Company Bribes Customers for Five Star Reviews on Amazon

Accorrding to a report by the New York Times a compnay called VIP Deals has been offering its customers a complete refund on their purchase — while still allowing them to keep the item — in return for a review.

The product in question is a Vipertek brand premium slim black leather case for the Kindle Fire — a fairly lucrative market given how many Kindles were sold over the holidays. VIP Deals have been selling the case for under $10 plus shipping (the official list price was $59.99).

The New York Times explains what customers experienced: When the package arrived it included a letter extending an invitation “to write a product review for the Amazon community.” “In return for writing the review, we will refund your order so you will have received the product for free,” it said. While the letter did not specifically demand a five-star review, it broadly hinted. “We strive to earn 100 percent perfect ‘FIVE-STAR’ scores from you!” it said.

Black Friday Online Sales Jump 26%

Online retail sales in the United States on the post-Thanksgiving shopping day known as “Black Friday” jumped 26 percent this year, led by Amazon.com Inc, comScore said on Sunday. Black Friday online sales reached $816 million, making it the heaviest spending day on the Internet so far in 2011, according to comScore, a closely watched tracker of Internet activity. Year-over-year growth on Black Friday in 2010 was 9 percent, so this year’s 26 percent sales increase online was much stronger, the firm also noted.

Amazon Puts $1000 Kindle Library 'On Hold,' Apologizes, Shrugs

I have been a Kindle owner for nearly a year now.

I was recently unable to login to my account with the message that the password was “denied”. I reset my password and still received the same denied message even though I had an email confirming my reset.

I called Amazon and was told my account was put on hold, but they couldn’t tell me why. I was then asked for some basic information and told that an Account Specialist would be contacting me within 24 hours. This was October 25th.

I no longer have access to the nearly $1000 in Kindle content I have purchased. I disputed all of the Amazon credit card charges that I could, however there is still about 10 months of purchases I have lost because of this.

I have filed a complaint with the BBB, emailed everyone I could at Amazon, called the Customer Service Line, the Kindle “Executive” support line, and Corporate. I have been apologized to by everyone I have spoken to and been told that they have never seen this situation before.

None of them can tell me if I will ever receive the content I have paid for.

If this is what the ebook revolution looks like, I’ll buy the written history in paperback.

Of the current top ten e-book bestsellers on Amazon, four of them are self-published. These aren’t flukes: They’ve been in the top ten more than 50 days on average…

…This is staggering, and it’s a part of the story that hasn’t yet been fully explored.

Why Writers Should Embrace Amazon’s Takeover of the Publishing Industry. 

Why Amazon Can't Make A Kindle In the USA (Part 1)

Decades of outsourcing manufacturing have left U.S. industry without the means to invent the next generation of high-tech products that are key to rebuilding its economy, as noted by Gary Pisano and Willy Shih in a classic article, “Restoring American Competitiveness” (Harvard Business Review, July-August 2009)

The U.S. has lost or is on the verge of losing its ability to develop and manufacture a slew of high-tech products.

Part 2: Does it matter?

Part 3: It’s not just manufacturing!

Part 4: Some good news (finally!).

Amazon.com Now Selling More Kindle Books Than Print Books

Amazon began selling hardcover and paperback books in July 1995. Twelve years later in November 2007, Amazon introduced the revolutionary Kindle and began selling Kindle books. By July 2010, Kindle book sales had surpassed hardcover book sales, and six months later, Kindle books overtook paperback books to become the most popular format on Amazon.com. Today, less than four years after introducing Kindle books, Amazon.com customers are now purchasing more Kindle books than all print books - hardcover and paperback - combined.

sustainable-sam:

Amazon Deforestation Up 1000% From Last Year

Photograph by Michael K. Nichols