# very very slow shipping from Amazon



## vermontcathy (Feb 18, 2009)

I ordered a ukulele from Amazon on Monday Feb. 8th and picked free super saver shipping. Later on Monday, it had a shipping estimate of Feb 16th! And that doesn't count shipping time - it gave a delivery estimate of something like Feb 21 - March 1st! I know I picked super save shipping, but that says 5-9 business days, not 3 weeks! I thought maybe I'd pay for faster shipping, but all day Tuesday it said it was shipping soon and I couldn't change the order, although right under "shipping soon", it said estimated shipping date of Feb 16th. Doesn't sound like soon to me.

I called CS and they said that it had probably been packaged up (which is why I couldn't change it), but then it would just sit there until the 16th when a truck would happen to be going in the right direction. She said she could upgrade the shipping (and charge me the additional cost, of course) and I finally gave in and accepted that.  So now I should get it Friday, and it cost me $13 extra....

I'm not totally thrilled with the whole situation. When they say 5-9 business days, wouldn't you assume that means from the day you order to the day it is delivered? She said the 5-9 days was the estimate _once the item shipped_. Apparently they can delay shipping for an indeterminate amount of time before that, and still claim "5-9 business days". I think it's false advertising. 3 weeks does not equal 5-9 business days!

Thanks for listening to me rant!


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

But where is it shipping from?  What's the weather there?  Cancelled flights for ukuleles ?

But it's ok to vent, this is the place to do it.


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## raven312 (Jan 12, 2010)

Honestly, I would take that shipping estimate with a grain of salt.  I believe Amazon quotes long shipping times to encourage you to pay for upgraded shipping (and it also gives them a disclaimer if something happens in the warehousing process.)  I've ordered from them for YEARS and the ONLY time I've had an order take over 10 days (when it wasn't a preorder) from the time of ordering was with one merchant - one time.  I normally get my items within a week.  I don't notice where they ship from but I'm in Chicago.  I've never used upgrades shipping.  Your uke was packaged because it was going to ship in a day or two ANYWAY.  They don't usually hold them, in my experience.


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## vermontcathy (Feb 18, 2009)

My complaint isn't so much with how long it takes to get to me _once it's shipped_ (which is when the shipping from & to locations would matter). My complaint is that they can delay shipping it out for a week (when it is available to be shipped immediately), and still say that their "5-9 business days" is accurate because they are not counting the time _before _it ships out.

I think if you did a survey of people who used the "5-9 business days" Super Saving Shipping, they would assume that that meant they would get it in 5-9 business days. Not "5-9 business days AFTER we let it sit around in our warehouse for a week".

ALSO, another complaint of mine is that they DIDN'T quote me the up to March 1st delivery date when I ordered. They said 5-9 business days. Period. If they HAD said I might not get it til March 1st, I would have chosen, on Monday, the regular $7 shipping and probably would have had it by Friday.


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## vermontcathy (Feb 18, 2009)

Also, I asked CS, when it said "Shipping Soon" and "shipping estimate Feb 16th" whether there was any chance it would ship out before the 16th and she said probably not - that they were pretty accurate with that.


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## raven312 (Jan 12, 2010)

I've never had an instance where they let my items sit around in a warehouse and there was a period where I ordered from them every week (I order a lot of books and music...)  The 5-9 days is indeed transit time once shipped, but again, I've never known them to let it sit.


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## raven312 (Jan 12, 2010)

vermontcathy said:


> Also, I asked CS, when it said "Shipping Soon" and "shipping estimate Feb 16th" whether there was any chance it would ship out before the 16th and she said probably not - that they were pretty accurate with that.


I doubt that customer service actually has a clue about warehouse operations other than what their system shows them. They operate on two different systems and most of them are not located in an area where they can walk back ans ask someone.


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## vermontcathy (Feb 18, 2009)

Yeah, it surprises me, too, that they would let it sit around in the warehouse for a week, but that's what the CS woman said when I asked her why it said both "Shipping Soon" and "Shipping Estimate - Feb 16". I was hoping that it was a wrong estimate and that it would say it had shipped, but it said "Shipping Soon" for over 24 hours.


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## raven312 (Jan 12, 2010)

Try it sometime... order something and choose Super Saver shipping.  Watch how soon you get it.


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## vermontcathy (Feb 18, 2009)

raven312 said:


> I doubt that customer service actually has a clue about warehouse operations other than what their system shows them. They operate on two different systems and most of them are not located in an area where they can walk back ans ask someone.


