More posts on the subject

[conuly]

Here's a coherent explanation of why things haven't been FIXED yet. Not sure how accurate it is, but I'm trying to post interesting links, anyway.

This link is telling how customer service messed up and why it's totally not their fault. Fair enough.

Another one trying to explain how things could've spiraled so far out of control without any (or much, anyway) actual malice - at least on Amazon's part.

And click here for random discussion reiterating what we already know.

Comments

[leora.livejournal.com]

I don't have a lot of sympathy for a company turning its tech support team into robots. If you're giving customers answers based on key words like that, you're treating your customers like crap. I have a reasonable idea of just how often that will screw things up and just how obnoxious and annoying it is for the person receiving the answer.

[leora.livejournal.com]

On a side note, what I'm looking for here (and actually expect I will get) is an honest apology and explanation by Amazon. But I'm going to be mad at them until I see that.

[conuly]

Agreed.

[conuly]

No, but I have more sympathy for the poor tech support drones. It is them whose fault it's not. Uh... that sentence makes sense.

[leora.livejournal.com]

Oh, I've never been mad at them. Either they are following stupid orders to be drones or they are reporting stupid policy from above. I generally figure that they didn't choose how things would be handled. I usually try not to blame low level employees. And even if they have serious personal issues and disagreements with what is happening, it is not reasonable to expect them to leave over it. So, I don't really have an opinion about them at all.

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

weev doesn't even understand the details -- he actually thinks all that would have had to happen is a simple hack job and change one line of code. http://tehdely.livejournal.com/88823.html

I got some "lulz" off of this explanation! They don't even have to do anything -- all they have to do is say they did something!

Nick

this just in

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

Jessica Valenti's editor at Seal Press, Brooke Warner, has spoken to an Amazon rep who told her it was neither glitch nor hack. In an e-mail to Valenti, Warner wrote, "Basically he said that amazon has been experimenting with the way they dole out content specifically so that people who are searching Harry Potter or whatever won't run into links to products that might be offensive... [T]his is mandated from their bosses, who essentially want to be Walmart.... also said no human is responsible for the decisions per se, and that it's all about tagging and feeds which are constantly being tweaked. He does think that amazon will retweak the tags based on the uproar that happened over the weekend." However, others remain convinced it's the work of outside shit-disturbers. Amazon, meanwhile, still hasn't apologized for the glitch/fail/hack/error, and I still find that totally baffling.
― Kate Harding

http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/feature/2009/04/13/amazon_fail_2/index.html

Re: this just in

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

duh never mind, you had that one.