I'm at the point now that I'm ready to close my Amazon account...I bought into The Amazon Prime so I could watch movies on my smart-tv....But trying to logon on to the smart-tv..it generates a message that requires fixing by receiving a text message to my old phone number. and they hav no way to allow me to change the olds phone number to the r new one....I just spent an hour withe the chat people uptown their supervisor with no resolution. I even sent a text message to them from my new number.
I gave up trying to use my "smart" TV, @Al Amoling. I just bought a firestick and everything works fine now.
Al, can you close your existing Amazon account and open a new one? You might need to use a different email address. It seems like my son had the same issue when he got a new phone number but I don't know how he resolved the issue. @Don Alaska -- I thought the smart tv was just a TV with a built-in internet connection. A smart TV has menus similar to a streaming device (Fire stick, Roku, etc.) I don't have a Fire stick but I have Roku and a couple of smart TVs.
Mine just doesn't work. I had two of my sons work with it using both Android and Apple phones, and the most we could cast directly with it was some video of kittens from YouTube. Even most of YouTube didn't work. It is a Vizio, and didn't come with a "real remote", as the CEO of Vizio decided everybody had a smart phone, so remotes are no longer needed. From what I get on the internet, most people use Googlecast to make this TV work, but I decided just to get a Firestick and forget about trying to use the "smart: functions of the TV. I wish I had not gotten this TV, but since I have it I will use workarounds. It now works just like the "dumb" TV we have for the grandkids in one of the guest bedrooms.
With our smart TVs, there is no need to "cast" anything. Just turn them on, connect to the wifi with password (only at setup), then a menu appears. From the menu you select OTA broadcast TV, any of the many streaming services (Hulu, Netflix, etc), cable or other input devices (DVD, etc.) Does the TV get a strong wifi signal? Odd that your TV doesn't have a regular remote. Is it possible to buy one for it? I suppose since you are satisfied with the Firestick there's no need to bother.
The WIFI router is right beside the TV. It is just a "smart" TV to which not much thought was involved in designing it. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't buy it, but the Firestick works well enough.
From Engadget... Amazon brings Prime shipping to more third-party sites on January 31st Like it or not, Amazon is expanding Prime to cover more of the web. The company says it's making Buy with Prime "widely available" to eligible third-party sites in the US on January 31st. More shops can offer free shipping, a streamlined checkout and simplified returns to Prime members. Before now, stores had to already be using Amazon's fulfillment system and receive an invitation. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/amazon-buy-with-prime-third-party-sites-151609757.html
I'm seeing more and more complaints about Amazon lately. I have never been interested in Reddit, but recently a google search took me there and I have found so many interesting "sub-reddits"... one being Amazon Prime https://www.reddit.com/r/amazonprime/ . There is also a sub-reddit for Amazon delivery drivers and it has so many crazy stories I could read for hours.
Simplified returns has gone out the window for me. It seems like when Bezo stepped down from running the day to day operations many things have changed at Amazon. I am thinking of dropping my prime membership when it's time to renew.
There are so many complaints that Amazon has become less of a retailer and more of a warehouse facility for chinese sellers. A lot of counterfeit merchandise being sold and Amazon is making it harder to return big-ticket merchandise. Funny that when a business has a successful model and is at the top of their game, they make changes that ultimately cause their downfall. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Amazon is being sued over claims that it tricks users into subscribing to Prime subscriptions (or enrolling customers without their consent) that it then makes near-impossible to cancel. The internal joke regarding the cancellation process was the Iliad, in reference to a 24+ book story of the Trojan War. The process is designed to take you off in unrelated directions, which then forces you to start all over The article I read is behind a paywall. When I went looking for one to link to this comment, I see many regarding this "Prime scam" subject dated last June. This new lawsuit is by an investor, claiming that this issue was known internally, and was specifically crafted to deceive. Amazon has also been accused of slow-rolling responses to FTC investigators.
When you order something, it says, "We are giving you Prime free!" But in the tiny, tiny print, it says, "For 30 days after which you will be charged .... " Whatever the rate is. I always make double sure I click on, "No thanks."
It's included in some of the Free Shipping options. They got me on it a couple of months ago because I clicked through so quickly, and I immediately cancelled.