I'm having annoying trouble paying for a stupid thing on Amazon

[Rare White Ape]

Can anyone help provide advice or answers for this?

I've bought a Star Wars action figure on Amazon's US website. It's Amazon exclusive (not available in Australia either, oddly enough) and is sold out, except if you go down the scalper route for double the price. I ain't doing that but luckily I was able to put an order in for one direct from Amazon at retail price before they sold out of their second shipment.

It came into stock yesterday but when the system attempted to charge my credit card it failed. I've added a second card and that's not working either. Both accounts definitely have funds available, and the numbers are correct. I saw online people having similar issues and the solution was that you could pay for a gift card balance and just use that to buy the goods. I did this, it charged my card right away without issues, but the gift card balance can't pay for my order because it was originally put through as a pay-by-credit-card deal.

Amazon customer service tells me to cancel the order, then re-order using gift card balance, but it's sold out and I will miss out on it if I go anywhere near that cancel button.

HALP!

[Yw-slayer]

Realise that ownership of material possessions is a result of desire, which leads to suffering, and that you should hence suck it up and abandon your attempt.

Amitahba, kthxbai

[Crazed_Insanity]

Amazon customer service is your only hope.

Happens to every guy sometimes this does.

[Rare White Ape]

YW I asked for help not… life advice.

Kumbaya

[SportWagon]

Realise that ownership of material possessions is a result of desire, which leads to suffering, and that you should hence suck it up and abandon your attempt.

Amitahba, kthxbaiActually that is the fox and the grapes, isn't it? Were you quoting Yoda? When did with that esoteric grammar Yoda talking stop? Hmm.

[Yw-slayer]

Was focusing on desire.

https://www.pbs.org/edens/thailand/buddhism.htm


In Buddhism, desire and ignorance lie at the root of suffering. By desire, Buddhists refer to craving pleasure, material goods, and immortality, all of which are wants that can never be satisfied. As a result, desiring them can only bring suffering. Ignorance, in comparison, relates to not seeing the world as it actually is. Without the capacity for mental concentration and insight, Buddhism explains, one's mind is left undeveloped, unable to grasp the true nature of things. Vices, such as greed, envy, hatred and anger, derive from this ignorance.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Amitabha-Buddhism

[FaultyMario]

Not a yank, can't help you Mick.

[speedpimp]

What Star Wars doll is it?

[Rare White Ape]

It's not a doll! It's an ACTION FIGURE.

And it is this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08B1RR89T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Yw-slayer]

My Buddha figurines don't need to do any action, yo.

[Tom Servo]

I tried to help out by buying it on my US credit card but it still error'd out.

[Crazed_Insanity]

How are you able to do that? You gave RWA your card number?

Anyway, Amazon has been pretty sucky lately. We purchased a birthday present for my daughter and they delayed shipment with no notifications/explanations. When wife called, they say they're out of stock. Telling us that we need to re-order. Wife looked around and saw the same item listed at higher prices than before...

Eventually they agreed to pay the price difference, but it's still lame that we had to call their customer service and complain about it in order to get what we had already ordered. This has never happened to Amazon before... at worst, we've only received extra deliveries from Amazon, I wonder if Covid19 has finally caught up to them?

[Yw-slayer]

Someone is sending you a Sign. Amitahbro.

[Tom Servo]

How are you able to do that? You gave RWA your card number?

He had me sign into his account and try to complete the order after adding my card. Failed, so then I removed the card and let him know.

[Rare White Ape]

Thanks for offering to help Tom, I appreciate it almost as much as I appreciate YW's help :up:

[Rare White Ape]

Anyway I was in contact with Amazon support prior to me starting this thread and they even rang me from Seattle, which sounds more impressive from my location than it does for anyone in the US.

They said they'd pass it on to some other department (I think it was to see what they can do regarding the price difference to the scalped items) and get back to me within 48 hours.

That time has passed with no word from them, so I will have to chase them up today.

I'm beginning to think that it's just... out of stock from Amazon first-party supply, despite this being in my orders list since December 26th.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I suspect that they are indeed just out of stock, not just a payment issue.

That happened to us just recently.

[SportWagon]

"The grapes would have been really yummy, but it's just too difficult to jump up and get them"....

[Yw-slayer]

“Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.” - The Dhammapada

[SportWagon]

Reads https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fox_and_the_Grapes and learns about some Norwegian communist named Jon Elster (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Elster) and "adaptive preference formation".

[Rare White Ape]

So now Amazon has charged me for the product.

When I spoke to them a week ago they told me that they could use the gift card balance I had sitting there, and that otherwise they'd charge my credit card instead of my debit card, which I had requested multiple times because it didn't seem like they were listening. And they finally told me it was out of stock, the dirty dogs.

After that phone call I deleted the details for my debit card since it was of no use for me to have them in there, and left them negative feedback in the email they sent after the call ended. I considered sending them a feeeeeelthy customer service email because the most profitable retail empire in the world couldn't get its shit together.

And then a few days ago they charged my debit account. Yeah, the one with the deleted details. Luckily it had money in there this time.

Maybe they had another shipment of them? I dunno. I haven't gotten shipping confirmation yet but whenever I check, that little green progress bar moves a little bit more.

I am ever closer to achieving a state of inner zen and peacefulness.

[SportWagon]

Inner zen and peacefulness from having had the debit card details used after you tried to delete them?

Oh, probably facetious you are being.

