Don't order books from Amazon unless you plan to read them ASAP

[docstrange]

Well, I am done buying books from Amazon

Comments

[thewronghands]

I'm sorry they suck. I can say nice things about Powells.

[docstrange]

Yes, and our local bookstore(s) such as Toadstool are great, too. This was a current, bestselling book in paperback which they certainly would have had in stock. My frustration with Amazon was not the issue of the bad book, it was the fact there is absolutely no way to get the thing exchanged past 30 days unless you have the magic Amazon phone number and beg/yell/insist (I did the last). The first person I spoke with was so ridiculously confused and useless I asked for a supervisor when he called me by my friend's name for the 6th or so time, and kept being confused as to what was being asked. I think "volume customer for 12 years" had something of an effect, but good lord, the policy is based on the fact they can't see the book before they agree to a return. That is, their model does not allow a normal defective book exchange the way every brick and mortar does.

[perspicuity]

well. mmm. if i bought a book at a regular bookstore, i don't THINK they'd exchange it either.

then again, very few books i have have errors. i have noted it. sometimes even after years having read the book and found some random evidence of missing pages i never noticed.

best recourse for that was calling the publishing house and letting them know their book sucked.

is there a different expectation here?

#

[polyfrog]

But it might not really be their fault. Amazon regularly sidesteps the publisher and prints their own copies to sell to customers.

[docstrange]

Wow. That would have explained it for certain, but no such luck; this is apparently a HarperCollins printing.

[ilcylic]

Wow. That's really lousy. Nigh fraudulent, I'd say.