Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Amazon UK now charges on pre-order, not on ship

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Amazon UK now charges on pre-order, not on ship

    This seemed like the best place to put this:



    Amazon have, somewhat sneakily, changed their pre-order system. They now charge when the order is made, not when it ships.

    #2
    Thanks for pointing this out… sneaky buggers. I’ve been trying to boycott Amazon as much as possible and this is the final nail.

    Comment


      #3
      Not to stick up for Amazon but one can imagine that their pre-order system has probably been open to abuse regarding obtaining pre-order bonus content and then cancelling orders.

      Still, I can’t see myself using them for pre-orders anymore and certainly not where new console hardware is concerned.

      Comment


        #4
        I did mention this in the Mini MD thread, but whilst it seems to becoming more common practice and I get the benefit for Amazon, it does feels a bit 'one sided'.

        I use Amazon a lot for one off purchases (i.e. even got a couple of small bits coming tonight) but will probably use less for larger purchases. Particularly after they delivered 2 smashed 43" LG TV's last year. And with their CS starting to go downhill I'm going to use companies like John Lewis or Argos more I think.

        Again another example of new annoyance with them. I ordered the PS Classic yesterday for £26.99. Even though their pages said in-stock (delivery today) the order page later updated to 'we'll email you once we have a date for new stock'. I cancelled and ordered from Currys/PC World but now have a charge that will need to be refunded. In the past that at worst would have been pending before being reversed quite quickly.
        Last edited by Digfox; 08-06-2019, 14:33.

        Comment


          #5
          I've emailed them to tell them I will no longer be pre-ordering with Amazon. If enough people complain and their orders drop off, they'll soon change it back.

          Not that I tend to pre-order much these days, but it's not clear if this extends to things like Capcom's Mini Arcade stick and I would definitely not be happy to be charged £200 months before it ships.

          Freckin no way I'm giving Amazon an interest free loan.
          Last edited by MartyG; 08-06-2019, 21:26.

          Comment


            #6
            Gotta get that divorce money back I guess. My Amazon orders have dropped way off, feels like they're rarely the best deal anymore

            Comment


              #7
              And this was their BS reply - apparently it "simplifies my shopping experience"
              -----------

              Hello,

              I can understand your concern regarding the payment for the pre orders.

              We're introducing some improvements to payments and authorisations in order to simplify your shopping experience on Amazon.

              Immediately after you place an order, we now request your bank to authorise the full order amount. At this stage you’re not being charged yet – your bank is reserving the funds until the transaction processes.

              We only charge the full order amount when all the items included in your order have been shipped. Should an item require more than 5 days for dispatching, your payment method is charged on the fifth day since your order was placed.

              This new experience will avoid processing multiple authorisations and charges for the same order.

              Further, I do understand that you're not happy with the new improvements.

              I will pass your message on to the appropriate department who will be glad to review your suggestion.

              Customer feedback such as yours helps us to continue improving the selection and service we provide. We appreciate the time you've taken to write to us.

              Please feel free to forward any future comments or suggestions about our website to us.

              Each suggestion will be read and taken into consideration by the business team best suited for reviewing your idea.

              I'd like to thank you for reporting this matter and assure you it'll be treated with the utmost seriousness.

              We look forward to seeing you again soon.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by MartyG View Post
                And this was their BS reply - apparently it "simplifies my shopping experience"
                -----------
                Hey, can you reply and ask them how this affects the "Amazon pre-order price guarantee"?

                Previously Amazon had this policy which meant that even if the item lowers in price before shipping, you pay the lower price.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Apparently it doesn't - you'll be refunded.

                  The reply reads very abiguously so Amazon are not being clear in their messaging. Are they only charging ahead of time if there are multiple items in a single order? Are they only charging at the point when the status changes to dispatching? It's clear as mud.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by MartyG View Post
                    Apparently it doesn't - you'll be refunded.

                    The reply reads very abiguously so Amazon are not being clear in their messaging. Are they only charging ahead of time if there are multiple items in a single order? Are they only charging at the point when the status changes to dispatching? It's clear as mud.
                    The thing is, I don't really object to it all that much if they want to do it. I don't pre-order things very often. My problems are (1) this wasn't implemented clearly, so people have been charged without realising it, which is really bad when you're ordering £50 items, and (2) if they do this, if I do pre-order something and they charge in advance, they bloody better be 110% certain that on release, they will have enough stock and send it out right away. If they've effectively had my money for months in advance, it's totally unacceptable for there to be problems on release.

                    We had this happen with the SNES Mini, where Amazon were simply unable to clarify if my order was valid or not. We got loads of confusing tracking instructions, it even said they'd delivered it before retracting that and delivering it 3 days later!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      It's not on at all - it means if Amazon take 100,000 pre-orders on the PS5 at £500 3-4 months ahead of release, they're earning interest on £50 million - that's a nice little earner on interest free loans from your customers.

                      Frankly it's a mickey take.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        I'm still no clearer on this after asking for clarification. This seems to suggest you'd only be charged in advance for pre-orders if a pre-order is part of another order.

                        There's seems to be confusion at Amazon, let alone in their customer base.
                        -----------------------
                        After reviewing our previous correspondence with you, please accept my apologies for any misunderstanding caused.

                        This situation was the result of a human error, and I'm sorry for any inconvenience caused.

                        Further to your e-mail, I can understand that you would like to know whether you will be charged for the pre-order item after 5 days of the purchase, even though the release date is 90 days later.

                        I would like to inform you that, if an order contains a pre-order item, this will not be charged under upfront authorisation. For all items in that order, you will be charged when each item dispatches.

                        If you've placed a pre-order item and if you've been charged before your item was dispatched, it was due to an error.

                        If you wish to pay only at the time of dispatch, you may cancel your pre-order to get a full refund. If you place a new pre-order for the same item we will only charge you once your item dispatches. If you take no action, then your item will be dispatched as normal.

                        Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding.

                        I hope this helps. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          [MENTION=42]MartyG[/MENTION] it also seems as though they're being unclear with some of their language.

                          Like they think, if they're just authorising the payment, then that isn't "charging" for it. They are "technically" correct. However, if I make a pre-order for £49.99, and my balance decreases by £49.99, that's thew part which matters. That means I've been charged in the pragmatic sense, if not the semantic one.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            If they're just doing a pre-authorisation on the payment then I'd put them on my credit card as I don't really care about them holding funds on that, but you're right, holding it on a debit card is a different matter, especially if it's for something large like the Game of Thrones 1-8 UHD-BR collectors edition (that's currently listed at £300 on Amazon with no current release date).
                            Last edited by MartyG; 09-06-2019, 19:16.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              If you have no money on the card you use, the order will be cancelled with no chance to change the payment method.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X