Amazon to France: “Up Yours!”

Good day all. Time for something a little different. In this case, it covers the issue of protectionism and international commerce. If you follow tech news, then you know that the European Union is generally anti-business.

They have come up with one wrong-headed decision after another, usually to the detriment of the businesses in question as well as to their own citizens. We have Google being told to censor the internet, and now we have Amazon being ordered to not save their customers money. Here are some of the details from Engadget:

French lawmakers have had it up to “here” with Amazon’s book-selling tactics and they’re not going to take it any more. In a rare alliance, France’s ruling Socialist Party and the opposition UMP Party approved a new bill banning the company and other online retailers from shipping discounted books for free. It comes in the form of an amendment to a 32-year-old law that sets the value of new books at fixed prices. Amazon, you see, heavily discounts books, but also ships them at no extra cost, heavily undercutting aggrieved brick-and-mortar retailers. The restriction forces Amazon to cut free shipping for new books sold at reduced prices, but it won’t stop French consumers from getting second-hand titles and music pas cher.

Typical of the French of course. They are always there right when they need you. Otherwise, the Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys are to busy going on vacations, slurping wine and turning up their noses at everyone, unless they hear fireworks. Then they quickly surrender to the first German tourists they see. Well, they passed the law as expected. Here is what happened according to Engadget.

France’s “anti-Amazon” law prohibiting free shipping and discounts has now gone into effect, and Amazon quickly announced that it had conformed — technically.

Technically? How can they conform technically? Amazon has to charge for shipping now. Well, where there is a Bezos ((Jeffrey Preston “Jeff” Bezos)), there is a way.

Though it no longer ships books for free, it only charges 0.01 euro, conforming to the letter if not the spirit of the law (French Prime members still receive free book shipping).

Heheheheh. I have the Amazon announcement to it’s French customers. Here is the translation into English:

A new law forbids us to continue to offer you 5% discount and free shipping in France for your book orders. However, you are very likely to express your wish to have access to the widest offer, quickly delivered where you live, and at the best price.
We think you’re right.
That is why we have decided to maintain free shipping for books shipped by Amazon for all clients subscribed to Amazon Prime program.
Our customers do not subscribe to Amazon Prime program, we have set the shipping costs to the minimum permitted by law, or just 1 penny per order containing books and shipped by Amazon.
Most importantly, we work every day to offer: a wide choice of 5 million French titles, new or used, the latest rare books; 150,000 eBooks French downloadable in 60 seconds; customer reviews and customized to help you choose your next book recommendations; Fast and Free Shipping with Amazon Prime, anywhere in France (excluding Corsica); and innovative services such as guaranteed delivery on release day for new or redemption of your used books.
Thank you for your trust and good reading.

In other words, “vas te faire encule” France! (Run it through Google Translate if you don’t speak French) I fully expect those morons to try and pass a new law telling Amazon exactly how much they have to charge for shipping costs. One of the things I find curious is how you can charge shipping and handling on a downloaded Ebook? I say that the next time the Germans decide to pay France a visit and decide not to leave, we should just stay out of it. They deserve each other.

Thatisall

~The Angry Webmaster~

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