# Have you been disappointed with any Amazon Basics purchases? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 26, 2019, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219 "2019-02-26T01:02:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/1 "2019-02-26T01:02:13Z")
I haven’t yet but for the most part my purchases have been limited to simple electronic accessories like charging cables etc. We do have a couple of dog beds and they’re fine. So, if you’ve bought anything that wasn’t up to snuff, what was it? ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/2 "2019-02-26T01:34:53Z")
I’ve only bought two Amazon Basic items. One dog bed and one electric kettle. Both have been put to hard use, and both are holding up fantastically. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/3 "2019-02-26T03:35:59Z")
I haven’t bought any but I was thinking of buying some AAA batteries and was looking at the reviews for the Amazon Basic brand and a number of reviewers said they didn’t last as long as the well known brands. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/4 "2019-02-26T03:45:19Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > I haven’t bought any but I was thinking of buying some AAA batteries and was looking at the reviews for the Amazon Basic brand and a number of reviewers said they didn’t last as long as the well known brands. [Here’s a very thorough test.](https://youtu.be/V7-ghrTqA44?t=449) AmazonBasics did not last as long as others but was cheaper enough to still be the best value. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/5 "2019-02-26T14:22:24Z")
Their lightning connector charging cords, pack of three, lasted about 4 months. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/6 "2019-02-26T14:35:09Z")
I didn’t like their microfiber bed sheets at all; too thin, too hot, just felt ‘weird’, and the bottom sheet kept bunching up and wouldn’t stay fitted to the mattress. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/7 "2019-02-26T15:19:46Z")
Mrs. Charming and Rested got me a two-pouch backpack. The main zipper was too long, so if you were careless unzipping it everything fell out. The small pouch zipper broke after about 20 uses. I’ve used other backpacks almost daily for a decade or thereabouts. That one lasted about two months. Their poop bags are fine. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/8 "2019-02-26T19:56:00Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > Mrs. Charming and Rested got me a two-pouch backpack. The main zipper was too long, so if you were careless unzipping it everything fell out. The small pouch zipper broke after about 20 uses. I’ve used other backpacks almost daily for a decade or thereabouts. That one lasted about two months. I also bought a backpack (don’t know if it was the same one you bought) and had no such issues. It only cost about 25 bucks and took almost two years of hard daily use before one of the seams split. I’d say I got more than my money’s worth out of it. ---
**Author:** ![amaguri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2019, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/9 "2019-02-28T16:38:33Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > I didn’t like their microfiber bed sheets at all; too thin, too hot, just felt ‘weird’, and the bottom sheet kept bunching up and wouldn’t stay fitted to the mattress. seconded, the fit is really odd (I don’t mind the texture but they do bunch up easily on my mattress as well…) Otherwise I’ve been perfectly happy with other Amazon-branded products. ---
**Author:** ![Hellestal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hellestal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hellestal)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/10 "2019-02-28T17:20:25Z")
The sheets of paper in their legal pads tear WAY too easily out of the pad. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/11 "2019-03-03T16:54:27Z")
I’ve purchased seven different Amazonbasics items. An electric kettle, a two slice toaster, some blackout curtains, cables of various types and chargers. The only one I had any quality issues with was a stainless steel whisk that broke after two months of use. I called customer service and they refunded my entire purchase price and added an additional $10.00 Amazon credit for my trouble. As I bought it in a set of three for $9.99 and only the middle one broke I got two whisks and $19.99 for free, so it’s hard to call that disappointing. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2019, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/12 "2019-03-03T19:35:55Z")
I bought an Amazon Basics space heater. It’s supposed to automatically turn on and off keeping my chosen temperature stable. It doesn’t. I pretty much have to adjust it every half hour. I tried to keep it around 66-68, but it had variations from 58 to 74 when left alone. It puts out plenty of heat, but if I were using it in a bedroom, I’d have to get up several times during the night to adjust it when it got too warm or too cold. I’ve gotten batteries that have been fine. They’re mostly used in remotes and my cordless mouse so any battery lasts a long time, anyway. But based on this heater, I’ll avoid Amazon Basics for a lot of things from now on. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2019, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/13 "2019-03-03T21:37:41Z")
