Bah re Amazon Logistics & MS Security

( rant )

I ordered something from Amazon earlier today and a few minutes ago got an email saying it has been despatched and should arrive Mon 22. With the additional information

If you have a mobile device, you can use the free Amazon Mobile App to receive delivery notifications and track your parcel on the go.

That includes a link of course.

Two-way no doubt. I can track my delivery, Amazon can track me until I disable the app. If I download it to my phone. Grrr.

Earlier today (Sunday) I spent ten minutes or so changing lots of Microsoft security settings to "No" or "Off" having been requested to check and update them in a message from MS about Windows Creators Edition being prepared for download to me. (Prepared?)

If anyone else gets that message, don't just check the half dozen settings on the page they link to. Go back into the full security settings afte doing those ones. I found a whole list of businesses and such that MS were allowing to access tracker cookies (some of which I want) on my machine in order to target me with ads.

I don't want ads, particularly as anytime I buy anything online I get deluged with ones for the exact item I've bought. Madness.

Yes . I do know about ad blockers. But I don't use one, mainly because this site relies on them for revenue, and every now and then there is one I might click.

Seriously! It really is getting so unless we are extremely vigilant, impossibly so in fact, somebody somewhere is already logging where we are every minute of the day any portable internet-connected device we have is switched on.

I don't like that. It's creepy.

( /rant )

They keep trying to force their apps on us. Ocado keep offering me money off if I download and use their app. But I don't want to - I want to order direct from the website, from the computer, same as usual.

And you do not have to have an app to get Amazon delivery tracking. Again, I can do it direct from the computer.

One of the things that doesn't seem to work, however, is the text messaging. I've checked more than once I have it enabled - with the right phone number (not the fake I usually give) - but I still never get sms alerts that my parcel is coming.

As for ad blockers - get one. And just whitelist any sites you want to help by accepting the ads. I don't think any of the popular ad-blockers don't let you whitelist.

I didn't know you could whitelist.

I do have a blocker on Chrome that i used to use for (ahem) F1 feeds, but as a browser for regular use I just can't take to it.

I may give your suggestion a whirl .

I have also recently seen adverts for something I have just bought.

If you have a VW car, VW now want you to use an App for various things.

Living in an area where the phone battery goes flat in 24 hours, I am not a fan of these things.

I have a house thermostat and a burglar alarm which come with apps. It is the way of the world. I can run the thermostat app on my PC using Arc Welder (needs 64bit Windows)

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Seriously! It really is getting so unless we are extremely vigilant, impossibly so in fact, somebody somewhere is already logging where we are every minute of the day any portable internet-connected device we have is switched on.

I don't like that. It's creepy.

( /rant )

The answer is simple....


Don't use the internet

I just checked the Amazon thing again this morning, and saw something I'd never noticed before - which is that they only use the sms facility to alert you to a problem with your delivery. That would explain why I've yet to receive one; if all is going as expected, you won't.

However, I can check the tracking on the website, without having to download an app, and see that I have a delivery on schedule for today. That's with Amazon Logistics. They're not yet quite as good as DPD, who email you with a more specific time - although the delivery is often so soon after the email that it was a bit pointless! I think they must hit "send" from the garden path.

"Oh look, an email from DPD..."

KNOCK KNOCK!

Amazon third party sellers may or may not offer tracking. In fact, in my recent experience, may or may not offer any service at all.

Get Ghostery https://www.ghostery.com/ it is designed for Firefox, Chrome and a couple of others along with iOS and Android.

You can choose which trackers to block either individually or by specific types. You can whitelist a site totally or you can block specific trackers on some sites and not others - it is very flexible and easy to use with a drop down available on each page.

Sometimes I have to turn Ghostery off so that I can do something 'normal'!

Just a single click to pause it though and another to resume.

Yes Tina, the normal website tracker is what I'm using, but really other than initially tell you the due date, followed by the "Out for delivery" it doesn't say much. (Amazon Logistics).

It does give in a click-down detail where it has been - but having placed the order at 16:00 yesterday for standard delivery, followed by a "despatched" email at 23:38 saying it would be delivered today, I checked the tracker before opening emails today. That said it was out for delivery, with a progress barline following.

There was an email at 10:18 saying it as out for delivery. Later I refreshed the tracker page ad the bar extended dramatically but has been frozen ever since, so I assume the next step is "delivered".

Why they can't all be as good as DPD I don't understand. I'd expect Amazon to be ahead of the curve, not lagging so badly. Perhaps they can't instruct these couriers on the route or timing, but they must be tracking them so could let us. If we knew where the vehicle was we would have some idea.