By Janis Weber
Is Amazon Prime Worth $139 a Year?
Ever thought about all the things Amazon knows about you? I don’t just mean your favorite shampoo and what food your dog eats. Right now, there’s no gatekeeper in charge of where your data’s going, what it’s being used for and how that information is stored and exploited. Then there’s Prime. Here are some of the top features that keep customers hooked:
• Free two-day delivery on over 10 million items.
• Free one-day or same-day shipping on some orders over $25.
• Exclusive access to Prime Day deals.
• Two-hour grocery delivery from Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh.
• Access to stream music, movies and TV shows through Prime Music and Prime Video.
Paying extra for Prime probably isn’t worth it if you shop less than a few times a month and don’t care about extras like Prime Video. Chances are the free shipping won’t outweigh the cost of your membership. Without Prime, shipping fees typically cost between $4 and $10.
Amazon healthcare
Looking for a cheaper way to get health care? An affordable option is Amazon Clinic, but can you trust it with your health information? Let’s take a close look. Book an appointment through the new Amazon Clinic, and you will meet with a clinician who can prescribe medication for anything from depression to thyroid issues.
Amazon does not provide the care itself. It’s acting as an intermediary between you and the people who will treat you. That’s where the problems begin. When you sign up for treatment through Amazon Clinic, you also “authorize” all those involved (doctors, pharmacies, and labs) to share your Protected Health Information, or PHI, with Amazon. So now, Amazon also has all your health care records.
Canceling Prime from your computer
A Federal Trade Commission lawsuit claims Amazon hid information that would simplify the cancellation process. It’s no wonder they did. Because of the confusing maze of instructions, Amazon reduced Prime cancellations by 14 percent. The runaround includes four pages of deals, offers, snooze alarms and several other distractions. Here is some help if you want to cancel your Prime membership. You can do it on your computer or smartphone. Here’s how:
• On the Amazon homepage, hover over the Account & Lists tab in the top right corner.
• Click on Prime Membership from the dropdown menu to go to your personal membership page. Then, select Manage Membership on the right.
• Select End Membership from the dropdown menu.
• On the next page you can view how many days are left in your billing cycle. Then, click the yellow Continue to Cancel button.
• On the next page, click the End on [DATE] yellow button to complete the process.
Phew, you’re done!
Definition of the day
An Oligopoly is a state of limited competition, in which a market is shared by a small number of producers or sellers. This is the definition of Amazon.
I Make House Calls
Janis Weber, B.A., owner of Ohio Computer Training & Support, is a professional computer adjunct instructor. E-mail any specific questions or comments to JwPCtutor@Gmail.com or contact her for assistance at 419-290-3570.
Private computer tutoring, repairs and printer issues are her specialty and are just a phone call, text, or email away. Check her out on The Sylvania Advantage website, titled Computer 101 for past articles.