What the hell is wrong with Amazon and/or USPS?

[AzScorpion]

For perspective: Any of you folks ever watch the classic movie The Music Man?

I remember as a kid in the late '60's waiting weeks for my Estes Model Rocket order to arrive.

Haha But we're spoiled now and want things overnight.

Back then you'd order something and had no idea when it would show up. Going to the mailbox was like waiting for Santa, without internet or tracking numbers you never knew when it would arrive. Now if something takes a week or heaven forbid two we're all ready to boycott them and go after them with pitchforks. Yes, I'm guilty if this too!

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[Sharky]

well the postal service really bites this last month. we pay & mail our bills the day after receiving
them. on the 28th & 29th of December we got 2 late notices via e-mail.
we checked & both bills were mailed on December 16th. one needed to go 50 miles & the
other 30 miles away. WTF, where did the bills go ?????

 

[OFC Ranger]

People still mail in payments for bills?

 

[Sharky]

if you ever have a identity theft, you will forego most electronic communication for things like
your bills !!!!!

 

[OFC Ranger]

Well they did it to me again, Up until December my packages from the Jefferson, GA distribution center came straight down here to me in my area of Georgia. Now like clockwork its up in New Jersey again. USPS are some incompetent nimrods for sure.

Edit: Amazon refunded me one month of membership, regardless of all this being the dumbass couriers fault.

 

[VAMike]

if you ever have a identity theft, you will forego most electronic communication for things like
your bills !!!!!

There's pretty much zero chance of identity theft from paying bills online, that's just not how it works. And if you knew how security works for checks...

 

[r1ch999999]

There's pretty much zero chance of identity theft from paying bills online, that's just not how it works. And if you knew how security works for checks...

Unless the online theft was due to a poor password or malware that stole it.

 

[VAMike]

Unless the online theft was due to a poor password or malware that stole it.

Still not how identity theft works

 

[r1ch999999]

Still not how identity theft works

True identity theft, no, but someone pretending to be you and clearing out your bank account, yes. I’d bet most people complaining about identity theft just had something stolen.

 

[r1ch999999]

Well, this post has taken several left turns hasn't it?

 

[HenryMac]

Well, this post has taken several left turns hasn't it?

One right turn too..

 

[Sharky]

I`m not a computer geek but in 2004 we had a theft & what a mess ! it was from a electronic
bill.
I dont want to experience that again !!!!!

on a related note, 2 days before Christmas we stopped for gas & used the card at the pump.
pump reader looked good. 20 minutes after getting home we received a notice there was an attempt to use our card number at that station. called the bank & cancelled that card plus had a new one issued.

I may not know how these electronic bill systems work but NEVER had issues paying with cash or check !!!!!!!!

 

[VAMike]

True identity theft, no, but someone pretending to be you and clearing out your bank account, yes. I’d bet most people complaining about identity theft just had something stolen.

Well, checks don't help with that at all. You've got all the problems of electronic transfers (simplified, anybody who knows the unchanging numbers on the bottom of every check can clear out the account) plus additional risks from physical alteration (washing the check to rewrite payee or amount.) People who don't understand the back end of either electronic banking or modern checking feel like they're different because they can hold a check, but it's really just an electronic transfer with a compatibility hack for old processes. Statistically the odds of getting hit by either electronic or check fraud are low. From a practical standpoint the consumer protection laws and competitive pressures are such that you've got zero liability from theft either way, though it can be a pita to resolve (in both cases).

Real identity theft involves someone using personal information (name, address, social security number, etc) to open new accounts or fraudulently access existing accounts. Avoiding electronic payments won't help at all with that because those payments aren't generally accompanied by the kind of personal information that could be used for identity theft.

In reality, false prescriptions aside, the most secure and stress free way to pay for things is with a credit card. With a check (or debit card) you're potentially out the cash (and depending on your situation possibly unable to pay any bills) while fighting over fraud, whereas with a credit card you just don't pay the credit card bill under dispute and keep the money. In both cases the liability protections are in your favor, but it's a hell of a lot less stressful to have the money the whole time than not. If someone thinks that a checking account is a safer option they just don't understand how checking accounts work, and probably are swayed by the fact that holding checks makes them seem safe and familiar. It's a self correcting problem as most people under the age of 20 (if not 30) will probably never have a checkbook.

Oh, and this is all only applicable to consumer accounts. The protections for business accounts are far weaker, and if someone clears out the corporate account of a small business there's a reasonably good chance the business will fold.

 

[Motorpsychology]

For perspective: Any of you folks ever watch the classic movie The Music Man?

I remember as a kid in the late '60's waiting weeks for my Estes Model Rocket order to arrive.

'"...mail in two boxtops of Super Sugar Coma Cereal along with 25¢ and be the first one on your block to have a 10-in-1 Mystery Magic Jobiator! (please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery)' Jeez, it took all week to eat two boxes of the cereal, now I hafta wait some more? Summer vacation will be almost over before it gets here!"

Today's logistics engineers and software designers are yesterday's longing children.

 

[Tracy Bowman]

I ordered a console tray from Amazon & they said delivery would be February 16 Well, I waited 1 1/2 years to get it, I guess another 6 weeks won't make a difference.

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