Amazon now charging to return Prime items

I have been a Prime member since forever and almost always buy items marked Prime eligible because returns have been no hassle and no charge. Until today.

For the first time EVER, I went to return two out of three items (a small messenger bag and a tote). The reason for the return? "Style not as expected" In one case, the bag was unsuited for a laptop because it wasn't padded on the bottom. In the other, it was just super awkward to use.

So I was pretty much blown away when I got to the finalize return page and it showed an $8.03 return shipping charge. WTH? I didn't click through and immediately contacted Amazon Customer Service via online chat.

While in the end, the CS rep put through a manual return without the return shipping charge, my experience was a huge step down from previous contacts with Amazon. First, the rep said it was a re-stocking fee, not a shipping charge. What?? Nope it said SHIPPING on the page. Second, the rep never answered my question about how one would know about the charge in advance. He (Steven S.) simply pasted a link to Amazon's general return policies. And finally when I AGAIN tried to get a further explanation about how to figure things out in the future, he simply LEFT CHAT leaving me hanging.

After this episode, just to double-check, I went to Amazon's help pages and looked for info on returns and couldn't find anything specific that dealt with Prime and shipping charges on returns.

After posting my story on Facebook tonight, I immediately got 3 replies from friends who have recently had the same thing happen to them AND had never had it happen before. One friend commented that Amazon customer service has gone downhill in general. She noted when items are delayed in shipping (the famous "Order now and get it by xx/xx/xx"), Amazon no longer compensates in some way. They simply say "check with us in a few days".

 Relaying my experience on Twitter got this response from Amazon:

This sucks and nowhere has Amazon informed its customers up front that they're now doing this. So I predict a few things will happen:

• Customers will do far less shopping on "spec" items or where they're not sure about the quality, fit, color or finish.
• Any returns that aren't "free returns" will be "defective" in some respect.
• Prime members may reconsider paying $120/year for "free" shipping.
• More shopping will be done at retailers like Staples, Wal-Mart or Best Buy where you can return items no charge at a physical store.

This just seems stupidly short sighted by Amazon.  As always, comments welcome.

Gripes About Lens Cleaning Wipes

I wear glasses and have since I was two years old. Being farsighted (can't see things up close), keeping lenses clean and clear is always an issue for me since every little fingerprint, smudge or spot shows up in my vision. Which brings me to today's subject. Lens cleaning wipes. I have to use them. Those microfiber cloths don't work for me because, more often than not, they just smear the heck out of any greasy or oily smudges making the problem worse.

There are basically two types of solution used in wipes (as there are in sprays as well). Most are alcohol-based and to my untrained nose and fingers, would seem to be about 10 - 20% in strength.

I've used probably 10 different brands of wipes over the past 10 years trying to find the perfect ones. Sad to say, there aren't any but some are better than others and some are just flat out crap.

My pseudo-scientific rating scale goes from 1 to 5 stars.

Flents "Wipe N Clear" (⭐)

Or as I call them, "Wipe 'N Smear". These are found in various big box stores in giant boxes of 300 wipes. These are soft, non-directional fiber tissues (feel like Tencel or possibly a polyester). The last time I bought them (about 6 months ago) about half the wipes were dried out. Those that weren't dried out tended to smear whatever was on the lens rather than clean it. Not sure what the solution is since there isn't really enough of it to judge. About 6¢ / wipe.

Equate Lens Cleaning Wipes (⭐)

I used to see these at Wal-Mart and Target and they were junk. Usually dried out and felt like they could damage the lens. Alcohol based.

Up&Up Lens Cleaning Wipes (⭐⭐)

Target's house brand for all things generic. While better than Flents or Equate for consistency, they smear. Don't bother. Alcohol based. About 7¢ / wipe.

Bausch+Lomb Sightsavers (⭐⭐⭐)

Also found in big box stores, these are more like those super wet hand towelettes that you get with BBQ dinners. In fact I have used them for cleaning my hands, they are that wet. They have a very stiff, paper-like feel to them. The wetness is really the drawback because they leave little spots behind as the solution dries up. If I have to use one of these, I shake all the excess solution off. wait about 20 seconds and THEN use it to wipe my lenses. Alcohol based.

"Nice 'N Clean" Lens Wipes (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

These are softer than the B+L wipes, drier (better) and have a different solution with a citrus smell. It could be some sort of acetic acid versus the usual alcohol base. There is some debate over whether the very small amount of alcohol contained in lens cleaning solutions can harm coated lenses or not. I think it's no big deal especially since pros regularly use 50% methanol to clean expensive camera lenses. About 5¢ / wipe at Wal-Mart (box of 60).

UPDATE: N'NC reports back that their wipes use Ethyl Alcohol (Ethanol).

Zeiss Lens Cleaning Wipe (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

These are found in Wal-Mart near the optical department (if they have one). While you can buy them on Amazon, the price is about 2x what you'll pay in a Wally World store. Like the Bausch+Lomb wipes, they are similar to hand towelette in feel but they aren't nearly as wet. This means they do a good job of cleaning while not leaving any trace spots of solution behind. Alcohol based. About 6¢ / wipe at Wal-Mart (box of 50).

Summary

Expect to pay anywhere from 5¢ to 8¢ per wipe depending on brand and retailer. If you have experience with other brands of wipes. feel free to share them here!

Sample Hand 5H