This is the running dossier of my ongoing battle with Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and Amazon Retail support.
What began as a simple attempt to update my bank details so I could be paid my royalties has become a case study in how the world’s biggest retailer fails its authors under the leadership of Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon
Category: Decision-making
Amazon’s bookselling empire runs on the work of authors, yet its broken systems are blocking us from royalties we’ve already earned. Books sell, Amazon gets paid, and authors are left stranded. Call it bureaucracy, call it incompetence — I call it unconscionable
Amazon’s customer support has hit new depths: escalation treated as violation, AI dashboards screaming red, and now the support mailbox itself fails. This isn’t customer service—it’s parody. Here’s why leadership culture, not AI, determines whether customers are helped or abandoned
Amazon’s staff phoned the dead number I’d already told them was inactive, ignoring the working one in every email. This isn’t service — it’s a leadership failure. When scripts replace ownership, customers see the truth: slogans mean nothing without action
A photographer questions the use of AI models in a magazine about women’s beauty procedures. Is this where we are now? Where are the ethical discussions around this?
Amazon blocked me from enabling 2FA and bounced me between teams with no fix. Their “customer-centric” slogan collapsed under pressure. This is a leadership lesson for every organisation: loyalty erodes when systems fail and no one takes ownership
Falling in love can feel instant, almost fated—but is it science, destiny, or both? Explore the psychology of falling in love in just ten minutes, from limbic resonance to dopamine surges, and learn what expats need to know about cross-cultural relationships
This 1,000-word case study explores how Academia.edu’s silent auto-renewal charged $371.80 AUD without warning—highlighting the dangers of dark patterns in tech design. Learn what dark patterns are, how they manipulate users, and what ethical leadership in digital spaces should look like.
This isn’t a rant. It’s a public warning. On 17 July 2025, I discovered that $371.80 AUD had been withdrawn from my bank account by Academia.edu. I had no idea the subscription was still active. I received no warning. No renewal email. No opt-out reminder. And when I contacted their support team to explain the…
After Academia.edu auto-renewed a $371.80 AUD subscription without notice, I requested a refund. They refused. I’m sharing my full complaint letter publicly to warn others about their deceptive billing practices and refusal to offer support or flexibility. This is a cautionary tale worth reading.