Amazon is renowned for its ultra-fast deliveries, but even the biggest online retailer in the world can drop the ball from time to time. So how can you avoid an Amazon Prime late delivery when shopping the best Amazon deals? After all, Amazon Prime members are now paying $139/year for expedited deliveries and the last thing you want as a paying member is an Amazon Prime late delivery.
Also, with Walmart Plus widely available, Prime members have more options than ever for expedited delivery. Here are some pointers on what to do if you receive an Amazon Prime late delivery in the coming days. (Also, check out our guides on how to cancel Amazon Prime and how to cancel an Amazon order. If you're looking for deals, check out our best VPN deals and mattress deals this week).
Prime deliveries and Prime Day
Get ready! Prime Day deals will begin on Tuesday, July 12 and last through Wednesday, July 13. As one of Amazon's biggest retail holidays, there's a chance you could wind up with late Prime deliveries on Prime Day. Below you'll find tips on what to do if you wind up with a slow delivery.
Understanding the perks
Although Amazon doesn't do much to promote its Amazon Prime late delivery refund policy, it's actually a good one. In years past, any Amazon Prime customer who didn’t get a delivery within two days on a two-day shipment, or within the hours Amazon specified, would qualify for one free month of Amazon Prime. (Keep in mind that mileage varied.)
The free month was typically tacked on at the end of the period, so subscribers' end dates are extended one month.
"If you received free shipping through Amazon Prime, you may be eligible for a free one-month extension when the promised delivery date isn't met," Amazon once wrote on its customer service page (opens in new tab). "Prime Extensions are limited to one per free trial and 12 for an annual membership."
However, since the publishing of this article, that page has been updated to provide more general information about late shipments. It now suggests that Amazon will offer you a refund on your shipping fees. It makes no mention of Amazon Prime specifically. You will instead need to contact Amazon customer service, which according to many Internet users, will wind up giving you a free month.
Keep in mind that some internet users have reported even better perks in return for a late Amazon Prime delivery. Several posters have reported that the e-tailer offered anywhere from a $5 to $20 gift certificate toward any product on the site, a 20 percent discount on an Amazon Prime membership, or other offers.
It's unclear exactly what triggers Amazon to offer one deal over another, and it might have something to do with the time of year and whether you've complained before or not. But a quick look online clearly shows that Amazon is willing to offer more than just an extra month of Amazon Prime.
So, the question becomes, how do customers actually take advantage of such deals when their packages are later than Amazon promised?
Contacting Amazon
To contact Amazon, it's best to use the company's Contact Us (opens in new tab) page. Here you'll have the option to either chat with a messaging assistant that can answer basic questions or direct users to the proper place to have their issue addressed.
The page also gives users the option of having Amazon call them, as well as a wait time, so they have a sense of how long it’ll take to hear back from the company.
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If neither option is suitable, Amazon also provides quick access to a slew of help pages on everything from checking an order and managing content on devices to getting help with Amazon Prime and updating payment information.
Generally, Amazon recommends selecting the phone option to get support more quickly; customers can specify which phone number the rep should call. Still, online-chat waiting times aren't bad and we've been able to speak with Amazon reps after waiting just a few minutes.
Talking to customer service
Once it's time to talk to a customer service rep, the process is somewhat simple. Customers simply confirm that they purchased a product and that it hasn't arrived. Amazon customer service will look into the claim, quickly determine that the package hasn't arrived and, in most cases, automatically offer a free month of Amazon Prime service.
But as mentioned, some people have been lucky enough to get more than a free month of Prime, so it's a good idea for customers to push back a bit and explain why the delay is such an inconvenience.
MORE: Shop today's best Amazon deals
Perhaps you ran out of critical household goods or you were counting on the product to land in time so it could be given as a gift. Whatever the case, the commenters suggest customers who come up with a good reason Amazon's delay is upsetting them are in a good position to get a bit more. As long as it's all done in a polite manner. In other words, writing in all caps or too much complaining will probably get you nowhere.
