Author To Complain About Amazon On Social Media or Not?

My Blue Brain personality thrives on Harmony!
My Orange Brain personality resembles a terrier. Like that feisty and fearless breed of dog, I am determined and tenacious about getting results.
My Yellow Brain personality is adamant about doing things “the right way”.
My Green Brain personality is filled with good old fashion common sense. However, as my dear friend Margie Birnbaum always says, “Common sense is not common.”

The statement perfectly fit the issue I was having with Amazon not  having What Color Is Your Brain? in stock. It is common sense and good business sense for Amazon to keep my book in stock: Readers can easily purchase the book, Amazon and the publisher make money from the book sales, and I am sent my royalty and I allocate 10% to JDRF (the juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).

I have high regard and respect for the people who work in the Amazon’s Author Central Department!! The team has always been most helpful and informative, especially Sam B.. Last year, Sam B. spent months correcting the incorrect information to keep Princess Shayna’s Invisible Visible Gift in stock. I have also written positive and complimentary blogs post about Author Central and Sam B. in the past.

My Yellow Brain has made it a weekly practice to look at all my book on Amazon and make sure they are all in enough stock. In April, I was shocked and upset when I discovered that on the What Color Is Your Brain? page the book would not be available for 3-5 weeks. Yikes, I was horrified! The book was published in 2008, it is in the 14th printing, and there has never been an issue about keeping the book in stock.

Immediately, I called Author Central and asked to speak to Sam B., if he was available. Sam B. called me back as soon as he could and I explained the problem. As always, Sam B. checked with his colleagues and they told him the books would be back in stock on May 10th. I check on May 10 and the message was changed to show the books would be available. However, when I checked a few days later the message had changed again. The book would not be available until May 28th. I called Sam again; he looked into the problem; and did the best he could from his department. Procedures that I am not privy had changed, which meant the books where not getting to Amazon to be fulfilled as they had in the past.

Last Friday, on May 23, I  checked on the status of What Color Is Your Brain? again. To my horror the page read: Not available for 3-5 weeks.

I may have silver hair now, but I still have a red-head’s temper. It takes a red-head a long time to become angry, but when we do… WATCH OUT! I immediately called Amazon Central and asked for Sam B.. However, Sam B. was no in. But Emily, who recognized my name from my previous blog post, said she would be happy to help me. I told her my story. She told me, “I am sorry, but this is the way the system works and there was nothing I can do.” 

I told Emily, “I realized there was nothing she could do. However, I am so disappointed in the way this issue is being handled by other Amazon departments. I am going to blog about my complaint and the poor customer service from the other departments. Then I am going to post it on my Facebook pages, Titter, and LinkedIn. This is not my normal behavior or the way I prefer to solve a problem, but I no longer have the patience or trust in the Amazon system that does NOT keeps my book in stock. ”

I thanked Emily, asked her to relay my message when Sam returned to work,and said good-bye.

My Green Brain metaphorically stored my upset in a little green box in my brain. I did not want to upset the lovely Blue Brain Family plans I had for the holiday weekend.

This morning, I checked on the status of my book. I was shocked and delighted when I read: Only 2 left in stock (more on the way)! 

I cannot be sure how or why the new available book message appeared. However, I am thrilled that it did happened!

After my initial delight, my Green Brain began wondering…
Was it the fact that I was going post my complaint about Amazon on all my social media sites or was it a just a serendipitous coincidence?

Boost your Brain Power with more links in the right-hand side column of this page! Remember that 10% of the royalties from the sale of all my books is allocated to JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).

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