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Update on My Amazon Problems

JackieP

Earlier this week I wrote a post about problems I was having with Amazon. Someone had hacked my Amazon account and I was trying to get it back. Along with my regular account, the hacker also had control over my two books that are published on Amazon.

The fight to get my account straightened out and control over my books again had been going for close to a month. I did everything I was supposed to do, I changed my password frequently, to no avail. The hacker still managed to hijack my account. So again, I did what I was supposed to do, I alerted my bank, I wrote an email to Amazon customer service detailing what had happened.

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After the first initial contact with customer service, I was then pulled into a vortex of red tape and confusion. I was handed off to one customer service representative after another, from one department after another. It was frustrating and I was getting angry. My books were out there under the control of who knows who and I wanted them back.

I wasn’t too worried about my bank account because there is nothing in there. Still, I did everything I could to protect myself financially. That was easy enough to take care of. I have a great bank.

I lost count of how many people at Amazon I talked to on the phone and through emails. There were a lot. None seemed really able to do anything. After a while, they didn’t even seem to try as they just would send a standard email. They closed my Amazon account at least three different times. So I would have to go through re-opening it again and again. I was ready to say ‘screw it’ and not open it up again. But, there were my books out there. They were still listed on Amazon, yet, I had no control over them as my author account was attached to my Amazon account.

I finally did that post on WordPress about what was happening and asking for advice. And boy did I get it! Along with lots of sympathy and support from complete strangers and friends. People are wonderful!

I did finally get the right kind of help from Amazon and I have my books back! Yes!!! It was all because of series of wonderful people who helped get the word out and eventually who helped me get my books back into my control.

First was Chris at The Story Reading Ape, he kindly reposted my post on my Amazon troubles. Thank you, Chris! Because of your re-blog, I received all sorts of advice and offers of help from some very kind people.

Annabell Franklin kindly used Twitter with a link to my post to ask people for help. Thank you, Annabell! Because of your tweet, a very nice man by the name of Colin Hayden who works for Kindle Direct Publishing contacted me. I phoned him with the number he gave me and explained my problems and he promised he would make sure I got my books back on my Amazon and Kindle publishing account.

A few days later I received an email from another very nice employee at Kindle Direct Publishing (Bridgid O’Neal) stating my books should be back into my control and to check my KDP account. Sure enough, there they were! I was so grateful to see them again. I wrote Ms. O’Neal and thanked her very kindly for telling me my books were mine once again.

So, I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to Chris for re-blogging my original post because without your help the chain of events might never have happened and I would still be fighting to get my books back. Thank you!!!!!

Also, thank you to all the very nice people who commented and emailed me with suggestions and/or support. It meant a lot to me. WordPress has the greatest blogging community that I know of. I appreciate you all!

 

 

 

 

49 thoughts on “Update on My Amazon Problems”

  4. Good for you, Jackie! I can’t imagine the problems you had. I’ve contacted Amazon before and got the runaround routine. I’ve received full rights back from one of my publishers but can’t find anyone at Amazon to change the book’s listing. Grrr!

    So glad you finally got the help you needed!
    –Michael

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  7. Great news! And it’s heart-warming to see the great support from community. I guess the problem is that Amazon works wonderfully as long as you’re within the parameters of the automation, but a real human problem that needs a real human to fix is something else.

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  9. Thanks for giving us a follow-up. Bloggers have proven to be some of the kindest and most caring people I know. I’m happy to hear that bloggers came through once again. 🙂

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  13. I’m glad and relieved for you that all worked out to your satisfaction. I’m wondering how to prevent this in future…in the event I want to publish a book through Amazon. Any tips you could post would be a great help 🙂

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    1. Hm, I don’t think I’ve come across my problem before. I’m not sure how to prevent it again except change your passwards frequently. I will have to look into it more throughly.

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  15. I must have missed the post about the Amazon problem or it faded from my memory. Hang on to those numbers. You may need them again. What is wrong with people that they have to steal from those who have so little themselves. Chris has a lot of experience and is always willing to share and help. Glad he was there for you along with so many others. I hate automation sometimes. Happy ending. 🙂

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    1. Thank you, Michael. Yes, it does take time and effort to find the right people at Amazon but once you do things can go rather quickly. 🙂

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  19. Great news. I’m glad it all worked out for you Jackie, and it is very encouraging to see the writer/reader/blogger community coming together to help. ☺️

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  20. I’m happy it’s all finally sorted. And great to know people got together to help. It’s always worth to consider writing to Jeff Bezos directly (Jeff@amazon.com) Of course he doesn’t reply personally but there tends to be a personalised reply. But hopefully that won’t be necessary.

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    1. Thank you, Olga. I’m glad it’s finally sorted also. My next step was to email Jeff Bezo if I hadn’t heard from anyone that morning. 🙂

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  23. Hi Jackie, so sorry to read about your problems with Amazon Kindle – Shocking! I sold a copy of my redundancy book to a Facebook business friend and she said she had downloaded it onto her IPad, yet Amazon had no record of it and said their technical team said there is no problem with my account and the sale never happened. They kept sending me an email to say someone would phone me back but they never did and I gave up in the end because they said the would need to speak to the buyer and I know the buyer had a lot on her plate at that time and I would rather she enjoy my book than her have to worry about writing to Amazon.

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      1. Well she is happy she has the book and unless she goes to Amazon directly to say what happened I don’t see what else I can do. I don’t want to bother her.

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