Well, if that's the case, then CS convinced me to pay more than $13 extra on false information.


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## vermontcathy (Feb 18, 2009)

raven312 said:


> Try it sometime... order something and choose Super Saver shipping. Watch how soon you get it.


I KNOW, I have. I ordered my mom's kindle with super saver on the Friday after Thanksgiving and she got it Monday or Tuesday. That's why this surprised me, when 48 hours after I ordered (all during business days, not weekend), it was still saying it hadn't shipped yet, and the shipping estimate was still 5 days away.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

One factor is whether or not it is actually being shipped by Amazon from their facilities, or is it being shipped by some other vendor selling through Amazon? (The latter is often the case on items that are not books, CDs, and other such items that are the mainstays of Amazons product base.) If it's from another company, there should be someplace on the order history where you can submit a rating/review to Amazon concerning the other vendor's quality of service.

PS: I order via super-saver from Amazon often, usually for books, DVDs, and CDs, and have never had a problem (other than a package that FedEx lost, but that's not Amazon's fault and they shipped a replacement overnight as soon as I reported it).


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Here's my understanding of "free super saver shipping."  First, it's free.  Second, don't be in a hurry to get your stuff.  If you need it by a certain date, your smarter to pay for something more.

I think what happens is that they package things and load them in trucks and send them out.  We are in a large metropolitan area, so I expect there's a truck or something heading here at least daily. . . .but if you live in a less built up area, well, it might be a while until they have a full truck to send to your nearest largish town.  That's why the estimated delivery period is so non-specific.  If you're in a more rural area, and order from Amazon frequently, Prime might be a good option.

But, really, my question is. . . .why did you order a Ukulele Cathy?  And what kind did you get?


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## vermontcathy (Feb 18, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Here's my understanding of "free super saver shipping." First, it's free. Second, don't be in a hurry to get your stuff. If you need it by a certain date, your smarter to pay for something more.
> 
> I think what happens is that they package things and load them in trucks and send them out. We are in a large metropolitan area, so I expect there's a truck or something heading here at least daily. . . .but if you live in a less built up area, well, it might be a while until they have a full truck to send to your nearest largish town. That's why the estimated delivery period is so non-specific. If you're in a more rural area, and order from Amazon frequently, Prime might be a good option.
> 
> But, really, my question is. . . .why did you order a Ukulele Cathy?  And what kind did you get?


I know it's free - I've even chastised people who complained about it taking a week to get something. But I want accurate information. When I was placing the order, and choosing a shipping time, I never guessed that by clicking on "5-9 business days" it would take potentially 3 weeks. I just feel it was false advertising on Amazon's part.

<deep breath..> OK. So here's my uke life story just for you, Ann!  My husband is a musician and plays in a couple of bands, and his whole family is so musical! (see http://www.youtube.com/theymightbegypsies for proof. That's my brother-in-law and nephew). Every family get-together involves a jam. At first I learned percussion and drums, but you can't really play a whole song by yourself on drums. I like melody. We were in a music store in Montpelier when the ukes caught my eye, particularly a good-looking Fender tenor. I didn't buy it then, but within a week I bought one (this was June '09).

In August, we were in Ithaca, NY, in a music store, and they had a Cordoba Concert. It was drop dead gorgeous, and sounded wonderful. It was also easier for me to hold, while standing up, than the tenor (neither have the thing on the bottom to attach a strap to). But I don't really have to stand up, and my husband likes the deep tone of the tenor, and the Fender tenor IS quite pretty also, and did I REALLY need to buy a 2nd uke so soon after the first?

But recently the Cordobas are really catching my eye. And if I'm going to have 2 ukes, they should be significantly different from each other, so I started looking at the soprano. THEN I learned that Cordoba has changed their ukes! They used to have a beautiful inlaid rope binding (around the edge) like this:
http://www.ukes.com/images/cordoba-25skbody.jpg
But the new model doesn't: 
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Cordoba-25SK-Soprano-Ukulele-512783-i1166344.gc

But then Amazon is selling it and their description says inlaid rope binding, and the picture, though small, looks like it has it. The description may be wrong - it's possible they got a new model and didn't update the description. But if they are wrong, I should be able to return it without paying for the return shipping. I hope it has the rope binding. So we'll see. Of course it would have been better to try one in person, but no one around here sells them.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Is this the one?



