Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Amazon Flex

flex.amazon.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

421–430 of 475 posts

Re: Amazon Flex

#421

Post by buffoon »

shocks wrote: post #126
stephenc_c_ wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The blank vans, oftentimes actually rental vans, are actually Amazon Logistics. This is Amazon's own delivery operation in the UK, and all Prime deliveries in my area use this service. It's been years since I have seen any third party delivery providers for Amazon orders.

Every time I've got something delivered by Amazon Logistics, it's actually been APC. Oh, and it's shit. Order next day delivery at 9AM Monday? Delivered 7PM Tuesday! Get it Wednesday because the post room in my office closes at 6PM.

I was paying for prime but dumped it. Turns out if you pick the free option and the stuff is dispatched by amazon it tends to turn up within 48 hours anyway so fuck it.

Also, I live 100 yards from Currys/PC World and they're actually cheaper on a lot of things (which was a bit WTF when I discovered it)

Re: Amazon Flex

#423

Post by jonknee »

tokenizerrr wrote: post #293
Splines wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That sounds like a nice system. In the US we don't have scanners you pick up at the entrance - it's more like you do the part the cashiers used to do. You pull up to a scanner, scan everything in your cart, bag everything, then put it back in your cart and pay at the machine. A scale underneath the bagging area keeps tabs on everything you can to make sure you're not cheating the system. (Still, I've heard stories of…

That does sound less pleasant. Now that I'm thinking about that, I've encountered a system like that once. I think that was one of the first supermarkets trialing self-checkout. The system disappeared soon after and got replaced by what I've described. It is quite easy to cheat the current system, though the random sampling helps some. I think someone somewhere made a decision that it is worth it to improve customer…

How does that system handle produce? That's one of the big reasons why automated checkout works like it does in the US (using checkout stations and scales).

Re: Amazon Flex

#424

Post by Obi_Juan_Kenobi »

mikeash wrote: post #110
joshstrange wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How was the experience bad? I never see my UPS delivery guy so I can't imagine it matters one way or the other to me how my packages "magically" show up on my front porch.

There are lots of ways a package delivery can be "bad." For example, delivery services routinely leave packages at my garage rather than my front door, because it saves them 15 seconds of walking. This is less convenient for me but more convenient for them. But that's not all! Once they put a package low to the ground and not out of the way, so that when I went to drive somewhere, I backed over it. I once saw a deliv…

It would be really interesting to see a map of delivery service satisfaction. It clearly varies a great deal.

I'm in a fairly dense urban area, one of the next-day prime locations. Our apartment gets about 4 packages a week I'd say. Probably 90% arrive on time or ahead. I've had a couple where the driver just threw the package up the stairs to the apartment, instead of to the door. Still, considering the sheer number of packages, I've yet to have a misplaced or stolen package.

They do drop off without ringing fairly often. Personally I don't mind, but it seems like that could be standardized.

Re: Amazon Flex

#425

Post by Obi_Juan_Kenobi »

mindslight wrote: post #284
jonlucc wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you feel better if the person said "Hi, I work for UPS; are you home right now?"? There's no authentication built into the phone call. Perhaps Amazon should use their apps to facilitate that kind of communication with something like a push message?

UPS/Fedex/USPS have figured out how to reliably enter apartment buildings on their own (USPS uses a key, I presume UPS/Fedex use some numeric code convention). Amazon randos call you and make it your problem, as if they have never delivered a no-signature package before. Nearly every time I've used Amazon, they've surprised me with something crappy and I'm left wondering how they're so popular. Recently, they display…

> they've surprised me with something crappy

What are they surprising you with? I've done loads of orders with Amazon and it's basically always what I ordered. Once I got some cheap knockoffs, but was able to easily return it. That's out of a few hundred orders.

As for the timeout stuff, they should definitely stop calling it a guarantee. Most of the time it's correct, and fairly often I'll get a package much quicker than it indicates, but I'd say about 10-15% of packages are later than the 2-day guarantee.

Re: Amazon Flex

#427

Post by Obi_Juan_Kenobi »

mrmondo wrote: post #422

I don't think that "$18-25/hr" is "Great Pay"

Considering about half the US population makes less than that, I think you're perspective might be a little warped.

http://horizoncu.onyourway.com/62-of-american-jobs-pay-less-...

That's a solid job to most people. Granted, issues like benefits, hours, and whether you really make that much are in doubt, but those numbers are certainly something to hang your hat on.

My guess is that those are estimates including tips, so the reality would be lower for many.

Re: Amazon Flex

#428

Post by randyrand »

aikah wrote: post #265
bb101 wrote: post #14

Externalizing the parking fines. Clever.

that's the sharing economy ! the worker "shares" all the professional expenses , the corporation just creates "an app". How can one really make money without working illegally ? using his own car ? I don't know.

Workers should make their own app!

Re: Amazon Flex

#429

Post by kornholi »

radlad wrote: post #416
works_remote_ wrote: post #405

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There has been more than once where a package will fail to be delivered in a timely manner (the website indicates its been out for delivery for 5+ days), and they have always overnighted a replacement without charge or expectation that if the original shows up that I return it to them. These missing packages have been primarily from when UPS/FedEx decides to use a last mile delivery service, instead of delivering it…

I find it far more frustrating when one of the last mile delivery services says they have delivered the package, and then it shows up a day or two later. Amazon hasn't honored the two day guarantee for me in these instances.

FedEx marked one of my packages as delivered but it didn't show up until 6 days later (the replacement arrived on the same day...). I assume someone just forgot about it on the truck, since the other one was actually delivered on time.

Re: Amazon Flex

#430

Post by tokenizerrr »

jonknee wrote: post #423
tokenizerrr wrote: post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That does sound less pleasant. Now that I'm thinking about that, I've encountered a system like that once. I think that was one of the first supermarkets trialing self-checkout. The system disappeared soon after and got replaced by what I've described. It is quite easy to cheat the current system, though the random sampling helps some. I think someone somewhere made a decision that it is worth it to improve customer…

How does that system handle produce? That's one of the big reasons why automated checkout works like it does in the US (using checkout stations and scales).

Most (all?) supermarkets require you to weigh produce yourself, even when making use of regular checkout. There are several scales with a bunch of buttons in the produce section, you put your produce of preference on there and press the button to identify it. Then you get a sticker with a barcode/price based on the produce type and weight.
Post reply on HN