# 1-Click Kindle scam....Do we need to get the FTC involved?



## Guest (Feb 14, 2011)

The FTC is looking around at the Apple in app purchases. 
_
"Now people are beginning to wonder whether the system is designed and marketed in a way that takes advantage of people.

After being asked to investigate the situation, the FTC may soon wonder the same thing."_

http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/10/6024491-do-iphone-app-purchases-prey-on-kids

I'm a loyal Amazon fan and my only gripe is this 1 click method inside of the kindle.

Just give us an option of turning off 1 click buying or have a zip code input feature like gas stations require you to do when using credit cards at the pump. Amazon is afraid of losing sales due to forgotten passwords, they've decided to dick with everyone


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

I do think it makes it a little too easy … especially after I read about a 3-year-old racking up $9,000 in app store bills buying "Smurfberries" as an in-app purchase in one of those infernal "freemium" games marketed to kids.

And I don't like how it's not only 1-click buying on the Kindle, but when you visit a book page the cursor is already highlighting the "buy" button. It's too easy to accidentally click it, considering that the 5-way controller is susceptible to accidental clicks to begin with.

I know Amazon will refund the purchase, no questions asked, and that certainly helps a lot, but I'm still not a fan of the 1-Click thing. I'm sure it helps Amazon (and Apple) sell more stuff though.

Now, does the FTC need to get involved? I don't know … in the case of the Kindle, since Amazon lets you return accidental purchases, probably not. In the case of apps marketed to kids tricking toddlers into spending thousands of dollars on virtual crap in some game? Possibly.


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## caseyf6 (Mar 28, 2010)

I don't know about the FTC getting involved...how about not letting little-bitties play these games?  How about paying more attention when we do it ourselves?

I agree that more systems need to be put in place (like with Kindle) so accidental purchases can be refunded.  But we really need to pay more attention, overall.


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## originalgrissel (Mar 5, 2010)

I think it's time for people to stop looking to government agencies to be everyone's parent and maybe let parents do the actual parenting. If you have children and you give them access to computer/phone applications that thereby give them access to your credit card than it's up to you as the parent to make sure they use it responsibly, not the government and not Amazon. Just because a child has the manual dexterity & the intelligence to use an iphone or a kindle, doesn't mean that they automatically have the emotional or intellectual maturity to handle the respobsibility that goes along with using the device. Very young children don't generally have a good understanding of how paying for things actually works and until they are old enough to fully grasp that if you charge something, you still have to pay for it, their parents shouldn't allow them access to a device on which they could wrack up a $9000.00 tab unless they are supervised or unless they have put some restrictions in place to prevent overspending. It's about personal responsibility and Amazon should not be penalized or held up to scrutiny simply because many people don't want to take responsibility for their own actions or the actions of their children.  

I think that if you are going to give a child that young, an item like a Kindle, you as the parent, have to recognize the fact that the device is not marketed to young children, therefore the online interface is not either. Amazon, expects adults & teens to be using this product, not pre-schoolers or young elementary school age kids with no supervision, that is why the payment format is set up without the failsafes it might have if it was geared toward younger kids. If children are going to use one, parents should either, put an Amazon gift card on their account and remove the accurate credit card data so no huge charges can be made or set the kids up on their own account with an amazon gift card on it, so that they cannot make a large number of purchases beyond what was on the AGC.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

It's not a problem of paying attention. It's not that parents aren't paying attention to kids like in the "good old days". The problem is that we make fundamental changes and pretend that nothing has changed. It used to be that kids had to actually have money in their hands to spend it. Making it too easy to spend money is dangerous.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

originalgrissel said:


> I think it's time for people to stop looking to government agencies to be everyone's parent and maybe let parents do the actual parenting. If you have children and you give them access to computer/phone applications that thereby give them access to your credit card than it's up to you as the parent to make sure they use it responsibly, not the government and not Amazon. Just because a child has the manual dexterity & the intelligence to use an iphone or a kindle, doesn't mean that they automatically have the emotional or intellectual maturity to handle the respobsibility that goes along with using the device. Very young children don't generally have a good understanding of how paying for things actually works and until they are old enough to fully grasp that if you charge something, you still have to pay for it, their parents shouldn't allow them access to a device on which they could wrack up a $9000.00 tab unless they are supervised or unless they have put some restrictions in place to prevent overspending. It's about personal responsibility and Amazon should not be penalized or held up to scrutiny simply because many people don't want to take responsibility for their own actions or the actions of their children.
> 
> I think that if you are going to give a child that young, an item like a Kindle, you as the parent, have to recognize the fact that the device is not marketed to young children, therefore the online interface is not either. Amazon, expects adults & teens to be using this product, not pre-schoolers or young elementary school age kids with no supervision, that is why the payment format is set up without the failsafes it might have if it was geared toward younger kids. If children are going to use one, parents should either, put an Amazon gift card on their account and remove the accurate credit card data so no huge charges can be made or set the kids up on their own account with an amazon gift card on it, so that they cannot make a large number of purchases beyond what was on the AGC.


Amen


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

originalgrissel said:


> I think it's time for people to stop looking to government agencies to be everyone's parent and maybe let parents do the actual parenting. If you have children and you give them access to computer/phone applications that thereby give them access to your credit card than it's up to you as the parent to make sure they use it responsibly, not the government and not Amazon. Just because a child has the manual dexterity & the intelligence to use an iphone or a kindle, doesn't mean that they automatically have the emotional or intellectual maturity to handle the respobsibility that goes along with using the device. Very young children don't generally have a good understanding of how paying for things actually works and until they are old enough to fully grasp that if you charge something, you still have to pay for it, their parents shouldn't allow them access to a device on which they could wrack up a $9000.00 tab unless they are supervised or unless they have put some restrictions in place to prevent overspending. It's about personal responsibility and Amazon should not be penalized or held up to scrutiny simply because many people don't want to take responsibility for their own actions or the actions of their children.
> 
> I think that if you are going to give a child that young, an item like a Kindle, you as the parent, have to recognize the fact that the device is not marketed to young children, therefore the online interface is not either. Amazon, expects adults & teens to be using this product, not pre-schoolers or young elementary school age kids with no supervision, that is why the payment format is set up without the failsafes it might have if it was geared toward younger kids. If children are going to use one, parents should either, put an Amazon gift card on their account and remove the accurate credit card data so no huge charges can be made or set the kids up on their own account with an amazon gift card on it, so that they cannot make a large number of purchases beyond what was on the AGC.


Sounds about right to me.


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## Guest (Feb 14, 2011)

Govt agencies might be the only thing that would help us out in this case. It's 1 click or nothing with Kindle. Amazon has nearly cornered the ebook market so they can pull this scheme...

Marketed to youngsters or not, they still have content for kids. So kids are gravitating to it. 

Only when the media or govt gets involved will we some changes


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## SusanCassidy (Nov 9, 2008)

The California Supreme Court recently ruled that retailers may not ask consumers for a zip code when processing a credit card transaction.

Maybe some day Amazon will implement a way to buy Kindle books via the usual shopping cart method.  Personally, I love the one-click.  Anything more would be a hassle.

I don't really think Kindle ebook purchases are quite the same thing as the in-app game extras that the original article was about.


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

SusanCassidy said:


> The California Supreme Court recently ruled that retailers may not ask consumers for a zip code when processing a credit card transaction.
> 
> Maybe some day Amazon will implement a way to buy Kindle books via the usual shopping cart method. Personally, I love the one-click. Anything more would be a hassle.
> 
> I don't really think Kindle ebook purchases are quite the same thing as the in-app game extras that the original article was about.


I agree. It isn't that easy to buy a book from the Kindle itself. You have to navigate to the store before even getting to the 1 click.

I don't have the 1 click on for my iPhone. I have to enter a password before buying an app. I don't have any small children at home, but do have 10 grandchildren ranging from 18yrs to 5months and they love to play games on my iPhone. They can't even download free apps without a password.


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## originalgrissel (Mar 5, 2010)

McGee said:


> Govt agencies might be the only thing that would help us out in this case. It's 1 click or nothing with Kindle. Amazon has nearly cornered the ebook market so they can pull this scheme...
> 
> Marketed to youngsters or not, they still have content for kids. So kids are gravitating to it.
> 
> Only when the media or govt gets involved will we some changes


Whether kids are "gravitating to it" or not, it's up to parents to pay for the device & put it in kids' hands. It's not as if young kids can just go buy a kindle on their own. And I honestly don't see the difference between one click and any other payment method. You click a button to "buy now" either way. There may be a few more steps involved in purchasing other items that are not sold via 1-click, but there's no guarantee that would stop young children from making additional purchases. It's still the parents responsibility to monitor how the device is used once they give it to their children. As for Amazon nearly cornering the market, that may be, but that was only possible because consumers made the choice to purchase Kindle and in many cases purchase multiple devices after they purchased the first one. There are still other e-readers out there and if consumers are so concerned about the payment interface they can choose to purchase a different device. No one is forcing people to buy Kindles. Consumers, their wallets & their word of mouth (good or bad) have more than enough sway over Amazon so that there is no reason any government agencies need to become involved. After the consumer backlash over the pedophile book I think it's clear that if enough Amazon customers make enough noise, they can and will change their policies.


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## Me and My Kindle (Oct 20, 2010)

To be fair, I think Amazon will let you return anything that you buy in the Kindle store within 7 days, no questions asked. So yeah, if you ever make an accidental purchase from Amazon, it's pretty easy to get sorted out.


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## Guest (Feb 14, 2011)

Kathy said:


> I agree. It isn't that easy to buy a book from the Kindle itself. You have to navigate to the store before even getting to the 1 click.


If you have a sample on your Kindle, right arrow click on it while on the homepage. The first click will be to buy.

Dirty tactics by amazon and they/you know it 

The Nook even advertises:

*NEW! Password Protect Your NOOK*

_Your NOOK can now be secured in two ways to prevent unauthorized use. First - you can set up your NOOK to lock when it goes into sleep mode, then unlock it with a pass code. Second - you can require a password to purchase content, so others using your NOOK cannot buy anything without your permission._

Really? It's 2011, this should have been a given


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

McGee said:


> If you have a sample on your Kindle, right arrow click on it while on the homepage. The first click will be to buy.


I have my samples in a folder, so it would take more than 2 clicks to buy it. You can also password protect the Kindle.

