Amazon review: they closed my account and no refund 136

Let me start off by stating: Never buy from "annabellebooks" on Amazon.com

I normally have a very positive experience when dealing with sellers through Amazon.com. However, today I have to say I am very displeased with the seller "annabellebooks."

I ordered the book 'Fuzzing: Brute Force Vulnerability Discovery' written by: Michael Sutton (Author), Adam Greene (Author), Pedram Amini (Author) on the 8th of last week. Normally I at least see a status of shipped or some sort of estimated delivery date. annabellebooks had not updated any info as of today. Upset by the lack of service and information given in comparison to other sellers (I buy a lot of books) I decided to rate the seller 2/5 not the worst rating they could receive but they didn't live up to my expectations of a seller. I left a comment that I ordered the book the 8th and it still wasn't listed as being shipped the next week. I promptly received the following messages from the seller.

-------------- Begin seller message ---------------------

"The payment date of the book by you was August 8th. It is now only August 13th! How is that a week after you ordered it? This is completely unfair and false. This line of feedback should be removed at once. Check your order date, and get your story straight!"
- annabellebooks.

-------------- End seller message ------------------------

(For the record I have yet to receive the book or information about the order)

-------------- Begin seller message ---------------------

Hello,

I saw the line of feedback, and I don't understand what you mean. You ordered the book on Aug 8th, obviously you got it, and now it is Aug 13th. How is that a week after you ordered it? If you do not remove this feedback I am going to contact Amazon regarding your unfair remark.

Sincerely,
Annabelle Books

-------------- End seller message ------------------------

I contacted Amazon.com both via E-Mail and Phone. I have yet to hear back via my E-Mail and the phone conversation consisted of me being told that there is nothing Amazon.com can do.

I would have been satisfied to repost my review as 1/5 and explaining the horrible customer service I was provided. Since, I can't do that I plan on posting my negative experience with this seller to every seller complaint medium I can find.

I am the author, publisher and copyright holder who is the sole seller of the book "Bob Nolan: A Biography and Annotations..." Today I found the book listed on Amazon with a click through connection to a print on demand service.

They have no right to offer the book for sale unless it has been obtained from a previous registered owner. They have no authority to offer print on demand or advertise by posting on their site an item they do not have rights to. All rights are reserved and it is so stated in the book.

I am the only one authorized to print and distribute this volume and any other service offered is intent to piracy of a copyright work.

Actually sir, Amazon CAN offer your book for sale. Bob Nolan: A Biography and Annotations is listed as a "used resource" sale. Anyone can use Amazon to resell their copy of your book.

Just because you are the author, publisher and copyright holder does not mean that the purchaser/user/reader of your printed resource can not resell it in any chosen manner they wish.

“I am the only one authorized to print and distribute this volume and any other service..” This is true for the first sale, but not if the resource comes off the secondary market. If the resource is resold on the secondary market you do not get royalties and you do not have control of the resale.

“Piracy of the copyright work” is IF the user copied the work/reproduced in some fashion and then resold. Reselling of the original resource does not qualify.

If the secondary market is something you do not agree with then I would say please don’t produce any more resources. For further answers to “copyright infringement” questions I would like to refer you to the US Copyright Office (http://www.copyright.gov/).

I agree completely. Amazon was unfair reselling your book instead of mine, just because you had a better title than I have. What gall! Annotated, huh? Well, what if everyone annotated their drivel? There would be used books selling like hotcakes, with no room for anyone to advertise new unannotated 'resources.' (I liked that word, 'resources' -- like anythingn I had to say would be resourceful or something.

W.

There is no personal customer service at Amazon. No phone number, no instant chat, no problem solving. If their automated response doesn't apply, then too bad for the customer! My problem is that they won't keep my online account separate from my husband's, so we can buy each other gifts/surprises. Even though we have different emails and different passwords, because we share a laptop and PC's, it greets us as my husband, even when I log in separately. His wishlist automatically shows up. If I order from it, where's the surprise? I now download the whole families wish-list's and take them to Barnes and Noble, where they have actual customer service. The other items I buy off the shelf. I also tried ordering off someone else's list and if I put something in the shopping cart and tried to "continue shopping", there was no such option and I had to start over every time. Very cumbersome. I gave up! My husband and I are both professionals living in the U-district of Seattle, and we can't even reach someone at this local Amazon company where their headquarters are located. This is pathetic. I think it will catch up with them eventually and I think my hubby will dump the hundreds of shares of stock he has!

