legal - legal

Amazon Flex stopped paying me

January 18, 2018 Michael Tyler Comments 25 comments

Amazon Flex didn't pay me — Amazon Flex didn’t pay me and refuse to pay my driving fees for the Flex project.

Most recently, this happened on the 21st July 2021. Unlike my experience below, many drivers were affected. Not just me.

Amazon payments stop July 2021

Turns out the error was on Amazon’s side. They just fucked it up. They sent out the following email to delivery partners.

Checking social media and the replies, it became obvious that this was purely an ‘Amazon Problem’.

Not doing anything is the best option. Nothing has changed my side. I’m changing nothing.

6 hours later, I got this email.

Amazon shitshow

I’ve been contracting for flex for over 4 years now, and within the last WEEK they’ve changed my area then stopped paying me, and everyone else on the program.

I’m not sure what’s been going on. But at the moment for one reason or another, flex seems like a shitshow.

Back to 2017

I’ve been working for them for a while. Since October. Over 2 months.

**Update 24/01

**Update 22/01

**Update 21/01

Amazon Flex

Amazon Flex is basically an app which you install on your mobile phone. Along with the app, goes this contract, the Amazon Flex delivery contract. AMAZON FLEX INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR TERMS OF SERVICE

You’re not employed by Amazon as a Flex driver, but you’re self employed providing a delivery service on Amazon’s behalf.

All your packages are provided by the company, and you have to go to the depot to pick them up.

In the case it was the Northampton Depot on Saxon Ave, DNN1.

This is where I’d go for each delivery block. At the end of each week on a Wednesday, you’d be paid the amount owing for the previous 7 days, into your bank account.

Here are some drawbacks of Amazon Flex

Despite it being a good way to earn cash if you’ve got some spare time, there are some drawbacks.

The app: Bad routes

It automatically gives you what it deems to be the ‘best route’ for your delivery consignment.

This is ALWAYS not the case….

…

Bye bye Edward!

September 25, 2013 Michael Tyler Comments 2 comments

Housemate from the US has parted company.

He had problems with meeting his responsibilities , and at the weekend had a bottle of beer. Or two , some Bacardi , and also some vodka.

I disappeared for the weekend , went to Nanjing.
When I came back, I heard the sound of tins being opened early in the morning.
About 6am.

This isn’t the first time this has happened.
Last weekend he drank all my brandy and the police came round because he was outside smashing things up.

He had a habit of sleeping in odd places ‘close to nature’.
People would wake me to come to the aid of Edward, outside, in a pool of his own wee (or whatever ). Sometimes he was conscious , sometimes not.

China has it’s fair share of alcoholic teachers.
The Russian I used to work with was drunk 24/7.
One of the other teachers commented “I never realized he was drunk till I saw him sober .”

Another stocked up on Bijiou to get him through his day at Kindle.

On Monday it all came to a head when Ed turned up for work on the sauce.
Police were called. Poor Eddie had to spend the best part of the day in the cells explaining and clearing things up with the Chinese authorities 。

Employers , linestart have threatened to blackball him.
Effectively making it impossible for him to get work in China.

There’s a letter.

It’s official – Google owns everything

September 8, 2008 Michael Tyler Comments 1 comment

Seems that one of the richest companies in Silicon Valley is having trouble finding lawyers to correctly T & C it’s latest browser release, Chrome.

Deep in the User Agreement, which all you downloaders have signed up to ,is something which we suspect Google has been doing all along. This just proves us right.

So here it is in black and white and from the Google-Horse’s mouth.

By submitting, posting or displaying the content, you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content that you submit, post or display on or through the Services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.

Thanks to the US firm of lawyers acting on Google’s behave for the head’s up on that one.

Google currently refuses to display a valid privacy policy from it’s front page in breach of US federal law.

Lonely Planet announces deal with Google

October 3, 2007 Michael Tyler Comments 2 comments

or was it the BBC?

Anyway, Lonelyplanet’s founders the Wheeler’s let go a 40% stake in the company after fellow shareholder Singleton released his shareholding of 30%.

That means the beeb have majority holding of 75% and the Lonely Planers will be dancing to their tune.

You’ve got mail..
Does this mean I will be receiving more nasty legal letters in the near future?
Probably.

Webfusion/Pipex Hosting – Bullying Tactic

August 14, 2007 Michael Tyler Comments 2 comments

Last year, as a gift I purchased a domain name and some hosting for my my sister, as she promised to go on a Dreamweaver course and populate the site.

After a years hosting which I paid up front, I let the contract lapse because she had done nothing.

Previous Experience
As is usual with a web hosting, if you don’t want it, just leave it, and when you don’t pay, your site is deleted from the server along with your DNS info after 1 year.

It has been like this since 1997 when I started designing websites.

Pipex/Webfusion Hosting
This being the case with all other hosting contracts. Leaving a fixed term contract to lapse, paid up-front, no problem you may think.
Well not if you’re hosting with Pipex/Webfusion.

Since the end of the hosting period of one year, I’ve received requests I pay £105.64 for another years hosting.

Clause
It turns out Webfusion have inserted a clause which says you are bound to host until you cancel.

Check
I checked their contract. This term was not highlighted or highlighted in any of the confirmation emails.

Bullying Tactic
The question is whether I’ll be bound by the Webfusion contract.
Most consumers feel that when they accept a contract, it is always binding.
In business this is true.

We’ll see what happens.

About Webfusion/Pipex.

Google Deception Case – ACCC Case

July 16, 2007 Michael Tyler Comments 0 Comment

Ask yourself: – “Now how many times have I clicked on a Google advertiser in the AdWords section and thought it was an organic result?”

This is what the Australian Consumer And Competition Commission have just launched a case against Google, (the first government body to do so), to find out.

Case facts
From the ACCC’s site, information about the case cites an Australian publisher Trading Post Australia Pty Ltd using the names of two competitors in localised AdWords campaigns, (“Kloster Ford” and “Charlestown Toyota”).

This, in it’s simplest terms is a case of Passing off, an advertiser using trademarks and trading names to attract business through deception.

In addition and in a seemingly unrelated statement:-
“Google, by failing to adequately distinguish sponsored links from ‘organic’ search results, has engaged and continues to engage in misleading and deceptive conduct” the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said.

Thinking
By asserting Google is deriving advertising revenue’s from cases where it knows passing off is taking place, the ACCC are effectively attempting to shift the duty of care, hoping to reveal the entrails of Googles’ advertising, targetting and information management stategy in the process.

Chances
It’s a wide ball.

The ACCC statement for bringing the action is spurious and without foundation.

Intent
Does Google derive income in the knowledge advertisers are passing off?

Remains to be seen.

The case has an initial hearing on August 27th.

details