An Open Letter to Amazon…
Dear Amazon,
About six months ago I made a purchase from a seller in China, at the time of purchase I didn’t pay attention and didn’t even realize the product was coming from China (something I seem to do often). So I waited and waited… and I finally got my item and like I’ve been coerced to do by you via follow up email so many times after a purchase, I went to review it. It was going to be a great review because despite the wait it was exactly what I ordered (too bad I can’t even remember what it was). However, I was told I was not allowed to leave a review on that particular item because I was ‘too close to the seller’.
What? Did I have an evil twin, buying and leaving fraudulent reviews about a personal friend in China? I think not.
Thinking it was a fluke, I tried leaving a review a few days later for another purchase through your site. I got the same message. Since that date six months ago, without warning, my ability to review was stripped from me. I spend sometimes hundreds and hundreds of dollars a month on your site because I live in Montana, a place with little shopping. Amazon is much more convenient than driving over an hour to the nearest town with more shopping.
While not being able to review irritated me, I wasn’t surprised. See, I was a book blogger for a long time. I stayed up to date on your book review rules and followed them exactly. I never left fraudulent reviews, I was never paid or forced to leave a dishonest review. My reviews were honest, even when the author had contacted me offering the book for free (which according to your own rules, was allowed), I’d leave an honest review. Reviews weren’t expected of me, and when they were, I passed on those opportunities. I was the picture of someone who follows the rules because I love books and I loved being able to leave my genuine thoughts on a book I loved, hoping to help that book be seen by other readers who might love it as much as I did. Have I said hello to the author, in a friendly way? Maybe. But, I can’t say we’re out sharing secrets in the club bathroom on Friday nights. I’m not best friends with them or Mr. Chinaman from the first paragraph.
Yesterday, I was notified by you that because I had broken the rules (rules that I never broke & after being unable to review without notice for SIX MONTHS) I was permanently banned from reviewing any products on Amazon and all of my previous reviews (the ones where the rules were followed) were deleted by you (Guess what? That doesn’t just hurt me, it’s hurts the ranking of the products I’ve reviewed. Rankings those sellers have earned. You should know this.). I’ve heard through the grapevine that you’re retroactively deleting reviews that break the rules you have in place NOW. I’m not sure if that’s true but if it is, that’s not right. The thing is, those reviews followed your guidelines when they were left. So, punishing me now for breaking secret rules (that change every other day) that were apparently just put into place, doesn’t make a lot of sense. In fact, it makes me no longer want to shop with Amazon at all.
What really drives home the fact that I was unfairly punished for following the rules, is that so many paid reviewers, technical problem complaints as reviews, personally bashing authors in reviews, book stuffers, click farms, and dishonest people, are allowed to scam the system and get away with it. It not only hurts future Amazon shoppers but it hurts the sellers you have now, and the authors that work their asses off to follow your rules and sell books to readers that might, by the grace of God, leave a review.
See, I too am an author and I’ve worked my ass off for an entire year to get people to buy my book, and leave an honest review (good or bad, that’s their call). I’ve done everything in my power to follow every single rule you have (and change) and yet I’m still punished by having my reviews taken, daily. Verified reviews at that. Someone actually bought my book, took the time to read it and write a review (good or bad) and yet them following your own rules isn’t good enough, they’re still deleted.
So, I guess my question is, how fucked up is your algorithm that you’ve decided I can’t leave a review for a seller clear on the other side of the world because you have deemed I’m ‘too close’ to this unknown person?
How much damage are you doing to your own company by building a system that is so wrong about people doing right, and so wrong about people doing the fraud?
How exactly do you expect people to be on your side as you push us away, taking pieces of our paychecks with you?
How will you fix your very broken website so that the very people that are paying YOUR wages can actually make a living?
Now I know I will never have the answers to these questions and I’ll be ignored like every single time I’ve sent an email asking WHY my review ability was stripped even though I follow the rules. And I know losing sales from me won’t cause your company to go under. But, I also know this… there are a lot of websites on the internet, all selling the exact same things you are, and I for one will gladly start shopping with them, if their sellers, authors, and buyers are being treated fairly with rules that are clear, and not changing every hour of every day.
Sincerely,
The girl who pays for Amazon Prime and has NEVER gotten a package within the 2 day time frame (and who you always tell, it was recieved in that period…?)
