With Amazon's reputation I would be extremely hesitant to order anything health related from them. I'd greatly prefer a store with clear supply lines and no comingling.
Amazon is great for stuff that is neither valuable, critical, subject to counterfeit, or perishable. But if health or a large amount of money is at stake, avoid it like the plague. It's not worth the risk.
I avoid Amazon as a rule, but when I try to buy something which is out of stock on sites (like say a dietary supplement), I go through the reviews and will inevitably find someone saying it tastes or smells funny. There are plenty of positive reviews as well, but for something that can impact my health, I don't want to roll the dice with Amazon's utter lack of quality control.
Yes, I don't buy anything that goes on my body or in my body from Amazon. A few years ago I had a bad experience with some lotion for dry skin. I could tell something was different compared to the product I usually bought at Target or the grocery store. Around the same time there seemed to be a lot of press explaining commingling of stock at Amazon warehouses.
I already won't use Amazon for things I put in my body -- the product commingling and counterfeit situations make them a non-starter for me on this. Precision and control are just not in their company DNA, so I don't want their shipped products mucking with my DNA. :)
Apple would be far higher on my list of consideration than this. I'd even say Google, for the 2 or 3 years that the product lasted.
While I do find healthcare somewhat plodding and archaic, these anecdotes remind me that it's not always a bad thing.
I used to only have a policy against ordering food items from amazon but after I ordered a couple bottles of Neutrogena face wash (standard stuff we've always used) and it made several people in my family break out immediately after using it I won't order any soaps or toiletry products either. If Amazon could guarantee there was no comingling I'd pay extra for some things for it.
I've got a hard rule of not ordering anything from Amazon that goes in/on my body. Too many counterfeits and too much risk. I'll stick with trusted retailers for that (ordering from Target is just about as easy these days, maybe slightly slower shipping but can pick it up in-store if I need it fast).
Even Walmart is getting hard to shop online and filter out products that are sold by "marketplace" sellers.
Definitely, if it's food or health/medical, I'll skip Amazon & buy it from Target or Walmart directly (not a 3rd party seller on their platforms). Other categories like memory cards, kids products, I'll also avoid Amazon (especially since Amazon reviews of those products often claim they received a fake).
Shopping on Amazon is like shopping in Chinatown now. The funny thing is, you know Amazon has the data and must be optimizing in the short term. This shit must be working, for some definition of working. Personally, anything that touches my child, or goes in my body, is not allowed to be bought on Amazon.
I've been a customer of One Medical for a while. I really like the convenience and simplicity of booking in person appointments using an app on relatively short notice, and their video visits are often all you need for peace of mind or a simple prescription.
I've also been a customer of Amazon for [checks order history, gulp] 24 years.
I have a love/hate relationship with Amazon. I was also a customer of Whole Foods for many many years. When Amazon bought Whole Foods, it kinda stayed the same, but there are enough subtle differences that it's a bit like a Truman Show version of itself. We stopped shopping there.
I hope I don't have to stop using One Medical. I'm not normally super paranoid about data privacy, but this doesn't feel good to me.
I have lost faith in Amazon a while ago. I base my opinion on their amazon.com online shopping experience. The ratings are regularly gamed, the "Amazon's Choice" label is completely unreliable, the quality of products sold by Amazon under their own brand (Amazon Basics) is highly suspect, they're not price competitive any more, I won't buy baby or health care products due to poor warehousing practices and commingled inventory. Several years ago shopping at amazon.com meant you'd likely get a price competitive, good quality product with reliable reviews. Sadly that situation doesn't exist any more.
reply