Amazon UK seem to have rather lost the plot. A new John Sandford book is published today (Bad Blood, latest in the Virgil Flowers series).
For weeks Amazon have had this flagged as “Temporarily out of stock” – something an unpublished book can’t possibly be (out of stock implies that it once was in stock). I posted a comment, taking Amazon to task over this, hoping for an explanation (they claim that comments are moderated, so why not?). No such luck.
Anyhow, I went back today, to order it, only to find they are quoting 1 to 3 weeks delivery, so I updated my comment, and specifically asked for a response from Amazon.
However, also on Amazon, I can order it (in stock, 48-hour delivery), from The Book Depository, which makes Amazon look even more bizarre. So I went to The Book Depository website and ordered it there (price is a little lower than Amazon’s) – if Amazon want to play silly buggers I can at least ensure they don’t get a commission on this sale, especially as 2 other UK sellers on Amazon are offering it from stock (albeit at rather optimistic prices). Only Amazon seems to be having stock problems (Waterstone’s and WH Smith don’t list this title at all, mysteriously). Amazon.com have it in stock for next day delivery (in the US).
As they seem to have no interest in explaining what’s going on – assuming they know – I’d recommend others do the same, and ensure that Amazon UK doesn’t profit at all from sales of this book, until they sort themselves out.
