Reviews Accidentally Deleted by Amazon or Cover-ups and Denials?
ByA friend emailed me Irene Watson’s article at ReaderViews Newsletter about Nicole Sorkin’s (Pacific Book Review) who lost all her reviews on Amazon, wiped clean in an instant, and the same thing happening to an unnamed man. When I read about the predicament I called Amazon immediately. I’m an author who receives and sometimes writes reviews there so this was of great urgency to me too.
Plus I write vital industry reports about the free promotional genius Amazon has constructed and makes available to authors. I really needed to know what was going on. Especially since every time I’ve contacted Amazon about a problem they were extremely helpful through to the resolution, though admittedly I always had to wait days – weeks for that resolution. This time; not so much.
I spoke with a representative wanting to remain anonymous, who admitted having no knowledge of author or reviewers practices. And though she put me on hold a few times to consult with peers she refused every time I requested that she put me through to someone knowledgeable in this area.
After reading about half of Irene’s article to her, the representative told me the one and only reason Amazon would remove a review is if they got a complaint that it was offensive, and then they would only remove only that one review, not all reviews by that person. She even suggested maybe the reviewer removed them herself. So I asked, “Can an author/reviewer do that?” The response: I don’t know.
The conversation got frustrating as she repeated that Amazon would not have removed the reviews, and I repeating that they in fact DID. I pressed the issue that clearly these was nothing offensive and the author did not delete them herself, and that obviously Amazon deleted them, so could she please let me talk with someone who might be able to tell my why. The request was refused each time.
I asked, since she had no knowledge of the topic, where could I go to find instructions or help files about writing reviews on Amazon. Her response: there is no such thing.
I also asked about Jim Cox’s discovery (see Irene Watson’s article). Jim ran a search for the 60,000 reviews he’s done at Amazon for Midwest Book Reviews and found only 1,319. I asked what happened to the rest.
The rep said maybe there is a limit on how many reviews you can do on Amazon. I asked where I could find the official rules that explain these details. Again, she knew of no such thing.
Summary of our frustrating conversation:
Amazon denies they are on any such “rampage” and that there is no effort being made to remove anyone’s reviews. They deny ever deleting any review (unless it was reported as offensive). Yet Nicole Sorkin’s inoffensive and unreported reviews have been deleted by Amazon.
I can only conclude that they are indeed on a “rampage” as Watson suggests, or Amazon made a mistake. They deleted them and now have no knowledge of doing so; at least that is the “official” answer from their phone representative, who in the end said if I was just going to repeat the same questions she would have to hang up.
Let us know what you think,
or your experiences trying to get a problem resolved at Amazon.
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UPDATE: The problems seem to be increasing according to Watson.
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If you have been affected by reviews disappearing from your books sales page, or reviews you’ve written been pulled with Amazon refusing to tell you what are your violations, please see her article:
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Amazon Removes More Reviews: Targets Individual Reviewers and Sites Causing Authors to Become Victims
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And Joylene Nowell Butler’s post where Phyllis Zimbler Miller answers the burning question:
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Is Amazon a friend or foe of authors?
Facebook comments:
[...] books, with no explanation to them other than that they are in violation of Amazon rules. See Reviews Accidentally Deleted by Amazon or Cover-ups and Denials? for info, links and comments from a multitude of authors starting last March, [...]
Yes they do delete reviews. I made several video reviews. Amazon accepted and posted them all. Then, one day, they removed them all without explanation. It’s annoying as it toook time to create all those video reviews. Amazon support SUCKS. They do not care.
Peter, I’m sorry you too have been affected. It’s true they don’t spend much time helping out the individual authors. But they DO care about selling books and more books, which is why they are so valuable to authors at this time.
Yes, the reviews are disappearing in large numbers. There was a book with over 200 reviews that Amazon got wind of when someone complained that there was no way this book could have 200 five star reciews. He started a thread “flaming” the issue and guess what? There are only about ten reviews left. The discussion thread is called Fake Reviews: Hacker Hunter by Christopher Keenan
Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/forum/kindle%20book/ref=cm_cd_t_rvt_np?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx3RFWX8IMGF85E&cdPage=35&cdThread=Tx1L5PMCIWRX80I#CustomerDiscussionsNew
Many reviews also disappeared from a website that posted paid reviews.
Thanks for bringing this to everyones attention! Oh! BTW. When someone wrote a 1 star review on my book SCARS: An End-Times Novel, I complained to Amazon that I didn’t think they read it because it was a Kindle but not a verified purchase. Amazon responded to me saying that all a person needs to do to leave a review is to “have viewed the book.” So Amazon deletes authors five-star reviews and leaves the one star-reviews. Isn’t Amazon in the business of selling books? Sometimes you wonder..
