Amazon Apologizes for Big Brother Moment
Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: Amazon, Kindle, 1984, Animal, Farm | Themes: Software, The Internet
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has apologized for last week's incident that saw copies of George Orwell's 1984 removed from customers Kindles.
In a post on the Kindle Community message boards, Bezos branded the move "stupid" and "thoughtless" and said the company deserved the criticism it received as a result of the incident. Check out the full post below.
This is an apology for the way we previously handled illegally sold copies of 1984 and other novels on Kindle. Our "solution" to the problem was stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles. It is wholly self-inflicted, and we deserve the criticism we've received. We will use the scar tissue from this painful mistake to help make better decisions going forward, ones that match our mission.
With deep apology to our customers,
Jeff Bezos
Founder & CEO
Amazon.com
Last week Kindle users were given a nasty surprise: Amazon had remotely deleted books from hundreds of Kindles. Aside from those outraged because they were halfway through a book only to wake up and find it gone, most found beef with the fact that Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm were among the titles deleted.
The reason for the removal of the titles is still a little murky. The AP reports that on Friday Amazon said that the books had been added to its catalog using the company's self-service platform by a third party who did not have the rights to the books. However Kindle customers were reportedly told by Amazon's customer service department that the removal was the publisher's choice.
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Even if it seems like its just a move to please the disgruntled masses have to give them some credit. Its the first time I have honestly seen a company not only accept the criticism, apologize, and criticize itself.
It's a trap!
Bezos is obviously NOT a politician. . .great response on his part, IMO.
Amen. . .Bezos is obviously NOT a politician. GREAT, honest response on his part. Kudos to Jeff B.
Wow! I must say this is the best statement I have seen by a company that actually takes the blame for its actions and does not try and dance around it with statements that neither confirm nor deny what everyone knows they did. If it makes a difference or not who knows, but at least they acknowledge the stupidity of their actions.
Someone is clearly trying to cover their ass on this one. The remote deletion should never have been done. I think it was good to respond as they did to the situation and apoligize, etc. If the books were
sold illegally, than so be it. Just don't allow it to happen again.
Those who received the e-books obviously paid for them, and should have been able to keep them, as they would if they had bought a physical paper or hardback version. If anything, those who had them removed should be either refunded in full so they can purchase a paper or hardback version themselves, or be provided with the paper or hardback version shipped free of charge to satisfy the status quo for those who want it.
Oh well, such is life. This is one of many reasons why I deal with paper or hardback books, not versions requiring an electronic device to read, unless the book is on a CD or DVD, therefore incapable of being deleted. That is just my opinion though and you know what they say about opinions. :-)
Kudos to this CEO! He should mentor other corporate CEO's on how to communicate an apology to their customer base. It reminded me of the KISS principle that I learned in math class in grade 9 - Keep It Simple Stupid! Simplicity is where it's at! Good for you Jeff Bezos!
Eh, when it comes to CEOs and politicians, apologies mean nothing. Their just words. Some kind of restitution would speak much more loudly.
They're*
)
Sorry, grammar police! ( I really mean it
Who controls the past controls the future.
Who controls the present controls the past.
Good for Amazon with this kind of apology. I hope their actions will now speak as loud as their words.
Real apologies have three parts, admission of guilt, saying your sorry and making amends to those affected. Gift cards, a patch removing drm, free copies of 1984 courtesy of amazon are some options. People want to know your sorry because too many people in our lives Jerk us around, say they are sorry when confronted and then Jerk us around the next chance they get.
Nice response Bezos. I'll continue to buy products from your company.
Amazon is smart to fess up and apologize.
Sony should do the same now.
hmm. i was expecting to think 'go shove it up your *ss amazon."
but that apology was well worded. i felt they meant it. well played amazon.
It was a fantastic apology. However, the fact remains that books can be remotely deleted from your Kindle without notice or permission. I am a LOT less likely to get a Kindle after this fiasco.
Hah. how ironic. Clearly reading 1984 and Animal Farm is a case of thought crime.
I like that statement from Amazon. It seems human instead just a corporate fallout statement
This is peanuts and just the beginning.
Are they apologetic because they're genuinely sorry and take full blame or are they sorry that they were caught red handed, bashed on the net and forced to respond?
BTW:
The answer to 1984 is 1776!
Good apology, but I can't help wondering whether this has ripped the bottom out of the E-book concept. The fact that this could be done at all is enough to put me off the technology. If I'm really only renting the book and don't actually own it then I could save a lot of money by going to a library; the books there have better battery life too. ^_^
I loved animal farm.
Though Stephen King is better. So read his novels instead.