By Will Sturgeon, 24 December 2004 11:00
NEWS Amazon has hit back at suggestions that a high number of customers have been left in the lurch by unfulfilled orders which could put a real dampener on their Christmas celebrations.
In previous years Amazon has received some criticism when gifts turned up after the big day and in many cases consumers claim they were forced to dash out to the shops to buy replacement presents.
However, this year media reports have suggested the problem has been worse than ever - though it is far from Amazon alone that is affected.
Although the annual problems with the postal service and deliveries involving multiple items with different availabilities tend to throw a spanner into the Amazon works, the greatest problem this year appears to have been with in-demand items such as the Apple iPod.
According to the e-tailer all information on the site regarding availability of items is as up to date as possible. However, at busy times items can go out of stock faster than the website can be updated. In such cases Amazon says it notified customers via email and informed them specifically if the order could not be fulfilled in time for Christmas.
A statement from Amazon said: "We are confident that we have had the processes in place to deliver customer orders in time for Christmas. In Christmas 2003 we delivered over 99 per cent of orders in time for Christmas.
"If for some reason a customer hasn't received their order on time, we will of course investigate the matter and work with them individually to ensure this is resolved as quickly as possible."
Many websites offer guaranteed delivery for order placed before a certain date. In order to manage expectations some sites have been moving these dates towards early-to-mid December while others have gambled on factors out of their control, such as the postal service, and kept dates within one week of Christmas.
Comments
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1. Neil Postlethwaite
Amazon are bollocks this year.
Took 6 days to pick and pack my order placed on 3rd December. All items were in stock, 'normally dispatched in 24 hours'. 24 hours my arse. Customer service dept is evading answering questions and continually sends out a standard order tracking e-mail, not much use if they hadn't sent the order.
Maybe the single UK warehouse in Milton Keynes is past capacity and they should open another somewhere with good communications there are load of willing people wanting to work - like Carlisle, Preston, Middlesborough or Lockerbie etc.
Heard numerous stories from friends/colleages saying the same.
Who stole XMAS. Amazon, that's who.
2. anonymous
PLEASE HELP ME, MY 5-YEAR-OLD TWIN BOYS' TWO FAVORITE GIFTS ARE MISSING IN ACTION..THEY WERE NOT GIVEN TO THE UPS WITH THE OTHER THREE...I CANNOT GET A LIVE PERSON TO TALK TO AT AMAZON, DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW I CAN DO THIS..I MUST GET THESE PRESENTS TODAY OR OUR CHRISTMAS WILL CERTAINLY BE RUINED!!!!!!
3. Laurence Parry
Amazon certainly didn't ruin Christmas for us! I made use of their wishlists when asking for books, on which their second-hand sales system provided a great price, and they gave me a great deal on a digital camera, including case and charger. Probably 40% of the gifts under the tree this year came from Amazon this year, and it's not hard to see why.
I really don't think it's fair to complain about a company that has done so much in the last years to revolutionise the whole concept of shopping. iPods are in demand everywhere - you order them early or you go without, just as it would be if you left it too late in the shops. And besides, do you really need to have them on the very day when you're likely to be home with the family? :-)
4. anonymous
Christmas was ruined weeks ago. There's something about narrowly avoiding a security dogpile at a department store where they're blaring bad R&B Christmas carols that makes me wish the season had never been a commercial one. After hearing five divas shriek "All I Want for Christmas" for the 100th time as I searched for decent gifts among mountains of marketing Christmas Crap (TM), I have now decided that Bad Santa is my favorite Christmas movie and that the next person who wishes me a happy holiday is going to get the finger.