I ordered 2 walkie talkies from Amazon and they came almost as heavy and as big as bricks. They were not advertised that way, and I returned them because of their size and weight. too many insults and hassles to enumerate, but they are evidently trying to drive good customers away. I just don't understand the inaccessibility and attitude.

They took my customers money and refuse to pay me!

I think i understand what he talks about
someone prob scanned a copy of the book into a service and done it that way. You see each copy of the book sold a writer gets a percentage of the cost.

Also i am having questions now on my own book why so many on the secondary market and not part of my sales
It seems like amazon is cheating publishers as well.

Jana, I'm sorry to hear about your bad customer service experience at Amazon.com.
I had exactly the opposite experience.

I called Amazon because it looked as though they had recorded a purchase twice that I had just ordered online.

I put in my telephone number when I requested to talk with somebody at Amazon, and before I could turn around from my computer to grab the phone, it rang, and after a brief recorded message (maybe 10-15 second recording asking to have your order number ready) I was connected to a customer service rep at Amazon--not a recording, a person.

Unbelievable. She cleared up my questions, made sure my order was correct, and we were done in a matter of a few minutes.
Now, for someone who has worked in both retail management and customer service, I treat folks the way I'd like to be treated, and in today's business world, especially online, I think that's pretty rare.

I seem to have no problem piping up when I feel I've been treated poorly, so it's only fair to give kudos when I feel I've been treated right, and while I never had to contact Amazon before this encounter (I had bought from them maybe six times before this incident), I was incredibly impressed with the way they handled my inquiry.

And I have to say Jana, I think your rant about "If their automated response doesn't apply, then too bad for the customer!" is incredibly unfair--"No phone number, no instant chat, no problem solving."
Huh?

I just pulled up Amazon.com on my browser, clicked on "Help" in the top right corner of the Home page, then clicked on the Customer Service button in the box labeled "Contact Us," then clicked on the Phone tab in the middle of the page that was brought up, and that brought up a button labeled "Call Me."
Click it, and a separate box pops up, you put your phone number in, and ta-da, your phone rings!
Four clicks of the mouse in under a minute, your phone rings, and within seconds there's someone on the other end to help you.

If that isn't "personal customer service," I'll eat my mouse.

For what it's worth...

Take care,
Brian

P.S.--No, I do not work for Amazon!

I canceled my authority for 3 sites. I have been debited against my credit card for another $46.84 in contradiction of my instructions.

Three times in the last year, I have ordered a single book or CD from Amazon.Com and have received and been charged for two of the same item, not the one that I ordered. Their email help system, which allows you to print out return labels with free shipping, doesn't give you this category for a complaint, so you can't get the free label to return the item. Getting through their email system to get a real response is a nightmare and nearly impossible--all responses are automated and don't address the issue.

This has happened to me three times, and I'm not careless with entering my orders. It has also happened to two friends. So I can't help but think that it's a deliberate scam to charge people extra, assuming they won't have the perseverance to try to get their money back. After this last round, I refuse to order from them ever again and will get back to special ordering from my local bookstore and music store, which is what I should have done in the first place.

Same happened to me, I got the same email from amazon on 08/27. Not sure why they did it, if returning items is not within their policy then they should change it or at least warn you before they close an account.

I received the same email as well. Their customer support has not gotten in touch with me. It's terrible. I was a good customer. They treat you like garbage and get away with it.

If you have had problems with your Amazon account unfairly and without substantive reason being closed, go here for help & help others.

http://amazonaccountcancelled.blogspot.com/

I also received the same email today. I called regular Customer Service thinking that this was a spam email. Apparently it isn't. I have been a loyal Amazon.com customer for years and have made numerous purchases. True, I have returned items if it didn't meet my expectations, didn't fit, etc. I am very surprised because I have always gotten good service from them. They should send you a letter before they close your account and they should explain EXACTLY why it's being closed. The generic letter sent is horrible and is a great way of alienating current and future customers.

The CS rep I spoke with said that someone is going to call me within a couple of days - we'll see.