[Rare White Ape]

No, it's because I might be getting this thing delivered soon.

Inner peace through materialism.

[Yw-slayer]

Lasts maybe 5 days, max.

[Rare White Ape]

It has shipped.

*closes eyes, touches thumbs to middle fingers*

Ommmmmmmmmm

[Tom Servo]

Man, this thread has been quite the rollercoaster.

[George]

This is why I still shop in stores whenever possible. I do not like ordering online if I can avoid it.

I've probably mentioned my brother-in-law here before. He's the exact opposite. The last time we were at his house back east, Amazon delivered a box containing two bottles of ketchup. Nothing fancy - just regular old ketchup! I saw him open it and couldn't resist asking why he doesn't buy ketchup at the grocery store. He laughed and said, "What makes you think I go to the grocery store?"

This was a year or two before the pandemic, so it's wasn't because of that.

[Rare White Ape]

Makes sense George.

But this is an Amazon exclusive, so there’s no chance of it ever being seen in a shop.

Despite this, it still has a retail box with all the same effort put into the design and engineering to keep the product undamaged in transit and looking attractive on a shelf. But no one will ever see it on a shelf competing for attention against other items.

Unless of course, one buys it, but keeps it displayed in its box and never opens it to enjoy the fun contained within. Which I will never ever do.

[FaultyMario]

You trust Bezos with your current account's details?

:eek:

[Crazed_Insanity]

Bezos has stepped aside to let other more trustworthy bozos to look after your details. Nothing to worry about.

Plus, inner peace has been attained. Let’s not mess with it anymore... :p

[Tom Servo]

This is why I still shop in stores whenever possible. I do not like ordering online if I can avoid it.

I've probably mentioned my brother-in-law here before. He's the exact opposite. The last time we were at his house back east, Amazon delivered a box containing two bottles of ketchup. Nothing fancy - just regular old ketchup! I saw him open it and couldn't resist asking why he doesn't buy ketchup at the grocery store. He laughed and said, "What makes you think I go to the grocery store?"

This was a year or two before the pandemic, so it's wasn't because of that.

I'm not sure I've ordered ketchup, but my gateway drug was hard-to-find ingredients. Stuff like achiote paste and banana leaves. Next thing you know, ordering a few jars of fancy mustard don't seem all that out of the ordinary, then the pandemic hits and it's impossible to find bread flour anywhere but the internet and finally you're hooked, 100%.

[Yw-slayer]

This is why I still shop in stores whenever possible. I do not like ordering online if I can avoid it.

It certainly makes sense for some things. Bulky and/or heavy stuff especially, like paper and liquid. Or stuff which you don't need urgently and don't have the time to go to the shops to buy for whatever reason (spare cables).

[Rare White Ape]

I have shipping information. UPS has it. Apparently it's coming on Monday. It was in Cincinnati yesterday, and it's in Louisville today.

If it's doing a whistle-stop tour of Anytown USA then I don't see how it will make it from Whereverthefuckitis to Gold Coast, Australia in five days.

Unless it's following the true path to enlightenment, of course.

In which case, HUUMMMMMMMMMM...........

*closes eyes, and levitates from couch*

[JoshInKC]

Modern computerized shipping logistics and routes can be very weird and counterintuitive - I've often watched my packages seemingly just meander in the rust belt for a day or two before they suddenly show up at my local facility. Fingers crossed for you.

[Rare White Ape]

Yeah it would all be AI controlled for the cheapest fastest route. Since I last posted it has visited Honolulu and now it’s in Sydney.

I might even get it tomorrow.

* breathing deepens and slows, brain starts glowing*

[George]

I hope the porch pirates don't swipe it before you can de-levitate yourself back down to the couch and go grab it.

[Cam]

I sent a package to my bro in Nova Scotia at the beginning of Jan. via US Postal Service. According to tracking, it went to an "international distribution center" in Miami after a couple of days. The tracking info was not updated until it was delivered a month or so later. :rolleyes:

[Rare White Ape]

Bulk shipments of packages originating from Victoria via Aus Post have been getting sent to Brisbane and Sydney for sorting, then being sent back to Victoria for transit, then being sent back to distro centres in Bris and Syd to be sent to their recipients. This is because of COVID restrictions in Vic limiting the number of people in a workplace.

People, typically, have been ridiculing Aus Post for the measure, but they don't understand what's going on. Basically, a truck (which would normally drop off in a sorting centre in Vic) will take a huge bulk lot to another state. It then gets sorted per its region (Vic, SA, WA, Qld, NSW, etc) then sent back to Vic to be re-inserted into the channel as it normally would. The detour adds maybe two days to the postage trip. Better than having it sit for a week waiting to be sorted in Victoria somewhere.

People wonder why things can't be sent direct from the sorting detour, but that would require increasing the capacity across the network, which is already feeling the strain of increased online purchasing. This is literally the fastest and most efficient way to get mail sent to people during a pandemic.

[Rare White Ape]

It has arrived. Inner peace has been achieved. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.

https://g.nh.ee/images/pix/jeff-bezos-88925039.jpg

[Crazed_Insanity]

:lol:

[George]

Hacked spy-cam footage of RWA showing a friend his new acquisition:

(turn sound on)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-NgeXl-PPA&ab_channel=sydtech

[SportWagon]

He ordered and received a knob which goes up to 11?

[George]

Well, you have to use your imagination a little. ;)