How to get support for Amazon Video

[Jecht_Sin]

I am not sure if it has been there since ever (the last time I checked few months ago I had found nothing), but there is a support web page in Amazon specific for Amazon Video, also covering technical issues:

https://www.primevideo.com/help/contact-us/

I have called them myself today (after previously sending an email which resulted in a typical pre-baked answer) and I could (eventually) talk with a "specialist", whom after trying to drop the responsibility to Sony finally listened and took a summary of the issue (mostly audio stuttering and out of phase lip sync) to be forwarded to the Amazon Video technicians/developers.

It goes without saying that more people calling (for any issue) should hopefully push Amazon speeding up the process of fixing that app. 

[IamNic]

Let's hope they fix the app

[Jecht_Sin]

I am not really confident they will, though. The Amazon representative immediately closed the call, while he promised that he had to follow up via email. But I subscribed for a month to Netflix now, I'll see in few weeks if it improved anything.. 

[First_Knight]

Hi Jecht_Sin,

Re: Amazon Video (app) Support on Sony Bravia TV.

I accept that NONE of the below issues are likely to be even partly the 'fault' of Sony, except that Sony should have a business & commercial interest & 'a duty of care' in ensuring that 'default installed apps' that form part of the OS of THEIR product actually perform to a MINIMUM required standard (that reaches a MINIMUM level of working build quality/ability & 'fitness for purpose'), especially as these apps can NOT be deleted.

I have been an Amazon Prime customer for around 18 moths - 2 years, but can't expect some of their 'call agents' to be able to even find their own backsides, when they are sitting on their hands.

Quality of customer service, especially problem resolution, or even explanation of WHY a problem is present is dependant entirely on the geographical location of call centre you are connected to when you call - unfortunately in my case over 80% of MY calls seem to be routed to 'The Philipines'.

If this is the call centre YOU are connected to, the chances of an actual resolution are somewhere between very unlikely & not a friggin chance of them doing a damn thing about it, despite the 'agents' promise to either 'connect you to the right department' or supervisor or to 'pass the message on'.

They DO (appear to try to) connect you to 'someone else', but even Supervisors in that call centre are not much more use, most of the time.

A different Department connection, may result in getting an Amazon Video specific call centre agent in India, 'the caribbean', Eastern Europe, or Ireland, (or very rarely the UK or even the USA, & they are far better at doing what is required).

I have reported multiple issues, (multiple times) with 'on screen info' including inaccurate, poorly spelled & inconsistent synopses info of tv programs & movies, music metadata, and app developer names along with app descriptions, with the Amazon Video app showing that info in languages that are NOT in English when they should be (they have been in Chinese, German, Russian, & other non English languages), & also info saying the audio is in English when it is actually in French, German, Japanese or whatever, with NO info about subtitles at all (even when there ARE subtitles - in English, but sometimes covered up by 'other languages'!)

Perhaps the Audio being incorrectly claimed to be English also causes the regular lack of English subtitles?

On Youtube (or in Amazon Video app or both via Fire TV box),  I have also seen Polish language subtitles on top of English subtitles on some English language video, (that only sometimes) does not need English subtitles.

Also English language subtitles (that ARE needed because of NO audio at all) are sometimes being covered up by either 'Hindi/Bengali/Gujurati' or similar typed 'Indian/Asian' language in 'Instructional videos' (that were possibly  'originally created' by SONY - they are labelled as such) about Bravia TV's!!!!!

First_Knight

[Jecht_Sin]

@First_Knight All right, but how would that be Sony's fault? The only control Sony has over the app is that Sony adds what it has been provided by Amazon to the Android installation packages. Since Amazon does not put the app in the Play Store for Android TV (and to be precise the "technical guy" at Amazon didn't know that Android and Android TV practically have two different stores)  any Amazon Video update does require an Android update.

The irony is that from that point of view we should consider ourself even "lucky" because Sony managed to get that deal. I am not sure but I believe many Android cheap boxes don't have the Amazon Video app at all. As it isn't available for Apple TV either (yet).

Still I don't get the logic in Amazon. I believe the business model is:

• let's add a (free) Video service to sell more Amazon Prime subscription
• We'll get 20 USD/EUR per year (which probably just cover the costs)
• We'll have more people hooked to Amazon Prime, so more sales of products from Amazon (I do it myself. Since I have a Prime subscription Amazon is always my first choice, now)

From that point of view Amazon should have all the interest to distribute the app to all possible platforms. And also to keep it functional. Instead it's half broken in Android TV and it doesn't even support Chromecast.  

I don't think that they are the more sales of Fire TV (which wasn't even availabe in my Country. Only few days ago we have got the old Fire TV stick and only that) that would justify their strategy either. But I am not a CEO genius, so what the heck do I know..