The Writing on the Wall... Purchase Requirements aka My "I Was an Amazon Policy Victim" Story

Hiya folks!

Welcome back to...yeah, you know where you're at after TWO other posts today, I'm sure, but just in case, it's Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.  Got it?  You meant to be here?  FABULOUS!  YOU ROCK!  Now, let's get to something less than stellar...

It's quite literally been YEARS since I drug this MEME type puppy out of the archives, but time became extremely premium, and reviews took precedence over my own mindful ramblings...but not today.  Today something has moved me so much that I had to speak out about it.  Call it lack of sleep (which is true), call it a result of the uber stress in my work life right now (so true that statement doesn't even BEGIN to cover it!), call it what you will....but those of you in the book bloggy world have seen versions of this story a hundred times over already, and now, I've become a victim too.  Today's topic...

PURCHASE REQUIREMENTS

So, recently I fell victim to changes in Amazon's policies. According to their newish rules, my nine or so odd years of reviews are no longer valid, accurate, "helpful" as rated by other shoppers...because of a very specific rule from a year or two past...

"To write a Customer Review, you must have used your account to make at least $50.00 in purchases in the past 12 months on Amazon.com with a valid credit or debit card. Once your order has shipped, you'll be able to write your first customer review."

Wait...I haven't purchased at least $50 worth of merchandise within the last 12 months with a credit or debit card? *blink blink* Um, okay.  So basically purchases made with all the gift cards I had (mostly from birthday/holiday presents) that ONLY WORK FOR THEIR SITE don't count.  Wow, way to go Amazon.  So, at this point, I have to say I'm sorry to all the authors, publishers, and publicists out there (for those past reviews that no longer exist), but I'm not going to basically pay Amazon for the "privilege" of posting on their site. 

I make purchases for items online quite often, but FROM WHERE I WANT, and it's not always this conglomerate...mea culpa...or not. T-shirts? TeeTurtle is my bag (love those cute and bookish shirts)! Foam soap? Point me to Bath & Body Works (most recent order just arrived last night, so I'm swimming in Fall scents!). Books? Publisher sites directly, BookOutlet, BAMM, and SOMETIMES Amazon, but it depends where I see the title I'm currently looking for and let's face it, where the best pricing/bonus comes from. Just recently I purchased (ironically) over $50 in books when obtaining the Orville Wellington series (AWESOME SERIES, seriously, book one in audio rocked my world!)...and while I priced Amazon, BAMM was a better deal. 

So, longish story short, I can no longer promise an Amazon review... I'm not banned, but I can't promise I'll keep my purchasing in line with their demands. Guess we know what they're really about, huh?  😒 Thanks for listening, sorry if I've offended, and if any of you need to rescind your review requests, feel free. I'll post the heck out of the reviews everywhere else, but the mogul is off my list.