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Amazon Mulls $5 to $10 monthly price tag for unprofitable Alexa service, AI revamp (www.reuters.com)

submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

118 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Amazon (AMZN.O) is planning a major revamp of its decade-old money-losing Alexa service to include a conversational generative AI with two tiers of service and has considered a monthly fee of around $5 to access the superior version, according to people with direct knowledge of the company's plans.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago (3 children)

For the first time in at least a decade of being a Prime member. I have set a reminder to cancel before it renews next time.

So many deliveries fail to be on time, I'm getting too many ads in my face when I use products I paid for (Fire TV auto-plays ads for content or cars or whatever now).

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Don't set a reminder, just cancel now. If you cancel, you get the rest of the time you paid for and it just doesn't automatically review, so there's no penalty to canceling early versus right before the deadline.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago (3 children)

I'm not sure that's true. There's a pause option and a cancel option. It sounds like canceling ends your benefits immediately, and the pause leaves them. I want to cancel, but at the right time.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

It's absolutely true, my friend. Only takes a minute.

They just wanna scare you out of cancelling.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Well, I've set the reminder. There's no urgency to cancel with 6 months left on the clock.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

I'm not sure that's true.

Well, I'm sure it's true. I've started and stopped Prime benefits multiple times.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

It's true, I canceled mine last year. I also haven't missed it, if I need things from Amazon I just have to spend over 35 for free shipping, and while it's slower it really doesn't bother me as much as I thought it might.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Cancel now! It's incredibly convoluted process that makes you think you've done it but no, there's always one more confirm screen hiding behind a tiny button

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Last time I canceled it it was very easy to do (amazon.ca)

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago

Nah, I've paid for it and it seems there's no refund.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Unfortunately, I’m still getting overnight and next day delivery on a lot of stuff, so I’m not giving Prime up. I did stop watching Prime Video already, since I’m not paying yet more.

Now I’m already way into the Apple ecosystem, so if Amazon insists that I give Apple yet more money for airpods, I’m ok with that

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

I use the overnight and next day delivery a lot, but when it goes wrong it's very frustrating, because there's seemingly nowhere else to buy an 8TB HDD in-person. Fry's closed down, Best Buy is garbage, etc.

We made this bed by giving Amazon all of our business and shutting down all their competitors. :-/