I made 2 online movie rentals within the past few weeks, and both times I checked amazon, but then remembered that it doesn't work on my devices, and ended up getting it from Google Play. They're missing out on purchases, and getting people used to using other services - not a great way to set yourself up for the future...
Netflix still has the better offering IMO. Not only content, but the video interface is better too. Initially Amazon's video player worked on Linux out of the box, but now it's just as hacky to get running as Netflix.
Due to this price increase, I'm going to reevaluate how important fast shipping is to me.
If they wanted to run a streaming/media service they should have done just that. They have definitely lost me as a customer by switching me from one service to another without even asking for confirmation (I found out in hackernews). Even if I was interested in the media streaming service which I'm absolutely not, I would still be upset about the way they have dealt with it.
I subscribed for faster/cheaper shipping and canceled now, after a couple years. The streaming services are of no use to me. Most content in Germany is .. German (dubbed). I don't see a streaming client on Android or a way to stream from my XBMC. Inaccessible + expensive -> No prime for me anymore.
If you have an SPG Amex card, the membership is at no cost to you.
I hate driving to a store just to buy household items that require no brain or thought process. Actually wait, I lied. I have even bought my TV, computer desk on amazon recently. So our visit to the "stores" is now pretty much limited to grocery. If I could, would buy everything online. Thanks Amazon Prime, you have a long term member. Please continue to do the great things that you do. Really waiting for the amazon grocery delivery service /fanboy
EDIT: I got curious and checked my last 6 months order history [0]. We had 73 orders in just last 6 months. For entire 2013, we had 85 orders.
*The other two benefits both don't benefit me: video (I have netflix which last when I compared last fall is better) and the cheap upgrade for overnight (both times I have used this and really needed something it failed to get there overnight).
And Prime is not just about free shipping, but it is a lot more about "fast" shipping. I am not sure about non prime but I doubt that free shipping will be 2 day or less like Prime.
Also the way free supersaver shipping works is that you wait 3 days or until the warehouse is low on work, whichever comes first, before they pick your order. You then have to wait for 3-5 day ground shipping. You can pay for shipping at any speed to avoid the product picking delay.
I'd guess that Italy doesn't offer access to that so far, so the price difference isn't thaaaaat big.
And the streaming services combined don't match what I get with cable, so I found Prime hard to justify at the previous price point.
If you cannot control your impulse buying in a store, what makes you think you can control it online any differently?
Where are you shopping that you can get free shipping for everything? Hell, even getting free shipping for anything before Prime came out was rare, at least for me. After Prime, many stores have shifted to offer free shipping to compete with Amazon. But still, finding everything you want online with free shipping is difficult or impossible. I know because I still find myself buying from other shops when Amazon doesn't carry something I need.
What about when, you know, you need something urgently? Last time I took a long trip I ordered a backup battery for my cellphone three days before I left. It was either use Amazon Prime or go to a store and pay twice as much.
Another instance was when our son needed to move from the carrier to a real car seat. We ordered the new one late one night. The next day before noon it was on our doorstep. And that was the 2-day shipping option.
http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=80&year1=2005&y...
But, assuming USPS is totally unreliable and packages go missing a lot, have you ever had Amazon NOT either refund or replace the item?
I ask because I 'received' a package via UPS with a GoPro and when I got home it was not there. I reported to Amazon and they shipped one out overnight to replace the missing item. That's just one of multiple instances of Amazon having an amazing policy regarding shipping and returns.
Amazon's Prime video service is similarly less of a value than it should be. Unlike competing services like Hulu and Netflix, you can't watch Amazon Prime videos on your Android phone or tablet (who cares, it's just the #1 mobile OS, right?). Amazon's logic is to force you to use their proprietary tablets that are based on Android but don't support Google's app store or Google's services, meaning that a whole array of Android apps aren't compatible, including big ones like Google Chrome and Firefox.
I'm ditching Amazon Prime at the end of my term in two months as a result.
A lot of people I know (including me) are cancelling as a result - not due to the cost, but more the brazenness of it.
Still not worth it for me, everything I buy from Amazon tends to be eligible for free shipping anyway. And as far as I know their streaming service doesn't stock videos in their native languages, so it's practically worthless to me.
* Streaming video: not all the stuff I want to watch is on Prime, but when it is, it saves me a few bucks
* Lending library: ditto, for books. If I care deeply about permanently owning a book, I'll buy the physical copy.
* Kindle First (get a free book every month one month before its release): the books are not exactly destined to be timeless classics, but free reading material is nice and it helps me discover new authors
Any other important Prime perks I'm missing? The shipping plus the above go a long way toward justifying the cost, to me at least.
Seems like they crunched the numbers and realized that if $79 was worthwhile, $99 would be too. Those who wouldn't find $99 worthwhile probably wouldn't be using it anyway.
Still do think customers should be grandfathered when at all possible.
