Did they ever rescind that aspect of the Amazon Prime contract? It WAS nice to get things so lickety split. though I could have done without it.

Looks like we'll all have to. There's a class action suit pending to accuse the company of breach of contract. Many people say the speed was the main reason they subscribed, and are incensed.

Certainly what with the weather and Covid there are lots of reasons for them to be slowed recently, but it seems odd that they haven't officially said something about the change. I guess Bezos figures he's built up enough of a fan base, dependent on ordering from a near infinite selection of goods (and not having to package things themselves0, that he can afford to drop this major perk of membership. (Though there ARE reports of many dropping out).

Besides this change, there have been many more reports of Amazon building up a delivery system which pretty much tortures the deliverers with impossible demands (handing drivers exact routes and time tables down to the minute, while hounding them by dispatchers the whole way).

Apparently, this has led to numerous deaths, especially of pedestrians traveling in their right of way - partly because of the stress drivers are under, partly because their third party routing deliberately eliminates showing risky junctures. The most marked ones are left turns, where the van frames block the critical view of pedestrians crossing.

What's more, Amazon deliberately rents white vans, especially Penske, with no Amazon ID on them, besides forcing drivers and van/truck owners to sign liability agreements for any and all accidents, including ones involving fatalities.

The drivers are micromanaged to meet impossible deadlines down to the minute, but nevertheless Amazon admits to no liability. (Suits against Amazon claim nevertheless that Amazon is the real employer and therefore, liable - noting Amazon's deliberate camouflage of rented vans to hide any ID with Amazon).

Most of the accidents occur when drivers are racing to make their "last mile" deliveries. FedEx has dropped out of being part of it, and UPS is next up.

It's a pretty lousy system, and customers are apparently influencing it, by complaints, often vicious ones, for even slightly late deliveries (having become used to the old lightening speed timelines and tracking).

Somehow these changes are coinciding with Amazon's promising ever faster delivery methods coming - relying on flying drones for drop offs. So drivers will be competing with robots! What th-?

A real racket, costing innocent lives and in such a way that Amazon escapes prosecution. A very fancy system, as in so many other aspects of their profit machine: exploiting overseas laborers (often children), cheating rating systems (especially of third party sellers) and warehouse slave labor - also working according to impossible timetables to locate and pack orders.

It's getting to be enough to make me root for Walmart's e-commerce system!

Meanwhile, how do you feel about changed delivery times? It's somehow especially irritating (considering their nickle and diming runarounds), to learn that Amazon IS refunding Prime subscribers their shipping fees if their order arrives late - and that only IF consumers ask for it.

Sure reveals Bezos' recent claims to exceptional new philanthropic movements as ridiculous hypocrisy. Don't know how MacKenzie stood him for so long! Perhaps her awareness of his sleazy methods, influenced her own genuine philanthropy. (A sense of guilt for enabling him?)