Amazon's Hiring

[Berzerker]

http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-delivery-job-2018-6?amp;utm_medium=referral

I thought they were considering drones and maybe they still are, but an older guy and his wife or daughter in an old pick up dropped off a package here. I actually prefer that to the vans. Apparently there are people who follow them around grabbing what they leave behind.

Looks like Amazon doesn't want to keep paying other companies (and the post office) to deliver for them, cheaper in the long run to build your own distribution network. Hmm...I could make a little money doing this until they have a franchise here in town. I was looking for a 2nd vehicle and an SUV with cargo room might come in handy.

Lysander Spooner challenged the post office and lost, albeit that was over (1st class?) mail.

Retailers who dont sell thru the internet are doomed... They dont have to worry about just the guy down the street, but people all over the world. Is that good or bad for communities and is this in furtherance of 'free trade'?
I can go online and buy something from anyone selling online whereas limiting my choices to 1 or 3 local stores helps my community's tax base and employment etc.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I read an article about this the other day... about a guy who made Amazon deliveries. He ended up quitting after being assigned to deliver to office buildings in areas where there was no parking (tickets ate up whatever money he made), addresses were either vague or nonexistent (how do you deliver to a 5th floor office if the building only has 4 floors?), the addressees either weren't there or had some "arrangement" for the packages to be delivered elsewhere but nobody bothered to tell the driver, and numerous other issues.

My recent issue with Purolator being 3 days late with no valid reason offered (since I have an Amazon Prime account I do expect them to deliver during the stated time; the only excuses I would ever accept would be inclement weather or the driver experiencing an accident or sudden illness) is a good example of why I'd prefer a professional delivery service. If I'd received yet another "delay due to external factors" email, I'd be contacting Purolator to find out what's going on. As it is, I will be letting Amazon know that I'm not happy with them using an unreliable company. There's no reason not to use Canada Post, since there aren't any indications that a strike is coming.

What recourse would I have with an unaccountable private citizen doing the deliveries? Absolutely none.

 

[Berzerker]

you could still complain to Amazon, they're still employed by them

 

[Valka D'Ur]

And what if the driver swears up, down, and sideways that he did so deliver it and claims I'm trying to get something for nothing (as in a replacement product or a refund)? Who is responsible if the product arrives damaged? What if the driver refuses to deliver beyond the front door of the building? Canada Post is legally obligated to make a good-faith attempt to deliver (a lot of drivers don't do that, thinking the customer will just accept such unprofessional treatment; I never have, though, and insist on re-delivery). What are the obligations of these drivers?

Several months ago I bought some stuff from The Penguin Place and the packaging looked like an elephant had partially sat on it (fortunately the glass Christmas ornament was undamaged). But I realized that this was a result of that business's preference for recycling their packing materials... and they'd used an already-damaged box and wrapped it in copious amounts of packing tape. I'm actually surprised it made it through customs in that condition.

My regular Canada Post guy was extremely apologetic, saying, "It was like that when I got it, Canada Post didn't damage it..." I told him I didn't blame Canada Post, that the company was just using recycled boxes for shipping, and this was the worst I'd ever seen - their fault, not Canada Post's, and fortunately everything in the package was intact and unbroken.

So the Canada Post guy was relieved at not being blamed... but if this had been an Amazon order delivered by just anybody, would they have cared what condition the package was in? Would they have just thrown it away, assuming I'd blame them for its condition, figuring I couldn't blame them for a package that got mysteriously "lost"?

Where's the accountability of these non-professionals?

 

[Chose]

And what if the driver swears up, down, and sideways that he did so deliver it and claims I'm trying to get something for nothing (as in a replacement product or a refund)? Who is responsible if the product arrives damaged?

Amazon would be... I can't imagine they wouldn't side with you in any kind of dispute like that. I have contacted their customer support probably a dozen times in my life, and have never been anything other then suprised at how insanely accommodating they are.

I recently purchased a kindle from them, and I accidentally scratched the screen a few days later. I contacted them, told them exactly that, I accidentally scratched the screen, and was wondering if they would replace it. Sure enough they sent me a new one free of charge, and issued a free return label for the one I had.

