Primed For Success

Firstly, I would like to say that I have had a long and almost always successful relationship with Amazon. However, we are all used to ‘hidden’ costs associated with too good to be true deals. This is part of the everyday online purchase process and something which is becoming more and more prevalent. After a recent £30+ purchase, imagine my delight at being offered Free ‘Prime’ delivery on future purchases: ‘Congratulations you have qualified for our Free Amazon Prime™ service’. Hold me back! Although this might be one of those ‘too good to be true’ offers, I trusted Amazon and duly ordered a CD with prime delivery. Unfortunately, the postcode coverage did not extend to my location within the Scottish central belt so it was not possible to take advantage of this service. Six weeks later my account showed that I had been charged £47.97 for my annual Prime membership. My confusion was two-fold, why has this happened and also why does the site show 2 different annual fees?

To ensure a balanced discussion Amazon did refund the £47.97 within 2 working days thanks to a helpful CSR I spoke to on the telephone. They also sent an email in advance of the refund to reassure me that the refund would happen. This is potentially a very useful service to serial Amazon users (which is also extended to family members) living in, what is defined as, accessible parts of the UK. However, providing this information upfront with clearly specified customer benefits and a consistent price point would assist in the uptake of this service. It would also ensure that customer satisfaction is not compromised.