I'm Bloody Livid: Amazon Refuse to Sell Me a Set of Kitchen Knives.

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georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,896
15,780
As for the restrictions on buying kitchen knives, just another of the countless signs of how the western world has gone totally batshit crazy in recent years. And that's the good news. The bad news is all indications are it's going to get much, much worse.

Surely you jest.

I bet you're one of those soon-to-be-obsolete people who thinks that banks should NOT be able to tell their customers how they can spend their money.

Social guidance regarding all expenditures is the only way forward.

a.k.a. Cash is a threat that must be eliminated. It's the last link in the chain.


 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
12,404
19,032
SE PA USA
This whole thing really sickens me

Jay.
There are numerous other outlets that sell kitchen knives, even actual B&M kitchen stores.
Oh, wait...isn't your country trying to blame violence on inanimate objects? Ban guns, knives, etc and we'll be living in a freakin' utopia? I forgot about that. I guess they be banning blunt objects, swimming pools and human fists next.

Sheesh.
 
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jaingorenard

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 11, 2022
723
3,292
Norwich, UK
You all joke, but who knows what our government will decide to ban next! (While there are no police around anyway to enforce existing laws). I read somewhere that in about half of all police districts in the UK there wasn't a single burglary investigated (maybe it was prosecuted?) all last year.
 

Flatfish

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 20, 2022
756
1,882
West Wales
This might not surprise many of you here who have got to know me, but I am perhaps the only person in the world who doesn't use a mobile (cell) phone (I use a laptop for this site). This drives my wife nuts. But I like being "different". I like not conforming and being generally non contactable. Its my way of giving two fingers to the world.

But everything I want to buy these days requires a secondary ID confirmation involving sending codes to a mobile phone. This is a pain. I failed to buy some writing materials last night (secretly without my wife knowing). My sailing club (sounds posh but is the cheapest sailing club in the world) wants me to download an app to pay, and they don't want to accept the £45 cash I try pushing on them. Even in my job, some computer programs that I've used for years now wants me to scan some square code thing for me to proceed. So that's not happening.
Life is getting increasingly complicated. My mother loves embracing all the new things and keeping up with all things digital, but I'm the opposite. The more things change, the less I care. I yearn for a simple life.
 

jaingorenard

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 11, 2022
723
3,292
Norwich, UK
This might not surprise many of you here who have got to know me, but I am perhaps the only person in the world who doesn't use a mobile (cell) phone (I use a laptop for this site). This drives my wife nuts. But I like being "different". I like not conforming and being generally non contactable. Its my way of giving two fingers to the world.

But everything I want to buy these days requires a secondary ID confirmation involving sending codes to a mobile phone. This is a pain. I failed to buy some writing materials last night (secretly without my wife knowing). My sailing club (sounds posh but is the cheapest sailing club in the world) wants me to download an app to pay, and they don't want to accept the £45 cash I try pushing on them. Even in my job, some computer programs that I've used for years now wants me to scan some square code thing for me to proceed. So that's not happening.
Life is getting increasingly complicated. My mother loves embracing all the new things and keeping up with all things digital, but I'm the opposite. The more things change, the less I care. I yearn for a simple life.
I know exactly how you feel, I reluctantly got a smart phone last year (solely because we were going travelling and my girlfriend insisted, probably fairly).

I know it's not ideal, but there are an increasing number of 'dumb' options that might suit, although I also resent the necessity of having one at all.
 

Hillcrest

Lifer
Dec 3, 2021
3,499
17,625
Bagshot Row, Hobbiton
There are numerous other outlets that sell kitchen knives, even actual B&M kitchen stores.
Oh, wait...isn't your country trying to blame violence on inanimate objects? Ban guns, knives, etc and we'll be living in a freakin' utopia? I forgot about that. I guess they be banning blunt objects, swimming pools and human fists next.

Sheesh.
1713298165561.png
 
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anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
16,462
30,837
46
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
I've been buying stuff from Amazon for well over twenty years and over those years I've spent thousands of pounds on electrical items, clothing, books, DVD/CDs, computers, bulk foodstuffs and a whole load of booze.

But at the weekend, after much research, I opted to buy myself a new set of kitchen knives but when I clicked to pay a new window popped up asking me to verify my date of birth & my address. I filled in the form thinking how daft, they already know all this but whatever, I did as asked. Only then up popped a message in red type saying I couldn't be verified at that time and to try again later. This I did over 2 days but every time I got the same message.