I also didn't get an item once with my prime membership on time, they gave me a month free and apologized. Like they basically do exactly what I ask them too, even if I think I'm asking for more than I deserve.

 

[Bamspeedy]

But I realized that this was a result of that business's preference for recycling their packing materials... and they'd used an already-damaged box and wrapped it in copious amounts of packing tape. I'm actually surprised it made it through customs in that condition.

That doesn't sound like 'recycled' materials, that sounds like 'reused' materials.
Actually, it sounds like the worker at the place that packages the product screwed up and figured it was faster to just slap a bunch of tape on it than get a new box (going for productivity instead of quality).

What is the difference between reuse and recycling?
As Rutland Council say, “reuse is often confused with recycling” and considered to be the same. However, they actually concern entirely different processes.
Recycling means turning an item into raw materials which can be used again, usually for a completely new product. This is an energy consuming procedure.
Reusing refers to using an object as it is without treatment. This reduces pollution and waste, thus making it a more sustainable process.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I think Amazon Prime stopped guaranteeing 2 day delivery.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Retailers who dont sell thru the internet are doomed... They dont have to worry about just the guy down the street, but people all over the world. Is that good or bad for communities and is this in furtherance of 'free trade'?
I can go online and buy something from anyone selling online whereas limiting my choices to 1 or 3 local stores helps my community's tax base and employment etc.

Well as a Kansan you should know that Dollar General is taking over all the small local shops.
People just cant resist cheap prices, even if it means that a lot of local shops are being put out of business and taking with them local jobs that they support.

I dont see why you would blame this on free trade, its capitalism and the advance of technology.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Amazon would be... I can't imagine they wouldn't side with you in any kind of dispute like that. I have contacted their customer support probably a dozen times in my life, and have never been anything other then suprised at how insanely accommodating they are.

I recently purchased a kindle from them, and I accidentally scratched the screen a few days later. I contacted them, told them exactly that, I accidentally scratched the screen, and was wondering if they would replace it. Sure enough they sent me a new one free of charge, and issued a free return label for the one I had.

I also didn't get an item once with my prime membership on time, they gave me a month free and apologized. Like they basically do exactly what I ask them too, even if I think I'm asking for more than I deserve.

I'll have to take this up with them, then. Because the item definitely arrived after the guaranteed delivery date.

Whenever I have a problem with something, I always ask for either a replacement that's the same or better than what I ordered, and if that can't be provided, I ask for a refund. So it's not like I'm not offering alternatives for a satisfactory resolution.

That doesn't sound like 'recycled' materials, that sounds like 'reused' materials.
Actually, it sounds like the worker at the place that packages the product screwed up and figured it was faster to just slap a bunch of tape on it than get a new box (going for productivity instead of quality).

Whatever. Recycled in the ordinary sense as reusing an already-used item. It's the worst-wrapped package I ever had from them. They literally put everything in a longer box than needed, tried to fold the box in half, and taped the whole thing together with clear packing tape. It wasn't even a normal rectangular package, which means it was damn hard to get out of the parcel locker here. I don't blame the Canada Post guy for worrying that I'd make a complaint about it.

I think Amazon Prime stopped guaranteeing 2 day delivery.

Whether it's 2 days or more... I had a guaranteed delivery date that wasn't met.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I think Amazon Prime stopped guaranteeing 2 day delivery.

Really? Must be a regional thing. Here in LA-land they actually offer free 1 day shipping on a lot of items.

My experience with Amazon non-standard deliveries (non-USPS, non-UPS, etc) is not that great. They were often late and were the reason why I quit using Amazon Fresh food delivery. It's one thing for a widget to show up a day or two late, it's quite another when dinner doesn't show up.

To be fair though, Amazon always handled those situations great and tried to make things right by me. When I called to cancel because my food showed up late, they reversed the charges and let me keep the groceries for free even though I still canceled the overall service.

 

[Berzerker]

Well as a Kansan you should know that Dollar General is taking over all the small local shops.
People just cant resist cheap prices, even if it means that a lot of local shops are being put out of business and taking with them local jobs that they support.

