News
Amazon Tightens Ebooks Return Policy after Criticism
Amazon is changing course on its refund policy for ebook returns after criticism by authors and unions representing them. The revised policy for ebook returns will take into consideration how much of the book was read by a customer before returning it.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced a policy of full refund for ebooks purchased via Kindle but returned within 14 days of the purchase. This raised serious concerns among authors and critics who saw it as free offering of books, especially for fast readers who’ll read any new book of their choice and then return it and get their money back.
Euronews Culture wondered whether this ebooks return policy was ruining authors’ careers. The article cited teacher and self-published author Sue Bordley on this issue as:
Books take months to write and people are getting them for nothing and that isn’t fair.
A petition on Change.org was launched to ask Amazon to change its ebooks return policy and “Protect Authors from Theft!”
Following months of criticism by authors and unions representing them, Amazon recently changed its course and announced a new return policy that ends refunds for ebooks returned if more than 10% of them were read after purchase. Publishing Perspectives cited David Naggar, Amazon’s vice-president of books and Kindle content, as:
We will de-activate self-service returns for any book read past 10 percent, adding substantial friction to the process.
Amazon’s change in policy was hailed by authors’ trade groups in London and New York. The Society of Authors chief Nicola Solomon (London) welcomed the news of the policy change by Amazon. And the Authors Guild in New York City thanked Amazon for listening to their concern and “taking good-faith action.”