If so, it says on the linked Amazon page, "Ships from and sold by Best Service Stores."


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## vermontcathy (Feb 18, 2009)

Yeah, but it's changed since Monday. I bought one that said bought and sold by Amazon. You'll see, on that page you linked to, on the right side, there is one sold by Amazon. The price was different on Monday - Best Service had the same price as Amazon, but with additional shipping. Now they are less than Amazon, and free shipping. Grr. Amazon's page for the uke is here:
http://www.amazon.com/Cordoba-25SK-Soprano-Ukulele/dp/B001G9ANIS/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=musical-instruments&qid=1265820252&sr=1-5

BUT, I think in reality, they are one and the same (the one Amazon is selling, and Best Services) because both said 2 left, then I bought mine, and both then said 1 left. Very strange.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Hmm....in either case, I agree that some indication should be given to the buyer if it's not going to be shipped in a reasonable amount of time, where "reasonable" is a pretty small number of business days. If it's on back order or something, they should at the very least notify you and give you the option of canceling the order or whatever.

I sure hope it's worth the wait once you get it.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

From Amazon's website details on Super Saver--bold emphasis is theirs, not mine:



> 5. Select Super Saver Shipping as your shipping speed. *Once your items ship, your order will be delivered within 5-9 business days.*


I understand your frustration. We've become accustomed to a "give it to me free but I still want it right now" attitude thanks to the instant gratification of the internet, and I'm so profoundly guilty of that sentiment, it's not even amusing any more. Your order was set to ship within 6 business days of being placed; most companies would consider that plenty acceptable even in this day and age for an order that wasn't being sent via 2 day air or express. Personally, I have no tolerance at all for long shipping times or for non trackable packages, so a wait like that drives me nuts. I gave up and bought Amazon Prime for that reason, and I have zero regrets....well, maybe one; I've gotten even worse on the idea of "give it to me NOW!" 

Super Saver is a hit or miss proposition. I've had in stock items that sat for a week before shipping and I've had stuff arrive three days after I ordered it. My best guess is that it has a lot to do with warehouse staffing and the number of orders being fulfilled at any given point; obviously the orders with paid shipping are going to be the priority over those that Amazon eats the cost on. And that's why I went to Prime. Everything's here in two days, and it more than paid for itself in the first couple of months' usage. At this point, everything I ship really is free of shipping charges, and I no longer have to wait.

As with NogDog--I hope it's worth the wait (or the extra $13 in shipping)!


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## vermontcathy (Feb 18, 2009)

NogDog said:


> I sure hope it's worth the wait once you get it.


I shouldn't have to wait too long - I called up and the woman said she could change it to 2-day (and charge me extra). But..... if it was boxed and waiting in a warehouse, or on a truck, for a full truck to be ready to go... is someone going to go fetch it off the truck for me now, and put it on a faster truck? We'll see.

I emailed CS (I'm better at being assertive via email than on the phone) and explained the whole freakin' situation, and they agreed to my suggested compromise of refunding the difference between regular shipping and the 2-day shipping, since if I had known on Monday how long it would take, I would have opted for regular, rather than free.

Also, the person's signature had "We're Building Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company".

Oh, and yes, if it is the older model, no longer available in most places, with the pretty rope binding, it will be worth it.

And Victoria, you have to click on details for shipping (and I had to hunt for the link even when I knew it must be there) in order to see the "once your items ship..." part. On the order page, it just says 5-9 business days, just as 2-day says 2 days and overnight says 1 day. If you chose 2-day shipping and got it a week later and they said, "Well, it's 2 days once we get around to shipping it", I think you'd be upset. I just think that they should have the "Once your items ship..." part right on the order page, and also it would help if they have an estimate of how long it will take to ship (before completing the order). I saw none of this.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

The longest it ever took me to get an item (before I started using Prime) was about three years ago. I ordered a whipped cream dispenser (in stock), and it took three weeks to arrive via Super Saver.


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## Eeyore (Jul 16, 2009)

Vermontcathy, I think the different prices for different shipping times is sort of standard. I work in an analytical laboratory. Standard turnaround time for a sample is 2 weeks. If you want it the results in one week, there is a 150% surcharge. If you want it in 48 hours, there is a 500% surcharge. Within 8 hours (if possible depending on analysis) there is a 1500% surcharge. For free shipping, Amazon gets to your order whenever there is a lull in work. Standard shipping is normal work time. For 48 hour shipping they put you at the head of the line, etc. It costs money to get faster (normal) service versus the "whenever we get round tuit" service. Just my thoughts, anyways.  

