Amazon Prime

[SprinterTech-WI]

as to the TOS bit.... the way I figure it is if they didn't allow it then I wouldn't buy from them and they wouldn't make anything. They KNOW I am using it for business as it's a business acct, tied to my sellers acct and using my biz addresses and biz names and biz cards.

THEY solicited my amazon acct (in the biz name) telling me to get prime.... so I did

 

[PCX]

as to the TOS bit.... the way I figure it is if they didn't allow it then I wouldn't buy from them and they wouldn't make anything. They KNOW I am using it for business as it's a business acct, tied to my sellers acct and using my biz addresses and biz names and biz cards.

THEY solicited my amazon acct (in the biz name) telling me to get prime.... so I did

+1

We order from Amazon several times a day, which means we spend thousands of dollars each month through Amazon. There has been several times where we had to return items for defects or other reasons (which by the way is SUPER EASY --another thing I love) and every once in a while I have to speak with a real person and each time we always discuss why we have to return the item and that it is a business purchase. They usually say something a long the lines of "Welp, you seem to spend a ton of money with us, so we will get this taken care of straight away!"

As someone already mentioned, I believe that Amazons main concern is the whole drop shipping deal. Trust me, they have no qualms about making money off us. Think about it, we (business owners) are probably some of their biggest purchasers.

 

[mraikes]

I'm wondering how you folks justify breaking the TOS.

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Is it ok until you get caught? I'm not being facetious here, I'm serious. I try hard to do things right, and don't see any difference between this and reusing OEM COAs. Where do you draw the line? It's ok to cheat Amazon but not Microsoft?

I'd LOVE to have this service as a business and would certainly pay for it. Trouble is, they don't offer that choice.

I'm also a Prime user but I completely get your point. In a perfect society we shouldn't be using it in ways that violate the rules. And in that same perfect society, Amazon would have a business option available to us.

Yet it's a noticeably odd distinction being made in this thread regarding Amazon's TOS vs other threads where members are firmly against using the "wrong" Windows disk (with a correct key) to reinstall a customer's computer.

I can't defend that difference in attitude other than when it comes to a favorite thing like Prime, I guess it's hard to be such a staunch defender of some corporate usage policy.

 

[SprinterTech-WI]

I'm also a Prime user but I completely get your point. In a perfect society we shouldn't be using it in ways that violate the rules. And in that same perfect society, Amazon would have a business option available to us.

Yet it's a noticeably odd distinction being made in this thread regarding Amazon's TOS vs other threads where members are firmly against using the "wrong" Windows disk (with a correct key) to reinstall a customer's computer.

I can't defend that difference in attitude other than when it comes to a favorite thing like Prime, I guess it's hard to be such a staunch defender of some corporate usage policy.

to me it's totally different as one is stealing a license the other they solicited me, and continually is aimed towards me.
To me a better comparison is using office home and student in a business or windows 7 home edition, although it's against the TOS it's not over that line IMO

 

[mraikes]

to me it's totally different as one is stealing a license the other they solicited me, and continually is aimed towards me.
To me a better comparison is using office home and student in a business or windows 7 home edition, although it's against the TOS it's not over that line IMO

Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I don't believe Microsoft gets paid for an additional license just because we get official "recovery media" from a manufacturer. Recovery media I've received hasn't ever had a different license sticker on it. Where's the license theft?

Whereas Office home vs Office pro is actually different licenses, different pricing and different TOS. If anything, MS is out money every time a business user installs the home version. It's still not exactly license theft (the user isn't getting something he hasn't paid for) but it IS against the TOS.

So which scenario is REALLY more similar to Amazon's Prime policy . . .?

 

[SprinterTech-WI]

Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I don't believe Microsoft gets paid for an additional license just because we get official "recovery media" from a manufacturer. Recovery media I've received hasn't ever had a different license sticker on it. Where's the license theft?

Whereas Office home vs Office pro is actually different licenses, different pricing and different TOS. If anything, MS is out money every time a business user installs the home version. It's still not exactly license theft (the user isn't getting something he hasn't paid for) but it IS against the TOS.

So which scenario is REALLY more similar to Amazon's Prime policy . . .?

I read HCH techs "Reusing oem licenses" as taking a license off of a recycled pc and "reusing" it.....
now if you're talking about whether you reinstall using dell media or oem media but you're still using the code on the original PC I don't see the issue there.

 

[brandonkick]

I still have an active student membership through my fiancee, so it will only be going to $49 a year which is more than fine for me.

It would be close in all honesty, to me breaking even as I don't order a lot from amazon. But it is there if I need it, and I do make use of the prime video stuffs. It's worth $50 a year to me.

I can see the cost of it going up, it hasn't in almost ten years. The price of gas has gone crazy in ten years. No griping from me.

 

[Encrypted Existence]

I agree with you, Angry. Especially about the piece of mind and lack of hair loss due to not having to deal with the USPS. I have been using prime for almost two years now and I have to say that I would still use it if they doubled the price. My family members use my Prime acct as well. I have no plans of using any other similar service until Amazon gives me a reason to. It's just too easy.

 

[JustInspired]

Would this thread not be better off in TEO?

