Seemingly trivial things that intrigue you

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  • mully79
    mully79 Posts: 904
    Received my free £20 yesterday from Amazon for changing my payment type from Visa credit card.
    Intrigued that Amazon really are going all in.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,791
    mully79 said:

    Received my free £20 yesterday from Amazon for changing my payment type from Visa credit card.
    Intrigued that Amazon really are going all in.

    How do I get that?
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 20,089
    TheBigBean said:

    mully79 said:

    Received my free £20 yesterday from Amazon for changing my payment type from Visa credit card.
    Intrigued that Amazon really are going all in.

    How do I get that?

    I was just told I had to change to debit card by a certain date soon, so did. No £20 forthcoming. Should I have waited?

    Maybe I could try the same tactic with HMRC and the January payment...
    https://www.facebook.com/unanglaisendiois
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,791
    After some research you need to add the card through the link on their home page. I clicked the link which promised £20 and they gave me £10. No explanation why, but £10 is better than nothing.

    I also added a card I don't intend to use.
  • womack
    womack Posts: 566
    edited December 2021
    Am I the only person in the world who doesn't buy from Amazon?

    Judging by the amount of their grey vans up and down our street daily, it would appear so.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,196
    womack said:

    Am I the only person in the world who doesn't buy from Amazon?

    Judging by the amount of their grey vans up and down our street daily, it would appear so.

    I buy from Amazon on a regular basis.
    I have never received delivery from an Amazon van. Draw your own conclusions.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • Wheelspinner
    Wheelspinner Posts: 6,680
    I’ve not bought anything from Amazon either.
    Open One+ BMC TE29 Seven 622SL On One Scandal Cervelo RS
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,208
    Wheelspinner said:

    I’ve not bought anything from Amazon either.

    Not in the last 8 years IIRC.

    Not even brake cleaner.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • mully79
    mully79 Posts: 904
    edited December 2021
    It was when I changed the default payment card that I actually pay for stuff that I received the £20.
    Changing the card I use to pay for prime, amazon music etc did nothing.
  • womack
    womack Posts: 566
    pblakeney said:

    womack said:

    Am I the only person in the world who doesn't buy from Amazon?

    Judging by the amount of their grey vans up and down our street daily, it would appear so.

    I buy from Amazon on a regular basis.
    I have never received delivery from an Amazon van. Draw your own conclusions.

    Sorry, you have got me there, I honestly don't understand what conclusions I should be arriving at other than perhaps they sublet the deliveries to a third party company in your area or you use one of the collection places.

    Other than that as I say I don't use them so it may be something I have no knowledge of.

  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,791
    I try to avoid Amazon, but I'm currently enjoying a free month of Prime and have just received £10 for free, so I'm easily corrupted.
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,227
    I needed a replacement part for kitchen appliance, my breadmaker. Part available on Amazon, sig cheaper and offering free delivery, which turned into free next day delivery on Weds. Was heading out so tracked the (local contractor's) van; 5 stops away = I could see it up the street. Guy seemed to be delivering to every 2nd door.

    Not a fan of the exploitive business model. But service levels are good.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,208
    womack said:

    pblakeney said:

    womack said:

    Am I the only person in the world who doesn't buy from Amazon?

    Judging by the amount of their grey vans up and down our street daily, it would appear so.

    I buy from Amazon on a regular basis.
    I have never received delivery from an Amazon van. Draw your own conclusions.
    Sorry, you have got me there...
    He got me too. It's just Blakey.


    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,196
    womack said:

    pblakeney said:

    womack said:

    Am I the only person in the world who doesn't buy from Amazon?

    Judging by the amount of their grey vans up and down our street daily, it would appear so.

    I buy from Amazon on a regular basis.
    I have never received delivery from an Amazon van. Draw your own conclusions.

    Sorry, you have got me there, I honestly don't understand what conclusions I should be arriving at other than perhaps they sublet the deliveries to a third party company in your area or you use one of the collection places.

    Other than that as I say I don't use them so it may be something I have no knowledge of.

    Amazon use 3rd party delivery services, Amazon are a middle man for other retailers, other retailers use the same delivery services as Amazon.
    Drawing conclusions on who sells what from delivery vans is a fools errand.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • mully79
    mully79 Posts: 904
    Toaster broke day before New years eve. Same price on Amazon as other retailers so ordered @21:00 on prime. Delivered @11:30 New Years eve.
    Other retailers just dont compete or even try to compete. Currys are 3-5 days delivery :(
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 8,067

  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,208
    Massive ^ and... unsustainable.
    Imagine the number of ports of a similar size globally.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • Wheelspinner
    Wheelspinner Posts: 6,680
    focuszing723 said:


    And all that is just to handle @daniel_b bike gear purchases. 😀
    Open One+ BMC TE29 Seven 622SL On One Scandal Cervelo RS
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,424
    What intrigues me is the point where the plucky newcomer we have to admire for fighting the giant corporations becomes the giant that must be slain.

