How to log feedback and complaints so they get heard

[Rellwood]

Too many people don't realize that they aren't just throwing a message in a bottle when they complain or submit feedback. I have found that if a person goes to the right place, and complains or gives feedback in a clear and concise manner, they get heard.

Amazon offers a chat feature in their feedback links. Go to the forum posting that lists their links.

For a problem that you feel is not too specific to just you, then I believe they will fix it if they have the following.

1 - the exact problem in clear, concise language
2 - Exactly what needs to be fixed or the desired outcome
3 - Specific reasons WHY the problem needs to be fixed.

If multiple people complain like this, the problems will get fixed. Even if one person complains, and puts up a great argument, things get fixed. However, this is only useful for things outside of pricing, marketing, etc. Don't expect Amazon to fix something that is making them a ton of money already. They will fix things that cost them money in lost customers or sales if it isn't fixed.

The easiest things to fix are things you know are being done elsewhere, or a change that causes problems to things that were normally fine. The changing of the author names is a big thing, I don't know why they did it, but if we complain and say that we will stop using the Kindle and buy a Nook, KOBU, or other reader if we are unable to get the authors on our books and docs, they will realize that they will lose money.

I don't know if it was just me, but I had complained about their Prime Video on ROKU platform because it sucked big time. For years, you couldn't scan forwards or backwards, and you couldn't pause and see what you paused, the picture would be dark. Remember (if you're old enough) using cassette tapes and having to push the ">>" button, then push the play button and that's how you know where you are? That's how Amazon made you watch your movies. If you wanted to go back a couple of seconds, you really couldn't.

Anyhow I complained and told them that I was going to VUDU to watch movies because I couldn't use their player.

A few months ago, I noticed it was fixed. Now you can scan, pause, and it is great.

Now, I don't truly presume to believe that it was JUST me, but I know that I told the person who got that chat transcription to the right person, who took a look at what I was talking about and said "Damn, we need to fix this". Maybe it was on the books already, but that platform hadn't changed in 7 years. No changes. Then the change I asked for.

So, like I said. Make sure it's on the chat feature, because then it's written down and can be emailed, and sent to whomever needs to read it.

Be clear, concise, what is the problem, how does it affect you and your ability to use or work with Amazon, how does fixing it help, what needs to be fixed, what is the desired outcome, and finnally, play up all the ways Amazon looks good or bad and how the changes or lack of changes will affect yours, and others decisions about going to Amazon.

Problem: Author names are being changed to email addresses
Solution: Go back to setting the author as the author
Why: You cannot sort or find books or docs that don't have the proper author

Why Amazon needs to change this: They will lose customers in droves if they have to send their books and docs to another device that isn't a Kindle. IE. Nook, KOBO, etc. They will stop using Amazon to buy their books since it makes no sense to buy from Amazon but send books and docs to another service if the Kindle won't allow them to show the author.

Amazon does not have the monopoly on books. Smashwords, individual authors, publishers, etc. they all sell books. KOBO, Walmart, Barnes & Nobel, all have devices and "cloud" services.

Anyow, if you want to be extra - ask them to stop forcing us to email books author LN, FN if we want them to be author sorted on the Kindle but only show the author last name in Content and Devices.

Why they do that I don't know, but it really sucks.

[Quoth]

It depends what it is.

They have been pathetic at removing dangerous products, incorrectly removing products as forgeries when they are not, explaining up front the issues of KDP Select, Search throwing up totally unrelated products or authors, unfairly using the landing page to to promote own products, silent on risks and stupidity of Ring systems.
Still treating Ireland as a UK region.
Search listing products unavailable to your country.
Sometimes you don't know if a product can be delivered till you go to checkout, or even the real shipping cost.
Dark UI techniques to get you to sign up to KDP Select, Prime, Kindle Unlimited, Audible or produce a Paper version of an eBook.
Whispernet, Kindle unlimited and Prime all reduce income to creators and/or publishers but are powerful tools to increase Amazon share.
Listing by price poisoned with promoted results.

Refusal to clearly state the conditions for disabling an account (like if you are unlucky and they decide you returned too much).
Blocking of ALL subscriptions and accounts if they decide you break one of the undocumented rules.

Fake reviews, they only occasionally deal with it.

Misleading listings.

Having 3rd party sellers and not verfying the that Shipped From address isn't a lie.

Selling stuff that's plain illegal.

