[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Seems pretty clear-cut. If you can't log on to your account, you can't download content. Answer: don't close your account.

That is if one chooses to close one's own account. The real issue is whether the same applies if Amazon chooses to close one's account unilaterally.

I have sent an email to Customer Services:

Spoiler:

Dear Amazon,

Back in 2012, there was an fuss about a Norwegian woman who claimed that she
had lost all access to her Kindle ebooks when you closed her account. Reports on
the case were all over the internet and even the traditional press, e.g. The
Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/money/201...eletes-account

I had thought that this was just a mistake, and that if you did choose to
close a customer's account for any reason, access to purchased digital content
would be retained, even if the ability to make new purchases was removed.
Indeed, an official Amazon post seemed to confirm this:

http://www.amazon.com/forum/kindle/r...x2L4A0AVZM5WVQ

"Account status should not affect any customer's ability to access their
library.

If any customer has trouble accessing their content, he or she should contact
customer service for help."

However, I recently became aware of an Amazon customer with a significant
Kindle library, who was warned about the number of (physical purchase) returns
they had had on their account, and was worried about their access to their
Kindle library if Amazon chose to close their account. They tried to contact
customer services about this possibility and were told that they would lose
access.

"Once an account is closed, the Kindle library and all the e-books will not
be accessible."

While I hope that Amazon would never choose to close my account with them, I
would very much appreciate official and definitive clarification on this matter,
as it will affect my purchasing decisions on digital content.

regards,

Paul Durrant