For the first time, two weeks ago, I received a book from Amazon that was defective. The last few pages were bound into the book crooked, and lower then they should have been, resulting in the tops of the pages still retaining the fold from the press, and since they weren’t trimmed, they were still attached at the fold, making it nigh impossible for me to get to any of the pages in the index. Sure, I could’ve cut them myself and lived with the funky pages… but I decided to complain and see where I got with it.
First, I contacted the publishers of the book, Addison-Wesley. I got an automated email from the person their “defective merchandise” web form sent the complaint to, saying they were on extended leave. I send a copy of the email to another employee recommended in the automated mail, but after a week, still no reply.
Then, I decided to contact Amazon. After using a simple web form, and accidentally checking the wrong book in my order for replacement first, they still had the replacement book shipped out the same day I made the request, and sent the replacement via 2nd-day UPS, even though the original shipment was sent using their free Super Saver Shipping. They even sent me a link to a UPS shipping label, giving me 30 days to send the defective book back at their expense. I couldn’t be happier with the experience!