Amazon remains a giant that leaves no one indifferent in Spain. While the company moves forward with the construction of a massive data center in Zaragoza, Spanish consumers face a very different reality: delays and failed deliveries. Two sides of the same coin that reflect both the company's investment ambitions and the everyday problems of its logistics.
The Amazon Web Services (AWS) data center in La Cartuja promises to be one of the largest in the country, but its opening is contingent on an electrical connection that has been pending for two years. Meanwhile, dozens of Prime users are complaining that delivery dates are constantly changing and that delivery drivers are marking delivery attempts that never happen. The OCU (Spanish Consumers' Organization) confirms that almost half of online shoppers have experienced this type of fraud.
The AWS data center in La Cartuja: an enormous consumption
The facility that Amazon is building in the La Cartuja neighborhood of Zaragoza
Last-mile problems: customers fed up with delays
As the cloud grows, the shopping experience for many Prime users in Spain suffers. Amazon's logistics network in the country has around 40 Amazon facilities and warehouses in Spain and nearly 28.000 permanent employees, but
Roberto de Sica ordered a washing machine with guaranteed delivery for June 19th and still hasn't received it; the date has been moved to June 26th without prior notice. Francisco GarcÃa reports that his appliance has had its delivery date repeatedly changed, with weeks of variation between orders. Raúl MartÃn, a Prime member, describes his last three orders as a "crude joke": all were gifts and have been waiting for over two weeks. One delivery attempt to a collection point was even recorded at 8:28 a.m., even though the location opens at 9:00 a.m.
Javier Carpente says the Prime option is only useful for paying the fee, as delays are frequent and customer service offers no solutions. Óscar Ortega bought a €440 watch and, after two delays, is still waiting. Antonio P. compares this to Temu, which does meet delivery deadlines.
Thus, Amazon is deploying a dual reality in Spain: on the one hand, a firm commitment to cloud infrastructure with a colossal data center requiring record-breaking electrical power; on the other, a delivery logistics system that, despite employing thousands of people and operating dozens of facilities, is generating increasing dissatisfaction among Prime customers. The company will have to resolve both the energy bottlenecks and the last-mile delivery failures if it wants to succeed. reinvent the shopping experience and maintain its reputation in the Spanish market.
