Amazon has closed the account and wiped clean the Kindle of a
Norwegian customer without explanation — not an explanation that offered
insight into the company’s actions at any rate.
Martin Bekkelund, who detailed the story on his blog recently, said his friend, Linn, has been “outlawed by Amazon.”
“If the retailer, in this case Amazon, thinks you’re a crook, they
will throw you out and take away everything that you bought,” Bekkelund
wrote.
When Linn (her last name was not revealed) discovered her account had been closed, she e-mailed Amazon to find out why.
Michael Murphy, executive customer relations with Amazon.co.uk, in a return e-mail, said her account was “related to a previously blocked account.”
“We have found your account is directly related to another which has
been previously closed for abuse of our policies. As such, your Amazon.co.uk account has been closed and any open orders have been cancelled.”
When Linn replied, denying knowledge of being linked to any other
account and asking for clarification, Murphy issued an e-mail similar to
the first adding: “Please understand that the closure of an account is a
permanent action. Any subsequent accounts that are opened will be
closed as well. Thank you for your understanding with our decision.”
When Linn e-mailed yet again to ask Amazon to explain how her one and
only account was linked to another guilty of violating the company’s
policies, Murphy sent out yet another similar e-mail, but added: “We
wish you luck in locating a retailer better able to meet your needs and
will not be able to offer any additional insight or action on these
matters.”
Under Amazon’s terms of service agreement
it says the company “reserves the right to refuse service, terminate
accounts, remove or edit content, or cancel orders in its sole
discretion.”
Amazon’s policies aside, Digital Rights Management (DRM) is the key issue, Bekkelund said.
“With DRM, you don’t buy and own books, you merely rent them for as long as the retailer finds it convenient,” he wrote.
While the chances of having your e-reader wiped of all the e-books you purchased is not great, it can happen.
Some commenters on Bekkelund’s blog said they use DRM removal
software to strip DRM code from Kindle e-books which, in turn, converts
them into ePub files. These files can then be stored on an external
drive. Use of such software in the U.S., however, is illegal.