I did receive the letter today 08/27/2008 I did experienced only a single package lost and refunds on theirs mistaken and not calculated buy one get one offers, at the begginning it looked like either a joke or a scam.I am not currently ordering from them anymore since dvdpacific.com has lower shipping rates and almost equal prices, however I wonder if it would be better for me to complain now or when or if ll ever want to order from them again. Some action has to be taken tho, i did spend since november 2007 500$ +
and really wonder and doubt they can refuse a costumer without specyfing and prove a fraud ! I mean just reading that letter makes you think they are nuts !

Same thing happened to me today. Emailed for appeal. I've bought shoes and returned them because they didn't fit (even though I bought them the size I normally would) or that they were just really really PAINFUL to wear due to bad design or quality. I've been with them for years myself, bought I don't know how many things and KEPT them. I'm waiting for their reply. It's really badly handled by them, if the returning is the problem. I agree they should just change their policy.

They shut me down yesterday as well Loyal customer for 4-5 years with few returns and only returned if items were damaged in shipping or defective. Looks like a class action suit! I have pending orders that I can no longer track! I can not look up my purchase history to print off invoices or reciepts for rebates ect... This was very wrong of them.

I received the same email yesterday too. I have been a very long-time and loyal Amazon customer. I even bought a Kindle when they released it plus many e-books for it. Guess my Kindle is now an expensive, useless paperweight. I knew it was a risk being an early adopter for the Kindle but never imagined it would be because Amazon itself would close my account, and cut off my support for the device by banning me from their website.

08/27 I received exactly the same. I delt with Amazon for quite few years and bought a lot of thing from them. I was returning items which I did not like in original condition as I do with any other store. They have now millions of customers, so they started to treat people like a piece of garbage.

Like the person with the Kindle, I can't access the contents of my digital locker either. I paid for this content but it's being held hostage. How terrible. You can't trust Amazon anymore if you ever did. I remember years ago, in 2002 or 2003, I noticed a glitch on their website and reported it. They gave me a $20 gift certificate in appreciation. Years later and hundreds of purchases later, they cut me off so abruptly! That account cancellation email they sent me was dehumanizing and cruel. I'm only going to purchase my items online at the smaller stores. I hope you guys do the same. Let's Boycott Amazon over this. I feel so disempowered as a consumer.

Same thing happened to me yesterday. I have made purchases from Amazon for the last 6 years, and spent thousands of dollars there. In January a shipment arrived one month late, and they sent another copy by that time. But even after that I have quite a few purchases from their website without any problem; and even now I have 2 pending orders which I can not track any more. They should at least warn you if they do not like you contacting their customer service.

I received the same exact email Aug. 28th, 2008 telling me my account has been closed, but I haven't returned anything to Amazon, nor bought anything/sold anything on there for a long time, so this comes as a total shock to me. There is no reason why my account should be closed. I called customer support but didn't really get any answers.

Amazon.com is the most insensitive and arrogant company ever I have come across! This company has outsourced its customer service who are a. thoroughly unaware of the word courtesy b. not prompt in helping and c. arrogant to the core.

How can they block access to one's orders placed in last 30 days when they are supposed to provide customer service for orders they got paid for.

I am sure, if somebody slaps a law suit, this company will bite the dust. Because what their employees are doing is blatantly illegal.

Same happened to me, the email came on 8/27/08. I have been a loyal customer for about 9 years and have spent thousands of dollars at the site and signed up to Prime. I order a ton of stuff from them and I have been returning some things lately, but I have never seen a policy or warning against that. Amazon has been expanding their selection to clothes, shoes and etc and these are things that have to be tried on or seen — I would imagine there would be many returns. Why not impose a limit or simply charge a restocking fee. They make the return process automated and simple, but then penalize you for it. When you sell just about everything, expect some returns. Many products are not described well either. The email was very rude and unprofessional. Customer Service told me they can't access my account and appeals dept is not replying to my emails. Disgusting. Will not shop there again.

http://www.epinions.com/content_442900319876

Read my review of Amazon above.

Amazon is the MOST unprofessional online store I have EVER puchased from.

I will NEVER buy from them again.

Please WARN your family and friends!

http://amazonaccountclosed.blogspot.com/ is the new web address for the group.

