Archive for June 23rd, 2008

Amazon Idiocy Continues

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

It appears that amazon views the idea of wishlists for kindle owners as some sort of state secret.  After first getting a completely useless response from support, I was able to get thru to someone who went to great lengths to do a pathetic attempt at a “wink-and-a-nod” not-denial that there might ever be such a feature, in the future, at this time. blah blah blah.  

What The Hell?!?

I get it, your programming staff was lazy or incompetent, when it came to the wishlist integration, and a lazy project lead/manager said, “well hell, they can use gift certificates, so what if they’re impersonal, loathed, and attach stigma to the giver, I’ve got a schedule to keep, and damn the customers!!”.  I get that you can’t come out and be THAT honest.  But come on, “At this time, we have no further details to announce at this time regarding this option”?

 

Jeff Bezos, what were you thinking?

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

So, I was explaining the kindle to my mom recently, and she asked me a question, “If I buy a book for your kindle, is amazon’s website smart enough to prevent me from buying something you already bought?”.  I assured her that Amazon wasn’t that stupid, and that I was sure it would manage my wishlist sanely.  Then I went home and started looking into it, and discovered that Mr Bezos, in all his crack-whackery, decided that kindle users don’t have friends or family that love them,  I guess.  It seems that you CAN’T give a kindle book as a gift to someone who owns a kindle device.  

Frankly, I’m aghast with flabergastery.     Books as gifts is hardly a corner-case scenario.  It seems like the kind of functionality an e-book system shouldn’t ship without on day-one, much less at the half-year mark.

DRM headaches, I can deal with, but such a moronic decision as to deliberately not allow people to give you the money they’ve decided to spend?   That’s the kind of thing that pisses me off.  You don’t want people to give me gifts, Mr Bezos?  Well then fine, I’m not giving anyone a gift thru your system ever again.