Please excuse the typo in reference to Ms. Hunter I made earlier. My typo indicated a REAL author that I was unaware of and the typo was just that, an honest error; I had mentioned to PD earlier that I admire his skill at writing as I, although an English teacher, have dyslexia and it makes writing a real struggle.

Anyhow, I can’t fix it up there now as the time expired for that, but I was talking about Caitrina Hunter with the bizarre profile and NOT the respected author Caitlyn Hunter who very graciously understood my typo, but wanted to clarify that she wasn’t connected to “our” Ms. Hunter or DAM in any way.

My sincerest apologies for the error and I hope it causes no problem for the author. I did NOT intend to link her in any way to the individuals we have issues with on Amazon. When a teacher commits a crime, it’s a black eye on the whole profession and with this scandal, I would never want any other respected author to suffer a needless black eye; therefore, I again apologize for my dyslexic boo-boo.

Respectfully,
Steve Hedge

Again, her own callousness toward someone else who is a victim of an injustice screams volumes about what kind of person she is. I do think it’s wrong that she is allowed to post endlessly and antagonistically on a Reba’s review with the knowledge she can’t defend herself there. Could we get any more cowardly?

Nope, I’m certainly not going to complain. Besides, I like the beach I’m playing on. The company is infinitely better here then there.

Did she at any stage mock the deceased as Caitrina alleged?

thin-skinned Ms. Hunter or the even more thin-skinned MacG

If one is more thin-skinned than the other, they can’t be the same person :-)

Amazon continues to even allow Ms. Hunter to keep posting

Amazon only respond when asked. Maybe you’ve asked that her posts be removed, but I haven’t and I don’t know how many have. I suspect that in this case, it’s those who shout loudest that get their way. No, I’m not going to ask for posts to be removed.

against Amazon's rules for one's profile page

Tell Amazon if you wish. I’m happy to leave it be. I’m only mentioned as “Peter what’s his name” but I’d still leave it if she’d got my name right.

She also addresses several of us on here specifically which is also against Amazon’s rules for one’s profile page. It’s so nice to be known.

All I can say is for someone who has supposedly experienced a great tragedy in losing family members, she has no trouble supporting an individual who publicly threaten another’s family, has no trouble harassing someone who can’t defend herself, and has no trouble constantly bring up her loss in an effort to avoid any criticism (even though she feels entitled to give others vile and harassing criticisms herself).

Ms. Hunter, You should be utterly ashamed of your actions and the manner in which you attempt to use the loss of your family to insulate yourself from criticisms of any kind. I don’t think I have ever met a lower individual in my life. Stop telling everyone that your life and background is no one’s business, and then keep throwing it in everyone’s face as a defense. You are becoming an insult to anyone who has suffered a loss in their family. I lost my own father recently to a long slow painful death and I don’t post it all over the place and use it as a shield from criticism. That is revolting and cowardly conduct. Sign off online and get yourself some serious help.

I do recall the one posted above which, unfortunately, suggested that Ms. Hunter is Ms. MacGillivray. Amazon is NORMALLY rather flexible about this and wouldn’t give this a second look (especially if it only suggests and doesn’t outright accuse someone), but as we’ve become accustomed to here, anything connected to DAM and her cronies gets immediate and favorable attention. Yes, I know I’m exaggerating here a bit to make my point.

Apparently our thin-skinned Ms. Hunter or the even more thin-skinned MacG asked to have the playful comments removed or had their cronies in massive numbers click the “abuse” button. Boy, talk about dishing it out, but not being able to take it.

Ironically, we have Ms. Hunter come on accusing JerseyGirl of being Reba Belle AFTER JG’s comments were deleted. Hhhhhhmmmmm . . . Obviously, vicious comments, threatening posts, and obsession with being #1 aren’t the only childish behaviors for DAM and company. Now, let’s add “I have to have the last word” to that list of immature characteristics of these individuals.

I’m also surprised that (not really) that Amazon continues to even allow Ms. Hunter to keep posting her vile crap on Reba’s review with the knowledge that Reba cannot respond back. I would think someone at Amazon would consider that against their written guidelines to NOT post comments that are spiteful or harassing in nature. I am the only one seeing this as spiteful and harassing on Ms. Hunter’s part? Does this situation not continue to add credibility to the argument that Amazon operates under a two tier or double standard system on how they handle high profile people and the general population?

