Amazon fails Prime Day

As I write this, it’s been almost five hours since Amazon opened its digital doors for business on its biggest day of the year: Amazon Prime Day.

I’m a loyal Prime member who dutifully prepared my wish list and followed Amazon’s tips to take advantage of today’s great deals.

But I’ve only spent about $17.

Why? Because I can’t access hardly any deals on Amazon’s app. According to Twitter, Facebook and news outlets, I’m not alone. When I posted on Facebook that I was having problems with Prime Day, many friends commented that they were struggling, too. In fact, nobody I’ve spoken with has had success purchasing much of anything so far.

I had better luck on Amazon’s desktop website – that’s where I picked up a new $17 essential oil diffuser. But in many cases, even my desktop browser searches produced only Amazon’s “cute dog” error screen.

No Ring doorbell. No patio furniture sectional sofa set. No new tablet. Amazon, I’ve been saving up for today and you’ve lost a considerable chunk of my change.

This fail should remind all credit unions of the importance of delivering your promised member experience. If you, like Amazon, claim to be a digital retailer, you’d better have a Plan B, Plan C and Plan D in the event your website, online banking or mobile app goes down. Your member service reps must respond promptly to member inquiries made via email, text or social media messaging.

And don’t, as Amazon did, downplay any digital service issues by responding to inquiries by bragging about how robust your sales have been anyway.

I’m still going to keep my Amazon Prime membership and I still consider Amazon to be the leader in digital commerce. But today, their reputation was tarnished a bit for me and millions of American shoppers.