Amazon Sucks.

I ordered a book from amazon last week, Mark Steinmetz's South East. I had been interested in this book for a while, even before Mike Johnston featured it on The Online Photographer. After he did, the book became unavailable at list price, only used and collectible ones being offered. When I saw one pop up on Amazon for $37 I went ahead and ordered it. I ordered it on Monday, they shipped it on thursday and I received it today. Almost. They sent the wrong book. They sent Greater Atlanta which is an okay book but I really wanted what I had ordered. I went to the Amazon website to see how to send it back. A few clicks later and it told me I had to call customer service. A phone call later and I was talking to Rinja in New Delhi. She said she couldn't help me because they were changing out the computers and could I please call back in an hour?

Now I was mad. I tried calling Amazon's Corporate office in Seattle only to play ring-around the phone tree. When you press either 5 or 0 for the Corporate Operator, it just takes you back to the recorded message. So now I'm on a misson to get people to buy from local booksellors and tell Amazon to take a hike.

BTW Amazon, the person who packed my book at Warehouse Deals in Lexington, KY should be fired. How ironic that a booksellor employs people who can't read the title and the listing on the invoice, compare the two to make sure they agree and then ship the book. It's like ordering Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter and getting Little House in the Big Woods. There's even different pictures on the cover!? You would think you would want them to ship the correct item, it'd be cheaper, but from your response and lack of customer service, it's evident you don't care what they ship. You don't care about customer service because you outsource it to India. When I order something from a US company and have a problem, I want to call customer service to fix it in the United States! The last thing I want is to call and hear the person speaking with a Indian or Pakstani accent. Even my e-mails asking for help are sent from New Delhi. And back up your computers so when you have to take a system down, the customer service people can still access the information they need to help your customers!

Now I could crack some joke about how most of the people in Lexington, KY where Warehouse is located, have some of their teeth, they just can't read. But I'd hate to disparage one of your vendors.

Sign me...a very dissatisfied customer.

"Thank you very much"

ps...the Book is now available from www.photo-eye.com. No discount on the price but at least you'll get what you order.