"If you want to make sure that only authorized users will have access to your Kindle, you can set a password on the Settings screen. You'll then need to enter the password to access your Kindle if it enters sleep mode or is turned off."


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

This is the same foolishness as people giving their kids cell phones and them driving up thousands of dollars in phone and text charges. Some people just don't want to take the time to learn about what they are purchasing and just hand their kids stuff and let them go. Then it's someone else's fault. _They_ should have told me. _They_ should have protected me.


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## JimJ (Mar 3, 2009)

To call this a "scheme" is really silly considering Amazon will refund anything within 7 days.  No one forces them to have that policy.  If 1-click was some nefarious plot to take our money by way of accidental purchases they could just say Kindle purchases are non-refundable.

All that being said, I do wish there was another option, just for the sake of convenience.  I have a lot of Kindles on my account and I usually tell the people that own them to get me a gift card to pay for their purchases but that gets tricky if I want to buy something before they've used all of their balance as Amazon forces you to use any GC balance on Kindle purchases.  90% of the time I'd be using 1-Click but in some cases a shopping cart method where you could choose the form of payment would come in handy.


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## SneezyCharmed (Oct 13, 2010)

I knew the kindle offered one click buying but I didn't realise that it was so easy (I had always gone via the kindle store/description from the menu option within the sample and kinda presumed that you would have to click something else before buying!) 

I do think it's a v good idea the way the kindle is set up-and to change it would be a bad thing - the apple interface does need to be change IMO as it's far too easy to run up a huge cc bill.


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## racheldeet (Jan 21, 2010)

The iPhone's in-app purchases can be turned off through parental controls on any of the devices, and I suggest anyone concerned about that should do it.

I don't think there's any one group to blame here, and not only one solution. To blame the parents, or the government, or the kids is putting a blind eye to 2/3 of the rest of the problem, and drives a stake between the forces that could work together to improve upon things.


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## AnelaBelladonna (Apr 8, 2009)

You really think the government should get involved? Wow....just...wow...
What ever happened to self accountability? Also, this is an item that you *choose* to purchase. If you don't like the way it performs, don't buy it or don't let kids or people you don't trust use it. It sounds very simple to me. The government is already too involved in too many aspects of our lives as it is.


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## evrose (Jan 7, 2011)

Actually, I'm in favor of Congressional intervention. It would keep them busy and take time away from their schedules that would otherwise be used to screw up important things - like healthcare and the economy.

CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS NOW!!!!


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

I would like it if Amazon moved away from 1 click purchasing - but that's because I dislike buying things one by one by one when buying multiple books ... 

I don't like 1 click, but claiming its' a protection measure around children is pushing it a bit far.


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## AnelaBelladonna (Apr 8, 2009)

evrose said:


> Actually, I'm in favor of Congressional intervention. It would keep them busy and take time away from their schedules that would otherwise be used to screw up important things - like healthcare and the economy.
> 
> CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS NOW!!!!


LOL! You are absolutely right! I take back what I said in my last post and I am going to call my Congressman right now! We can't allow this terrible scam to continue!


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

Constitution of the United States, Article I, Section 8

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;

*To regulate Commerce *  with foreign Nations, *and among the several States*, and with the Indian Tribes;


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I like the one click. If I was giving a Kindle to a kid I'd let 'em know that *I'd* know everything they buy (I'd get an email) and that I'd promptly (1) return any content I didn't think was appropriate or that they hadn't had prior permission to purchase and (2) take the Kindle away for a specified time. The kid would know this at the beginning. I would be sure they understood it was a privilege and not a right.

I can't speak to the Apple thing as I have no iStuff.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

McGee said:


> Govt agencies might be the only thing that would help us out in this case. ... Amazon has nearly cornered the ebook market so they can pull this scheme...Only when the media or govt gets involved will we some changes.


And French fries!

They are evil.

They shouldn't be so easy to purchase.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I have 4 kids with Kindles and 2 of them also have iPhones and the other 2 share an iPod touch... Not one of them has made an unauthorized purchase. Why? Because when they were given their devices, they were also given some *RULES* to follow.. they were also told the *CONSEQUENCES * if they did not follow the rules (device taken away for a specific period of time and purchase returned)

I don't think the government needs to step in, I just think more parents should do their jobs...


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

I know it's very popular to say "it's the parents' faults, they should be accountable!", and that _is_ true. BUT, I don't think that gives nefarious companies carte blanche to come up with more and more tricky and deceptive ways to try to screw over consumers, especially kids. I mean, why even have a "Consumer Protection Agency" or any of these gov't agencies if companies can do anything they want? False advertising, fraudulent billing, unsafe products -- hey, the parents should be paying more attention, right? Let cigarette companies advertise to kids, let companies try to trick 3-year-olds into buying things, after all, the parents should have been watching. Sure, they "should," and hopefully most of us do. But the reality is that some percentage of parents WON'T be watching that closely, or 24/7/365, and some people WILL get cheated by these shady practices. Heck, some parents don't really understand the iDevice little Johnny got from his cool uncle for Xmas, and don't know what an in-app purchase is. And there are certain business practices I'm just not a fan of -- one of them is trying to trick 3-year-olds into buying smurfberries.

By the way, I don't place Amazon and 1-Click ordering in that category, mainly because they very easily refund accidental purchases. But I'm not in love with how easy it is to accidentally 1-Click on a Kindle, although I _don't_ think it requires government involvement.


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## Guest (Feb 14, 2011)

I understand that 1 click is the greatest inventech but there are people using this in school settings and given by non helicopter parents to their hellion kids, etc. I think I was in the loo when they were passing around the 1-click kool aid


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## musclehead (Dec 29, 2010)

Most of this post doesn't even make sense.



David Derrico said:


> I know it's very popular to say "it's the parents' faults, they should be accountable!", and that _is_ true. BUT, I don't think that gives nefarious companies carte blanche to come up with more and more tricky and deceptive ways to try to screw over consumers, especially kids.


"Nefarious companies"? "Carte blanch"? Your choice of terms is telling. The fact is, companies don't do this. When it does happen, customers run away. Bad for customer = bad for business.



> I mean, why even have a "Consumer Protection Agency" or any of these gov't agencies if companies can do anything they want?


I agree. "Consumer Protection Agency" adds little real value to society. I say get rid of it.



> False advertising, fraudulent billing, unsafe products -- hey, the parents should be paying more attention, right? Let cigarette companies advertise to kids, let companies try to trick 3-year-olds into buying things, after all, the parents should have been watching. Sure, they "should," and hopefully most of us do. But the reality is that some percentage of parents WON'T be watching that closely, or 24/7/365, and some people WILL get cheated by these shady practices.


Because parents should be watching their children, and some parents will inevitably fail, does not mean the government should assume those roles the parents are unwilling to play. This is horrible, horrible, horrible political philosophy.



> Heck, some parents don't really understand the iDevice little Johnny got from his cool uncle for Xmas, and don't know what an in-app purchase is.


If the cool uncle bought it, and the parents don't understand it or know what an in-app purchase is, how did the parents' credit card number get on there? Unless the kids stole the parents credit card, this scenario is an impossibility.



> And there are certain business practices I'm just not a fan of -- one of them is trying to trick 3-year-olds into buying smurfberries.


<begin sarcasm> You're not a fan? Seriously? Well, in that case, call in the government agencies! You must be made a fan! <end sarcasm>



> By the way, I don't place Amazon and 1-Click ordering in that category, mainly because they very easily refund accidental purchases. But I'm not in love with how easy it is to accidentally 1-Click on a Kindle, although I _don't_ think it requires government involvement.


In the accidental smurfberries incident, the money was easily refunded. So that should be acceptable, according to your own standard.

On a larger scale, you draw one line in the sand, somebody else draws a different line. But the government ought to enforce the line you draw? That's not right, David.


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## mistyd107 (May 22, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I like the one click. If I was giving a Kindle to a kid I'd let 'em know that *I'd* know everything they buy (I'd get an email) and that I'd promptly (1) return any content I didn't think was appropriate or that they hadn't had prior permission to purchase and (2) take the Kindle away for a specified time. The kid would know this at the beginning. I would be sure they understood it was a privilege and not a right.


ITA


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

Linjeakel said:


> Sounds about right to me.


Me too.. there are dangers in life and that's why kids have parents/caregivers and if they don't have time to protect and/or give that care then.. don't have kids. Or keep your kindle out of their hands. Or turn off one click and order your stuff online.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Seamonkey said:


> Me too.. there are dangers in life and that's why kids have parents/caregivers and if they don't have time to protect and/or give that care then.. don't have kids. Or keep your kindle out of their hands. * Or turn off one click and order your stuff online.*


Well to be fair, the bolded is the sticking point. You can turn off one click ordering on your Amazon.com account, but you can't turn it off and have it ask for a password etc. to make a purchase on the Kindle. And that's an option they should add.

Though I agree at the end of the day it's down to parents to parent--or take my route and not have kids if you don't have the desire and patience for them.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

musclehead said:


> Most of this post doesn't even make sense.
> 
> "Nefarious companies"? "Carte blanch"? Your choice of terms is telling. The fact is, companies don't do this. When it does happen, customers run away. Bad for customer = bad for business.
> 
> ...


Well, "not making sense" and "you not agreeing" aren't the same thing. And I understand you have a different philosophy on what the gov't should and shouldn't enforce -- I suppose you want the "enforcement line" where you think it should be, just like I have my own opinion. What are you saying, that if anyone disagrees with any law, then it shouldn't be enforced?

To some extent, I can even agree with you that the gov't is often pretty ineffectual when it enforces things. But I'm not comfortable with just de-regulating everything, eliminating all government oversight, removing any sort of consumer protection or anti-fraud laws, etc., which is what you seem to be advocating. At the risk of you responding sarcastically again, I especially don't like to see children or the elderly being taken advantage of. Yes, I think we as a society should try to prevent that.

There's a spectrum here &#8230; and I'm not advocating the Orwellian, totalitarian system you're implying, and I doubt you really want complete anarchy and no laws regarding business transactions either. To pick one of 1,000 examples, should it be illegal for a company to charge your credit card twice for the same thing? Is it OK for them to intentionally do that if you don't catch it, because everyone "should" be double-checking their CC statements and the gov't shouldn't "assume this role"? Should we just allow companies to do that, and when they screw enough people, "customers will run away," problem solved? I can't agree with that system.