It shows a lack of professionalism when you systematically terminate the accounts of hundreds of customers without proper warning or explanation. I believe they owe every customer a proper explanation and should ensure that this policy is clearly stated in their rules and regulations.

Amazon removed the account closing thread ..

http://www.amazon.com/gp/forum/cd/discussion.html?ie=UTF8&cdForum=Fx20DX5GEB7TUX8&cdThread=Tx2RTK5F1QN15X2

This issue made the news!
On KETV channel 7 Omaha Fri September 6, 2008

http://www.ketv.com/video/17405717/index.html

What happened to http://amazonaccountclosed.blogspot.com ?

Says the blog at amazonaccountclosed.blogspot.com has been removed.

Same thing happened to me. I documented my email exchange with amazon here:

http://www.beloev.net/amazon.html

Same Letter. Same story. Same result!

It seems that since Jeff went on Oprah talking about Amazon &his kindle he doesn't need us as customers any more!
He is too big for his britches now!

We should compile a list of other places to shop with similar prices & GOOD customer service!

I hope someone does file a class action lawsuit!
He is too big for his britches now!

I was a Pro-Merchant for 5 years and because business is slow, I downgraded to seller. I have been getting orders and unlike some, I have been paid but because I downgraded, I cannot set my shipping fees.

Consequently, I lose between $2.00-3.00 per order because the fees they collect does not cover the actual shipping fees. When I complained, they simply said I could upgrade.

Additionally, when I was a Pro-Merchant, they took a percentage of my shipping fees!

Will most likely quit because I can't afford to lose money each time I sell something!

I received an email from amazon marketplace informing me that my bank debit card had been charged $239.94 for my merchant account. I immediately contacted them at their email address and informed them that I have never signed up for a market place account or any other services and that I wanted my money back.

I received an email back from amazon that told me that they would refund my money. I contacted them again and asked when this would happen and I have never received another response or my money back.

I contacted my state attorney generals office on their web site and filed a complaint and I also contacted the better business bureau and filed a complaint. As of today, I have not had a response from anyone.

The only thing I have ever purchased from amazon was a critter tunnel and that was a year ago. I guess that they saved my debit card information and just waited until they thought that I would not notice this transaction. My purchase from them a year ago was only 15.00 (approximately) I would advise anyone that uses this company to use a prepaid card that you can throw away after use. that way they can't steal your money later on.

My only income is social security disability and the amount they took was almost half of my check. I guess they don't care if people have money to eat on and pay their electric bill for the month. Be Aware of this company. I have saved all of my email to and from this company.

If you go to Amazon and search for 'Economics in One Lesson: 50th Anniversary Edition' you will see a photo of that specific book -- which is a very precise edition of this title with information not found in other editions. Amazon says that they have 'other copies' of this edition for sale for $11.16 instead of the list price of $14.95.

Actually Amazon has not purchased any copies of this edition of the book at all. When you click on the 'Other copies: $11.16' Amazon diverts people away from the 50th Anniversary Edition to a completely different version, which they do sell. There are shops on Amazon who do sell the 50th Anniversary edition but they loose business because Amazon falsely claims that the one for $11.16' is another copy of the same edition when it is not. There own site indicates that 84% of the people who look for the 50th Anniversary edition actually end up buying a version that is not the same, and wasn't updated. At no point are they told they being sent to a different edition with different content.

It is false to claim that they are selling the same book for $11.16 when then are some significant differences. Buyers don't know that Amazon has pushed them away from the version they were looking for to a version that is older, not as current in the numbers, and with different introductory material. Amazon does this because they don't actually sell the first book (even though they are pretending they do) but they do sell the cheaper, less recent edition.

Amazon should be ashamed of themselves. They create a policy to attract customers - but if you use that policy, you get banned. Terrible!

You probably had numerous returned items with the same reason. Amazon.com will replace or refund an order if necessary at their own cost, but if a customer becomes abusive, Amazon.com reserve the rights not to continue accepting any future orders from you.

I was offered a $5000.00 Amozon shopping spree for ordreing a product on Feb. 6, 2009. My credit card was billed and I received the correct item on Feb. 27, 2009.
However, I have not gotten my shopping spree. I have E-mailed them twice and have received no reply.