Amazon Prime Rip-Off

[richmond282]

My DH signed up for an amazon prime membership today b/c we are getting my DD7 a Kindle Fire for her birthday. We wanted her to be able to use the free book a month and the streaming. We are going to open a seperate amazon account for her using a pre-paid debit card. We don't want a 7 year old having a Fire linked to our accounts (hence our credit card.) Well, the "invitees" of a prime member are not allowed to use any of the features of amazon prime except the free shipping. That's right! For me to stream on my account I have to pay ANOTHER $79 and my daughter would have to pay ANOTHER $79. That's $237 for 3 people who all live in the same house to use the streaming service on amazon. That doesn't even give you access to every movie/ TV show; only the ones amazon says. We pay about $180/ year for Netflix and everybody in the house can use it on every device we want to. Get a clue, amazon!

 

[wendow]

We have the purchases password protected. Could you use that and register her Fire to the main Prime account? I agree with you though that it is unfair. I think all household devices should get the Prime streaming privileges.

 

[RitaE]

All household devices do get free streaming - although I think there might be some limit to the devices that can be streaming at once.

But they have to be on the SAME ACCOUNT.

Allowing you to share Prime Rate shipping with 4 other accounts is a benefit. It isn't a "rip-off" that they don't let you share other things like the free books and video streaming with other accounts too.

If you signed up for a Netflix subscription would you expect to be able to share your streaming with 4 other Netflix accounts?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

How is this a rip-off? Did you read the terms for Amazon Prime before you signed up? This information is clearly stated. Personally, I think extending the free shipping to several other people is very generous. I don't understand your complaint.

 

[kamik86]

We use amazon prime to several devices. My husband and I just use the same account. The only reason this has ever been an issue is for gifts since things you recently looked at show up on the first page, but since the shipping is shared that would solve that concern... I don't understand why your upset about this. Why does a 7 year old need her own account anyway?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

why does a 7 year old need her own account anyway?

+1

 

[DawnM]

We all have ONE account for our household.

If Amazon allowed 4 different accounts to link to one Prime, who would be able to stop them from households sharing their Prime with friends?

Just link her Fire to your account and you are all set.

Amazon is the furthest things from a rip off I have ever experienced. We love Amazon!

 

[Marionnette]

My DH signed up for an amazon prime membership today b/c we are getting my DD7 a Kindle Fire for her birthday. We wanted her to be able to use the free book a month and the streaming. We are going to open a seperate amazon account for her using a pre-paid debit card. We don't want a 7 year old having a Fire linked to our accounts (hence our credit card.) Well, the "invitees" of a prime member are not allowed to use any of the features of amazon prime except the free shipping. That's right! For me to stream on my account I have to pay ANOTHER $79 and my daughter would have to pay ANOTHER $79. That's $237 for 3 people who all live in the same house to use the streaming service on amazon. That doesn't even give you access to every movie/ TV show; only the ones amazon says. We pay about $180/ year for Netflix and everybody in the house can use it on every device we want to. Get a clue, amazon!

Remove your credit card from your Amazon account. Load a small gift card amount on it for her use. Just change your method of payment when you or your husband wishes to make a purchase. No need to set up a separate account for your daughter. Problem solved. As others have said, why does a 7 year old need her own Amazon account?

Amazon Prime is per account and not per household. It's nice that they allow you to extend the free shipping to invitees but the streaming video was never meant to compete with Netflix. I see no reason why Amazon should allow you to extend it to anyone you please. Just install the Netflix app to your daughter's Kindle Fire and add your account info. She'll be able to watch whatever that they have in their library.

 

[jrmasm]

When my 8 year old got a Fire last Xmas, I showed her how to buy things and I made it VERY CLEAR that if she clicked on Buy, she'd lose her new Kindle. So far, no problems.

Maybe I'm wrong but I though the last system upgrade added a password requirement option for purchases. Did I dream that?

Add me as another that thinks Amazon is the best!!!

 

[jaminmd]

It isn't a rip off, just keep them all on your account. I gave DD my 3G Kindle when I got the Fire but I kept them all under the same account. She's 15 and she still asks if it's ok before she downloads a book.

I can't give Amazon enough praise. My Fire developed lines in the screen & it was only 6 months old. I had a replacement two days later and they gave me 30 days to return the defective one.

I've had them send me free replacements of dog food when cans were broken. They absolutely have excellent customer service. Make things easier for yourself and stick to one account.

 

[richmond282]

Nope, I'm not adding my daughter on my account. Period. I save up my swagbucks amazon gift cards and have almost $500 in credit in my account. I'm not linking my daughter to it. Period. I'm also not going to add and delete my credit card info every time I purchase something. We want her to have her own account with a little bit of $ in it to teach her to manage that $ and have to make choices about what to buy and what not to buy.