Reduction in government oversight often leads to serious problems for the country as a whole -- not just a few "bad" parents who don't watch their kids closely enough. The California energy crisis (which had nothing to do with not having enough energy) and the national housing crisis (just to name 2 recent examples) resulted from lack of government oversight and regulation. A few companies and individuals got very rich and the rest of the country suffered. But I don't have any intention of debating politics on here, we can just agree to disagree on that point.


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## Shetlander (Mar 10, 2009)

I _like_ one click shopping. I don't _want_ to put in a password before each purchase. Maybe soon adding a password can be an _*option*_ for those who find one click offensive/wrong for whatever reason.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

David Derrico said:


> . . . should it be illegal for a company to charge your credit card twice for the same thing?


This and your other similar examples are hardly akin to Amazon's One-Click.

Double charging is intentional fraud.

One-Click is a simplified ordering system. It's asserted "flaw" is that it is too easy.

OMG! It's easy! And you can cancel it! You can even get a refund for seven days!

How _dare_ they put this in place! Nefarious evil-doers!

I somehow just can't see One-Click as a serious threat to American families . . . or the free world.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Elk said:


> This and your other similar examples are hardly akin to Amazon's One-Click.
> 
> Double charging is intentional fraud.
> 
> ...


I specifically said (twice) that I don't see Amazon's 1-Click in the same category at all. I wasn't equating 1-Click with the examples I gave. Musclehead quoted my post and started talking about gov't regulation and consumer protection laws in general.


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## Trophywife007 (Aug 31, 2009)

Shetlander said:


> I _like_ one click shopping. I don't _want_ to put in a password before each purchase. Maybe soon adding a password can be an _*option*_ for those who find one click offensive/wrong for whatever reason.


Yes! Me too! If parents are worried about children purchasing from their Kindles, they can de-register them... (the Kindle not the kid, that is.) Convenience of purchasing is one of the things I like best.


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## 3pointers (Jan 8, 2010)

My problem with one-click doesn't involve a child.  It involves my 88 year-old father with big fingers.  He received a Kindle for Christmas and really enjoys it.  However, he has very large hands/fingers and due to his age and probably arthritis as well, has trouble with the 5-way pad.  

I think the 1-click is fine, but just wish they'd add a pop-up box that states something along the lines of "Are you sure you want to make this purchase?  Yes/No"  That's all they need.


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

Think of all the battery life wasted with all those clicks for all those pop ups..

I'm all for all sorts of acknowedgement and control in life/death situations..  For quite some time I worked on a large hospital system that included all types of ordering online and real time and not only did we have to use computer systems that were 100% dual and that would run 24/7 (we used Tandem minis back then) with powerful backup systems in place, but the software had massive error checking in place because errors could cause problems with dosage or medication interactions or procedures that could kill people with certain conditions.

But the Kindle possible errors just don't rise to that level.. no one will die and they allow cancellations.

The craziest thing that happened to me was I  was reading on my Kindle DX outside and went to the kindle store to look at a book from a link.  Then my Pinkberry's order was ready and I closed the cover while I got a napkin, spoon and the yogurt.  By the time I settled on a bench, he cover had pressed on the DX "joystick" and "ordered" a $37.00 book I absolutely did not want.  No problem, Amazon cancelled the charge and deleted the book.


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## hidden_user (Dec 20, 2010)

Couple of days ago, I went into the Amazon Store via the K3 and accidentally bought a book I had no intentions of buying. Immediately there was a prompt about a refund for accidental purchase and I chose that, so it got sorted out. The thing is though ... I have no idea what I clicked on ... just all of a sudden, I had purchased a book LOL ... total accident but was so simple I had NO idea what I had done.

NOW, I'm almost afraid to even use the kindle for book shoppping HA !!! I would much rather use my computer and navigate the Amazon website.

Also, if I remember correctly, didn't I have to turn 1-click shopping on? Isn't it an option in the customer profile online?


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

I do believe that the title of this thread is inappropriate and overboard


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## hidden_user (Dec 20, 2010)

^^^ I agree with "intinst"


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

We let our 4 year old play with Daddy's 2nd iTouch (long story). As soon as I read about the smurfberries and the option to turn off in-app purchases, I took the iTouch out of my purse and made sure that that option was selected. I then also looked at other settings like making friends in game and such. I don't need Big Brother to parent my child, they're already doing enough of that.

As far the 1 click on the Kindle... a confirmation would be nice although that defeats the idea of "1 click". The *option* of adding a password seems the best solution to me.


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## RichardDR (Jul 8, 2010)

re: "I like the one click.  If I was giving a Kindle to a kid I'd let 'em know that I'd know everything they buy (I'd get an email) and that I'd promptly (1) return any content I didn't think was appropriate or that they hadn't had prior permission to purchase and (2) take the Kindle away for a specified time.  The kid would know this at the beginning.  I would be sure they understood it was a privilege and not a right."



I don't know about this remark.  It just sounds like too much work for me.  I gues I am fortunate that all of my kids are now in reformatories or prison so they are no longer a burden to me.  My time is valuable.


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## splashes99 (Aug 11, 2010)

David Derrico said:


> ...the national housing crisis (just to name 2 recent examples) resulted from lack of government oversight and regulation. A few companies and individuals got very rich and the rest of the country suffered. But I don't have any intention of debating politics on here, we can just agree to disagree on that point.


Actually, I think this IS the same thing as expecting the government to babysit people. Where has all the personal responsibility gone??

When I hear about the housing crisis, and the blame on "why, oh why, did the government FORCE me to take a loan out for a house that I know I can't afford? How come no one protected me from thinking I can afford a $1 million house when I make $40 thousand a year" It is an individual's responsibility to know their own financials, just as it is a parent's responsibility to know their kids- and that includes evaluating whether or not they are mature enough to handle the responsibility and understand the rules and consequences of using an electronic device that can make purchases.


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2011)

No one is asking uncle Sam to babysit kids 

I would like Amazon to give me an OPTION to turn off 1-Click. Refusing to do so after 3-4 hardware revisions already? Greed is the thought that comes to mind. Or maybe Amazon reckons we aint smart enough to remember our here passwords


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## AnelaBelladonna (Apr 8, 2009)

McGee said:


> No one is asking uncle Sam to babysit kids
> 
> I would like Amazon to give me an OPTION to turn off 1-Click. Refusing to do so after 3-4 hardware revisions already? Greed is the thought that comes to mind. Or maybe Amazon reckons we aint smart enough to remember our here passwords


I don't understand why you think it is greed on Amazon's part when you can return any book for seven days after purchase. They gain NOTHING.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Hundreds if not thousands of people have asked for the ability to use their own screensavers, and you think that they will change the buying option because you don't like it?


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

McGee said:


> Or maybe Amazon reckons we aint smart enough to remember our here passwords


Amazon would be right. So many of the problems people have with their wi-fi only Kindles is that they cannot remember their router passwords.


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2011)

AnelaBelladonna said:


> I don't understand why you think it is greed on Amazon's part when you can return any book for seven days after purchase. They gain NOTHING.


What happens if they get overdraft fees? Is Amazon going to refund those fees?

Maybe poor people like me who can't keep an eye on their kids or who has kids with mental impairments should just stay off of the Kindles. It's an elitist item is what I'm hearing 

Last time I checked, screensavers are not mometary. But maybe I shouldn't give Amazon any more ideas to screw with us. 1 Click screensavers $.99!


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

Geeze Louise, people. Turn off your wireless. You will then get a prompt to turn on your wireless if you really want to buy anything so a conscious decision has to be made.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

Its also a pain in the arse to enter passwords, which is probably why they never implemented it in the first place.

They won't get overdraft fees. If they don't have the money the transaction doesn't go through, just like any other purchase, 1 click or not.


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## splashes99 (Aug 11, 2010)

McGee said:


> No one is asking uncle Sam to babysit kids
> 
> I would like Amazon to give me an OPTION to turn off 1-Click. Refusing to do so after 3-4 hardware revisions already? Greed is the thought that comes to mind. Or maybe Amazon reckons we aint smart enough to remember our here passwords


You are referring to 1 click as a scam, complaining that it could cause people who don't want to watch their kids to have overdraft fees and based on other posts, feel that the FTC needs to step in. So yes, you want the government to regulate it. Parents can't be expected to be responsible for what their kids do, so the government should step in and alleviate any need for personal responsibility. - AKA, babysitting us poor consumers who can't possibly be expected to think or act on our own without the government to make sure we won't hurt ourselves by accidentally clicking on something and having to call Amazon for a refund.

As someone else said, Amazon has heard a lot of suggestions from Kindle purchasers, and have taken and implemented some of them and has not implemented others. It isn't a conspiracy, they just haven't (and can't) take everyone's wants and make them happen.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

You have to be an elitist to believe in personal responsibility? I'll have to contemplate this when I enjoy my next latté.


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2011)

It would be easier if Amazon allowed me the option to turn off 1 Click. I would be deprived of newspaper and magazine updates with no wireless...Why should I go out of my way to receive updates for something I already paid for?


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

splashes99 said:


> Actually, I think this IS the same thing as expecting the government to babysit people. Where has all the personal responsibility gone??
> 
> When I hear about the housing crisis, and the blame on "why, oh why, did the government FORCE me to take a loan out for a house that I know I can't afford? How come no one protected me from thinking I can afford a $1 million house when I make $40 thousand a year" It is an individual's responsibility to know their own financials, just as it is a parent's responsibility to know their kids- and that includes evaluating whether or not they are mature enough to handle the responsibility and understand the rules and consequences of using an electronic device that can make purchases.


I certainly agree with you that a large portion of blame rests with homeowners who bought more than they can afford. I am _not_ one of them. HOWEVER, all of us, even those of us who did NOT buy houses we can't afford, are now suffering the consequences of this economic recession. Yes, the people who bought the houses are to blame for their actions, but a group of people deliberately (a) allowed "stated income loans" and approved foolish loans, (b) re-sold these loans immediately to Wall St., (c) Wall St. brokers re-packaged them as CDOs and other complicated instruments intentionally designed to fool people, (d) Moody's and the other rating agencies committed outright fraud and graded them all AAA, and (e) brokers pushed them on their clients, knowing they were time bombs. So, a few people tricked a lot of people and got very rich, while even more people (including people who never even bought a house) suffered for it. That's not a good thing. But we're getting WAYYYY off-topic here.