Patience Prence
Bestselling author of SCARS: An End-Times Novel
I know what you mean, Patience. If you read all the comments at the various links I included and added since the original post last March, 2011, it’s distressing. No authors I come in contact with can figure this out. And they’ve all suffered innocently.
Personally I’ve had several people since last August tell me they click to leave their review of one of my books, but it won’t accept it, or that they left a review and it never shows up. And sure enough I have no new reviews since Aug 2011. This with positive proof that numerous people have left them.
I’ve always loved Amazon through all their faults, mostly because of everything they do for authors, specifically the tens of thousands of dollars worth of free promotion they give us with their ingenious set up. My upcoming book is even all about that (and probably my next book). But this review-deleting is seeming to come to epidemic proportion.
I read a few posts (want to read it all when I get time) of that hateful stream started at the link you left here. As someone in the business, I can easily believe his 250+ five star reviews are all real. It VERY often happens that a book with horrible aspects to it become a best seller simply because readers love it.
When I was teaching at a writer’s conference in the early 90′s a friend of mine teaching there also and who is a multi-million copy bestseller brought a debut manuscript that a friend had asked him to read critically before he submitted it. My friend asked me to read it and give my thoughts. I reluctantly told him there were so many plot errors and even character weaknesses that I wouldn’t accept the book if I was a publisher.
My friend admitted that’s why he asked me and several other authors attending the conference to read it critically. Because this was a good friend and his own opinion was the same as all of ours (everyone else said the same thing I said). He really wanted to spare his friend’s feelings.
Long story short the book was accepted as is by the first publisher where it was submitted. It went on to be a best seller as was each and every subsequent novel by this author. I dream that I can make the money at writing that this author still does to this day. AND he has hundreds of REVIEWS on his Amazon page for every one of his books, all four-five star, mostly five star.
This only once again proves that NOTHING matters but whether the reader loves the book.
The reviewer who started this hateful and incorrect Amazon thread and said: “The 250+ reviews on this god-awful book are so obviously fake and planted” doesn’t understand much about the publishing business or human behavior.
His own behavior is sorely unjust and so damaging to this author just because he personally doesn’t like the book that he should be punished by being removed from Amazon rather than the bestselling author.
What is they say about the proof is in the pudding? Sales prove the value of a book!
What utter bull. Nobody gets all five star reviews, so whining that five star reviews prove a book’s worth is stupid. Amazon CAN in fact verify fake reviews, and it did so with Hacker Hunter. That guy must have way too much time on his hands, because he’s up to it again.
No wonder Patience Prence in up in arms about fake reviews and no self promoting; she’s been self promoting all over Amazon, despite the change in policy that goes back to May of 2011. And she knows it’s against the rules, because I’ve personally told her at least a couple of times myself. Doesn’t seem Christian to do something so dishonest.
You’re right. It’s absolute unChristian and downright dishonest to fake reviews, and we’re all extremely happy that Amazon can verify the fake ones. The point most are making here is that those who are abusing the system for their own dishonest gains are not suffering at all. It’s only just their fake reviews are removed.
The point is that thousands of totally innocent authors and even reviewers are suffering. The reviews that won’t show up or are mistakenly deleted could get them in the top running of the Top Rated list, which is the best promotion I can imagine getting for free and without outselling anyone, just based solely on reader reviews. And your reviews putting you at the top of the Top Rated list usually sends sales soaring.
But I disagree about one thing you said: it is absolute possible, and has been done repeatedly, to get only 4 & 5 star reviews when the book appeals enough to that readers who take the time to review it. It happens alot from what I’ve seen on some of the authors sales pages on Amazon.
ginmar, if your’re still here, I just recently discoverd the thread you accused me of promoting on. What you didn’t realize is the thread was started in February of 2011, when authors were allowed to promote in all forums. I discovered the thread when it was moved to MOA forum. Yes I do know the rules and abide by them completely.
http://www.amazon.com/forum/meet%20our%20authors/ref=cm_cd_pg_newest?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx2UYC1FC06SU8S&cdPage=1&cdSort=oldest&cdThread=Tx2SS3PH0LS8BLY
Patience, I’m so glad you came by to state the facts. Come by any time to add your $0.02.
Hi Tracey & Talk Teen Fiction – Thanks so much for the comments!
Tracey, yes it is frustrating for us “little guys” who need (& deserve!) the validation that reviews of our work brings. It’s even more upsetting when places like Amazon, who has made it possible for POD & Self-Published authors (via things of their creation like Create Space) to bring their work to the surface, then take away something that helps promote that work – like reviews and ratings. What gives? Are the little guys gaining too much momentum, possibly taking some of the spotlight away from the big sellers? Will we ever know the truth?
Hmmmm, sound like a good story plot, it’s got all the elements: good company gone bad, lies, deception – all we need is a body, a weapon and a room – Miss Scarlet in the Library with the delete button!
Such a great post you have here! I would surely share this with my friends!