Hope I didn’t mess up the link. No techno peeps here.

Martin A Hogan Apr-23 4:16 pm
To: C. Gilbert unread (54 of 58)
29051.54 in reply to 29051.1

OMG! This is hilariously sad. I remember about seven years ago, Ms. Mac sent me a nasty Email and I cannot remember what it said. Another poster brought to my attention that she is a “rank hog”, meaning she will do anything to get high in the TOP lists. You will see a review posted on any given day with well over 10-12 votes immediately with more each day! This guy mentioned she is even in the TOP 10 of French Amazon by using BABELFISH to double post her reviews. I think its funny, but beware – she has a flare for writing cruel and egregiously vicous notes. :)

From: AIIR8E34EDKCQ 12:20 am
To: C. Gilbert unread (56 of 58)
29051.56 in reply to 29051.1

Omg that is so freaky, I remember in 2006 my friend Ravenova wrote a 3 star review of some crappy romance novel ( Blonde Geisha) and Deborah McG and her cronies kept getting it deleted, it turned into an ugly battle and I was shocked to see “romance” writers acting like friggin werewolves!! Debra didn’t even write the book and she still pushed herself into the whole thing.

I had no clue she was this nasty, yikes!

Hi, Caitrina! Shouldn’t you be doing your homework or shopping for prom gowns instead of making up a new identity & hounding folks your parents’ age? Really, life’s too short (well, you’ve got many more years ahead of you than 90 percent of the reviewers here), to chase people around Amazon because they didn’t like your (Oops! I meant DeborahAnne MacGillivray’s – now, how could I have made a mistake like that?) book. That is, unless someone comandeered your name – and it is a very nice one.

I did read them and, quite honestly, I had no issue with them. They were quick little back handed comments to the queen of mean Ms. Hunter. Notice how Amazon has no problem with her constant berating of you whom she knows can’t respond to her. Well, that’s brave of Ms. Hunter, isn’t. And is this not yet another case of the double standard that Amazon operates under. Then they wonder what all the outcry is about.

I commented back to that little wench on her asinine review of “In Her Bed” along with a few others taken aback by her approach.

Has anyone noticed that she wasn’t able to answer a single one of my questions/concerns about her profile and comments? I think that says quite a lot by itself.

I didn’t get a chance to see what she wrote before the deletions. Does anyone know?

As in a criminal case in real life, if the evidence isn’t presented correctly, the case will fail. And if people go after who they think the criminal is instead of reporting their thoughts to the police, they sometimes end up being charged for taking the law into their owm hands. It’s the same with Amazon. Posting accusatory comments on somebody else’s reviews is NOT the correct way to do things. That’s why I was so disappointed when I learned what Reba did. And it was easier for Amazon to prove their case against Reba than it was to prove the more serious case against DAM. Nevertheless, I decided to continue supporting Reba because of the clear provocation involved. But do not doubt that some people who would have supported her decided that she no longer deserved their support because of her spam comments.

Amazon has staff turnover like every other business. It may be higher for Amazon because of the pressure they put on their staff and this pressure may compound the glitchiness of their software. But the staff turnover means that the people who banned me aren’t in Amazon any more. I believe one of them left Amazon for Google. And as to the specific ban, well, I quit the DB as a regular poster more than 3 years ago and I’ve made about 7 posts since then, all in response to comments where I was mentioned and chose to respond. Mostly, I don’t respond even when I’m mentioned, whether it’s good or bad. So I’m not unduly worried.

As far as me “muddying the waters somewhat” at times, I just believe that some abuses are interconnected. In conversation, blogs, etc., one can look at the bigger picture. It isn’t always about being focused on ONE thing or one person. I don’t consider it a diversion to bring up into a discussion similar abuses if it shows a pattern of some kind.