So on Monday I rang Amazon to ask what was wrong only to find myself talking to a Pilipino guy with a poor grasp of English. After spending 5 minutes saying the same thing to him over & over and getting nowhere I hung up. Ten minutes later I rang again and got a guy whose English was nigh on perfect and I went on to tell him of my issue.

Long story short, apparently my name/DOB doesn't tally with a Dublin based company called Experian who by all accounts hold personal data on everyone (or so I'm led to believe) and simply because they have no data on me, my desire to purchase a set of kitchen knives was denied.

Following the chat with the Amazon guy I got an e-mail from them explaining things and below are the important bits....

A minority of eligible customers may not be able to pass online verification as we are reliant on matching the entered details with Experian's databases, if these are not matched, verification will fail.

There is a higher chance that late teens (18s/19s/20s) or elderly customers (without coverage in common credit databases) may be unable to pass verification.

We apologise for this experience.


So basically, because I've never applied for credit anywhere in their eyes I don't exist as I'm not on their database.

This whole thing really sickens me, apart from the nuisance of not being able to buy the knives there is a company out there (who up until now I was totally ignorant of) who can make decisions on my behalf without having to explain themselves. That to me is very creepy.

Yesterday I had a brilliant idea, I asked my pal if he could order them on my behalf but he says he doesn't have an Amazon account so I guess I'm stuck with my old knives. To say I'm annoyed with Amazon would be a massive understatement!

Jay.
love these moments when someone finds out about stuff I've been complaining about for a long arse time. :) Some of the worst stuff going on (I mean at least they're not murdering anyone) is the most everyday accepted just how it is b.s.. By the way you've just found the tip of the iceberg, look up data brokers if you really want to ask how the heck is this o.k..
 

huntertrw

Lifer
Jul 23, 2014
5,756
7,144
The Lower Forty of Hill Country
mawnansmiff:

They may opt not to sell you knives, but I'll bet dollars-to-dog-biscuits that they will sell you a sharpener that you could use to put a new edge on your old ones. I've used the one pictured below; it's a pip, and it's offered by Amazon!

1713299301136.png
 
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AJL67

Lifer
May 26, 2022
5,496
28,128
Florida - Space Coast
Surely you jest.

I bet you're one of those soon-to-be-obsolete people who thinks that banks should NOT be able to tell their customers how they can spend their money.

Social guidance regarding all expenditures is the only way forward.

a.k.a. Cash is a threat that must be eliminated. It's the last link in the chain.


Just saw a video of a guy that went into his bank in Canada to take out $3000 to buy a car off his friend, the woman kept asking him what he was going to spend it on, she said she could give him a bank draft, but not cash, it was insane! Tell me your government isn't working with the banks to track every penny you spend and what you spend it on without telling me. I even googled it and yes it was a real video.
 

georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,896
15,780
There are, however, SOME things that haven't been negatively affected by the "Modern Age".

Feminine beauty come immediately to mind.

There were NO women this lovely back when I was a kid, anyway. (Raquel Welch, eat your heart out)



Screen Shot 2024-04-16 at 12.49.31 PM.png
Screen Shot 2024-04-16 at 12.50.30 PM.png
Screen Shot 2024-04-16 at 12.49.55 PM.png
 
Jan 30, 2020
2,126
6,994
New Jersey
I think the issue is simply your country made it illegal to purchase knives online without age identification. Amazon must use Experian as its online source of age identification.


It seems to stem from the “offensive weapons act of 2019”.
 

jpberg

Lifer
Aug 30, 2011
3,155
7,336
I think the issue is simply your country made it illegal to purchase knives online without age identification. Amazon must use Experian as its online source of age identification.


It seems to stem from the “offensive weapons act of 2019”.
This, I think, should be the larger question: why exactly do we need to be a certain age to buy a knife?
 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
12,404
19,032
SE PA USA
You all joke, but who knows what our government will decide to ban next! (While there are no police around anyway to enforce existing laws). I read somewhere that in about half of all police districts in the UK there wasn't a single burglary investigated (maybe it was prosecuted?) all last year.
Rule of law is racist.
Can’t say that.
Free speech is racist
Can’t say that

Everything is A-OK!
 

georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,896
15,780
This, I think, should be the larger question: why exactly do we need to be a certain age to buy a knife?


Cuz it's kiddies in the UK who are doing most of the slashing and stabbing:

Screen Shot 2024-04-16 at 6.39.16 PM.png



And the situation is getting worse, not better:

Screen Shot 2024-04-16 at 6.35.44 PM.png


a.k.a. Blame the tool, not the user, because actually scolding the delicate little things might hurt their feelings.