As I’ve mentioned earlier, my workstation computer soiled the bedsheets ten days ago or so. I wasn’t out of business or anything, but it certainly took a toll on my efficiency. It was just plain harder to do stuff on an ad hoc setup. I’m not terribly efficient on a good day, but I’m doing a lot of disparate things. Introducing any additional friction is more than unwelcome. Honestly, my reach has always exceeded my grasp. A busted power supply just highlighted it.
The process for recovery was instructive. I’ve been monkeying around inside computers well before there was an internet. The software in them is inscrutable, when it’s not plain stupid, but the hardware holds no terrors. An old Dell is just a plug and play agglomeration of perfectly understandable components. It wasn’t difficult to diagnose the problem. It no turnie on = bad power supply.
There are about seven thousand different versions of the old Dell Optiplex I’m using, but it didn’t take long to find an identical replacement part online. I tried opening up any number of other abandoned computer towers we have in the house first, to see if any would fit, but no dice. So I had to buy one.
The problem isn’t that you can’t find the exact part. The problem is the exact part is available from eleventy-billion dropshipping mouthbreathers on every ecommerce site on the web. There’s no way to choose wisely between any of them, so I don’t. I ended up at Amazon, and looked for items that were listed as on the shelf. I figured that Amazon is the devil I know, so it reduced the disappointment factor by a few percentage points. Amazon doesn’t like me for no good reason. I return the sentiment for very good reasons, including their bad reason. But people like to give us gift cards for birthdays and Christmas and such, and we use them up on stuff like this.
So Amazon says they’ll deliver it in eight days. Today was the eighth day. It came today. I was willing to pay for them to rush the thing, but the option wasn’t offered. They simply put about half a dozen “dark pattern” screens and buttons between me and what I wanted, trying to get me to sign up for their ridiculous monthly Prime vigorish scheme. They can ask until Satan joins the Ice Capades. Ain’t happening.
I find the whole process more tedious than infuriating. I knew exactly what was going to happen when I pressed the order button, and I wasn’t disappointed. I knew without knowing, as they say, that if they could commit to a firm date, that the thing was on a shelf, ready to go. They could have sent it right away, and I would have had it last week. They held the order until yesterday, then sent it to arrive today. It had to be sent as a kind of rush order to make it here overnight, but they did it. This has happened to me enough times so I expect it.
They could have sent it to me a day after I ordered it. It was only maybe four hours from my house the whole time. They deliberately offered worse service than what was possible in order to try to force me into their subscription scheme. That’s an insane way to handle commerce between a willing buyer and a willing seller. But modern business practice is all ulterior motive-driven at this point.
I understand that charging more money for rush service is appropriate. This isn’t like that. They had to hamstring themselves to keep the item on the shelf so I couldn’t have it when I wanted it. It would have been easier and more lucrative for them if they sent it to me right away. They couldn’t charge me for the item until it shipped, so they were even risking a cancelled order if I found it somewhere else in the interim. They don’t care, because they’re not really in the business of selling things for money anymore. Their business is getting between me and what I want, and keeping me from having it until I pay a monthly ransom. And rockets and newspapers and who knows what else.
For the most part, the entire internet is now based on this principle. Everywhere digital is some form of weird speakeasy. They open a slot and look you over to decide if they’ve spied on you enough and fleeced you properly before they let you in. I really can’t be bothered to figure out what business a business like Amazon is really in anymore.
The internet is the “information highway”? Pfffft. It’s ten million toll booths holding hands. Pay up, sucka.
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They open a slot and look you over to decide if they’ve spied on you enough and fleeced you properly before they let you in. I really can’t be bothered to figure out what business a business like Amazon is really in anymore.
I bought a Zotac mini PC from CraigsList. One consequence of its having about 5% the volume of a standard PC tower is that it has no internal fan. To keep it cool enough in unairconditioned Texas summers, I decided to purchase a fan- as small as possible. I don’t use Amazon, for the reason you give. I tried Wal-Mart online. After I typed in “fans,” Wal-Mart wanted me to give them my name, address, and credit card info BEFORE I had seen a bunch of fans. After I have decided to make an online purchase, of course I need to hand over my name, address, and credit card info. I’ll be damned it I’ll deliver that info BEFORE I have decided to make a purchase. I tried Target online, found a 4″ fan that suited my specs, and drove a mile to a Target store to purchase it. I didn’t do a purchase online with pickup at a store. I just drove to the store. Keep it simple….
Update: I just went to the Wal-Mart website, and observed that they have improved their website design. There is now a “small fans for desk” choice which is accessible without being told to hand over your info. In looking at their choices, the Target choice was cheaper.
When it was still in business, I purchased a lot of PC parts from a local Fry’s store, instead of Amazon. Prices were about the same as Amazon. But Fry’s went under, which was easy to understand if you had ever tried to navigate their website. Very poorly designed.
Hi Gringo- Always nice to see your name in the comments.
We live in a remote place, so mail order is a big part of our purchases. There’s a Wallyworld one town over, but if they don’t have it on the shelf, that’s about it. Otherwise it’s at least an hour’s drive to the next place, and they won’t have it either. We’ve got a small rolodex of suppliers we trust that doesn’t include the Orinoco Book Depository and Tchotchke Flea Market if we can help it.
I’ll say that there are at least a few on-line sellers that actually take an interest in selling you physical product, rather than you being the product that they’re selling to marketers.
For used camera gear (the only kind I buy) both B&H and KEH have proven to be excellent, with products that are in better condition than advertised, prices that are in line with the market, and superb customer service. The one time I had to return a product to B&H they handled the entire thing really well, apologizing for the product, and crediting my card account the day the returned product arrived at their door.
For used books I’ve had wonderful experiences with Powell’s Books. Their customer representatives are uniformly nice, and competent, a difficult combination to find.
With all of these companies I select products on-line, but then order over the phone rather than the ‘net…just a quirk of mine. They both offer free (if somewhat slow) shipping over a certain minimum-dollar-value order, and I’ve never (knocks wood) had a problem.
I don’t do business with Amazon. Literally every single person I’ve talked to who has purchased from Amazon has had, at one point or another, their credit card information stolen and used; I don’t need the problem.
Thanks for mentioning Powells, I’m always looking for a better choice for buying books than Amazon. There is a dearth of independent bookstores in my area in these end times.
If you need any kind of filters for ANY kind of household device, large or small, filtersfast.com is wonderful. Refrigerator, water filter, humidifier, furnace filter…if it’s a filter, they have it. Web site is easy to use and shipping is very fast.
Amazon, Love/Hate. Lately mostly hate.
By any chance do you need or use an HP Laserjet printer? I ordered some Britta water filters from Amazon last month and received three Laserjet toner cartridges.
The funny thing that isn’t really very funny is; Amazon wants me to return the Britta Filters to get a refund. But I can’t because I didn’t receive them. I suggested that Amazon send someone back to collect the toner cartridges, but they told me I’d have to pay them $7.50 for a home pickup.
So I have three toners (@$100 each, minimum) instead of three Britta filters ($32 total). Name your own price.
Hi John- Thanks for reading and commenting.
Your tale of minor woe makes me think that they should re-name the company: Amazon-Kafka and get it over with.