change I'm sure.

Also, there is still an opportunity to combat this.
Call them (1-800-201-7575, then press 7), give them your account email, make them add a note to your account that if this policy changes you will no longer shop at Amazon.
If you have a Prime account, tell them it will not be renewed if this policy comes true. I just called to confirm this with a CSR and they were very vague.

Amz: "We still are matching prices at this time."
Me: "But will this change?"
Amz: "We don't have that information at the moment."
Me: "Well please make a note in my account, that I've called and if this policy comes true, I will do little to no shopping with Amazon and my Prime account will not be renewed."

I will probably also email this just to make sure they know I'm serious.
Be polite but be firm.
If enough people do this, instead of just lying down and taking it, the folks in charge may change their mind on this policy change.[/QUOTE]

Please check the original thread in deals discussion/shopping to see that their e-mails on the Price Match changed. I had one on 8/17--- nothing was mentioned. The e-mail I received on Friday (which is why I posted it originally) was significantly different. The point here is that Amazon had no plans to notify its shoppers. You won't get an e-mail, especially since the change happens Labor Day (9/1).
 
thanks for posting it
i wouldn't have known otherwise

Edit: Are they really canceling it?? confirmed?
that would suck big time
 
[quote name='newlu']thanks for posting it
i wouldn't have known otherwise

Edit: Are they really canceling it?? confirmed?
that would suck big time[/QUOTE]

In the original thread:

[quote name='MrNEWZ']I don't remember seeing this discussed before, but I often enjoyed getting cash back when Amazon would have a Deal of the Day or clearance items out. I'd guarantee that I'd get the item --- AND get it for the lowest price. However, a recent price match yielded the following response:

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Hello from Amazon.com.


Thank you for contacting us to take advantage of our Post-Order Price Guarantee.


I've confirmed that we now offer a greater discount on item than at the time you placed your order.


Since your purchase shipped within the past 30 days, I've requested a refund of $X.XX to the original payment method used for your order.


This amount reflects the difference between the price you were originally charged for the item and the current price offered by Amazon.com,, minus the amount you were previously refunded. This new refund should be processed in the next few days.


Also please note that only orders placed before September 1, 2008 are eligible for a price difference refund under the Post-Order Price Guarantee policy. As of September 1, 2008 we are no longer offering discounts if prices change on our website after you make a purchase.


Thank you for shopping at Amazon.com--we hope you'll visit us again soon.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

I will say that I will be far more mindful of "biting" on some of the more likely to re-appear Deal of the Days or waiting until they bottom out on clearance deals due to this change.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='MrNEWZ']The amazing thing is the turn around on it was fast. My previous Price Guarantee was granted on 8/17, so the official decision was not made until after that. The e-mail I received today had the blurb and they change is being made effective on 9/1. That's with limited to no notice.

I upped my ordering significantly through Amazon the last year or two, especially with DOTD, Pre-Orders, and Clearance items. The Price Guarantee point was a *BIG* part of that--- and I know a lot of us here use it.[/QUOTE]
 
While i don't like the new policy, Amazon still has some of the best prices around and with free shipping and no tax, it's even better. They certainly won't be losing my business because of this.

If I think the price is too high to begin with on an item, I'm not going to buy it anyway, seems like common sense.
 
Someone in the Gold Box thread posted this email address for Executive Customer Relations: [email protected]-- write them and BE NICE, but tell them this will affect your Amazon purchasing decisions drastically.

I know it will cause me to order significantly less from Amazon, as their hour-by-hour pricing changes drive me nuts. I saw the 30-day PM as their acknowledgment they did stupid things with prices and let it average out, but honestly if I order something and see it drop $5-$10 30 minutes later, I'll be quite upset.

So... bad move. And thanks for posting it here.
 
That price protection got me Fire Pro Wrestling Returns for only $5. I hate to see it go even though I do 99% of my shopping in-store. Best Buy's price protection got me $10 back on the SCIV Premium Edition earlier this week. This sucks and it absolutely needed to be posted here as a lot of CAGs shop at Amazon. Great(if horrible) find, OP.
 
[quote name='lawdood']While i don't like the new policy, Amazon still has some of the best prices around and with free shipping and no tax, it's even better. They certainly won't be losing my business because of this.

If I think the price is too high to begin with on an item, I'm not going to buy it anyway, seems like common sense.[/quote]

Exactly.
 
Thanks for the info and it is good to know. I have used the 30 day policy a few times and I am sure this will make allot of people think twice without this price guarantee.
 
i will continue to shop there, but i'm gonna wait for deals for anything that isn't new.

at the very least, they could have cut it down from 30 days to 7 days...but to completely discontinue the service? blah.
 
[quote name='Pookymeister']If everyone who feels this way writes an email to Amazon, it might make a difference.
I just cancelled Prime and let them know this was the main reason.[/QUOTE]

I just sent them an email.

Hopefully they'll wake up.

To whom it may concern,

I am very disappointed that Amazon has planned to discontinue their 30 day price match guarantee on September 1st. One of the main reasons I order items from this site is due to that policy. It's great to be able to buy something on an impluse and not worry about the price dropping within thirty days or having to watch the prices like a hawk for price fluctuations to get the best deal.

The worse part about this is that a 30 day price match guarantee is standard policy at any brick and mortar store. From Best Buy to Circuit City to Wal-Mart. For whatever little money your site saves with this policy, it will be counteracted by customers like myself that will be forced to go back to traditional stores for their purchases.

I know, when this goes into effect, it will severely reduce the amount of purchases I make at Amazon and will definitely affect my decision on whether or not I will renew my Amazon Prime when the time comes.

I hope you will reconsider.

Thank you,
_________
Click to expand...
 
