editorial

Amazon vs. Reviewers: Authors Lose

Irene Watson

On May 4, 2011 I received an email from Amazon saying:

We found your reviews to be in violation of our guidelines and have removed them.
Because of this violation, we’ve removed your reviewing privileges from your account.
Thanks for your understanding in this matter.

Wow!  The first thing that ran through my mind is that they just removed 7000 reviews and they are thanking me for my understanding?!  Over the past year Amazon has been removing reviews at a rampant pace and all of a sudden we were also victims.  The sender of the email had a first name but no last name.  I hit reply and asked what guidelines we violated.  The response was:

We didn't receive the e-mail message below because it was directed to an e-mail address that can't accept incoming messages.

I finally did get someone in Amazon, but again a no-last-name person, and of course no email address to respond to. After a series of emails to my queries, each time from a different no-last-name person and each time having to go through the form on their site, I was told that they will not be responding to me anymore. In all this no one would tell me which guidelines I violated but just sent me back to their guidelines to find out for myself.  I assume that the person answering didn't know which ones we violated.

Next step:  Phone headquarters. After three tries I did find a receptionist that was willing to listen to me and actually sent me an email of the message she was sending to the "Communities Customer Service Team."  You see, the problem is that you can't speak to anyone at Amazon Headquarters unless you have a last name; however, they are not obligated (and don't) give out last names.  I got a response from a person that actually did have a last name but she wanted to phone me.  It took over a week to coordinate a phone call but it finally came.  The conversation got heated, I must admit, but finally I was promised reinstatement.  In the meantime she kept saying one thing and then contradicting what she just said or what was written in previous emails.  She never would state the exact reason they removed us except that someone complained.  I told her I knew who it was because he admitted doing so on a forum and that same person also complained to Preditors and Editors, PayPal, and Better Business Bureau. All three institutions dismissed the complaint after giving me the opportunity to state my response.  This is something that Amazon didn't do and I brought that to her attention.

When the conversation came to an end and I was satisfied with the resolution promised I asked her to send me an email confirming our conversation including the promise of reinstatement, putting the reviews back, and conditions.  She told me that the phone call was it, but of course I'm not that stupid; especially to take verbal word from someone that kept contradicting herself.  Good grief! Without a written confirmation she could easily deny our conversation.  About a week later, on June 21, 2011, I got a one line email saying we are reinstated but the reviews will not be put back on the book pages.  In the telephone conversation she told me they will be.  I pursued this issue further through email and phone calls.  My emails and phone calls went unanswered.  As I suspected what she told me Amazon would do wasn't entirely correct.

A decision had to be made on my part about the 7000 reviews that were removed.  My commitment is to the authors and publishers that we reviewed for therefore the right thing is to re-post the removed reviews.  We have started but it's a slow process and is taking much time to do so.  As well, I have to pay people to do the work which is costing me extra money that certainly wasn't in the budget.  It angers me that people with no-last-names can have so much power and control; it must be very exhilarating to be able to click a button, remove 7000 reviews and then send a form email.  I can just imagine the giggle that follows. Maybe they even ring a bell each time and the winner of the most rings gets a free book of choice. 

In the meantime, as I was going through this ordeal, I got emails from other reviewers telling me they have been banned from posting reviews and their reviews have been removed.  I even talked to some on the phone; each got the same form letter email as I did. Some of these reviewers have been around a long time and have established credibility in the industry.

 Author Sandy Fox wrote as a response to last week's editorial:

After reading your posts on Amazon taking reviews off websites, I looked at mine and realized on my first book, "I Have No Intention of Saying Good-bye," about 7 reviews were removed! For my other book "Creating a New Normal...After the Death of a Child" about three were removed. I was shocked as all of them were very legitimate.

Yes, legitimate reviews are being taken off at a rampant rate. But, the ones that are left are those from reviewers with names like: a reviewer, a customer, pooper-gooper, 78yst, a blogger, and other names that don't identify a real person.  You see, Amazon doesn't require "real names" from the reviewers.  Mind you, there are reviewers that actually do post their real names which of course gives credibility and mileage.   But a review from "pooper-gooper" having weight? Really?? Amazon also favors reviews by marathon reviewers, e.g. their number one reviewer that reviews and writes at least 300 book reviews per month.  This is humanly impossible even for speed readers but there is no issue with her staying as a top reviewer. But, I guess it's hard to knock off top reviewers after inviting them to a company retreat.  I think you'll find this Forbes article very interesting.  They also favor reviews that say "I don't read English very good I didn't read book. I got Starbucks card for taking book" by Luzita.  Legitimate?  Yes, in the eyes of Amazon but are they in the eyes of readers?

I'm grateful that Amazon did reinstate us, even though it was a painful process. This happened only because I wasn't about to let it go.  I was very relentless in advocating on behalf of the authors and publishers we've reviewed for.  I feel it's the only right thing to do.  

If the removal of reviews is indeed a business suit decision I'm having a hard time understanding the concept around it.  Reviews sell books and Amazon is in the market of selling books.  If I was in the business of selling books I'd be encouraging as many people as possible to post reviews because it will boost my sales.  Maybe I'm missing something there.  Or...is this an action of a vigilante?
I'd like to hear your comments here.

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