I mentioned before and maybe it bares repeating that Amazon operates under a two tier system regarding their rules and guidelines. There is one for top reviewers and/or authors like the MacGillivray’s and the Taylor X’s who clearly violate the guidelines but end up with a slap on the wrist because of their popularity which may enhance Amazon’s bottom line. They, Amazon, benefit from their books sales and/or items that they bring to the public’s attention, especially as top reviewers. These two individuals I mentioned here have threatened people, used abusive language, stalked customers they feel slighted them, and gamed the system. Both only got a “readjustment” to their rankings and, in Taylor’s case, comments deleted. Taylor X even pursued one dissenter of his reviews by spamming several of his reviews with that exact same insult: “Don’t read this d*ck’s reviews.” He only got his comment deleted.

The average Amazon customer/reviewer who commits far less infractions than these extreme ones get banned and you experienced that for yourself and was only allowed back on with a “gag order” to never discuss DAM again on Amazon –a ludicrous and outrageous limitation (talk about thin-skinned!). Reba certainly didn’t spam DAM in the same disgusting and vile manner as Taylor X did to one of his enemies, but look at what happened to her. It is clear to me that Amazon punishes abusers based upon two different set of standards. To me, it isn’t muddying the waters to connect profiles and abuses, especially to demonstrate a clear pattern.

You and I may disagree here, and that’s okay. I respect your opinion, but it is also just that, your opinion. I do agree with you that whenever presenting concerns to Amazon to keep it simple and direct, but we need not limit our conversations to that standard.

We Brits don’t do baseball – well, I think you might find it here somewhere, but you’d have to do some research. We have a different bat and ball game called cricket and it also uses incomprehensible terminology.

usually some obscene comment I came across, or someone harassing someone else

Yes, Amazon are quite content to sort those out.

I guess I choose very carefully what I report to them, that I don't abuse the privilege of reporting issues

Always the best way. I got the impression from some of your posts that you tend to muddy the waters somewhat by grouping issues together. I’m glad you don’t do that with Amazon. If somebody wrote to them about DAM and decided to mention problems with other reviewers as well (HK and GH, perhaps), they’d get nowhere.

important to not to contact the ecr@amazon.com and ago@amazon.com addresses unless the concern is really major

I’ve never used those addresses. I think I may have been contacted by ECR before after sending an e-mail to Jeff Bezos’ office. I don’t do that very often and it never goes directly to him anyway, but it’s easy to remember “jeff at amazon dot com” if I feel the need to go there.

That batting 1,000 comment is a baseball term here in the states meaning that nearly all my complaints get resolved, not that I reported 1,000 problems. I think, guessing here, that I may send about about half dozen complaints a month to Amazon and it’s usually some obscene comment I came across, or someone harassing someone else. Ironically, it’s almost never about me or any of my reviews or comments posted on them. If someone leaves something stupid, obnoxious, or arrogant on my reviews, I leave them up as it says more about them than me, but I will have abusive or obscene comments or excessively personal attacks deleted, but that rarely ever happens.

Peter, I wish I knew why I’m so successful with my complaints with Amazon. I guess I choose very carefully what I report to them, that I don’t abuse the privilege of reporting issues by being excessive, and that I don’t sound petty or whiny. I’m also very persistent.

One thing that does bother me at CS/Amazon is that I may first get the computer generated response that tells me they are looking into my issue (and never get back to me) or I’ll get the standard computer generated response that says, “We’ve reviewed the comment/review in question and it does not fall outside of our guidelines.” When I get that for a review or comment that uses foul or obscene language it is clear to me that no one really looked at. Sometimes it takes several tries to get a human at Amazon (you will at the special addresses I noted), but I always do and then they eventually say, “Yes, this comment was outside of our guidelines and it will be removed shortly.” My thinking is if it was on my fourth try, then it was on my first, second, and third tries. Again, I don’t report petty stuff, only major things, so it easily annoys me when they don’t react appropriately. In the end, I get the result I want, so I’m doing something right, I guess.

It is important to not to contact the ecr@amazon.com and ago@amazon.com addresses unless the concern is really major or you’ve been ignored or dismissed by their normal customer service department.

As far as your writing, PD, I never give a compliment that I don’t mean. Trust me, as an English teacher you write and express yourself very well and it doesn’t matter if we always agree either on the issue at hand.

All the best,
Steve

Not really, because they didn’t believe me. Anyway, what DAM did to me was trivial compared to what Reba Belle has suffered.