Good customer service or bad form?

I'm on my second Goodreads giveaway and with a only few days left before decision-making time, I'd like to "poll the audience."

Goodreads provides the host of a giveaway with the names and addresses of the persons who win. The host then ships off the books as promised. However, Goodreads strongly discourages said host from directly contacting said winners. Through Goodreads, I mean. Last time, I did anyway. Here's why.

I had tracking numbers for the packages! The tracking numbers were of only mild interest to me; I got them for the express purpose of providing them to the winners so that they could see what was going on. I could've put them in the packages themselves, but although they would've been delivered to the winners without my contacting them through Goodreads, I think we can all agree that it would've been worse than useless.

Neither winner complained (to me) that I contacted them directly. Neither winner responded (to me) at all, in fact. So I'm left wondering - is contacting a giveaway winner once, with a tracking number (something pertinent and useful) good customer service? or bad form?

Thanks for your input! Lea Carter
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message 1: by Faye (new)

Faye Ridpath I don't see anything wrong with that. I've been contacted when I win to be told when the book would be shipped and I was happy to receive the information.

On the other hand, I have been contacted by the authors of giveaways I didn't win with "I'm sorry you didn't win, but please buy my book." I didn't appreciate that so much.

~~~Faye~~~


message 2: by Lea (new)

Lea Carter Faye wrote: "I don't see anything wrong with that. I've been contacted when I win to be told when the book would be shipped and I was happy to receive the information.

On the other hand, I have been contacted ..."


Great to hear! And great timing, thanks. :-)

Thanks for the example of what not to do, too. I think it was tacky (at best) of them to do that to you/anyone.


message 3: by Rebecca (new)

Rebecca Lesue I love to have a tracking number. good call


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