    We saw it with Apple when they were 'being bullied' by Microsoft and it was the same with Amazon in the early days when they were seen as taking on the major retailers but now they are the villain.
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,018
    Tesla will be the next one.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,208
    Pross said:

    What intrigues me is the point where the plucky newcomer we have to admire for fighting the giant corporations becomes the giant that must be slain.

    We saw it with Apple when they were 'being bullied' by Microsoft and it was the same with Amazon in the early days when they were seen as taking on the major retailers but now they are the villain.

    Well yes but when corporations become too big they become too powerful.

    Apple has competition at least.
    It's hard for anyone to compete against Amazon.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 20,089
    Pross said:

    What intrigues me is the point where the plucky newcomer we have to admire for fighting the giant corporations becomes the giant that must be slain.

    We saw it with Apple when they were 'being bullied' by Microsoft and it was the same with Amazon in the early days when they were seen as taking on the major retailers but now they are the villain.


    It does seem to be the way that modern business works. Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon.

    After all the efforts they went to to try to rein in Microsoft, it seems they've given up on stopping or splitting up the corporate Goliaths. They do exactly what monopolies do: obliterate the opposition, or (tacitly) control the market in partnership with the other big players. There doesn't seem to be a happy medium.
    https://www.facebook.com/unanglaisendiois
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,424
    pinno said:

    Pross said:

    What intrigues me is the point where the plucky newcomer we have to admire for fighting the giant corporations becomes the giant that must be slain.

    We saw it with Apple when they were 'being bullied' by Microsoft and it was the same with Amazon in the early days when they were seen as taking on the major retailers but now they are the villain.

    Well yes but when corporations become too big they become too powerful.

    Apple has competition at least.
    It's hard for anyone to compete against Amazon.
    10-20 years ago people were saying the likes of Tesco or Walmart were too big to compete with though. Something new will come along eventually.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,424
    Seeing 'celebrity' versions of quiz shows it intrigues me how such a high proportion are incredibly thick. You might expect it from reality TV stars but it seems to apply to degree educated newsreaders etc. as well. Stand up comedians seem to be the brightest.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    First.Aspect said:

    Tesla will be the next one.

    I’d bet otherwise
    _
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 8,067
    rick_chasey said:

    First.Aspect said:

    Tesla will be the next one.

    I’d bet otherwise
    First Principles.
  • Jezyboy
    Jezyboy Posts: 3,568
    In light of the fuss around Blair being made a Sir, I find the opinion polls at the time of going to war interesting.

    https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2015/06/03/remembering-iraq
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 20,089
    Jezyboy said:

    In light of the fuss around Blair being made a Sir, I find the opinion polls at the time of going to war interesting.

    https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2015/06/03/remembering-iraq


    I suspect you'd get similar findings with post-war (WW2) redevelopment: the often-brutal redevelopment of city centres, with local councils using the opportunity afforded by Hitler's partial demolitions to sweep away large historic chunks of awkward city centres is now almost universally condemned as barbarism, but at the time had little pushback, if not support, from local populations.

    Memories shift to legitimise one's own current point of view. It's a well-recognised tendency in neuroscience.
    https://www.facebook.com/unanglaisendiois
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,018
    edited January 2022
    rick_chasey said:

    First.Aspect said:

    Tesla will be the next one.

    I’d bet otherwise
    They are positioning themselves as being the go-to supplier for automotive batteries. They have at least a 5 year head start on the rest of the industry. No amount of BMW or Audi badge loyalty or interior quality will make up for a half hour longer charge time or 100 mile less range. So it is entirely possible that Tesla will be to cars what Microsoft were/are for PC operating systems.

    You'll also start to see "Tesla inside" other things, like bikes, busses, or even portable devices where a fast charge and large capacity is at a premium.

    If half of the things you own have a Tesla battery and/or Tesla power management, how long before they stop being the cool new thing and start to be seen as an opressive monopoly?
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    I think first mover advantage in things like batteries are overrated, but my main issue is I think Tesla is a terribly run company and we’ve yet to have a downturn in the tech cycle to see how they will perform under pressure.

    Their extreme use of financial instruments (it is a crazy amount) lax corporate governance, an unfeasibly high valuation, many many many multiples of revenue let some profit, are all red flags that all is not what it seems.

    The contempt with which the company treats analysts who dig into the numbers is another red flag.
    _

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