I’ve just read a rather shocking story about Amazon closing someone’s account, without any warning, and then wiping all of the books from her kindle. Why? That’s a very good question. The lady in question wanted to know that as well so she emailed Amazon to try and find out. Several emails later she is still no wiser and it would appear that, when it comes to Kindle ebooks, it doesn’t matter how much money a customer has spent on them, Amazon are God and they can take them away, with no explanation, no chance of appeal, and no refunds.
My opinion: This stinks. I just did a quick search and the cheapest kindle I could find costs £69. Average Kindle ebook prices seem to range from £2.99 to £10.99. If for instance I wanted to buy a few Stephen King ebooks; Under the Dome is £4.99, The Shining is £5.99 and Doctor Sleep is £10.99. There are, of course, plenty of cheaper ebooks available by lesser known authors, and any number of free ebooks as well, but even if a buyer has a kindle full of free ebooks they still would have wasted £69 if Amazon decide to wipe the Kindle. I for one will not be buying a Kindle any time soon.
You can read the full story at Outlawed by Amazon DRM.