As for 1-Click, we don't need gov't intervention, it's not a huge deal since Amazon allows no-hassle refunds of accidental purchases. On my ideal Kindle (which would have custom screensavers, BTW  ), it would be a little tougher to accidentally 1-Click purchase. Honestly, my complaint is more with the design of the 5-way controller than anything else.


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## splashes99 (Aug 11, 2010)

pidgeon92 said:


> You have to be an elitist to believe in personal responsibility? I'll have to contemplate this when I enjoy my next latté.


Can you send one my way please? I like a lot of foam! 

It would also be easier for Amazon to allow custom screensavers, rather than me having to go out of my way to install a jailbreak and then a hack. {shrug} what is convenient for you may not be convenient for someone else.

And David, I agree we are totally off topic. I am well versed on the topic, and agree that the organizational structure of the industry exacerbated the issue. However, your post that I quoted put ALL the blame on the gov't for lax oversight and did not once touch on the element of personal responsibility...And while the structure may not have prevented it, it certainly did not put a gun to someone's head and force them to take on a loan for an amount they could not afford. (Edited since you're right, we did agree!  ) So we can move on


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## AnelaBelladonna (Apr 8, 2009)

McGee said:


> It would be easier if Amazon allowed me the option to turn off 1 Click. I would be deprived of newspaper and magazine updates with no wireless...Why should I go out of my way to receive updates for something I already paid for?


Ummm....you turn your wireless on, get your updates then turn it back off?


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2011)

Oh the irony in being called *irresponsible *for wanting to remove 1-Click and having more control over on how to buy


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

intinst said:


> I do believe that the title of this thread is inappropriate and overboard


I agree the topic of this thread has sparked more debate than it probably warrants -- since the FTC action was about the Apple in-app purchases and smurfberries, which is not really related to Amazon 1-Click at all. And calling it a "1-Click Kindle scam" does seem overboard.


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2011)

AnelaBelladonna said:


> Ummm....you turn your wireless on, get your updates then turn it back off?


That would be too difficult for me to handle seeing how I can't even remember my amazon password


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

McGee said:


> Oh the irony in being called *irresponsible *for wanting to remove 1-Click and having more control over on how to buy


Take your credit card off the account.

Stick to paper books.

Use the library instead.

Get a different e-reader.

Lots of options.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

splashes99 said:


> And while the structure may not have prevented it, it certainly did not put a gun to someone's head and force them to take on a loan for an amount they could not afford. Anyway, sounds like we will have to agree to disagree.


Except that I just said that I completely agree with you here -- people who bought houses they can't afford deserve a large share of the blame.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

pidgeon92 said:


> Take your credit card off the account.
> 
> Stick to paper books.
> 
> ...


True. But again it doesn't seem like it should be a big deal for Amazon to add in the option to disable 1 click. It should default to 1 click as most seem to prefer the ordering. But not reason it can't be an option for the user to disable it if they so choose. Then everyone can be happy.


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## splashes99 (Aug 11, 2010)

mooshie78 said:


> True. But again it doesn't seem like it should be a big deal for Amazon to add in the option to disable 1 click. It should default to 1 click as most seem to prefer the ordering. But not reason it can't be an option for the user to disable it if they so choose. Then everyone can be happy.


The call for screensavers has been going on forever, and it doesn't seem like that would be a big deal to do either. There are a lot of things that people want to see that don't seem like they would be a big deal...but the difference between the "what features would you like to see in the future" and this is the statement that it needs government regulation since it is a "scam."

Just add this to the list of "it would be nice to have..."

(David, I edited my previous since you're right! HA, see, another agreement!  )


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2011)

pidgeon92 said:


> Take your credit card off the account.
> 
> Stick to paper books.
> 
> ...


I'm trying to keep up with the elitist


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## hidden_user (Dec 20, 2010)

McGee said:


> It would be easier if Amazon allowed me the option to turn off 1 Click. I would be deprived of newspaper and magazine updates with no wireless...Why should I go out of my way to receive updates for something I already paid for?


On Amazon, go to "Your Account" and click on "Edit or Delete a Payment Method" ...

That will turn off "1 Click" because there will be no card to make charges to. You will have to enter card info with each purchase. 1 Click is only there because you chose to store your personal financial information on their website.


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2011)

hidden_user said:


> On Amazon, go to "Your Account" and click on "Edit or Delete a Payment Method" ...
> 
> That will turn off "1 Click" because there will be no card to make charges to. You will have to enter card info with each purchase. 1 Click is only there because you chose to store your personal financial information on their website.


Ain't gonna solve the problem I reckon if you have gift card credit..


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## splashes99 (Aug 11, 2010)

McGee said:


> Ain't gonna solve the problem I reckon if you have gift card credit..


Good thing I am accepting Kindle donations  Package it up and send it my way!


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I'm sorry, Mr. McGee... I just don't see why this is such a huge issue... It's just a matter of taking responsibility for your own actions... If you can't do that, then maybe you need to look into a different device or stick with the paper versions... 

Nobody is forcing you to click that 1-click button.


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2011)

I can take responsibility for my actions. I hope Amazon can be a responsible purveyor and disable this action. Dirty tactics is what I'm calling them out on.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

splashes99 said:


> There are a lot of things that people want to see that don't seem like they would be a big deal...but the difference between the "what features would you like to see in the future" and this is the statement that it needs government regulation since it is a "scam."
> 
> Just add this to the list of "it would be nice to have..."


Agree 100%. It's not a scam, and the notion that government intervention is needed (for the Kindle, I get the kids games on iPhone/iPad issue) is silly. It's just an option they should add, but certainly not a scam that requires government intervention.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

McGee said:


> I can take responsibility for my actions. I hope Amazon can be a responsible purveyor and disable this action. Dirty tactics is what I'm calling them out on.


Vote with your wallet and boycott them.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

McGee said:


> If you have a sample on your Kindle, right arrow click on it while on the homepage. The first click will be to buy.
> 
> Dirty tactics by amazon and they/you know it
> 
> ...


that seems like an over reaction. I have had a Kindle for 3 years, posted heavily on the boards and yours is the 1st complain about it I've heard. I have twice accidentally purchased a book, it was simple to get refunded.

This is nothing like the App store problem and is hardly a scheme by amazon to get you to purchase more books


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

This is a no win discussion. Several good options have been presented and all rejected. I respect your feelings and hope you will respect mine. I have never accidently bought a book in 3 years and I share my account with 6 people. None of us have ever bought a book on each other's credit card. We go to the manage your Kindle page and change the payment method to our own credit card. It is easy to do and we are all responsible enough to make sure that we are being careful. With the 6 people on the account 4 have children ages 18 to 5 months, my grandchildren and they allow them to read on the Kindle and we have had no issues with them buying books.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

Chad Winters (#102) said:


> that seems like an over reaction. I have had a Kindle for 3 years, posted heavily on the boards and yours is the 1st complain about it I've heard. I have twice accidentally purchased a book, it was simple to get refunded.
> 
> This is nothing like the App store problem and is hardly a scheme by amazon to get you to purchase more books


I've had a Kindle for over 3 years as well and have only accidently purchased 1 book. And that was on the website. But, it was a book I was going to buy anyway, I meant to add it to my wishlist. My mother-in-law is on our account and has had her Kindle for 2 years now and has never accidently 1 clicked. And she's old enough to get the early bird dinner special.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

McGee said:


> Dirty tactics is what I'm calling them out on.


How is single-click a "dirty tactic?"

The purpose of an ereader is to buy read books. The primary source of ebooks for a Kindle is Amazon. Amazon makes it easy for people to get exactly what they want, ebooks on their Kindle.

Amazon isn't randomly sending books out, and then billing people for them.

You can easily cancel a purchase if you make a mistake, even though it is _your_ mistake.

Where is the nefarious act, the evilness?

Exactly how many books have you purchased by mistake and have not been able to correct?

I am trying to take you seriously, I really am, but this seems like complaining that a chef's knife is sharp. Stop running it across your palm. Stop giving it to your three year old to play with.


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2011)

Maybe its just me that would like to have the piece of mind that no one would be able to buy any books on it without me passcode  

If that is irresponsible, I'd say its ignorance to blindly trust others


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

McGee said:


> Maybe its just me that would like to have the piece of mind that no one would be able to buy any books on it without me passcode
> 
> If that is irresponsible, I'd say its ignorance to blindly trust others


well.....in 3 years no one has bought any books on my Kindle but me
If its stolen I will cancel it from my account

I might be slightly naive but I think ebooks are a little low on the theft risk ladder
if they are that into stealing they can just download the pirated version on the internet with a lot less hassle


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

Wow, I missed a lot here!


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Every product has a target market. Not every person fits into that target market.


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2011)

*Simple to Use, No Computer Required*

_Unlike most electronic devices, we wanted to keep Kindle simple. Kindle is wireless and ready to use right out of the box - no setup, no software to install, no computer required._

What is their target exactly? They have tv ads with a kid, old people, etc


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

McGee said:


> *Simple to Use, No Computer Required*
> 
> _Unlike most electronic devices, we wanted to keep Kindle simple. Kindle is wireless and ready to use right out of the box - no setup, no software to install, no computer required._
> 
> What is their target exactly? They have tv ads with a kid, old people, etc


Their target market is bookworms basically. And many in that group are older and less likely to be into technology and like messing with computers etc. Thus the focus on keeping it simple.

As the market has expanded, they're starting to aim their advertising more at the younger crowd who may not be bookworms, but still read a few books a year. But no need to make the device more complicated as the market expands. The goal should be to make it as close to as simple to read on as a print book IMO.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

McGee said:


> What is their target exactly?


People who want to read ebooks purchased from Amazon in the way that Amazon chooses to sell them.


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2011)

Just because some people turn a blind eye doesn't mean its right


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

McGee said:


> Just because some people turn a blind eye doesn't mean its right


And just because it's not right for you doesn't mean it isn't right for others. Perhaps I'm mistaken, but it seems to me that a majority of people who posted here are in favor of leaving the purchasing system as is.

Those who aren't should take up their issue with Amazon. [email protected]


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

McGee said:


> What is their target exactly?


The avid reader who wants to have a variety of reading material in a compact and portable device. The avid reader who enjoys "browsing" bookstores. The avid reader who wants easy access to books and the ability to purchase on-line without hassle.