5. Terry Nagy
Interesting...While I ordered on Dec. 12th, there was nothing on the sales page that indicated that there would be a delay in shipping due to the time of year it was, nor was there information regarding back order. I was to receive my package 5-7 days later...Plenty of time to meet the holiday season...so I thought. Dec. 23rd came around, and I get an automated message telling me that I should get my package on time, and the shipping was upgraded for free, and if not, they would notify me on the 24th....gee thanks. I had also sent an email to complain before getting the automated message. Of course they respond to my complaint on the 24th saying, "we are on back order for the product you requested." A call to the 800 number provided got me a representative in England. After convincing her NOT to respond with canned messages to me, I got her to admit, that the system identified that the back order occured on the 20th, which is after the time I should have received my package. Yet my order was lumped into the back order status. My over all complaint was that they didn't notifiy me at the time of the sale that there was a shipping or possible inventory issue with my product. Not being able to repond outside of the canned messages, and not being able to satisfy my requests for followup information, the representative simply hung up on me. And this was after a series of "I don't know sir", "I understand, but what do you want me to do about it?", "there is nothing I can do from here", "I've told you all I know, you can wait for it, or cancel it....what would you like to do?" Imagine not being a last minute shopper, going out on Dec. 24th to the Mall...OMG a nightmare I don't wish to repeat. I would say they ruined 2 peoples chrismas, Mine for the hassle, and the person who didn't get the gift I planned.
Not a good first time Amazon shopper.
6. anonymous
At least the Grinch made things right in the end...that's more than I can say for Amazon!
7. Wm Sell
Barnes & Noble is very much guilty of before Christmas delivery promises with no ability to deliver. Their website guaranteed delivery by 12/24 on all orders by 12/18. Our order was on 12/12 and not even processed for three days, then a thanks for the order email saying it will ship on 12/27 (not even arrive). No word why and online the offer for guaranteed delivery continued through 12/18. This is fraud, and Amazon and B&N Online are working on killing their own golden goose. Many people I have spoken with report one or more online orders with similar problems. We don't need to tax online or need many of the regulations our US legislators often suggest, but we will need to start cracking down on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and others on the known fraudulent marketing claims. The news reports Silicon.com is talking about is just the beginning...
8. Alex
I had an interesting experience with Amazon and Parcelforce this Christmas...
I was expecting a package to arrive at some point in the week before christmas, and was guaranteed that it would. It hasn't turned up by Christmas eve, so I call ParcelForce directly, since Amazon have been saying for a few days that it's with them. They tell me (at about 1030 on Christmas Eve) that they're very sorry, but it's not going to be delivered today and is still at their depot.
Fine, I think - the depot is on my way from home to my mother's house (where i was going to spend Christmas), I'll just go and pick it up. The confirm that this is fine, and that they'll hold it for me. So, off I trundle. I get to the depot, only to be informed firstly that it's not there, and secondly that it's just been delivered and signed for by - of all people - me. Trying to inform the staff that I couldn't possibly have signed for it since I was there, i trudge back into the cold and consider my options.
Eventually I decided to give it up as a bad job, and continue on my journey west, but decide after a few minutes to try at home and see if they delivered it to one of my neighbours. This proved to be a wise move, since I got back to find the package - which contained several books, DVDs and CDs - under my doormat, on the public balcony for everyone in the building on my floor to walk past and see.
So, after very nearly having all these gifts nicked due to ParcelForce's incompetence, it was all OK in the end.
Does this little Christmas Fable have a moral? I don't think so, to be honest. Hope your Christmasses were less stressful.
9. anonymous
I ordered an item which was in stock in early November and it arrived just before Christmas....lucky you may say....the gift was for my Nephew abroad, it wouldn't arrive by the time I sent it.
There's no excuse for this and I can prove it. I ordered whisky online the Tuesday before Christmas and it arrives Christmas Eve...I didn't expect it untilthe New Year.
I'm binning certain companies for online shopping in favour of shoe leather. At least I'll know that I'm getting same day delivery.
10. James D'Apice
I've always found that Amazon's delivery dates are rough estimates no matter what time of year i use them.
PLAY now do books as well, their selection may be smaller, but they always deliver when they say they do. And it's free delivery for all orders.
11. Ray Thorne
Ive never had any probs with Amazon,when they said 5-7 working days for delivery,thats always been the case.Ive shopped with Amazon for various things from dvd players to pc games,and these items were all delivered within the time stated.
12. Norman Sansom
Amazon did not ruin our family Christmas either everything we ordered turned up on time. When a CD was found to be faulty on December 26th, I reported it on line and a replacement was dispatched immediately.