Who? Me? Apologize to a corporate monster?

[fpb]

Yes. I distrust corporations on principle, but when you have to, you have to. Yesterday I addressed readers to an Amazon-baiting cartoon - just because I found it excruciatingly funny. Today I got the last of a lot of six rare books I had ordered from Amazon two or three weeks ago, and which I did not expect until April. All the books have been delivered in better than expected condition, well ahead of time, to my complete satisfaction. A corporation that does exactly what it was asked to do. Of course the six books cost me a small fortune, but I don't regret it in the least. So, no, I don't really believe that Amazon are the kind of people who leave horse heads in your bed.

Comments

[inverarity.livejournal.com]

I don't think Amazon is monstrous or "evil" in any real sense, but I've already posted on their dust-up with MacMillan, and why it will be bad for publishers, authors, and readers if Amazon wins.

That said, while I can't blame anyone for trying to take advantage of a pricing error, they really shouldn't cry when Amazon catches the error and says, "Nice try."

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Actually, Amazon can't, and I suspect that they will soon find that out in court. There is plenty of legal precedent for the principle that once a price list is published, even if it is wrong, the seller has to adhere to it. It would be too easy, otherwise, for sellers to swindle buyers, especially over long distances. A few years ago, here in Britain, the Hoover Corporation was nearly bankrupted by a similar dumb mistake, but they had to go on with it.

[inverarity.livejournal.com]

Amazon has already canceled the orders. I understand there's a class action suit already being filed, but I doubt the plaintiffs will win.

I don't know what British laws are like, but while we do have laws against "bait-and-switch" in the U.S. (which is probably the premise on which Amazon is being sued), the courts usually rule in favor of the company. If the local car dealer prints an ad with a misplaced decimal point, you can't go to the dealership and expect to drive away with a car for 10 bucks.