I had no thoughts of an e-reader until a friend brought his new K-3 to my house. I was stunned by the quality of the print. He just let me "play" with it for a while.......I easily entered the password for my home wireless network and was surprised to find myself in the Kindle Store on his account. And that was my first question. "Had I found or stolen his kindle, what kept me from running up a bill?" Obviously nothing until he notified Amazon. Lesson learned? I have Amazon customer service's phone number on my cell phone in the event I should lose the device. And contact information with a reward offer for return on the device should an honest person find it.

When I first used my Kindle, I downloaded a sample, decided not to buy it and when I attempted to delete the sample, inadvertently purchased the book. I e-mailed customer service. They answered almost immediately, apologized profusely (even though the error was mine), removed the purchase, posted a refund and explained how to remove a purchase made by mistake. Lesson learned? When near the purchase point on any book, slow down, think first and navigate slowly.

I am a regular Amazon customer and have had "one-click" for several years finding it extremely convenient. I have never felt any entrapment.

I truly believe the Kindle is one of the greatest tech inventions of our era.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

NapCat said:


> I had no thoughts of an e-reader until a friend brought his new K-3 to my house. I was stunned by the quality of the print. He just let me "play" with it for a while.......I easily entered the password for my home wireless network and *was surprised to find myself in the Kindle Store on his account. And that was my first question. "Had I found or stolen his kindle, what kept me from running up a bill?" *Obviously nothing until he notified Amazon. Lesson learned? I have Amazon customer service's phone number on my cell phone in the event I should lose the device.


Just remember that the worst thing they can do is buy Kindle books.. They can't log in through the Kindle and buy themselves a laptop and/or flat screen TV.. Plus, you get an email the instant something is purchased AND you can return any and all purchases for 7 days...


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## hidden_user (Dec 20, 2010)

McGee, apparently the bottom line is that regardless of Amazon's prompt and efficient refund policy, regardless of the security features to password protect the kindle and regardless of consumer features to allow or rescind Amazon permission to store personal financial information on their website ... you just want them to do away with 1 Click ... period.

1 Click doesn't seem to be that big of a deal for the vast majority of kindle users. Maybe the kindle isn't for you. The fact you can't remember your Amazon password, makes me wonder if a computer is too much for you to handle right now as well. What if someone gains access to your computer (while you're in the loo for instance) ... why they might perform all manner of mayhem, mischief and theft since you obviously have auto login or something like that on most sites you visit (how else do you get onto your Amazon account without a password?).

Perhaps the world of technology is just too dangereous or too great a risk to you personally right now. Maybe you should consider slowly putting the keyboard down and backing away. :dunno:


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

McGee said:


> Maybe its just me that would like to have the piece of mind that no one would be able to buy any books on it without me passcode


That's very different from claiming that one-click is a "scam," "dirty tactics," "nefarious," etc. Easy to resolve, as has already been pointed out.

Again, has this happened to you?

Do you have the same problem with credit cards that can be used at a gas station or for a smallish purchase without a passcode or signature?

With library cards?

Think of your Kindle as a key. Without it, there is no one-click, no access. Keep track of it as you do any other key.

On the other hand, if you are not comfortable disabling one-click, cannot keep track of your Kindle _and_ live in an area of nefarious ebook downloading scams - return it.

Customer service is going to love this story . . .


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

Luvmy4brats said:


> Just remember that the worst thing they can do is buy Kindle books.. They can't log in through the Kindle and buy themselves a laptop and/or flat screen TV.. Plus, you get an email the instant something is purchased AND you can return any and all purchases for 7 days...


Excellent point !!! Thanks for bringing that up !!


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

I own both a kindle and an iPad, of the two purchasing options I prefer kindle's one-click. I don't have an issue remembering my password but I do like the simplicity. If that makes me an elitist, then so be it.


The entire time I have owned my kindle I have accidentaly purchased a book only once. I immediatly press the link saying it was an accident and Amazon took care of it before the book had even finished downloading. Hardly a scam to run off with my money.

I personally don't think my daughter is resposible enough for one-clicking yet so I bought her an ereader that does not do on device purchasing. Fortunetly there are more options out there than just the kindle, so if you don't like how they do business, take your money else where.


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## Xopher (May 14, 2009)

Personally, I like having 1-click purchases. But, I am the only one who is on my account and the only one who uses my Kindle.

The main issue I saw was someone (child) using a device without an understanding about the cost for things (in-app purchases). When it comes to iPad/iPod/iPhone and the ability to enable parental controls, it sounds like there needs to be more awareness that these features are there.

I have a friend who have their child a Kindle for Christmas. Their concern was not only about them purchasing ebooks without their knowledge, but also accessing ebooks not intended for children. The solution was to only have it registered when purchasing ebooks, and de-registering it afterwards. It allows their child to have a Kindle, while still maintaining parental control on the purchases. That had worked well for them.


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## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

McGee said:


> Maybe its just me that would like to have the piece of mind that no one would be able to buy any books on it without me passcode
> 
> If that is irresponsible, I'd say its ignorance to blindly trust others


I think that letting someone use my kindle without me being there controlling it is irresponsible for blindly trusting them to take care of my kindle. Same thing with my laptop. They will not be left with people other than a select few who I can trust. So to me, yes, nobody can buy things without my knowledge; plus I get the email which says something was purchased. The one time I accidentally bought a book I immediately clicked the "this is a mistake" link which shows up after buying it on the kindle and it was removed and I was refunded.


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## Indy (Jun 7, 2010)

I am less concerned with buying books accidentally on a thing meant to read books ... than I am about the evils of coercing small children into putting their parents in debt for imaginary fruit.  Smurfberries?!  Didn't those godawful blue abominations go out of style twenty years ago?!  Gargamel save us!

Okay, seriously, don't give an expensive piece of technology to your toddler to play with.  Give them a freaking bolo paddle and do not, whatever you do, let them watch the Smurfs.  Kids need to do things that work their actual muscles as well as teach their little thumbs to twitch.  Their brains will work no matter what happens, maybe not the way you want them to, but if you keep the ithings away they can't max out your credit card buying smurfberries.


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## RiddleMeThis (Sep 15, 2009)

McGee said:


> Dirty tactics is what I'm calling them out on.


I fail to see how a button labeled "BUY" or "BUY NOW" is a dirty tactic.

Completely different if it was just a random button that DIDN'T have the word *BUY* on it, but as it stands you KNOW what the button does. YOU pressed the button. If you don't want it DON'T press the buy button.

Just because you don't personally like the system doesn't mean its a "dirty tactic."


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## splashes99 (Aug 11, 2010)

Elk said:


> I am trying to take you seriously, I really am, but this seems like complaining that a chef's knife is sharp. Stop running it across your palm. Stop giving it to your three year old to play with.


I've had issues with some other of your posts, but this absolutely cracked me up. I think at this point Mr. McGee is just trolling.

Basically, if you think Amazon is scamming people, and don't like their products or the way they do business, then as you posted about the Nook password, sell your Kindle and buy one of those.

If people have a problem and can DO something to alleviate the issue but choose to just complain and do nothing, I have no sympathy. You have a choice on this matter, and if all you want to do is complain, then I guess you're not that focused on fixing the problem - you must just want an audience.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

splashes99 said:


> I've had issues with some other of your posts, but this absolutely cracked me up.  I think at this point Mr. McGee is just trolling.
> 
> Basically, if you think Amazon is scamming people, and don't like their products or the way they do business, then as you posted about the Nook password, sell your Kindle and buy one of those.
> 
> If people have a problem and can DO something to alleviate the issue but choose to just complain and do nothing, I have no sympathy. You have a choice on this matter, and if all you want to do is complain, then I guess you're not that focused on fixing the problem - you must just want an audience.


I've felt that way since the name change of the thread.


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## Kia Zi Shiru (Feb 7, 2011)

it wouldn't be hard for Amazon to just set up a parental control option. If it is on the kindle doesn't show the buy buttons if it is off it does. Parents can choose to turn it on or off (if needed with a password) but it doesn't annoy other users who don't have kids (or responsible kids).
The responsibility would still lie with the parents.

I don't think it's a scam or annoying or anything bad. I really like it.
Though the only problem for me is that my bank might block my card if I would buy too many books after one another. So a shopping basket on the website itself would be nice. I got around this by putting in a giftcard but just have the option to basket buy would be nice.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

splashes99 said:


> I've had issues with some other of your posts, but this absolutely cracked me up.


At least I occasionally have amusement value.


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## fizbin (Apr 5, 2011)

New guy reviving dead thread to add mini-rant.

My problems with the 1-click option are now twofold:

1. In my situation I have to use multiple credit cards (work/personal) to pay for Kindle content. Pain in the behind to switch as it currently works, and kinda promotes screwups (buying on the wrong card).

2. (New to me today): it grabs gift certificate money first, no matter what. So I just paid for work content with a personal gift cert. Yes I can get it back, but I cannot buy the work content without using the personal gift cert as long as a gift balance remains.

At least this is how it was all explained to me by an Amazon rep today.

This could easily be resolved it they just made the 1-click feature an option . . .


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

yes, its really not set up for multiple payers, but this is probably pretty rare compared to the majority of Kindle users, so I could see why they haven't set it up. 

Could you print the receipt and turn it in to work for reimbursement?


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Have your work provide you with a work Kindle for those purchases. I would expect they would want to retain the books you are buying after you leave them, anyway.


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## Guest (Apr 5, 2011)

Have 2-3 different amazon accounts. Work account buys gift books to kindle.  Or the other way around. This whole thing is a mess but it'll work with multiple accounts so long as you don't use the 1 click scam.


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## Pirate (Jul 5, 2009)

Actions have consequences. What it the world is an 8th grader or elementry school student doing with an iPhone in the first place. When something goes wrong, it can't be my fault. Lets sue someone or get the government involved. We all know how "Uncle" can "Fix" things.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Pirate said:


> Actions have consequences. *What it the world is an 8th grader or elementry school student doing with an iPhone in the first place.* When something goes wrong, it can't be my fault. Lets sue someone or get the government involved. We all know how "Uncle" can "Fix" things.


My 13 year old has an iPhone..


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Luvmy4brats said:


> My 13 year old has an iPhone..


And my bet is perfectly responsible and can readily handle the horrors of one-click, thereby avoiding the "scam." 

The work account/private account would be a bit of a bother, but very easy to put together.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Elk said:


> And my bet is perfectly responsible and can readily handle the horrors of one-click, thereby avoiding the "scam."
> 
> The work account/private account would be a bit of a bother, but very easy to put together.


