On 24th December 2016, I found I could no longer log into my Amazon account. As a very frequent Kindle books and apps customer I found this ban very disturbing. I could not post book reviews, purchase anything, play games that needed a connection to my app store nor rent films from Amazon prime.
When I kept getting the error message that my password was incorrect I rang Amazon customer service and was told a block had been placed on my account. The customer service representative couldn’t tell me why and I was told Amazon would contact me within 24 hours to resolve the issue.
To cut a long and tedious story short the customer service representatives on the front line could not help me to “unblock” my account and after being told for the third time someone from accounts would ring me and getting no contact from the illusive Amazon accounts department, I decided to make a formal representation, in the shape of a signed for letter to their head of sales, Mark Burton.
By the time I could escalate my complaint to Mark Burton it was 16th January 2017 and I had been cold turkey from Amazon for a gruelling 22 days. During this period of untethered anguish and confusion I reflected on the mindless dependency I had to the online Goliath. The majority of the books I have read are on Kindle and were at the time inaccessible. It was quite alarming to see how much I used my Amazon account and how the absence of it was affecting me.
Despite the fact I used resolver.co.uk to log the complaint (which Amazon representatives told me they wouldn’t respond to, but were unresponsive when I explained I cannot get into my account to contact them through their own contact help pages) and used the contact form without signing into my account as well as writing to them by post, I have had no contact with from Amazon since 4th January 2017.
I have now escalated my complaint to Christopher North, Managing Director, and have no further steps I can think of to ask again for the privilege of being able to shop online with Amazon. A part of me is grateful to be cut off (I’m really saving money) but a big part of me feels violated and duped. I paid to renew my Prime Membership in November 2016 and am unable to use the facility of next or same day delivery, purchased Fire TV in early December and am still heavily dependent on my Kindle Fire HD tablet, which is now not anchored to the Amazon app store.
Despite having no information about why my account is blocked, I did discover on 26th January 2017 that I suddenly had access to parts of my account, so was able to post reviews again and manage my Kindle books and apps. I had fallen out of the Top 1000 reviewers ranking and I am still unable to purchase anything from Amazon through my account. I do wish I had never been tempted to buy an Amazon tablet or Fire TV. I have rediscovered other places to buy physical books, so not everything is held to ransom by Amazon on a whim.
I remain incensed but reflective about Amazon’s treatment of me, a loyal customer since they first started, who hasn’t changed phone number or address since 2002. It is their loss at the end of the day as I discover life beyond Amazon, however their claims of being a customer centric company and recent award for customer service is totally at odds with my personal experience and I’m seriously considering not linking my reviews to their books on my blog.
Ajoobacats Blog 
It was what?
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Sorry dropped my tablet…
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Hope it fared okay.
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It’s fine thank you. The floor broke the fall.
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Damn, I’m glad I came back for the info, but disappointed by the outcome.
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I’m still hoping they’ll respond accordingly but in all fairness I am now buying hard copies of books I love. I don’t trust the system anymore.
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Have you shouted loudly about it on Twitter? @AmazonUK Big businesses don’t like seeing themselves badly on social media.
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I was thinking about it Rosie, and now that I have made the effort to post what has happened maybe lobbying them on social media is the only way forward.
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This is dreadful!! Without them giving you a reason it doesn’t make any sense at all. I know you have found solutions elsewhere but hope you get this sorted out as well, just to make some of your life easier.
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I am saving a lot of money from not buying or renting films etc but it still feels like an unfair ban when all I have ever done is be a loyal customer who has promoted their products on my blog. It’s quite scary that this could happen to be honest.
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They are obviously too big to care. Sign of the times, sadly.
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Very true. I’ve felt very small trying to get their attention to fix this.
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That’s shocking! I feel for you, don’t know how I’d cope without my kindle books! Hope it gets resolved at some point 🙂
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I have access to kindle books now but I cannot buy any, which defeats the purpose of getting a Kindle e-reader some what.
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Thank you, I never thought anything like this could happen to me.
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How completely bizarre. Very few companies now have any kind of effective front line staff for when something goes wrong. Sad to realise that Amazon is one such. I hope when they finally sort out what on earth they have done to your account they refund your Amazon Prime sub (which is not cheap unless you are using it a lot). I put a ridiculous amount of my disposable income through Amazon – much more than just books. To lose the facility to buy online, at 2 am, and just wait for the box to arrive – that would, indeed, be a serious cold turkey event [shudders].
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Same here, Judi. Clothes, shoes and accessories as well as the kindle stuff. I don’t know how I would cope in an apocalypse, six weeks of this has been life changing.
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This is absolutely shocking! To not even give you an explanation… As Rosie suggested, I’d start making some noise on social media…
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Nothing else has worked and there’s no acknowledgment of even receiving my signed for letters.
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Ridiculous! I don’t know if it will help, but I’d start making a noise about it…
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Thank you, I’m certainly going to try.
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Good luck! Let us know how it goes! x
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I think if Amazon’s inactivity is anything to go by, it may become a regular topic.
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Oh my gosh, that sounds so horrible! The idea that you pay for a service you can’t access is ridiculous, but not having any response is worse. I really hope this gets resolved soon!
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Thank you, but although I still have some hope left for being allowed to make Amazon purchases, I won’t be holding my breath. I cannot imagine why they banned me, perhaps they don’t need anymore customers?
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It’s quite odd. I wonder if someone hacked into your account but that shouldn’t take that long to sort out. Have you tried e-mailing Jeff Bezos himself? Although he doesn’t ‘reply in person, they always, always reply. jeff@amazon.com http://gizmodo.com/jeff-bezos-if-you-have-a-problem-with-amazon-email-me-1724561248
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I was wondering if I had been hacked, but other than e-mailing them and phoning them, how do I prove I’m me? I have seven days to wait for the MD of Amazon UK to contact me and if I have no luck then I think Jeff Bezos will have to be my next point of action, thank you.
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As someone who had to go without internet connection for 6 weeks recently after moving house and the hours of frustration trying to sort that out I sympathise with you entirely. Reading your account of your treatment by Amazon has my blood running cold…I hope you get sorted soon (if you want to be sorted, that is….Perhaps you will continue to discover a life without Amazon, although at the moment I can’t imagine what that would be like!)
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Well I’m taking it a day at a time and I do have my husband’s account if really desperate, although I resent having to ask him to buy me stuff I should be able to buy myself and being Amazon free is definitely liberating. I wish I didn’t feel so violated by them.
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Appalling behaviour by Amazon, especially not even to reply to you. I’ve bought nearly 2000 Kindle books – I’d be gutted if I lost access to them. Hope you get this resolved soon.
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Thank you after shouting loudly on Twitter @Amazon_Help are looking into it
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