# Email Advertising from Amazon



## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

I just need a moment to grouse ....

I got 3 copies of this mail sent to me from Amazon (I'm assuming because I have 3 kindles on my account). At first I thought it was spam because I haven't requested any information about AT&T 4G from my kindle.

I called. First, I got put on hold for about 10 minutes before I could even ask if this was a real mail while the person looked up information about this ad. Then, she told me I have to call AT&T because it's information I requested.

So, I asked for a supervisor. She put me on hold as well while she researched this and came back saying that this is because I ordered a latest generation Fire. (which I did - but a WiFi only one) and followed with the question whether I want to receive these mails in the future ... Then she told me she has no way to do that and she will need to contact kindle technical support to request they fix this for me.

I'm annoyed that it's a misleading email header from a company I usually trust not to send me marketing mails. I'm annoyed I was on hold for about 15 minutes before I could get any type of response and finally I'm annoyed that the supervisor was so bored with my call.

All in all, not the type of service I usually receive from Amazon. Very disappointing.

Thank you, I feel better now.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

Yeah, I'm pretty ticked with Ammy right now, particularly regarding their email blasts. Yesterday, I received an email from them with the title of one of my books in the subject line followed by "We have recommendations for you." Thinking I'd won the Amazon email marketing lottery, I clicked it open and confirmed that, yes indeed, I had. There, in all its glory wasn't just one of my titles, but two, along with two other titles in my genre. So I'm thinking, "This should generate some sales today." I was a happy camper. I clicked my dashboard obsessively looking for those sales to start ticking in.

Then I started hearing from other authors who'd gotten the same sort of email, except with their own books highlighted. So far, over a dozen.

Now, normally I just throw these email blasts away. Most people I spoke with do the same, too. Ammy must know this. So somebody had to think it was a good idea to highlight the email recipient's own books in order to prompt them to open the message. It worked. It may have prompted some to even buy the other books (I didn't, but, hey, I don't do vampires). But now, rather than thinking, "Okay, Ammy's got my back," I'm pissed. I feel betrayed and manipulated. Not only did they raise my expectations, only to have them disappointed, but they've just lowered my respect for them by several notches.

I know some people here are going to defend the practice. Whatever it takes. But as far as I'm concerned, don't market my own books at me thinking it'll get me to buy someone else's. From now on, everything from them goes into the trash.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

I would have been less annoyed if I hadn't already had targeted marketing turned off on my settings .... At a guess, AT&T paid them a chunk of money so send out that add ...


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## Finished (Feb 14, 2009)

You have complete control over what e-mails you receive from Amazon. Just go to your account on the Amazon website and select "e-mail from Amazon". You then choose what you want. Amazon is very good about respecting customer e-mail choices.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Just Wondering said:


> You have complete control over what e-mails you receive from Amazon. Just go to your account on the Amazon website and select "e-mail from Amazon". You then choose what you want. Amazon is very good about respecting customer e-mail choices.


That's been my experience as well: if I tell 'em to stop sending something, they do.

Mind you. . . .it's not hugely surprising that their 'partner' companies aren't as courteous, which is what I'm guessing happened with the ATT stuff. I'm thinking it mostly came from ATT, but as an Amazon partner. It is odd, though, that you got it 3 times -- even when claiming SO's they say one per account so I don't see why they'd send 3 copies of it, even if you did claim it from 3 different emails. I'm going with 'system glitch'.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

OK, so here's the real question to me--did anyone else get an email from AT&T?  I've ordered a 4G; presumably I'd be a target.  Off to check my email.  Geoffrey, who was the "from" address?

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Yeah. . . I did not -- and I have the 4G Fire on order.  I did see that SO on my kindle, but didn't ask to receive more information.  Best as I can recall I didn't get any such thing -- it really looks exactly like the sort of things I get from Amazon local.  But, I never got it -- and I for sure didn't get it 3 times!  

If you have SO's on the Fire and choose to take advantage of one, you do get the message on the Fire as well as sent to your email address.


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## Finished (Feb 14, 2009)

I received the ATT e-mail a day after I was looking at cell phone plans in the Amazon mobile phone store. I have an 8.9 4G HD on order and am sure it had nothing to do with that order. The e-mail was from Amazon. Amazon does not allow partners to e-mail customers who do not have a direct relationship with the third party merchant. In fact, Amazon does not provide the e-mail addresses of it customers to any third party merchant except if the customer has purchased that company's services (not products) through Amazon. My guess is that receiving multiple e-mails was just a mistake, which sometimes happens even with the best managed marketing systems.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

Just Wondering said:


> You have complete control over what e-mails you receive from Amazon. Just go to your account on the Amazon website and select "e-mail from Amazon". You then choose what you want. Amazon is very good about respecting customer e-mail choices.


Thanks for the info, I didn't know I could do that.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

As has been mentioned, I just saw that there is a SO about ATT 4G.  I also know that when I "tap" instead of swipe on my Paperwhite's SO sleep screen, I've accidentally requested information from the special offer.  Not saying that's what happened here, but it has happened to me. 

Betsy


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