Amazon Experience: a real joke

Amazon screwed up with me when a $1.99 Kindle e-book on my account at Amazon USA website blocked me from a purchase and pushed me to buy from Amazon in Brazil.

We are talking about multiple attempts to pay, and then emails declining my payments for basically an e-book which should carry the same price in every country. As if it would be as simple as that. Well, it should be. Unfortunately, different countries carry different fiscal rules, varied tax obligations, and clearly greedy administrators. Yes, greedy people are everywhere. They are not content in making a quick buck. Rather they want to suck out whatever they can achieve. In those people’s minds, getting one deal and ripping the punter off is marvelous.

These greedy individuals/firms/governments are unable to see the bigger picture, in that a hundred buyers providing a small margin is actually better that charging high sums of money which in my book only entices the naïve. The truth is most people get taken advantage of, and turn a blind eye. It puts me off completely, and consequently I lose all interest.

This story is typical of the way the world is heading. The strong bully the weak while using maximum leverage to trick people into becoming suckers. They won’t accept my new credit card and keep telling me that I have a problem. I've got no problem apart from them. They even have their system badly setup, meaning there is no clear definition apart from wanting me to buy locally.

They are pushing me to buy via Amazon in Brazil because my credit card is from Brazil. However, Amazon Brazil expect me to pay R$69,00 for a Kindle edition. In other words, a two-dollar purchase via my US account which is around R$11,00 with IOF costs almost seven times as much from Amazon.com.br

It just goes to show that Brazilians are penalized left. right, and center by greedy administrators. It is absurd to think that there is a reason to charge seven times as much just because physically I am based in another country.

Evidently, Brazilian economists use strict economical smartness to come to the conclusion that less Brazilians speak English, and therefore there won’t be the same demand, as in the USA and therefore it warrants multiplying by seven. Therefore, they should charge more.

I’m tired of these economists because if something like a BMW 320i car sells well as it does in Brazil then does that mean that prices will drop? Come on, are you having a laugh believing in fairy tales. Of course not!

I cannot warrant making such a bad purchase decision. My English student will be upset, as he wants me to get a copy so we can use it during class, and I appreciate that. Moreover, I'm nobody's fool!

Take care!

Prof. Carl Boniface

Vocabulary builder:

Turn a blind eye (idiom) = pretend not to notice. "Please, don't turn a blind eye to what is happening."

Warrant (v) = merit, deserve, necessitate, demand, (n) permit, license, warranty, authorization, security, certification

I’m nobody’s fool (idiom) = It means the person who is 'nobody's fool' cannot be tricked or deceived by anyone.