It is NOT made clear when you sign up for the amazon prime that others linked to the account can't use the priviledges. We would not have purchased if it was. In fact, when we called the customer rep he didn't know it either. He kept saying "That's not right" (in broken English of course). I also called a couple of months ago when my DH recieved his Fire and got a month free of prime. The rep told me he couldn't share that with anybody, but if we paid for the membership we would be able to share the streaming, books, etc. So I have had not 1, but 2, amazon reps tell me we should be able to share.

We have called and cancelled the prime and won't use it ever again. Period. For the pp that said you could share it with your friends, etc. amazon prime is ONLY supposed to be shared with other people in the same household according the their policy. That means amazon ASSUMES you all have seperate accounts. If you are sharing with your friends, then you are violating the amazon prime membership guidelines. They could easily check the IP addreses to keep that from happening.

 

[kamik86]

Nope, I'm not adding my daughter on my account. Period. I save up my swagbucks amazon gift cards and have almost $500 in credit in my account. I'm not linking my daughter to it. Period. I'm also not going to add and delete my credit card info every time I purchase something. We want her to have her own account with a little bit of $ in it to teach her to manage that $ and have to make choices about what to buy and what not to buy.

It is NOT made clear when you sign up for the amazon prime that others linked to the account can't use the priviledges. We would not have purchased if it was. In fact, when we called the customer rep he didn't know it either. He kept saying "That's not right" (in broken English of course). I also called a couple of months ago when my DH recieved his Fire and got a month free of prime. The rep told me he couldn't share that with anybody, but if we paid for the membership we would be able to share the streaming, books, etc. So I have had not 1, but 2, amazon reps tell me we should be able to share.

We have called and cancelled the prime and won't use it ever again. Period. For the pp that said you could share it with your friends, etc. amazon prime is ONLY supposed to be shared with other people in the same household according the their policy. That means amazon ASSUMES you all have seperate accounts. If you are sharing with your friends, then you are violating the amazon prime membership guidelines. They could easily check the IP addreses to keep that from happening.

No they couldn't because then there would be the real rip off that I wouldn't be able to use my kindle/laptop/any other device from other networks where I would have a different IP address.

 

[jrmasm]

Nope, I'm not adding my daughter on my account. Period. I save up my swagbucks amazon gift cards and have almost $500 in credit in my account. I'm not linking my daughter to it. Period. I'm also not going to add and delete my credit card info every time I purchase something. We want her to have her own account with a little bit of $ in it to teach her to manage that $ and have to make choices about what to buy and what not to buy.

It is NOT made clear when you sign up for the amazon prime that others linked to the account can't use the priviledges. We would not have purchased if it was. In fact, when we called the customer rep he didn't know it either. He kept saying "That's not right" (in broken English of course). I also called a couple of months ago when my DH recieved his Fire and got a month free of prime. The rep told me he couldn't share that with anybody, but if we paid for the membership we would be able to share the streaming, books, etc. So I have had not 1, but 2, amazon reps tell me we should be able to share.

You can, with the devices on the same account.

We have called and cancelled the prime and won't use it ever again. Period. For the pp that said you could share it with your friends, etc. amazon prime is ONLY supposed to be shared with other people in the same household according the their policy. That means amazon ASSUMES you all have seperate accounts. If you are sharing with your friends, then you are violating the amazon prime membership guidelines. They could easily check the IP addreses to keep that from happening.

This is for shipping only.

 

[Nayan]

Amazon Prime is awesome for shipping, period. Amazon Prime for streaming is not worth it. Now Netflix for streaming is awesome. I would never pay for Amazon Prime just for streaming. The content stinks, no parental controls, no queue, no nothing. Grab Netflix for the Fire and pay for that.

 

[RitaE]

Well I'm sorry that the OP is unhappy (That Fire is returnable for 30 days btw) but just in case anybody else is confused about what Amazon will or won't allow, this is what it says on the Amazon website says - highlighting added by me. It doesn't seem all that unclear to me, but I guess it is misunderstood at least by one family.

Sharing Amazon Prime Benefits
Prime members under a free trial or paid subscription can share their shipping benefits with up to 4 additional family members living in the same household, or up to 4 coworkers to shop for the related account. Other Prime membership benefits such as Prime instant video and the Kindle Owners' Lending Library can't be shared.

And if Amazon wants to check our IP addresses they will find our shared accounts are my two sons off at college. No biggie.

I just want to re-iterate again though that you can stream Amazon Prime to several household devices, they just have to be on the same account. If the OP chooses not to share the account with her daughter's device for whatever her reasons, then yes she will have to pay again to gain streaming privileges.

What the OP is asking for would be similar to having 5 different Netflix Accounts but only paying once. Netflix does stream to several devices also, but they also have to share one account so claiming some sort of superiority there is false.