 

[nlinecomputers]

The only reason Amazon has a problem with this is because of the drop shipping. Should there be a problem the end client who gets the package, in an amazon box, doesn't always call the correct party. So Amazon gets blamed when the seller is the one at fault.

In my case I don't drop ship. I order parts that I sell directly to the end user. It is my property at that point and I am free to do anything I want with it. That is NOT any of Amazon's business and impossible for them do anything about.

In the case of software you are LICENSED to use the software. YOU DON'T OWN IT. Microsoft does. You are paying for the right to use it. Totally different legal issues.

 

[mraikes]

Is it documented somewhere that's their only reason?

Whether software licensing or Amazon's TOS, you've agreed to something and then thumb your nose at what you've agreed to.

If one is wrong, so is the other regardless of how many do it, or think they won't be caught.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Is it documented somewhere that's their only reason?

Whether software licensing or Amazon's TOS, you've agreed to something and then thumb your nose at what you've agreed to.

If one is wrong, so is the other regardless of how many do it, or think they won't be caught.

bs. We could have a signed agreement on how many slaves we are going to sell to each other. Doesn't make it legal. Amazon cannot dictate what I do with my property after I own it. PERIOD. They can dictate what happens during the process of selling and shipping it. Misrepresentation is a form of fraud. You'll note that vendors that drop ship on your behalf like Tech Data ship in unmarked boxes with generic shipping labels. This is done not just to protect your supply line but to avoid any legal issues of misrepresentation.

Software is again a totally differently legal issue. You purchase a License to use the software you do not own it.

 

[HFultzjr]

I've been a prime member for several years now.

Saved a lot of money.

Only issue I've been having lately is when they send through the postal service in place of UPS.

Postal service rarely arrives within the 2 day time. Sometimes as long as 4 days.

Seems to be a common problems on their forums.

Haven't got a reply back from customer service.

Anyone know who/how to contact them about this issue.

It was great until they started using postal service. My guess is since I get my mail delivery 10-11 am. There just isn't enough time to get on the route to deliver. So, it's 3 day delivery for me.

I don't mind the increase (everything else is going up), but would really like to get my 2 day service back on all items that say 2 day.

 

[codegreen]

Is it documented somewhere that's their only reason?

Whether software licensing or Amazon's TOS, you've agreed to something and then thumb your nose at what you've agreed to.

If one is wrong, so is the other regardless of how many do it, or think they won't be caught.

There's a huge difference between software licensing and buying physical goods.

When I buy software, I don't actually own it. It is licensed to me by the company that does own it. I don't necessarily like this arrangement, but it is the law. Therefore, I'm required to follow the licensing agreement.

However, when I purchase just about anything else, such as computer parts, the law is very different. I buy it, I own it. It's mine. Once the transaction is completed, the seller has absolutely no say as to what I can or can't do with my property. I can use it, resell it, paint it pink, or smash it with a hammer. Amazon, or any other retailer, can't change that simply by putting a line in their TOS. Amazon may not necessarily like this arrangement, but it's the law.

 

[altrenda]

The gray area is can Amazon control who they sell to? Can they limit memebrship in Prime and it's benefits based on being an individual or a business?

Many companies have TOS's, but they are not all legal or enforceable.

Once you recieve an item, it is yours and you can do with it what you please.

 

[Kaizen]

They can use the TOS as a defense if they chose to discontinue offering prime to a specific person or company with less reprocussion of them being challenged in court. As a similar thing, I think many laws are only in existence to be enforced when police feel the need under specific circumstances to control a situation.

 

[JustInspired]

My Amazon purchases have increased tenfold since becoming a prime member. What they lose in shipping costs is more than made up for in volume of sales. If the prime membership is withdrawn I won't have a reason to keep ordering so much from them instead of using other suppliers. I imagine I'm one of a large number of similar people.
It would be like shooting themselves in the foot.

 

[Kaizen]

My Amazon purchases have increased tenfold since becoming a prime member. What they lose in shipping costs is more than made up for in volume of sales. If the prime membership is withdrawn I won't have a reason to keep ordering so much from them instead of using other suppliers. I imagine I'm one of a large number of similar people.
It would be like shooting themselves in the foot.

Exactly. We went from spending $5000/month with Newegg to $5000/month with Amazon only because of prime. Without prime, I prefer newegg and would go back to them.

 

[HCHTech]

I smell a lot of situational ethics here. For those that justify their behavior because "that's not what Amazon intended" I don't buy it. We don't get to put words into the TOS. Either you follow the TOS or you don't. We don't know what they intended. We only know what they said. It may in fact be that the phrase in question was put in to cover drop shipping, but it seems to me if that were the case they would have worded it differently.

So...since I'm not currently a member, I have nothing to lose by asking them point blank. I doubt I'll get beyond the level one folks, but I'll post back if I get a response.

 

[TenYardFight]

I smell a lot of situational ethics here. For those that justify their behavior because "that's not what Amazon intended" I don't buy it. We don't get to put words into the TOS. Either you follow the TOS or you don't. We don't know what they intended. We only know what they said. It may in fact be that the phrase in question was put in to cover drop shipping, but it seems to me if that were the case they would have worded it differently.

So...since I'm not currently a member, I have nothing to lose by asking them point blank. I doubt I'll get beyond the level one folks, but I'll post back if I get a response.

I smell alot of ethics policing here. Why?