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Sinead Butler
Jul 26, 2022
Amazon delivery driver gets close to bear
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Amazon customers have shared their dismay after the online retail giant announced its Prime delivery and streaming services are set to increase in price for the first time since 2014.
The move has been blamed due to "increased inflation and operating costs" as customers' Prime subscriptions which include free unlimited delivery, entertainment streaming and live sport will increase from £7.99 each month to £8.99, and from £79 to £95 for those who pay annually.
The 20 per cent price hike will occur on September 15 for new customers and for existing customers, it will happen on the day of their next renewal.
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Meanwhile, the streaming service has splashed the cash on original content such as TV seriesThe Boys and The Terminal List - not to mention a whopping estimated £750 million on the rights and production for the new The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power series set to be released in September.
Sports rights to 20 Premier League matches each season and some Champions League games from 2024 have also been secured for Prime.
In a statement, a company spokesperson said: "Prime offers the best of shopping and entertainment, and continues to improve each year.
"We have increased the number of products available with fast, unlimited Prime delivery, recently added ultra-fast fresh grocery delivery, and have significantly expanded our high-quality digital entertainment, including TV, movies, music, games, and books.
"With increased inflation and operating costs in the UK continuing to rise, we will change the price of Prime."
Of course, Prime customers reacted in uproar at this news and made their feelings abundantly clear on Twitter as they declared: "Jeff's getting greedy" in reference to the billionaire Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos.
They also pointed to the time of the price hike with the current cost of living crisis people across the UK are experiencing and some have even claimed they are going to cancel their Prime membership as a result of the subscription increase.
\u201cAmazon Prime has just increased its price. I could hardly justify the current price... Jeff's getting greedy\u201d— Harra (@Harra) 1658791603
\u201cAmazon prime price changing?\nIm cancelling.\u201d— Sub the channel pls link in bio ty (@Sub the channel pls link in bio ty) 1658793635
\u201cWay to sneak in at 2:30am that you\u2019re upping your price for Prime, Amazon. \ud83e\udd28\u201d— Dre Harrison (@Dre Harrison) 1658799371
\u201cAmazon Prime is increasing in price in the UK, from \u00a379 annual to \u00a395.\n\nThat's a 20% price increase\n\nCurious, my wages didn't go up 20%, are Amazon struggling to stay afloat, oh wait they reported a net income of $33 billion in 2021....\u201d— Xbox News (@Xbox News) 1658793262
\u201cAbsolutely no reason for an Amazon Prime price increase with the amount of money that company makes! #AmazonPrime\u201d— Roberto (@Roberto) 1658822747
\u201cAmazon prime has just increased their price anaw, canny justify the extra quid. Another one bites the dust \ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffc\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\u201d— G\ud83d\udda4 \ud83c\udf79 (@G\ud83d\udda4 \ud83c\udf79) 1658798275
\u201cHave made good use of Amazon Prime since the first Lockdown but might have to take a few months off, with that price increase.\u201d— \u039e\u00d0\u0428\u039b\u042f\u00d0 (@\u039e\u00d0\u0428\u039b\u042f\u00d0) 1658823794
\u201cI\u2019m cancelling my annual Amazon Prime subscription in September when it\u2019s due for renewal. Increasing the price from \u00a379 to \u00a395 is a step too far for me.\u201d— Jacqueline McQuade \ud83c\udfa8 (@Jacqueline McQuade \ud83c\udfa8) 1658824157
Meanwhile, Amazon Prime isn't the only streaming service to be raising its subscription cost, as Netflix previously announced its basic and standard plans will go up by £1 per month to £6.99 and £10.99, while premium subscriptions will increase from £13.99 to £15.99.
The streaming giant also shared plans to launch a cheaper plan with advertisements next year, Varietyreported.
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