Giving it Back Because I'm Old and Crotchedy

Around the end of August/beginning of September, I ordered a book through a second-party seller on Amazon. I usually get used books instead of new (unless it's a present) because hey, it's a book, not a pair of underwear. I'm going to read it and put it on a shelf, possibly under the leg of a table. I don't want a relationship with it.

Anyway, the book was "The Power of Now", something I was really looking forward to. A month went by, then I got a note saying it would be late by another month. Three days after that date elapsed, I got the book.

Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), I was peeved. Being consigned to the APO for the last 11 years I've learnt to be patient. A few years back two giant mail carts of mail destined for the APO overseas sites got misplaced at JFK for about three months. So we got Christmas cards in March and catalogs saying, "Only two more weeks till Christmas...order now!"

Anyway, Amazon sent me a note asking me to rate my transaction which I did, saying how peeved I was that it took so long to get a book and that I was on the point of cancelling the order. I gave them one star. Even given the schizophrenic nature of the APO system, two plus months is a bit of a stretch.

Yesterday I get an email from the seller. Here's what it said:

We noticed your negative feedback and I think you may have us confused with another seller. We shipped your order 9/16/2010 we havent sent you any emails about delays. Going to an APO shipments can be delayed. I would be willing to issue you a refund if you would remove this negative feedback. We rely on our feedback for our livelihood.

Please let us know.

The bitch of is...once I receive an order, I delete all emails having to do with it. So I had no proof of the delay. I said as much in the response.

I ordered your book in late August, received an email after one month saying the order would be delayed another month, and three days after that due date, I received the book. As I delete emails once the orders are delivered, I have no proof of this email, but no, I will not remove the negative feedback. It took you over two months to deliver a single book. We've been stationed overseas for 11 years now, and that's the longest it's taken for ANYTHING to reach us, so please, don't blame the APO service for something that's your own fault. I've had things reach me in 4 days, though two weeks is standard, with the APO.

I am not interested in a refund, thank you. I simply will avoid purchasing from you in the future.


Well, honestly. People either say, "Oh, no, we don't deliver to APO" *COUGHCOUGH TARGET COUGHCOUGH* or tack on exorbitant postage fees *COUGH ALIGHT.COM TORRID NEARLY EVERY ON-LINE RETAILER COUGH* or do and mail it parcel post *COUGH NEWPORT NEWS COUGH* I guess it's the customs form that throws people, but you know, after serving my country all this time, I expected better and get annoyed when I get waffly little emails like this.

Enough.