I dont see why you would blame this on free trade, its capitalism and the advance of technology.

yup, dollar generals are springing up all over the place... but I wasn't blaming dollar general on free trade, I was linking the decline of local business to the availability of internet purchases

 

[warpus]

We have 2 day delivery guarantees from Amazon prime here in Canada too. Not for all items though. I just got something delivered via Amazon Prime in 2 days yesterday.

Amazon sides heavily with the buyer, so if you buy something on there and have a problem, you have a lot of power to get your money back

 

[BenitoChavez]

I've been contacted by Amazon recruiters before not for delivery positions for jobs in IT. They some interesting projects but I'm not sure I'd want to work there. Every once in a while some news report comes out that shows how Amazon has a pretty cutthroat work culture. Workers are encouraged to rat each other out because at the end of every year the lowest X% of workers get laid off. Warehouse workers have such strict timelines that even taking a bathroom break earns them a demerit. Things like that.

I read an article about this the other day... about a guy who made Amazon deliveries. He ended up quitting after being assigned to deliver to office buildings in areas where there was no parking (tickets ate up whatever money he made), addresses were either vague or nonexistent (how do you deliver to a 5th floor office if the building only has 4 floors?), the addressees either weren't there or had some "arrangement" for the packages to be delivered elsewhere but nobody bothered to tell the driver, and numerous other issues.

I think I read the same story about Amazon Flex. At best it seems like a part time position or something you do on the side to earn a bit more money. Flex workers don't get benefits, don't have any guaranteed hours, and can be deactivated at any time without warning. I get why Amazon does it, it's cheap but it sucks for their employees.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

We have 2 day delivery guarantees from Amazon prime here in Canada too. Not for all items though. I just got something delivered via Amazon Prime in 2 days yesterday.

Amazon sides heavily with the buyer, so if you buy something on there and have a problem, you have a lot of power to get your money back

I just finished a chat session with customer service. They extended my Prime membership another month and have promised to forward my feedback to Purolator. I did tell them that I'd have understood if it was a matter of inclement weather in winter, but at this time of year there really wasn't any acceptable excuse and Purolator never offered a reason that made sense.

Hopefully they won't use them anymore. It's much easier when they just use Canada Post, since we have a parcel locker that means I don't need to worry about being awake or even home when the mailman comes.

 

[innonimatu]

If you know Amazon is "evil", squeezes and exploits its employees as much as it can, why do you keep giving them money?

People do get the world they help built.

 

[bhavv]

you could still complain to Amazon, they're still employed by them

I recently did this, complained to Amazon for their delivery drivers leaving my orders on my front door step when I had specified 'rear porch' as my safe spot. Because spending 10 seconds to walk down a driveway and place them behind a wooden garden gate is too hard.

I got £10 credit applied to my amazon account.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Moderator Action: <snip>removed advertisement spam - ori
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

W.T.F.???

Unless someone on this forum told Purolator about my complaint, I have to wonder what is going on here. How is it that a courier company is now stalking me on a gaming site rather than contacting me properly, via Amazon, who forwarded my customer service complaint?

This is highly inappropriate.

 

[bhavv]

W.T.F.???

Unless someone on this forum told Purolator about my complaint, I have to wonder what is going on here. How is it that a courier company is now stalking me on a gaming site rather than contacting me properly, via Amazon, who forwarded my customer service complaint?

This is highly inappropriate.

If it is them, they would appear to simply google for negative reviews left about them and then sign up to respond wherever they see those reviews. Very spammy and unprofessional.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

If it is them, they would appear to simply google for negative reviews left about them and then sign up to respond wherever they see those reviews. Very spammy and unprofessional.

I've reported this to the staff, requesting it not be deleted until I have time to deal with it myself. Screen shots, etc.

Good thing I didn't mention this on my other sites and that this isn't my only username online.

 

[innonimatu]

Creepy. But what did you expect from the wonderful new world you subscribed into? Sacrifice privacy for convenience, can you be surprised later on that you lost it?