quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:
Keep it. Happens all the time. Cost of doing business.

agree

a business transaction is only moving toward unethical if one party is knowingly taking advantage of the other

this is not an example of that situation

------------------------

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
Asking some questions to spark thought or conversation, not as an attack:

Understood.

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
Why are you mad at the provider for the service of the delivery company? Isn't your issue with the delivery company?

Because in this case they're one in the same: Amazon.

I did not mention Amazon at the start because I wanted the voting and discussion to focus specifically on the ethical question, not the entity.

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
Yep, I get, the product provider opted to use the delivery service. Did you discuss if any options for different delivery providers exist?

This was my third issue with Amazon's own delivery service in about as many months. They keep using it, anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
If you opted to go through the same process after the second mistake by the delivery service, who is to blame?

Fool me once... I get that. Problem is: Amazon has become so dominant that sometimes you have little choice.

That being said: That's three strikes, so I'll be looking elsewhere, first, going forward. (If I had my way I'd cancel Prime.)

And I've an update. I was beginning to think the question moot. Then, just about fifteen minutes ago, got driveway and porch cam motion notifications. Yup: Amazon delivery. Private vehicle, so I'm guessing this was one of their make-up deliveries.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
And I've an update. I was beginning to think the question moot. Then, just about fifteen minutes ago, got driveway and porch cam motion notifications. Yup: Amazon delivery. Private vehicle, so I'm guessing this was one of their make-up deliveries.

This is good news. At least now you have what you ordered.

As others have said, the provider has computed in their business model the cost of an acceptable error rate. It isn't easy to understand when it directly impacts you.

From a different point of view, if you are contracted to complete a job with an acceptable error rate at an agreed price, then if you deliver a product with a lower error rate, you have made less on the job. Getting to the lower error rate took resources (cost).

If there were performance bonuses in place that too changes everything.

With large corporations seeking services from contractors, it is up to the contractor to decide if they want to go above the defined scope of services (at their cost) or not. The large corporation already decided what was an acceptable loss.

You likely knew all of this, but sometimes in the moment it's hard to see.

We often see threads about the misdeeds of various providers because it directly impacted us or someone we know personally. Stop and think about all the things that went right. Would you offer to deliver uo to 1oz anywhere in the U.S. for less than $1.00? The post office for all the faults gets it right more often than not as do other carriers ans service providers.

I would theorize that things are actually more accurate now than they were 5, 10, 20, or "n" years ago just based on technology alone. Demand has also grown, but my guess is things have gone from double digit error rates to single digit ones.

Still doesn't mean I will be any less frustrated when my order is wrong, delayed, lost, etc..

They said keep it, keep it.

Offer it as a "Karma".

Keep it. Give it to some one who can use it. Pay it forward.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

"Keep it. Return it. Throw it away. Your choice," was the reply.

Easy.

I'd keep it, if I have to spend a dime shipping it back.

If they pay for the return shipping, then send it back.

I'm certain that if I initiated a return they'd send me the code to return it via UPS. The UPS store is more-or-less on my way to/from my gym. So the most it would cost me is a few minutes of my time. I'm loath to grant them even that. I'm seriously annoyed with them atm.

quote:

Originally posted by SpinZone:
Keep it for your hassle and factor that into deciding if you want to deal with them again.

I've already decided I'll shop elsewhere, first, even if it costs me a buck of two more. I had a shopping list on their site. "Had" being the operative word.

quote:

Originally posted by craigcpa:
Are your ethics based on your actions (what you tried to do), or based on reactions of another party?

I don't understand what that means. My ethics are my ethics. 99-44/100% of the time I just naturally know what is the Right Thing To Do and just do it.

Most people feel I'm actually too ethical for my own good, if that answers your question. E.g.: If I believe something has been mislabelled (to my advantage), I'll bring it to the store's attention. Or try to. I've actually had them argue with me on occasion. "Ok. If you say so."

My point is just do what you think is right regardless of what anyone else says or does.

Just do it.

If it's a cheap product and they don't proactively send you return packaging and pre-paid freight, keep it because it's not worth either party's time.

If its not cheap, send it back.

If it's really expensive, keep it.

Clear as mud.

Great karma, i'm in!


Seriously, at a certain age you better start giving time the right value. It's not about the money, it's about the time spent/wasted trying to sort stupid things out or dealing with people when you rather be doing other things.

