What is Jeff Bezos’ email address?
That was the question I put to Google search — but I didn’t get a satisfactory answer.
I love Amazon, and admire its founder and leader, Jeff Bezos.
Bezos has given me the power of wiggling my nose (or my computer mouse) at any product I want, then waiting two days for it to arrive at my front door. It’s Bewitched and the Jetsons rolled into one.
Amazon customer relations is fantastic — if you are a buyer.
But try selling your own books on Amazon, as I do here. Getting your problems solved can take months because Amazon’s customer service culture consists of a cadre of buck-passers. Nobody takes ownership of your problem (as Apple consistently tries to do). When you do get an answer, it usually doesn’t fit your question. Eventually you hear what could be the company slogan: “Let me pass you on to the next department.”
First I wanted to find out how Amazon had gotten hold of the cover of my new book, Bad Dad, and listed it for sale weeks before it even arrived from the printer at a retail price of $8 below the future hardcover price. I had only notified BowkerLink.com, which is where publishers register their books and ISBNs (International Standard Book Numbers). Did Amazon grab the info from there? If so, that’s a new practice for them.
But I never got an answer. “Let me pass you on to the next department.”
My biggest problem, however, was that Amazon wouldn’t let me sell Bad Dad on its site, even though the book arrived early from the printer. “Let me pass you on …”
After weeks of trying, I expressed my frustration to my wife Karen. She answered with three words: “Write Jeff Bezos.”
What is Jeff Bezos’ address?
It didn’t pop up.
My prize-winning book, Dave Lieber’s Watchdog Nation: Bite Back When Businesses and Scammers Do You Wrong (2010), is clear about what to do next. As I write on page 48:
Sometimes, you have to play detective to figure out somebody’s e-mail address, but it’s worth the chase.
The president of the telephone company is going to do everything he can to hide his e-mail address. Wouldn’t it be nice, though, to send your problem to his BlackBerry?
Sometimes, you can make an educated guess. You can probably figure out e-mail addresses for any company if you find a list of executives at a Web site such as Zoominfo.com or in a local business-news publication. Then you find out the company’s e-mail format (by searching and using the @ sign in your search) and match the name to the format. Is it:
DaveLieber@ABCEnergy.com
or
Dave.Lieber@ABCEnergy.com
or
Dave_Lieber@ABCEnergy.com
or
Dlieber@ABCEnergy.com
About the only thing that can throw you off is if middle initials are required.
* *
So that’s what I did. I wrote to these three email addresses:
Jeff@Amazon.com
JBezos@Amazon.com
Jeff.Bezos@Amazon.com
And guess what? None of the three bounced back as undeliverable.
Even better, I received an email from the Amazon:
“My name is Jason, and I’m a member of Amazon Executive Seller Relations. Jeff Bezos received your e-mail and requested that I research your concerns and respond on his behalf. I will be sure to include Jeff’s office with this correspondence.”
After a few days, my new book, Bad Dad, went on sale on Amazon both as a hardcover and for the Kindle.
So that’s my Watchdog Nation tip for today: when all else fails, write Jeff. Or any other corporate chieftain. A little guessing in the email address, and the buck-passing ends.
Thanks, Jeff, for answering my email.
# # #
Dave Lieber is The Watchdog columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He’s also the founder of WatchdogNation.com, which shows Americans how easy it is to fight back and win in battles with companies, utilities, scammers and others.
His new book, Bad Dad, is a true-story mystery thriller about what happens when the worst 10 minutes of your life go viral. It happened to him. Read Chapter One here. Watch the short Bad Dad video book trailer here.
Dave Lieber’s Amazon Author Page
