Changes coming to Amazon Prime

[Participant]

I just got this email (important bit in bold):

Dear Participant

We're pleased to announce some exciting upgrades and changes to your Amazon Prime membership. Since 2008 we've increased the number of items eligible for Unlimited One-Day Delivery from 1 million to over 7 million, in addition to adding over 500,000 books to the Kindle Owners' Lending Library for you to borrow. Now we're making Amazon Prime even better.

Your Amazon Prime membership will include Amazon's new Prime Instant Video streaming service beginning February 26, 2014

Prime Instant Video - Britain's largest subscription streaming service - will give you instant and unlimited access to over 15,000 digital movies and TV episodes. Watch instantly, anywhere by streaming from Amazon.co.uk or via hundreds of compatible devices from Kindle Fire, iPhone and iPad to smart TVs, Blu-ray players and games consoles.

Prime Instant Video will give you unlimited access to popular TV shows like Dexter and Prison Break, exclusive movies such as The Hangover: Part 2 and Friends with Benefits, and exclusive hit TV shows like Vikings and The Walking Dead. There will always be something great to watch with new titles added every week.

As a valued Prime member you will be able to start streaming videos at no additional cost beginning February 26, 2014 and your Prime annual fee will not change until you renew on February 26, 2015. After that, your membership will continue for the new price of just £79 per year (passing on £41 in annual savings compared to adding a separate streaming membership).

If you have questions, we are always happy to help. You can contact us via email, phone or chat from the Help section of Amazon.co.uk.

Thanks for being a Prime member,

The Amazon Prime team

Cleverly worded, but at next renewal they're upping the annual fee to £79 (from £49) p.a., but including some streaming service that I personally don't want.

Although Prime is great, I don't pay for it and certainly wouldn't pay £79 pounds for it. Bit sneaky really; loads of waffle and then the bombshell about the price hike hidden down near the bottom of the email.

It's a common tactic, add on some stuff that few want to pay for, then tout the new price as a saving over what they would have paid for the stuff that they never asked for in the first place. Good for Lovefilm subscribers though, I suppose?

Nothing changes for me, as I didn't pay the sub and I still won't. Some of you might be affected though. Anyone signing up for Prime after the 26th pays £79.

My main gripe, I suppose, is that there's no option for people that want the delivery but not the streaming. I'm guessing they're trying to grow their streaming service numbers any way they can.

 

[Participant]

This. The most you ever wait is a couple days.

Can we really not wait a couple days?

Most people can and do? Which is why most people only get Prime when they have the free trials. I guess those that can't wait are just prepared to pay to get things really quickly. Nothing wrong with wanting quick satisfaction imo!

 

[Participant]

I really enjoy having Prime as it makes the majority of what I order arrive the next day and at £40 a year, it pays for itself in savings.

How did you get it for £40?

And what savings? The savings compared to if you had ordered everything next day outside of Prime? If so, they're not savings really, because you wouldn't have ordered everything next day if you'd had to pay £8 per item.

So in fact Prime has probably cost you £49, not saved you £x.

 

[Participant]

interesting discussion but I want to ask how many of you look around before buying.

I find in the last 12 months that amazon is suddenly not the cheapest and that I can save substantial amounts by looking around especially on electrics. Just bought some stuff from my local belgian site which was substantially cheaper than amazon fr de and uk even with the 5€ delivery charge.
They were headphones which were 49 on belgian site and 69 on amazon

I'm sure the UK has even more offers

I normally compare prices with eBay and Screwfix, or a couple of PC hardware places I use, then buy the cheapest.

Only people like Raymond Lin, who have a boner for the service cost be damned, fail to shop around. Though that said, Amazon are almost invariably the best option.

 

[Participant]

Hopefully this isn't a duplicate thread, I couldn't find any other.

You didn't look very hard then, as there's a three page thread whose title contains the words 'Amazon' and 'Prime' .