You already spent enough time on this and are now adding more time to the subject by submiting it to our consideration.
If you rather not keep the item for your valid and personal reasons, maybe offer it here to someone that can use and enjoy it.

0-0

Simple. If you don't want it, donate it. That's what I've done in the past.

In the end, despite 75% of y'all (and my wife) voting "keep it," I just felt I could not, in good conscience, keep something for which I did not pay.

So I initiated a return.

Before I did that I contacted Amazon CS again. That was a mistake. First the guy offered to resend the products. Then he offered to re-refund my payment. I finally got him to understand what was going on, after explaining it for the third time, and he said "ok, send it back."

Amazon has obviously off-shored their customer "service" recently. I have never in all the years I've done business with them had such miserable CS experiences.

I don't see myself doing much business with Amazon going forward.

Thanks, everybody, for your participation in my poll, and thanks especially to those of you who commented. I appreciate it.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

"Keep it. Return it. Throw it away. Your choice," was the reply.

Easy.

I'd keep it, if I have to spend a dime shipping it back.

If they pay for the return shipping, then send it back.

Or drop it in a mailbox with no postage, no return address and no concern for what happens from there on.

Found myself in similar position on an item that was ~$200. Didn’t need two.

I sold it on eBay and sent an unexpected random date gift card to my kids for proceeds.

I voted keep it, but only if shipping it back is on your dime.

Another option is to donate it.

I have karma'd a couple of things on here that were duplicates from crappy shipping, crappy communication. Both times I asked how to return it and was told to keep it.

Fool me once... I get that. Problem is: Amazon has become so dominant that sometimes you have little choice.

So true but in many cases there are no other players or the alternative the "other place" price is prohibitive.

I have a shopping cart going on Amazon presently. One is a laptop keyboard skin. The laptop is from 2013. Places that sell them around here do not carry them, their line is that it is too old which I agree, a dinosaur. Then they suggest an upgrade. This is the house "mutt", use it at the kitchen table, grandkids around. If it gets damaged, no big deal, it's not my Apple Air. But still I would like to protect it against spills. Amazon is the only one that shows them, not even Ebay.


I need a touch screen protector for my Wrangler. Found one at work before we closed the doors, a Harley dealership. It was the earlier Touring bike radio touch screen, same size as my Wrangler. My price was thirty some dollars. Amazon has one for seven dollars. Which way do I go?

Was given a Garmin NUVI last week, dates from 2010 for my bike. No ball mount for it. Amazon has it about eight dollars. Everyplace else offers a kit only, 150 dollar range. Again, how much do I invest in outdated technology?

Amazon gives sellers an alternative way to market their items. For example I purchased a oil change kit for my JD X series. It came from the JD dealer about five miles from here at a lower price than if I had walked in and purchased it over the counter.

If Amazon tells you to keep it and refunds your money if the item does not meet expectations then do it. You should not feel guilty unless you are (which I know you are not) trying to get something for free. In the eleven years I have bought from Amazon, three times I have had a problem with a product. Once, I was told to keep it (defective LED light bulbs, total garbage), once a return for credit (dog harness sizing wrong) and once I had to contact the manufacturer as Amazon deferred me to the third party seller and they were very uncooperative. Manufacturer stepped up and made it right. At that time either toss it, keep it or donate/karma it to someone who can use it. I can pretty much guarantee when it goes back to Amazon it will be tossed if it is a lower priced item as it probably already cost more to ship it back then the item is worth sellers cost wise to them.

Remember each step in the chain has associated costs to move it, shelve it, inventory it, etc.

Once I received a set of guitar strings FOUR MONTHS late. It got lost at a post office before the holidays ...

Since they gave you the choice of returning it, I'd return it as long as it was on their dime. If not, then keep it.

You can bet that if the item was of any significant value they'd definitly have you return it.

The applicable things are 1) they told you to do what you want with it and 2) you don’t want to throw away good things. That boils down to you keeping it.

If you return it at their expense, that’s costing them more in addition to the cost of the merchandise they already written off.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
If you return it at their expense, that’s costing them more in addition to the cost of the merchandise they already written off.

Sucks to be them, I guess. If they didn’t want to take the hit for return shipping and restocking, they shouldn’t have given me the option. Even better: They should have delivered what they promised, when they promised it.

They’re getting the stuff back and I’ve got a replacement for the one thing I really wanted on order from elsewhere.

Thanks again, everybody, for your votes and comments!