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Dear Amazon: Reneging on Prime does not make for a good customer experience

When you sign up and pay for an annual service the only update or change should be one that benefits the subscriber. Otherwise it's pretty much called a gyp by those over 40.

Dear Amazon: Reneging on Prime does not make for a good customer experience


| by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & RewardsThatMatter.com

So in doing my news scouting early Monday afternoon I learn, through a Google News item — not from an Amazon note, email, text or even account update —  that I’m no longer able to share my Amazon Prime membership with four other adults.

Instead, I’m cut back to two adults (one of which is me obviously) and up to four children, though the child designation only provides access to non-purchase features, although thankfully Kindle Lending Library remains, but my kid at college may be losing free shipping.

The issue is this:  I truly have no clue what "household" sharing I set up years ago when Prime first launched. And now I'm a bit tentative about checking it out as it may not have changed —   some reports seem to say some subscribers are being grandfathered in, but others say checking or updating settings could push the new limit on the account holder.

The dilemma is I have three adults and one mid-teen in my real household, and I'm pretty sure I shared my membership with (all my children). And they, like me, love Amazon, so if you think this isn’t going to ignite a war, just like a revamp of a last will or life insurance beneficiary change when several adult siblings are involved, then you know squat, Amazon.

I’m not very happy to hear about it and am not happy a service I have pre-paid a year ahead is being tinkered with and not to my benefit. I shot off an email to Amazon for further clarification and even sent them a direct tweet (yes, my children will be proud) but no word back yet.

So the thing is Amazon, if you want to do this change up once I have to re-up, fine. It will factor into my re-signing decision obviously. But to make a change on a pre-paid annual service and not even send me a note? Not cool, as my youngest is fond of telling me regarding various "mom" behavior.

Amazon not only did this in a stealthy manner, it doesn't even acknowledge the change in the new wording of the policy. Maybe there'll be an Amazon blog post hitting soon explaining it, but Im old fashioned. Send the note, write the blog and give your loyal subscribers, your "Prime" members after all, the respect of a direct formal notice.

Not doing that is just not good customer service and not a good customer experience.

And ironically this update is now being called “Amazon Households,” which is a misnomer for most American households that often house more than two adults these days.

So far Amazon isn’t doing anything with the Prime student account, which I’ve learned through media reports costs half of an adult account, so that may be my fallback if I lose my four account connections. But if that changes, then Prime won't be such a prime service or experience for me and it could be enough for me to jet over and check out Jet.com.


Judy Mottl

Judy Mottl is editor of Retail Customer Experience and Rewards That Matter. She has decades of experience as a reporter, writer and editor covering technology and business for top media including AOL, InformationWeek, InternetNews and Food Truck Operator.

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