Buying up competition and data sources: IMDB, Goodreads, Mobipocket, Book Depositary, ABE Books and many more. Because the US doesn't care much about consumers.

They do sometimes listen.

Problem: Author names are being changed to email addresses
Solution: Go back to setting the author as the author
Why: You cannot sort or find books or docs that don't have the proper author

1) Don't use WhisperNet, that gives KFX AND Charges publisher for your books. Download to PC and transfer via USB (see also Calibre). Also KFX adds DRM even when the publisher has asked for NO DRM.

2) Many big publishers ONLY publish on Amazon. They have 90% of the world ebook sales and about 80% of USA printed book online sales. So close to a monopoly.

3) NEVER EVER send ANYTHING to your Kindle by email. You have no idea how securely that's stored. It's using more energy. They mess it up. Transfer via USB.

4) I almost never need to use a charger for ereaders. I leave it charging after using Calibre to manage the books

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by Quoth

1) Don't use WhisperNet, that gives KFX AND Charges publisher for your books. Download to PC and transfer via USB (see also Calibre). Also KFX adds DRM even when the publisher has asked for NO DRM.

2) Many big publishers ONLY publish on Amazon. They have 90% of the world ebook sales and about 80% of USA printed book online sales. So close to a monopoly.

3) NEVER EVER send ANYTHING to your Kindle by email. You have no idea how securely that's stored. It's using more energy. They mess it up. Transfer via USB.

4) I almost never need to use a charger for ereaders. I leave it charging after using Calibre to manage the books

I disagree with two of these points.

1) KDP publishers have a two eBook Royalty Options. Either a flat 35% royalty or a 70% royalty minus $0.15/MB delivery cost. The delivery cost is calculated based on the book size as determined when the book is published. It is not the actual number of bytes delivered to customers which will vary based on format, connectivity, number of devices, etc. (I agree with you on the KFX DRM issue.)

3) Transfer via USB prevents syncing between devices which is an important feature for many of us. I am not worried about the security or energy consumption of my personal documents.

[Rellwood]

I used to only sideload all my books, but I got tired of not being able to sync to the cloud in collections, and I got tired of them having to be removed, then replaced, etc. I haven't figured out if downloading them to my computer then sideloading them to my kindle keeps them available in cloud. Or will it just make duplicates. ie. One that is in the cloud and one that I downloaded and added.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by Rellwood

I don't know if it was just me, but I had complained about their Prime Video on ROKU platform because it sucked big time. For years, you couldn't scan forwards or backwards, and you couldn't pause and see what you paused, the picture would be dark. Remember (if you're old enough) using cassette tapes and having to push the ">>" button, then push the play button and that's how you know where you are? That's how Amazon made you watch your movies. If you wanted to go back a couple of seconds, you really couldn't.

So, like I said. Make sure it's on the chat feature, because then it's written down and can be emailed, and sent to whomever needs to read it.

Be clear, concise, what is the problem, how does it affect you and your ability to use or work with Amazon, how does fixing it help, what needs to be fixed, what is the desired outcome, and finnally, play up all the ways Amazon looks good or bad and how the changes or lack of changes will affect yours, and others decisions about going to Amazon.

Problem: Author names are being changed to email addresses
Solution: Go back to setting the author as the author
Why: You cannot sort or find books or docs that don't have the proper author

Why Amazon needs to change this: They will lose customers in droves if they have to send their books and docs to another device that isn't a Kindle. IE. Nook, KOBO, etc. They will stop using Amazon to buy their books since it makes no sense to buy from Amazon but send books and docs to another service if the Kindle won't allow them to show the author.

Amazon does not have the monopoly on books. Smashwords, individual authors, publishers, etc. they all sell books. KOBO, Walmart, Barnes & Nobel, all have devices and "cloud" services.

Anyow, if you want to be extra - ask them to stop forcing us to email books author LN, FN if we want them to be author sorted on the Kindle but only show the author last name in Content and Devices.

The thing is Amazon is incentivized to fix the Roku app problem since that can mean you stop subscribing to Prime.

The Kindles exist to sell you ebooks or get you to subscribe to Kindle Unlimited. With frequent sales and extra discounts, they're practically giving those devices away at cost.

If you only use the Kindle to read ebooks purchased from other sellers and upload to Amazon's free cloud service, there's really no incentive for them to fix it.

I'm going to guess that the vast majority of Amazon's Kindle customers buy their ebooks from Amazon so for them, this isn't a problem.