So who wants to start up the emails? Not saying we should send nasty ones, just polite really disappointment ones.
 
Sporadic...could we use your email as a template, but edit it to make it more personal? I just think yours is what we should be leaning towards.
 
[quote name='lawdood']While i don't like the new policy, Amazon still has some of the best prices around and with free shipping and no tax, it's even better. They certainly won't be losing my business because of this.

If I think the price is too high to begin with on an item, I'm not going to buy it anyway, seems like common sense.[/QUOTE]

Ever watch the prices on stuff you buy after the fact?

I know for me, most of my purchases go down by at least a dollar or two and I've had as much as $15 refunded to me on a pair of wireless headphones I purchased. When you buy as much stuff as me, it all adds up and it's all welcomed.

Nothing sucks worse than making a purchase and having it drop $5 the next day.

[quote name='kevzik']Sporadic...could we use your email as a template, but edit it to make it more personal? I just think yours is what we should be leaning towards.[/QUOTE]

Go for it. :)
 
Another thing CAGs, sometimes stuff on amazon will take one week + before they ship out. I recently ordered an item and received 10 dollars back due to late shipment.
 
[quote name='Ice2Dragon']Why are we just NOW finding out about this two days before it happens!?!?

This just seems very odd..[/QUOTE]

Amazon had no desire to tell you. They expected you to leave for a long holiday weekend and find out sometime in late September. This also appears to be a very quick decision as in less than 10 days, their e-mail on returning money using this Guarantee changed.
 
Bummer. I guess this means I will no longer jump on deals the instant I see them. I've utilized the post order price guarantee five times in the past two months, out of ten total purchases, most of which were limited time deals, which is all the more disappointing because the price dropped even further after the supposed "deal".

I shot an e-mail to [email protected] also, and sent one through the customer service e-mail line. I hope they change their minds on this. If the policy is discontinued I will definitely be making fewer purchases from Amazon.
 
This sucks but its not enough to stop shopping at amazon. First off the offer better deals than most other retailers, brick and mortar or online. Second, for most people they don't charge taxes like brick and mortar stores do.

Lastly, if youre like me, when you buy a game on Amazon during a deal, you probably dont get around to playing it for about a month due to other games. If they change the price in that 30 days just return it and buy again during the deal.
 
[quote name='Sporadic']Ever watch the prices on stuff you buy after the fact?

I know for me, most of my purchases go down by at least a dollar or two and I've had as much as $15 refunded to me on a pair of wireless headphones I purchased. When you buy as much stuff as me, it all adds up and it's all welcomed.

Nothing sucks worse than making a purchase and having it drop $5 the next day.



Go for it. :)[/quote]

Sure it sucks when a price is lowered, but if it wasn't low enough for me to begin with, I should have never bought it in the first place. Again, with the money I save on tax and gas, I'll continue to give my money to Amazon and use my Prime membership as much as I already have been. Even without pricematching, I'll still be saving money over buying stuff at B&M.
 
[quote name='lawdood']Sure it sucks when a price is lowered, but if it wasn't low enough for me to begin with, I should have never bought it in the first place. Again, with the money I save on tax and gas, I'll continue to give my money to Amazon and use my Prime membership as much as I already have been. Even without pricematching, I'll still be saving money over buying stuff at B&M.[/quote]

Agree'd. It does indeed suck but I usually jump when the initial price is right and Amazon is full of too much win to not do business with them.
 
[quote name='lawdood']Sure it sucks when a price is lowered, but if it wasn't low enough for me to begin with, I should have never bought it in the first place. Again, with the money I save on tax and gas, I'll continue to give my money to Amazon and use my Prime membership as much as I already have been. Even without pricematching, I'll still be saving money over buying stuff at B&M.[/QUOTE]

Sometimes, your magic price point is actually not your BEST price point. Like most situations in life, this one is not cut and dry. Economically and financially, by purchasing an item under Amazon's new policy, you kill the speculative discount you might have received in the future. Rationally, nobody would willingly give up this value.

Also, price protection is a service and privilege to customers. If the service was already in place, then why should people willingly give them up without complaint?

I could post a ton of examples, but I shouldn't need to do that. Let's just say the following: I bought a TV from Amazon. Several days later, BB has a B&M sale on the same item 'x' % off. We could easily calculate our total outlay loss on having no price protection. Also, TVM says that we lost more money than expected because we bought the Amazon item earlier. There are a lot variables and factors than, "[Well], if it wasn't low enough for me to begin with, I should have never bought it in the first place." There are also psychological factors. A person can say, "I'm not bothered by that." In reality, the person is actually effected more than he is willing to reveal.

I think anybody who doesn't agree with the policy should send an E-mail. Most likely, Amazon won't give a damn, but I think the shady timing of its informative E-mails is enough to cause customers some concern.

Honestly, Amazon's new "price protection" policy will definitely cause me to hesitate on future purchases from their site.
 
[quote name='opportunity777']Also, price protection is a service and privilege to customers. If the service was already in place, then why should people willingly give them up without complaint?[/quote]

I don't think anyone suggested we shouldn't e-mail or call them to complain. What some posters merely said, though, was that this isn't going to affect their shopping habits, because Amazon still has some of the best prices around. I don't think being annoyed by this and still shopping at Amazon as much as you did before are mutually exclusive.
 
Next thing you know, Amazon will get rid of the free shipping option for orders over $25...

That will pretty much stop me from buying anything from them again.
 
I think what triggered this new policy is all the assholes that abused the system way too much, because of that it probably affected amazon's bottom line too much and now we get hit by the repercussions because. I have only price matched a couple of times but I only do it if there's a significant amount. Like I won't be anal about 2 dollars, however if it's 5 dollars or more then I go for it.
 
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