Yes.. that's because I set rules and expect her to follow them  .. If she doesn't follow them, she loses her iPhone and gets stuck with a crappy 4 year old very basic cell phone. All my children also have Kindles.. we've never had any issues with them one-clicking books.

I have a family account and an "adult" account. Since I read trashy smut books from time to time, I prefer to buy those on an account that my children don't have access to. All I do is deregister my Kindle from my account, register it to my husband's account, buy & download the books I want, then deregister and register back to my account..

It sounds much more complicated than it really is. It only takes a matter of a few seconds and involves entering my email & password twice (once for each account)


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

Luvmy4brats said:


> Yes.. that's because I set rules and expect her to follow them  .. If she doesn't follow them, she loses her iPhone and gets stuck with a crappy 4 year old very basic cell phone. All my children also have Kindles.. we've never had any issues with them one-clicking books.
> 
> I have a family account and an "adult" account. Since I read trashy smut books from time to time, I prefer to buy those on an account that my children don't have access to. All I do is deregister my Kindle from my account, register it to my husband's account, buy & download the books I want, then deregister and register back to my account..
> 
> It sounds much more complicated than it really is. It only takes a matter of a few seconds and involves entering my email & password twice (once for each account)


Exactly.
It's really no different than giving your kid a credit card for emergencies.
I remember when my parents gave us credit cards before we went to college. I was so terrified of using it and having them question the expenses that I called home one holiday in tears because I didn't have enough money left that semester to buy a ticket to come home. I still remember my mom's exasperated pause before she said, "that's what we gave you the credit card for. use it."
It's the same with the Kindle. Most kids are willing to be responsible about it if they understand the rules.
I like the one-click to buy something and send it to my Kindle. And I'm glad to have finally gotten my husband to understand how to use it, too, for his kindle.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Luvmy4brats said:


> It sounds much more complicated than it really is. It only takes a matter of a few seconds and involves entering my email & password twice (once for each account)


This is probably the most important message for the latest topic. Switching accounts is trivial. Just keep one for personal use and one for work.

Congrats on raising a good child.


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## RChaffee (Mar 3, 2011)

When i bought the kindle for my mom i spent a few hours playing around with it, and one of the first things i did was look up my book. I was blown away when i clicked the buy button and recieved absolutely no warning message or "are you sure?" dialog box. I know you can get your money back and all, but this does seem like an intentional oversight on their part. I would not advocate involving the authorities though, thats just silly.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Somehow I missed the original topic here....as it happens almost my first act with the Kindle was to accidentally buy a twenty dollar book I didn't want!  Amazon reversed it.  As a result, I just don't shop or browse on my Kindle!  Even my smart phone is much more convenient.


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## parakeetgirl (Feb 27, 2009)

Kathy said:


> This is a no win discussion. Several good options have been presented and all rejected. I respect your feelings and hope you will respect mine. I have never accidently bought a book in 3 years and I share my account with 6 people. None of us have ever bought a book on each other's credit card. We go to the manage your Kindle page and change the payment method to our own credit card. It is easy to do and we are all responsible enough to make sure that we are being careful. With the 6 people on the account 4 have children ages 18 to 5 months, my grandchildren and they allow them to read on the Kindle and we have had no issues with them buying books.


I've had a Kindles since they first came out, and I've never accidentally bought a book either  I like the one click option, useit all the time.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

RChaffee said:


> I was blown away when i clicked the buy button and recieved absolutely no warning message or "are you sure?" dialog box.


I found it very odd when confirmation messages first appeared on computers. My reaction was, "Yes, of course I am sure. I would not have entered the command if I had not meant to execute it."

I still find strange that many expect a "warning" that a computer is going to do exactly what you just told it to do.


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## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

The 1-click buying thing has me paranoid that I may accidentally click it while I'm scrolling through the page or something. I mean, accidents DO happen, and I don't want to accidentally make an expensive purchase. I think a confirmation message is needed. It's still a convenient way to buy things if you put the message in there.

And WHY are people giving their kids their kindles while it's linked to their credit card account in the first place?! I mean, common sense here... If you're going to loan your kindle to your kid, at least unregister it, or disable the internet.


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## Bunny Hugger (Jan 7, 2011)

RM Prioleau said:


> And WHY are people giving their kids their kindles while it's linked to their credit card account in the first place?! I mean, common sense here... If you're going to loan your kindle to your kid, at least unregister it, or disable the internet.


I really think that it depends on the kid. If I had been given a kindle when I was a child, my mom would have had NO worries on me racking up a bunch of charges. I would have cleared everything with her before I hit "one-click" because the consequences of not doing that would have not been worth any book to me. I wasn't raised in a strict home, but there were always consequences if we acted out of line. That, and...well, my mom, when she's mad, she scares me a little bit. Even now at 29


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## s0nicfreak (Jun 10, 2010)

My 3 year old (well to be fair, she'll be 4 this month) has her own Android tablet with Kindle for Android as well as the Amazon App Store for Android. Since we discussed this before she was given the tablet, she understands that if something is free she can download it, but if it cost she has to make sure she has that much in gift card balance (and put it on there if she doesn't) before buying. If she were not yet capable of understanding this, she either would not have a tablet, or it wouldn't be connected to the internet.

It just seems so crazy to me that there are people with elementary-school-age children that have not yet taught their children about money, and that give their kids iphones or whatever without going over rules.

I love the one-click. If passwords had to be entered or etc. buying things via the Kindle would just be cumbersome. I also don't think people need any more excuses to not parent.



> I was blown away when i clicked the buy button and recieved absolutely no warning message or "are you sure?" dialog box.


But after you do that, there is a "purchased by accident?" button right there that allows you to "return" the book. It's pretty much the same thing, just that you don't have to actually press anything if you actually wanted to buy.


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## endhalf (Dec 7, 2010)

I actually love 1-click buy... It's all fast and works just how it should work. Someone pointed out that some child bought staff that was worth x thousand dollars... Well, you will pay for your ignorance, in this case with just money (trust me, some people has paid a lot more for ignorance). It is design for grown-ups and it works that way. It has only 2 disadvantages for me. First, when you download example and then buy full book from example, you get new file (full book) and you have to search where you ended your reading in example. Why just example doesn't convert to full book? And second, why can't I buy more books at once?



s0nicfreak said:


> My 3 year old (well to be fair, she'll be 4 this month) has her own Android tablet with Kindle for Android as well as the Amazon App Store for Android.


What the hell for needs 3/4 year old tablet? I mean, don't get me wrong, it is non of my business what your child owns or doesn't owns, but this seems kinda weird. Does she need to check up her facebook so often? Well, I'm just curious . I'd love to be kid nowadays...


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

s0nicfreak said:


> If she were not yet capable of understanding this, she either would not have a tablet, or it wouldn't be connected to the internet.


Perfect! Well done.



> I also don't think people need any more excuses to not parent.


Exactly. Take responsibility for yourself - and your children.



> But after you do that, there is a "purchased by accident?" button right there that allows you to "return" the book.


Which quickly resolves any "problem" purchase.

This issue reminds me of the current appalling Mercedes commercial: "Here I was, falling asleep at the wheel . . . but my car saved me from driving across the center-line and killing myself and others." Unreal. If you are that tired, don't get behind the wheel. Take responsibility.

Similarly, if you have a habit of randomly pushing buttons, don't shop on your Kindle.


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## Guest (Apr 6, 2011)

I suppose you people don't mind if I leave my gunz loaded and unlock on the coffee table with the kids in the house. I think I taught the kids to be responsible enough. Even if they do shoot themselves, we could just make another.


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## endhalf (Dec 7, 2010)

McGee, then don't leave loaded gun on your coffee table. That doesn't mean that goverment have to come to your house and take you (and all others) all your coffee tables so that you have to put you gun elsewhere. Same with Kindle. Do you think your childs can with one-click ruin your bank account? Well then don't let them touch it.


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## fizbin (Apr 5, 2011)

McGee said:


> Have 2-3 different amazon accounts. Work account buys gift books to kindle. Or the other way around. This whole thing is a mess but it'll work with multiple accounts so long as you don't use the 1 click scam.


The multi-accounts gift thing works (thanks for the idea) but is not a very clean workaround. Oh, well, until there is something better . . .


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

When I was a kid my youngest brother put a greenstamp on a magazine order card and mailed it.  My parents got billed for a magazine subscription ordered by a five year old.  Wonder how we made it to adulthood without government intervention.  Oh wait, I remember now.  My parents just whooped our butts.  Lesson learned.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

KindleChickie said:


> When I was a kid my youngest brother put a greenstamp on a magazine order card and mailed it. My parents got billed for a magazine subscription ordered by a five year old. Wonder how we made it to adulthood without government intervention. Oh wait, I remember now. My parents just whooped our butts. Lesson learned.


Yea, that's not allowed anymore. Now the kids are in charge.


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## Guest (Apr 7, 2011)

Chad Winters (#102) said:


> Yea, that's not allowed anymore. Now the kids are in charge.


Yeah, that's not going to work. Unless you want CPS making regular visits. The kids today can't be trusted.

Look at this 8 y/o hellion...

*Police use pepper spray to subdue 8-year-old*
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42449949/ns/today-today_people/


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

McGee said:


> I suppose you people don't mind if I leave my gunz loaded and unlock on the coffee table with the kids in the house. I think I taught the kids to be responsible enough. Even if they do shoot themselves, we could just make another.


Comparing apples to oranges there....if a kid messes up with the Kindle no one has the possibility of being injured or killed. "One-clicking" does not cause life altering circumstances if use incorrectly, where as the gun most likely will.

It has been said before on this thread...no one is forcing you to use the Kindle. If you don't like the setup, get a different ereader.


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## fizbin (Apr 5, 2011)

kindlegrl81 said:


> "One-clicking" does not cause life altering circumstances if use incorrectly, where as the gun most likely will.


Back in the day if I had dropped $4,000 on my parent's credit card through something like this, it most certainly would have been a life-altering experience.



kindlegrl81 said:


> It has been said before on this thread...no one is forcing you to use the Kindle. If you don't like the setup, get a different ereader.


Nice way to foster discussions. Just because you like things a certain way does not mean there is no room for improvement.


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

The likelihood of someone buying $4000 worth of books before you noticing what is going on is pretty slim.  You get an email with every book purchased and they can only purchase kindle books on the kindle so it's not like they are going to run around purchasing TVs and what not.