Given that Amazon’s official policy only allows for customer service representatives to offer a freebie on the first late Amazon Prime delivery, the company might be less willing to offer a deal if delays start to pile up. As such, it's a good idea to go for it all the first time around or face the possibility of more pushback on subsequent attempts.
Bonus tip: Avoid Twitter
One more thing: While it's fine to complain to Amazon on Twitter, the company discourages sharing order information on the social network and typically directs users to its customer service page. So, although Twitter might be more convenient, it won't expedite a resolution.
Shop today's best Amazon sales
- Alexa device sale: Echo devices from $14 (opens in new tab)
- Adidas: up to 55% off polo shirts, sneakers, jerseys, more (opens in new tab)
- Amazon Basics Home: bedding deals from $11 (opens in new tab)
- American Apparel: tops/bottoms from $10 (opens in new tab)
- Apple AirPods Pro: was $249 now $189 (opens in new tab)
- Athleisure wear: yoga pants, workout tops from $6 (opens in new tab)
- Bedding & bath: deals on comforters, shower curtains, more (opens in new tab)
- Bissell vacuums: 50% off floorcare and air purifiers (opens in new tab)
- Black + Decker: power tools up to 50% off (opens in new tab)
- Blu-ray movie sets: Batman, Indiana Jones from 45% off (opens in new tab)
- Board games: up to 60% all games (opens in new tab)
- Books: best sellers from $4 (opens in new tab)
- Bose: headphones and speakers from $129 (opens in new tab)
- Bowflex: home gym deals extra 20% off sale prices (opens in new tab)
- Camping gear: Coleman, Igloo, Zippo from $8 (opens in new tab)
- Chromebooks: HP, Lenovo, Acer from $209 (opens in new tab)
- Clothing: up to 50% off Anne Klein, Bulova, Izod, (opens in new tab)
- Deep fryers: Cuisinart, Hamilton Beach, more from $24 (opens in new tab)
- Designer apparel: Kenneth Cole, Calvin Klein up to 45% off (opens in new tab)
- External hard drives: Seagate, WD, more from $38 (opens in new tab)
- Fitness: deals from $6 (opens in new tab)
- Garmin smartwatches: up to 30% off deals from $49 (opens in new tab)
- Groceries: up to 35% off Quaker, Starbucks, Lay's, and more (opens in new tab)
- Gym bags: Puma, Nike, Adidas from $12 (opens in new tab)
- HDTVs: smart TVs from $99 (opens in new tab)
- Headphones: Sony, Bose, Anker deals from $10 (opens in new tab)
- Heating/cooling: fans and air conditioners from $12 (opens in new tab)
- Juicing machines: save on NutriBullet, Breville, more (opens in new tab)
- Kitchen appliances: save on Ninja, Keurig, Instant Pot (opens in new tab)
- Keurig coffee makers: machines from $69 (opens in new tab)
- Laptops: save on MacBooks, Chromebooks, and Windows machines (opens in new tab)
- Levi's: up to 55% off men's/women's shorts and jeans (opens in new tab)
- LifeStraw: up to 50% off water filters (opens in new tab)
- Luggage/travel: sets and accessories from from $8 (opens in new tab)
- Magazines: 90% off Food & Wine, Real Simple, more (opens in new tab)
- Nike: up to $50 off sneakers & shorts (opens in new tab)
- Nvidia RTX GPUs: up to $140 off video cards (opens in new tab)
- Office chairs: deals from $39 (opens in new tab)
- OLED TVs: up to $1,500 off LG and Sony (opens in new tab)
- Pet food/supplies: save on Blue, Fresh Step, Wellness (opens in new tab)
- Power tools: DeWalt, Black & Decker, Bosch up to 50% off (opens in new tab)
- PS5 games: deals from $29 (opens in new tab)
- Robot vacuums: iRobot, Shark, more from $129 (opens in new tab)
- Sneakers: Skechers, New Balance, Asics from $19 (opens in new tab)
- Surface laptops: from $599 (opens in new tab)
- Swimming pool toys: up to 60% off inflatables (opens in new tab)
- Xbox Series X|S games: from $19 (opens in new tab)