When the heated seats in my roommate’s caddy went out, I got some from Amazon basics. Not as good as the original seat warmer, but did a decent job of keeping my backside from being frozen to the leather. Enough so that I bought a set for my car, even though mine never had heated seats. I do have a bit of an issue with them, as they plug into a 2 port adapter (also amazon prime), and seem to have issues staying plugged in. I’ve also bought their comforter, which seems as though it is not going to hold up as long as my last one that I bought from some store, but it is actually more comfortable, and at the price, even if it falls apart fairly quickly, still beats store prices. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/14 "2019-03-04T16:17:46Z")
Their NiMH rechargeable AA and AAA batteries are spectacular. They seem to be indistinguishable from the higher end batteries like Panasonic Eneloops, Energizer, etc… and they’re quite a bit cheaper. Their kitchen scale is adequate, if not as spiffy as the Oxo one we had before. Otherwise it’s just been cables of various types and sizes, which have all worked fine. ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/15 "2019-03-07T03:59:03Z")
I got a basic bluetooth stereo (extra bass) speaker for about $10. It’s a little black brick with three speakers and the ability to receive signals via bluetooth or a double-3.5mm-male-connector cable. It sounds nice when it’s playing. However, if there’s no sound coming out of it (no signal going in) for more than a minute, it seems to fall asleep and stop receiving signals once I resume whatever I was doing to make noise. No documentation was provided so I don’t know if this is a bug or a feature or if there is any way to change the wait-for-signal duration. –G! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/16 "2019-03-07T04:47:02Z")
I buy Amazon Basics whenever I can (I’ll admit, I’m a bit of an Amazon fanboy). I got Amazon Basics toilet paper not that long ago and didn’t care for it. I felt like I went through it faster than I should have. I was going to buy AB jeans, but I didn’t like the reviews (don’t recall if they weren’t good or their just weren’t enough), so I stuck with Levi’s. I also typically buy their batteries. Technically, I just buy the cheapest ‘quality’ batteries (Duracell, Energizer etc). I don’t recall any real problems with them. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/17 "2019-03-07T06:55:11Z")
I’ve bought various home and office supplies and found them to be perfectly adequate, but I find most of their cables to be overpriced. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-been-disappointed-with-any-amazon-basics-purchases/830219/18 "2019-06-11T18:29:43Z")
Bumping this semi-zombie thread because there’s an update on my post from 3-3: > [@Helena330](#): > > I bought an Amazon Basics space heater. It’s supposed to automatically turn on and off keeping my chosen temperature stable. It doesn’t. I pretty much have to adjust it every half hour. I tried to keep it around 66-68, but it had variations from 58 to 74 when left alone. It puts out plenty of heat, but if I were using it in a bedroom, I’d have to get up several times during the night to adjust it when it got too warm or too cold. > > I’ve gotten batteries that have been fine. They’re mostly used in remotes and my cordless mouse so any battery lasts a long time, anyway. But based on this heater, I’ll avoid Amazon Basics for a lot of things from now on. I just received the following email from the “Amazon Product Safety Team”: > [@](#): > > Hello, > > We have recently learned of a potential safety issue regarding the following product that our records indicate you purchased from Amazon: > > AmazonBasics 1500 Watt Oscillating Ceramic Space Heater with Adjustable Thermostat - Silver > > This product can overheat, resulting in a fire hazard. Due to this possible risk, we are asking you to stop using the product. To receive a refund for this product, please follow the instructions below. > > To receive a full refund: > Unplug and discontinue use of the heater, cut the power cord, and dispose of the product. To receive your refund, please REPLY to this email with the completed Customer Acknowledgement section at the bottom of this email. > > We will refund your original payment method or apply an [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) Gift Card to your account if the original payment method is no longer available. The refund amount will include all taxes and shipping charges paid. Your refund will be issued within 10 business days of Amazon receiving your fully completed Customer Acknowledgement. > > If you need further assistance, contact Amazon Customer Service at [www.amazon.com/contactus](http://www.amazon.com/contactus) :eek: I’m glad I didn’t use it much!!