Radio Buttons And Order Forms

December 5, 2005

So I finally got on Amazon to order those holiday gifts, before the real rush begins next week.

I ordered more than their minimum of $25 for free shipping. And I was awed to see that they had automatically pre-checked a faster shipping rate — one that I had to pay for. In other words, if I didn’t know that they offered free shipping over $25, or wasn’t paying attention, they would have taken my money.

Amazon, I’m surprised at you. Yes, I know that you always need to make money, like the rest of us, but don’t pre-check radio buttons. Especially don’t pre-check radio buttons that work in your favor and not necessarily in the customer’s favor.