Eldon-Online

Up the Amazon (.com) Without a Paddle

I come from a humble background, and I'm proud of it; it's not an excuse for anything, but I am sure it's the reason why I often cheer for the underdog. I also take what I perceive to be injustice almost personally, even if it does not affect me directly.

Some years ago I went on a personal crusade against big companies who were "stringing along" small businesses by delaying payments to them - giving the little companies major cash flow headaches as they struggled to find the cash necessary to complete the next order. In all honesty I don't think I made much of a difference, but at least I was then in a position professionally to be noticed and do something useful, and it made me feel a lot better.

Fast forward to today, where the "influence" has waned somewhat and I myself have run into the gaping jaws of big business; in this case Amazon.com.

I don't have a complaint against them per se, but they appear to be allowing someone else to use my name and possibly my reputation in relation to reviews of books. This seems to me to be a primitive form of identity theft, and all I want from them are some simple answers so I can be satisfied - or find a solution - but can I get their attention? Not a chance!

After a number of half-hearted attempts by their customer relations department to answer my query about how I might resolve the problem (they suggested I change my name - seriously), I thought I should try their legal department - no good, no acknowledgement, no response. So I went back to where I started by trying customer relations. By now, however, they have clearly wised up and put me in the box with the designation "IGNORE" writ large. Nothing, so here I am in limbo like, I suspect, many others.

Amazon.com will presume that my latest one person crusade will fade away if they ignore me long enough, and that I will not bother to take any legal action to get a simple answer from them (or spend money on a name change!) and I will just be the proverbial gnat on the elephant's bottom; a slight irritant who will eventually fall off. But, reputations are hard to come by and I am not one to give up that easily, which is why I just love the "Never Give Up" cartoon I had on my wall for many years.

When the Wheels Fall Off...

Is it just me, or does anyone else think the world is getting out of balance?
Amongst the stories in today's newspapers we are told of a bus driver who received a HK$4,000 fine and a two month disqualification for running over and killing a pedestrian . Meanwhile the misery of Darfur and neighbouring areas continues to engender sympathy but little concrete action, it seems, as the people who could do something about it are already occupied in trying to justify their existence in trouble spots like Iraq.

Meanwhile we have news of those naughty boys of the McLaren Formula 1 team, being fined US$100m for doing a little spying! Now clearly, spying is wrong and deserves to be dealt with appropriately, but help me out here - isn't there a lack of perspective in the appropriate level of punishment that is being handed out. Take someone's life and get a HK$4,000 (US$500) fine, but try to take a competitive advantage and get a US$100m fine?

And then, where does the US$100m go? We do not seem to be told what will happen to the fine when it is received. I might be a little less critical of all this if someone from the governing body of Formula 1 said it would be used to aid earthquake victims in Peru and Indonesia, or go towards improving the lives of millions - for surely the money would be sufficient to do that - of people without homes, clean water, electricity and schools.

So, back to the punishment for the McLaren team. They lose points, any further benefits for the season, and no share in the end of season financial spoils but, all is not lost...their two drivers, one of whom has (and I must say deservedly) enlivened the sport this year, can continue to fight it out for the leadership as if nothing has happened. That should keep the public interested - and the sponsorship money coming in!