 

[Marionnette]

Nope, I'm not adding my daughter on my account. Period. I save up my swagbucks amazon gift cards and have almost $500 in credit in my account. I'm not linking my daughter to it. Period. I'm also not going to add and delete my credit card info every time I purchase something. We want her to have her own account with a little bit of $ in it to teach her to manage that $ and have to make choices about what to buy and what not to buy.

It is NOT made clear when you sign up for the amazon prime that others linked to the account can't use the priviledges. We would not have purchased if it was. In fact, when we called the customer rep he didn't know it either. He kept saying "That's not right" (in broken English of course). I also called a couple of months ago when my DH recieved his Fire and got a month free of prime. The rep told me he couldn't share that with anybody, but if we paid for the membership we would be able to share the streaming, books, etc. So I have had not 1, but 2, amazon reps tell me we should be able to share.

We have called and cancelled the prime and won't use it ever again. Period. For the pp that said you could share it with your friends, etc. amazon prime is ONLY supposed to be shared with other people in the same household according the their policy. That means amazon ASSUMES you all have seperate accounts. If you are sharing with your friends, then you are violating the amazon prime membership guidelines. They could easily check the IP addreses to keep that from happening.

You're making it more difficult than it needs to be.

Turn the wi fi off on the Kindle Fire. Remove the network key so that your daughter cannot turn it back on. Have her come to you to activate the wi fi whenever she wants to stream a movie or purchase something.

There are plenty of ways to work around having a single account for Amazon Prime. It just sounds as if you have no interest in trying any of them. You just wish to complain to us.

If you feel that purchasing Amazon Prime was a mistake and you were fed misinformation, then call Amazon and voice your complaint. Ask to discontinue the service and have your money refunded. I have found their customer service to be excellent when you have a problem.

And by the way, I don't know how you reached someone who spoke "in broken English". Even customer service representatives who are not native speakers need to be fluent in English. I have yet to reach anyone at Amazon who spoke broken English, although I have encountered a number of representatives for whom English may not have been their first language, based on their accents. It never had an effect on their ability to resolve a problem or answer a question.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

It is NOT made clear when you sign up for the amazon prime that others linked to the account can't use the priviledges [sic]. We would not have purchased if it was. In fact, when we called the customer rep he didn't know it either. He kept saying "That's not right" (in broken English of course).


Wow. What can I say to this?

I also called a couple of months ago when my DH recieved [sic] his Fire and got a month free of prime. The rep told me he couldn't share that with anybody, but if we paid for the membership we would be able to share the streaming, books, etc. So I have had not 1, but 2, amazon reps tell me we should be able to share.

We have called and cancelled the prime and won't use it ever again. Period. For the pp that said you could share it with your friends, etc. amazon prime is ONLY supposed to be shared with other people in the same household according the their policy. That means amazon ASSUMES you all have seperate [sic] accounts. If you are sharing with your friends, then you are violating the amazon prime membership guidelines. They could easily check the IP addreses to keep that from happening.

If you had bothered to read the Prime Terms and Conditions, you would have been informed as to how the program works regarding invitees. It's stated right there:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_primeland_resources_tc?nodeId=13819201

Prime Instant Videos and Kindle Owners' Lending Library
....Prime instant videos and the Kindle Owners' Lending Library are not available to invitees, Amazon Mom, and Amazon Student members receiving free Prime shipping benefits.

You also might be interested in this condition:

Please note that any member under age 18 may use the Amazon.com website only with involvement of a parent or guardian.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Sorry, OP - I have to side with Amazon on this one. The terms and conditions for Amazon Prime are clearly spelled out. You can choose to have your daughter on your account or not, but if you are determined to give a 7 year old her own account, she needs her own Prime to get all the benefits.

 

[wendow]

I agree with the others, OP. There are ways around this. Like I said, we password protected purchases. It is not hard at all. Your dd could come to you when a password is necessary. Why is that so hard And Amazon does make it clear what is included in the Prime membership and who gets those privileges.

I *do* wish they would allow all household accounts the streaming privileges and lending library. My dh & I have had separate accounts for YEARS and we each have books we've purchased on those accounts on our Kindles. We would lose those books if we combined accounts. So, we won't be combining. But we've been Prime members since about a year after they began the program. We absolutely love having Prime shipping. The streaming is fine but not at all why we became Prime members and I would never sign up for Prime just for the streaming cause it isn't that great. Netflix is better for that.

 

[mdsoccermom]

I'm also on Amazon's side with this. Their policies are pretty clear. It's not their fault you misunderstood them. You are making this way more difficult than it needs to be. Just let her share your account with you and make sure she asks before purchasing anything.

My kids share my Amazon account. They both know to ask me first before purchasing a single thing. If they ever purchase anything they have not authorized, then they know they will lose their kindles. Heck, my daughter asks me before downloading anything free.

There are plenty of ways to teach your daughter money management; you don't have to rely on having her own Amazon account to do that.