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

fizbin said:


> Nice way to foster discussions. Just because you like things a certain way does not mean there is no room for improvement.


Sure there is room for improvement but calling it a scam is just stupid.


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## Guest (Apr 7, 2011)

kindlegrl81 said:


> The likelihood of someone buying $4000 worth of books before you noticing what is going on is pretty slim. You get an email with every book purchased and they can only purchase kindle books on the kindle so it's not like they are going to run around purchasing TVs and what not.


Some people are not connected to the interweb 24/7. I have a smartphone and I don't have/don't want email on it. There other Kindle users who don't even have email access altogether 

Why does amazon make you jump through so many hoops just to check on your order, place an order or do anything account related on the website? Because it would be irresponsible to do otherwise. So why would Amazon have a different strategy for kindle? They want to be scummy.


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## fizbin (Apr 5, 2011)

kindlegrl81 said:


> Sure there is room for improvement but calling it a scam is just stupid.


Agreed.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

McGee said:


> Some people are not connected to the interweb 24/7. I have a smartphone and I don't have/don't want email on it. There other Kindle users who don't even have email access altogether
> 
> Why does amazon make you jump through so many hoops just to check on your order, place an order or do anything account related on the website? Because it would be irresponsible to do otherwise. So why would Amazon have a different strategy for kindle? They want to be scummy.


It seems to me as if Amazon is simply trying to make Kindle use and book acquisition simple for us. To assert that some people with Kindles don't have email or access to the internet (24/7 not being necessary) is probably valid. That said, doesn't every Kindle owner have to have some access to a computer as well as an Amazon account? I, for one, would certainly be checking my archives and downloaded books frequently, and would lay down rules with my children (were they still at home and accessing my Kindle). If a child or children broke the rules, they would suffer the consequences, just as they would under any other broken rules scenarios. Bottom line: I don't see a scam here at all. Just my 2 cents, which may be all it's worth.


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

Give me a break. Just because you can't figure out the system doesn't mean it is a scam.  The majority of people on this thread not only are not bothered by the system but actually prefer it to other systems that are out there.  Last I checked Amazon is going to use a system that the majority of their users like.

I have used the book buying system for B&N, Kobo, Apple and Sony; I'm sorry but Amazon blows them out of the water when it comes to user interface and convenience (on both the device and the website).  Just because they don't custom tailor it to your needs doesn't mean they are being scummy.


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## wvpeach (Jul 12, 2010)

Elk said:


> This and your other similar examples are hardly akin to Amazon's One-Click.
> 
> Double charging is intentional fraud.
> 
> ...


 Awesome! Well said!

* And exactly! *

If it wasn't easy to order a book on the Kindle millions would complain about that.

I am very sure Amazon can live with a few surely sorts who complain because it is too easy.


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## wvpeach (Jul 12, 2010)

RChaffee said:


> When i bought the kindle for my mom i spent a few hours playing around with it, and one of the first things i did was look up my book. I was blown away when i clicked the buy button and recieved absolutely no warning message or "are you sure?" dialog box. I know you can get your money back and all, but this does seem like an intentional oversight on their part. I would not advocate involving the authorities though, thats just silly.


 Right after you purchase a book on the kindle a screen comes up and thanks you for the purchase.

Then if you look down  Look down on that same page and it says " was this an accidental purchase? cancel now"

You push a little button and it cancels the purchase.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

wvpeach said:


> Awesome! Well said!
> 
> * And exactly! *
> 
> ...


Yea..that. I would have said that if I was more articulate!


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

McGee said:


> So why would Amazon have a different strategy for kindle [then its website]?


I imagine because the Kindle is not a laptop with a full featured browser. Multiple key strokes, choosing specific web buttons to click on, etc. are awkward and unnecessary on the Kindle.

So exactly how many books have you accidentally purchased and ended up paying for against your wishes due to Amazon's one-click "scam?"

Let me guess. Could it be . . .

Zero?


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## BrokenR1 (Mar 11, 2011)

McGee said:


> I suppose you people don't mind if I leave my gunz loaded and unlock on the coffee table with the kids in the house. I think I taught the kids to be responsible enough. Even if they do shoot themselves, we could just make another.


I'm on the fence about the guns. I grew up in a similar fashion but our guns were kept unloaded. However I've been to friends houses and the first thing their parents told me was that every single gun in the house was loaded. My daughter is 8 and for now we live in an area that has shooting ranges but does not allow kids and we are too far away from just being able to go out in the mountains like when I was growing up. So until I move somewhere we can go practise and she gets older my guns are either unloaded or locked. I have to find the balance of the freedom and responsibility of when I was a kid as well as knowing what could have happened such as what could if a less responsible friends of my daughters was to come over and get inquisitive.

As for the apple thing I gave my daughter a new Ipod Touch 4g just before she turned 8 so we could video chat while I was away as well as for videos, games etc. I have boughten her a few games on it and have it password protected so she cannot buy anything herself as well as if she loses it nobody else can either. I think a good way to start teaching her about spending money she can not see is to let her buy some things she wants on it but she has to physically give me the money and I will go in and complete the purchase on the device. That way she sees the money actually leaving her hands.

Concerning the one click on Amazon and the Kindle I have never turned it on at the Amazon site so no accidents happen and would like it to have a confirmation on the Kindle. Sure it's easy to get a refund from what I read but it's much like the rebate process where you will always have some that are too lazy to request the refund, some who forget about it, and others who just never notice the charge or at least not in time. Then if you don't have the Kindle password protected there is always the possibility of losing it and having someone buying things on it before you notice or have time to stop it. I like the idea of a password as part of each buying confirmation process. Just a few extra buttons to type on the keypad taking a few seconds.

Overall the government needs to stay out of it all though. They've already gone overboard and are way too involved in most every facet of the private citizens life as it is.


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## s0nicfreak (Jun 10, 2010)

endhalf said:


> What the hell for needs 3/4 year old tablet? I mean, don't get me wrong, it is non of my business what your child owns or doesn't owns, but this seems kinda weird. Does she need to check up her facebook so often? Well, I'm just curious . I'd love to be kid nowadays...


Mostly to have a color ereader. She was very interested in my Kindle and wanted her own ereader, so I researched all the ereaders for kids, but found they were pretty crappy. So after making sure she showed responsibility when borrowing my electronics, we decided to get her an Android tablet. Of course she could just read DTBs (and she still does), but we think it is important for our children to learn about technology as well. Not only does the tablet encourage her to read, the whole gift card thing is teaching her about money and math as well (she does chores to earn the money, has to add up how much the books she wants will cost, etc.). And since it is an Android tablet, it is making her familiar with the Android OS; I feel it is important to be familiar with as many operating systems as possible, and that's the only Android device in the house at the moment. Also, we homeschool using mostly free materials, which means a lot of etextbooks and ebooks, so now she has her own device to view those and no longer has to take turns using something else.


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## SamIam (Mar 3, 2011)

I've always disliked the 1 click


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## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

BrokenR1 said:


> Concerning the one click on Amazon and the Kindle I have never turned it on at the Amazon site so no accidents happen and would like it to have a confirmation on the Kindle.


If you buy on the kindle then it immediately goes to a "Was this a mistake?" screen where you can click cancel. So you don't have to confirm if you meant to buy it, but you have an immediate possible "no cancel this", in which case they do so without any other actions on your part. I've used this one while looking for a free copy of _Much Ado About Nothing_ and accidentally buying a $5 copy. They reversed the charge without any other actions on my part.


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## BrokenR1 (Mar 11, 2011)

Tuttle said:


> If you buy on the kindle then it immediately goes to a "Was this a mistake?" screen where you can click cancel. So you don't have to confirm if you meant to buy it, but you have an immediate possible "no cancel this", in which case they do so without any other actions on your part. I've used this one while looking for a free copy of _Much Ado About Nothing_ and accidentally buying a $5 copy. They reversed the charge without any other actions on my part.


That's great if you read english well enough which I do. However not so great if my wife or daughter gets ahold of it. Or even a thief or "item finder". I still want it passworded. All it'll cost me is an extra 10 seconds to type it in and an extra click.


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## Kia Zi Shiru (Feb 7, 2011)

BrokenR1 said:


> That's great if you read english well enough which I do. However not so great if my wife or daughter gets ahold of it. Or even a thief or "item finder". I still want it passworded. All it'll cost me is an extra 10 seconds to type it in and an extra click.


it takes me a lot more time to fill in a password on my kindle. And the idea of the kindle shop (on the kindle) is a quick buy. I would be annoyed if they asked for extra confirmation.
If you don't like it you can always buy through the normal amazon website or whatever.


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## Bigal-sa (Mar 27, 2010)

BrokenR1 said:


> That's great if you read english well enough which I do. However not so great if my wife or daughter gets ahold of it. Or even a thief or "item finder". I still want it passworded. All it'll cost me is an extra 10 seconds to type it in and an extra click.


1. If you don't want your wife or daughter (or even a thief or "item finder") to use your Kindle, put a password on the Kindle itself.
2. Only log in to your Amazon account if you want to buy something from your computer, and log out when you're finished - and don't allow your browser to "remember the password".

I am one of those who enjoys having the freedom of 1-click purchasing for the Kindle.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

To add to what Bigal-sa said. . . .even if you do purchase accidentally, Amazon will refund the price without question if you ask within a week.  And you get an email right away when you purchase even through the Kindle so you'd probably know.  Following the errant purchase, my practice would be to retrain the user.   Or, if it's lost or stolen, you can de-register it from your Amazon account and they can't buy a darn thing.  Remember, a person using your Kindle doesn't have access to all of Amazon, only the Kindle store.  They could maybe use the browser, but would need log in credentials to do so. 

AND. . . . even though you have to have one click turned on to purchase from the Kindle, you don't have to have a credit card on the account.  Fund it with a low value gift certificate and remove the CC and then even if it does get out of your hands and/or you don't notice for a week, there's a limited amount of damage anyone can do.  (If you subscribe to periodicals you DO need a CC registered, but the Kindle will still use any Gift Card balance first.)

So, given all that, I'm in the "I like the convenience" camp.


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## BrokenR1 (Mar 11, 2011)

I still can't understand what you people are arguing over.  If there was a password option you either enable it if you want to use it, or leave it on one click if you don't.  I prefer to have the choice though.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Broken:. . .the issue is that the Kindle as a whole has a password, but what some people would prefer is to NOT have to password protect the whole device, but to have a password that has to be entered before buying. . .that would make it easy to use for casual reading, but someone could not buy a thing without you knowing. . . .even though you would find out after the fact and have the option to reverse the purchase.

