A chink in Amazon...

I'm sure that there are several, but I've always held Amazon.com in high regard. Perhaps because it is based in Seattle, where I grew up. They are just impressive. Much more impressive to me than Wal-Mart.

So, I was very impressed last Sunday when I used my iPhone to look up a new book to buy and saw that they had a beta site specifically designed for the iPhone browser experience. Smart.

It was so smart, I ordered the book and all the other books in my cart. I was so excited to read the four new books, I stepped out and paid for the 3-5 day shipping (vs. super saver free...I know, big spender).

Well, I thought they would arrive in 3-5 days from Monday...leaving the strong possibility that they would be here in time for the weekend. Since they tend to arrive faster than the 5 days, I've check my front door every day.

Today is Friday. No books.

Suddenly, I was afraid that the order didn't actually happen. I hurried to check the status...

"Shipping Estimate: October 21, 2008"

OCTOBER! Are you kidding me???

It seems that Amazon thought it would be appropriate to hold the other three, ready-to-be shipped, books until the new, soon-to-be-released Seth Godin book was actually released...in October.

Amazon should be smarter than this. I called to complain...the customer service rep wanted to explain to me that it was my fault.

First, I selected the " Group my items into as few shipments as possible" option. Second, I should have noticed the Shipping Estimate when I ordered them. (nevermind that it was in 4pt font on my iPhone)

I told the customer "service" rep that I don't want an explanation. I want my books. No one would choose to wait until October for books they could buy right now at the bookstore. Shipping in"as few shipments as possible" should at least include getting those now.

I canceled my order for Seth Godin's book. I'll order it later.

The other three books will arrive on Tuesday.

I won't make the same mistake again. But, Amazon should know better.