As of 2022, it was reported that there are a whopping 168 million Amazon Prime subscribers. The standard yearly subscription for the service is $140 a year, and while it’s half that amount for students enrolled in two- and four-year colleges, this still yields tremendous annual earnings for the online retailer. In 2021 alone, Amazon reportedly raked in a whopping $31.77 billion from its subscription-based services.
Being a Prime member comes with a number of perks, including unlimited access to select movies, TV shows, and original programming on Prime Video, as well as standard, no-cost expedited shipping on select item orders.
The latter feature is a primary reason why many folks who rely on Amazon for their shopping needs have their Prime membership. However, this doesn’t mean that every single order goes off without a hitch, and items can sometimes be delayed past their originally projected shipping date.
This is something TikToker Samantha Christopolis (@boujeenbudget) says can earn Prime members a little bit of extra cash should they experience any of these delays with their items.
In a viral TikTok that’s amassed over 3 million views, Samantha states that if a Prime member’s order arrives past its original delivery date, then they could be entitled to either a discount or a promotional credit from the retailer.
@boujeenbudget #fyp #greenscreen #amazon #amazonreview #amazonfashion #amazonfashionfinds #foryourpage #foryourpages #amazonfinds #amazonprime #amazonfavorites #review #productreview #affordable #themoreyouknow #amazonshipping #smartshopping #prime ♬ original sound – Samantha Christopolis
“OK quick PSA: If you pay for prime, and one of your orders winds up running later than the anticipated delivery date, message them on customer service, tell them you pay for Prime because of the expedited shipping, and they’ll give you either a promotional credit or some kind of discount back on this order,” she says.
Bible Money Matters reported that there are a variety of different forms of compensation one can receive from the online shopping giant, but that it all starts with messaging customer service, like Samantha suggests. According to the outlet, customers have received the following: a full refund of the item and shipping cost, a $40 Amazon credit after repeated late deliveries, a $5 to $10 Amazon credit, a free month of Amazon Prime, and a 30% refund of the order.
Customers who recently received an item late and are interested in trying to get some money back can head to the website’s Contact Us page, where they can select the order they had an issue with. If the item has already been delivered, they can click on “Arrived too Late,” which will then either prompt them to request a return or a replacement, or they can hit the “I need more help” option in order to begin chatting with a customer service representative. A customer can alert them of the issue they had with the delivery and potentially receive some form of compensation.
Some commenters remarked that “Prime hasn’t been priming lately,” i.e. that they aren’t receiving their orders in a timely enough fashion, which Samantha agreed with. “Lmao facts!! I get the demand is high but then drop what your charging people for the service,” she said.
One TikTok user argued against purchasing the annual Prime Memberships as they still receive their deliveries in the same amount of time as when they had it. Plus, since they place orders that meet the minimum free-shipping requirement, they’re ultimately saving $140 a year. “I cancelled my prime membership and still get my items the same time and any order over $25 is free,” they wrote.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Samantha via TikTok comment and Amazon via email.