As to 'one-click', you have to have it enabled to buy from the Kindle and some people want to be able to buy from the Kindle but don't want the one-click on for their account as a whole for whatever reason.  But as it stands, it's either ON and purchase from Kindle or OFF and you can't.  AT ALL.  There's no way to 'turn it on' from the Kindle to purchase, or have it on for Kindle purchases only.

Though I think some people are having a fairly extreme reaction to certain things, I do understand the reasoning for why one might want things done differently.  

But, hey, if you really feel strongly, tell Amazon. . . discussions here don't achieve anything, though they can be good for stress relief.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Far far too much seriousness on a thread that was started in jest.. sigh.

I have 9 people on my account, and no one makes purchases but me. No accidental one-clicking going on by anyone. No funky purchases. Either you trust the people on your account, or you don't. 
A call to Amazon Kindle support takes less than 3 minutes of time. use it, that's what it is there for.


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

Apparently I accidentally bought a nook book the other day... As evidenced by the change on debit card i just saw. I looked at it, but didn't click it because it wasn't free....

I called and they are refunding it - it hadn't even been downloaded yet (obviously) so I guess that made it easier for her to ok the refund.

I hate one click.... (and no, I have never accidentally bought a kindle book, this was the first time - but i still hate it)

The crappy part is.... It was a bad week for the $7.99 to hit. This single mom is counting pennies until Wednesday, and gas for a doctors appointment will be tight now. 

And, I dont get emails from BN when i buy something, which drives me bonkers.


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## gpamelac (Apr 10, 2011)

If you dont use your smartphone for internet use including email why have one?


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## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

Just yesterday I cancelled a book I ordered by mistake. My mistake. Two books. Similar titles. No problem. I sent an email to Customer Service, on a Sunday, and within a couple of hours I had a response saying the charge had been cancelled. If I had been in the U.S. yesterday I would have phoned and it would have been even easier.

Assume for a moment that your children did order $8,000 worth of books on your Kindle account. And, let's assume that you didn't notice the $2,000 or so emails. If you noticed the problem within seven days you could cancel the charges.

Now, if you don't notice within seven days, we're back to you having a guardian appointed by the federal government.

I like one-click buying. I'm a responsibile person. Now, how much inconvenience should I face to satisfy the irresponsible?


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

gpamelac said:


> If you dont use your smartphone for internet use including email why have one?


I never got my smartphone way back eons ago (treo 650) to go online with, I got it so i didn't have to keep carrying a phone AND my palm into every doctors appointment to schedule appointments. Anytime I tried using it for Internet it was painful (a non-evdo phone).

And handyshopper.

Handyshopper is still the number one reason to carry the treo 700 I have now.

And a keyboard for testing (which NOW dumb phones have, but didn't back then).

I spend HOURS in waiting rooms each week these days with my kids - doctors and speech therapy. Thankfully i got to drop OT over the winter. The iPad makes more sense for mobile Internet over a smart phone for my needs.

I have my email forwarded to my phone and that lets me know if i need to check a message asap or not.

Anyway, it works and I actually have encountered more people like me.... But smartphones can be useful without data.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

BTackitt said:


> I have 9 people on my account, and no one makes purchases but me. No accidental one-clicking going on by anyone. No funky purchases. Either you trust the people on your account, or you don't.


Exactly.

While it is theoretically possible that someone could face substantial monetary charges for books they did not intend to buy, I continue to wonder whether this has actually happened.

Worrying about one-click is akin to wearing a hard hat whenever outdoors as a watermelon could possibly fall out of the sky without warning.

Don't laugh. It could happen.


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## ayuryogini (Jan 3, 2010)

I like the "one-click" capability on the Kindle; I guess I really don't see a problem with it, as they have the money back guarantee, as well as a screen immediately after the "one-click" to cancel it if you ordered by mistake. It really hasn't been a big deal to me, except for enjoying the ease of purchasing a book on my Kindle.

However, I did have to turn my Amazon one click off on my iPad, after receiving a $900 camera that I ordered in my sleep!!!


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2011)

How is 1-Click a scam? Don't want it? Turn it off. Afraid your CC will be charged? Use a gift card instead. Afraid your kid will rack up lots of charges? Again, use a gift card or lay down the law with your child and make sure they know they need to ask before purchasing. Accidentally buy a book? If you did so on the Kindle, right on the screen it says something like "Bought this book by accident? Click here." On the computer just ask for a refund within 7 days. I don't know what your problem is but the attitude and hostility are uncalled for. 1-Click isn't a scam and there is nothing wrong with it. Relax.


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2011)

After reading the entire thread it's clear McGee is trolling and just wanting to argue. Might be best to stop beating the poor dead horse. It's too bad this site won't give us the ability to put members that annoy us on ignore. That functionality is available on all the other boards I am a member of and it comes in very handy sometimes!


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

NYCKindleFan said:


> After reading the entire thread it's clear McGee is trolling and just wanting to argue.


Unfortunately, many of us unwittingly feed the troll which further encourages the behavior in both this and other threads.

Our responses are meant to help solve what McGee views as a "problem," providing many work arounds and assurances. One-click is an obvious non-problem.

However, rather than take advantage of the information and advice, the proffered help serves only to calcify McGee's intransigence.

Perhaps we should take aim at another obvious problem: Canned peas are the Devil's playground. Yet they are served in school cafeterias. This must stop! Do we need to get the FDA involved?


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

This thread is two months old and we're still beating this dead horse? The more people post in it offering their 2 cents, the more it gets bumped up...

Can we just let it die already?

As to canned peas.. There is a place for everything. I like them mixed in with my macaroni and a can of tuna...


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Luvmy4brats said:


> As to canned peas.. There is a place for everything. I like them mixed in with my macaroni and a can of tuna...


Say it's not so!

Do you let your children see this?!


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Elk said:


> Say it's not so!
> 
> Do you let your children see this?!


 I do.... However, they do not share my love for this delicacy, so I am forced to eat it myself...

If this scandalizes you, then you should see what I do with a hunk of velveeta, canned chili, and hot dogs....


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2011)

All I see are a bunch of interweb cyber bullies.


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## evrose (Jan 7, 2011)

McGee said:


> All I see are a bunch of interweb cyber bullies.


Why thank you... thank you very much. I've worked long and hard to achieve that status! Finally, someone has acknowledged my accomplishments.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

McGee said:


> All I see are a bunch of interweb cyber bullies.


Hardly.

You posted your opinion in a public forum. Others have responded. You can hardly complain that they did so. Why post if you do not want others to read and respond?

You claimed there is a "problem." Others have solved it for you. Take advantage of one or more of the many solutions proffered.

We know that you have never been forced to pay for an ebook you accidentally acquired or you would have said so. Loudly. Repeatedly.

Thus, we can only fairly conclude that you are engaging in deliberate catastrophizing.

Now I am off to write a nasty letter to Ferrari, inquiring why their floor mats are not self-cleaning.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Elk said:


> ....deliberate catastrophizing....


awesome!!!


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2011)

Luvmy4brats said:


> This thread is two months old and we're still beating this dead horse? The more people post in it offering their 2 cents, the more it gets bumped up...
> 
> Can we just let it die already?
> As to canned peas.. There is a place for everything. I like them mixed in with my macaroni and a can of tuna...


I think she might have a heart attack when she reads this, but I agree with Luvmy4brats. *grin* I think it's time to stop feeding what is an obvious troll.

As for canned peas, I haven't had them since childhood. As I recall they were mushy and not very tasty. Tuna and macaroni? My husband's aunt makes a fabulous cold macaroni salad with tuna in it. Yum!


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

NYCKindleFan said:


> I think she might have a heart attack when she reads this, *but I agree with Luvmy4brats. * *grin* I think it's time to stop feeding what is an obvious troll.
> 
> As for canned peas, I haven't had them since childhood. As I recall they were mushy and not very tasty. Tuna and macaroni? My husband's aunt makes a fabulous cold macaroni salad with tuna in it. Yum!


<rubs eyes, looks, rubs eyes, looks again> THUD!

The best canned peas are the LeSeur baby peas.... I've been known to eat them directly from the can <GASP>


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

Caya gets canned beans to supplement her dog food. We are trying to get a few pounds off of her and the beans make her feel full with very few calories. She rather likes them...


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Luvmy4brats said:


> The best canned peas are the LeSeur baby peas.... I've been known to eat them directly from the can <GASP>


Not in front of your children, I hope.

Please tell us that you do not keep a can-opener in the house to which they have access.


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2011)

So we go from needing to lock out credit card purchases therefor needing to lock everything from your children


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)




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## Tatiana (Aug 20, 2010)

ProfCrash said:


> Caya gets canned beans to supplement her dog food. We are trying to get a few pounds off of her and the beans make her feel full with very few calories. She rather likes them...


Our dog won't eat canned peas at all. By the way, make sure you are feeding your dog "No Salt Added" peas. The additional salt in canned veggies is not good for dogs.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

Yup sodium free green beans. Cheap and yummy.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Tatiana said:


> The additional salt in canned veggies is not good for dogs.


Nor us. Many also have added sugar.

I admit however I am a frozen pea eater.


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## Bigal-sa (Mar 27, 2010)

Elk said:


>


Poor kitty, no tin foil hat...


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)




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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

All we are saying ... is give peas a chance!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

MichelleR said:


> All we are saying ... is give peas a chance!


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

Luvmy4brats said:


> As to canned peas.. There is a place for everything. I like them mixed in with my macaroni and a can of tuna...


I do as well. I call it "poor man's tuna casserole". We stopped buying any canned veggies some time ago. Now everything is from a "Steamfresh" bag. Going to attempt a garden again this year...maybe I'll plant peas.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

McGee said:


> Trolls


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

Where is my lighter when I need it.

(Sways with the music)


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## NightGoat (Feb 2, 2011)

I thought I had the 1-click thing licked. In an effort to remove 1-click I put a piece opaque tape over the spot it appears on the screen. However, now I am receiving more accidental purchases than ever before. I don't get it.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

NightGoat said:


> I thought I had the 1-click thing licked.


Don't lick anything unless you _really_ mean it.


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2011)

TMI TMI


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