Best Wishes!


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## cheerio (May 16, 2009)

vermontcathy said:


> My complaint isn't so much with how long it takes to get to me _once it's shipped_ (which is when the shipping from & to locations would matter). My complaint is that they can delay shipping it out for a week (when it is available to be shipped immediately), and still say that their "5-9 business days" is accurate because they are not counting the time _before _it ships out.
> 
> I think if you did a survey of people who used the "5-9 business days" Super Saving Shipping, they would assume that that meant they would get it in 5-9 business days. Not "5-9 business days AFTER we let it sit around in our warehouse for a week".
> 
> ALSO, another complaint of mine is that they DIDN'T quote me the up to March 1st delivery date when I ordered. They said 5-9 business days. Period. If they HAD said I might not get it til March 1st, I would have chosen, on Monday, the regular $7 shipping and probably would have had it by Friday.


I think the shipping estimate is the time frame the delivery company gives them, even though in most cases it is quicker, except inyou case


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

You definitely need to be careful buying from Amazon sometimes when it's shipped and sold by some other company.  I've been burned twice in the last few months doing this and I can't imagine it's doing a lot for Amazon's reputation.  I knew it wasn't them, but a lot of people won't realize that.

The first thing I ordered was a fan which took two weeks to ship and when it arrived it came in its point of sale packaging which had been ripped open, taped back up, left in a puddle to get nice and soggy, then chucked on my porch.  The fan inside had a busted control panel and the cage or whatever around the blades was all bent...  I contacted them and they agreed to ship a replacement, but they wanted me to send mine back first.  Amazon will send you one immediately and allow you to send the other back after you receive it, but not these guys.  On top of that, they scheduled a time for FedEx to come pick it up, so I had to sit home and wait for it to be picked up.  So I wait another two weeks for it to ship back, then another two weeks expecting it... and I finally contact them and they forgot about sending me a replacement!  In the end I finally got it, but it took me over two months to get the bloody thing.

Just last week I ordered a tripod from another Amazon supported partner.  The thing was supposed to be $200 normally and it was a pretty good deal and I didn't really expect much.  I just need a tripod to last me until I have the money to get a good one.  This one arrived really quickly, it even beat the item I bought directly from Amazon by two days.  But when I open the shipping box, the box the tripod is in is so bashed and bent that it's literally formed to the tripod inside of it.  You couldn't have gotten a better seal with a vacuum.  Just like with my fan I was more than happy to put up with the damaged box if the product was intact, but again it wasn't.  One of the braces for the rubber feet had snapped off inside the box.  So I contact them and they ask me to return it, apparently expecting me to just traipse off to Mailboxes, etc. and pay for it to be sent back.  I had to send another email asking if they planned on reimbursing me or sending me a shipping label, but they did say they would.  At any rate, the saga of the tripod is just beginning... this time I'm actually trying to get money back so we'll see how that works.


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## gdae23 (Apr 30, 2009)

Related to this topic, I happened to notice this earlier today on the Amazon home page:

Severe Weather
Alert: Many East Coast packages will be delayed.

and it links to this:

Delivery Service Delays
If you live in an area experiencing an unexpected service delay (severe weather, natural disasters, unscheduled events, etc.) please add at least 2 to 3 business days to the estimated delivery date of your order. We have worked to minimize delays to the rest of the country, but there are potential delays to shipments originating from our East Coast facilities. Please anticipate a delay of up to 1-2 business days for these shipments.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

My experience with free super saver shipping at Amazon is that it takes days for them to even process and send out the package.  The best thing about Amazon Prime for me is that it's processed right away.  Most of the places they ship from for me take only one or two days once shipped.


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## JamieL (Feb 23, 2009)

I know it can be very discouraging to see the estimated ship date but I've never had a Super Saver package not ships days before the estimate; often I receive it before the estimated ship date


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## vermontcathy (Feb 18, 2009)

Eeyore said:


> Vermontcathy, I think the different prices for different shipping times is sort of standard.


Um.... of course! Of course it costs different amounts for different shipping times. I think you misunderstand me. My complaint is that it says super saver shipping is 5-9 business days, when in reality, it is 5-9 business days after they get around to shipping it, which can be a week.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Well I just hope it gets there in good condition!


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