Late Parcels and Prime Day Woes Fuel Amazon Backlash in Portugal

E-commerce was supposed to make life easier. Yet a growing number of Portuguese buyers now say that ordering from the world’s biggest marketplace feels more like risk-taking than convenience. Complaints logged on the country’s Portal da Queixa have climbed to 284 this year, already 21 % higher than the same stretch of 2024. The spike coincides with July’s promotional bonanza and arrives just as another Prime bargain blitz is expected this month—raising the stakes for shoppers from Braga to Faro who rely on the platform for everyday purchases.

A summer of frustration for Amazon shoppers

July should have been a celebration of discounts, but it became the single worst month on record, with 57 complaints tied to Prime Day alone. The loudest gripes centred on parcels that vanished somewhere between a Spanish warehouse and a Portuguese doorstep. Courier Paack featured in multiple accounts of missed deliveries, with customers reporting that a package was marked delivered even though it never left the van. One Porto resident fumed about a 24-hour pick-up delay, describing the experience as “a waste of time and money.” For many, the incident reinforced growing consumer anger over what they see as eroding trust in the brand’s logistics promises.

Why deliveries keep missing the doorstep

Unlike domestic operators such as Worten or Continente, Amazon still ships most Portuguese orders from its cross-border shipping hub outside Madrid. That routing choice means every parcel is exposed to extra customs checks, motorway strikes and last-kilometre hand-offs to third-party couriers. Industry analysts cite staffing shortages at CTT and MRW and warn that Peak season bottlenecks could worsen as Black Friday nears. Even when weather is calm, algorithmic routing may send a driver on inefficient loops, adding hours to what was marketed as “entrega em 1 dia.”

Complaints, but little official scrutiny

Portugal’s most influential consumer association, DECO PROTESTE, confirms it has offered guidance to frustrated buyers but has not launched a dedicated probe. The Portal da Queixa meanwhile labels Amazon’s performance “Fraco,” pointing to a low Resolution Rate of just 24.6 % and a 30.1 satisfaction score out of 100. Regulatory bodies ASAE and ANACOM admit that while they monitor digital commerce under the Digital Services Act, they have opened no formal cases linked to this surge. The marketplace nevertheless sits in seventh place among international platforms ranked by complaints.

How Amazon stacks up against rivals

Competitors are hardly trouble-free. AliExpress still frustrates buyers with multi-week shipping times, while ultra-cheap fashion giant Shein faces EU scrutiny over alleged fast fashion controversies. Newcomer Temu is battling a DECO-backed filing that questions data transparency under GDPR probes. Yet none of those players publish Portuguese-specific satisfaction metrics, leaving the European consumer network without direct comparison figures. For now, Amazon continues to dominate the price-first model of online retail, even as dissatisfaction simmers in the Portuguese e-commerce race.

What shoppers can do before the next sale

If you plan on clicking “Comprar já” during the upcoming promotions, experts advise that you track your order in real time and screenshot updates the moment a delay appears. Under EU law, buyers enjoy a 14-day right of withdrawal; should a refund stall, invoking a chargeback through the card issuer often speeds results. Consider whether your Prime subscription is still worth it, scrutinise community reviews for red flags and, where possible, weigh offers from regional sellers that ship locally. And if things still go wrong, filing through the complaint portal remains the most direct way to put the issue on record.