Amazon exiles discussion

I was happily writing a thank you comment to Benny's review on Amazon.com for my novel "Religion Without a God" but when I came to press send/comment/whatever I received the message "Only those of good standing with the Amazon Community may leave comments"

Have any other authors encountered this?

Earlier this year I was inexplicably banned for life from leaving reviews on Amazon, with a vague generic email mentioning knowing the creators of the books/films I reviewed (no such luck) or receiving payment for reviews (again no such luck...but I wouldn't, it's naughty and misleading to customers!)

I let it go but now this is apparently interfering with my ability to interact with readers and give thanks for kind reviews I believe I need to raise it again!

I had only left a single review in the year or so before the ban email, for the film "Gods of Egypt."

I left a review to balance out the many quite nasty reviews which had nothing to do with the quality of the film and were factually unfair. At the time I assumed someone at Amazon who hated the film, or did not think Brenton Thwaites was adorable, took exception to my review defending it and engineered the removal/ban.

I would only change the review it to add that the scene where cloned copies of the God of Wisdom were librarians was rather too silly and reminded me of the Oompa-Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, another sad moment in film history!

Anyway, this is the infamous review that seems to have got me banned:

Impressive mythological adventure with great effects and a good heart

An impressive and enjoyable mythological epic with the same sort of feel as the original Clash of the Titans and Jason and the Argonauts, but with updated and more ambitious special effects and a conscious eye to detail. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is surprisingly faultless as Horus, and Brenton Thwaites looks adorable in every scene - those eyebrows!

The way Egyptian religion and the gods were represented was superb! The film should have been more successful but was sabotaged by campaigners for ethnic diversity which seems rather off target - according to the latest DNA data from Middle Egypt, Ancient Egyptians were genetically a Mediterranean people ("The mummies' closest ancient relatives were found in the Near East and Europe" - CNN and others 23 June 2017 ), and the vast majority of actors used looked suitably Mediterranean, hence appropriate: ironically the exceptions who are less appropriate are one fair haired goddess, and black actors for the god Thoth and the High Priest, all of whom acted well. Definitely worth watching, and owning on blu-ray!

Did anyone else enjoy the film? Have you been banned unfairly? You don't need to be in BOTH categories to reply! In fact, anyone can reply!

James wrote: "I was happily writing a thank you comment to Benny's review on Amazon.com for my novel "Religion Without a God" but when I came to press send/comment/whatever I received the message "Only those of ..."

That sucks, James. It's a wild guess (and could be totally off-target) but from online comments elsewhere about people being banned (or YouTube videos being demonetised, etc) the "offensive" section could be....

The film should have been more successful but was sabotaged by campaigners for ethnic diversity which seems rather off target...

which, ridiculous as it seems, might in itself be interpreted as 'hate speech' by some extremists in the identity politics crowd.

P.S. Not seen the film in question.

Tim wrote: "James wrote: "I was happily writing a thank you comment to Benny's review on Amazon.com for my novel "Religion Without a God" but when I came to press send/comment/whatever I received the message "..."

Hi Tim!
Thanks for the reply.
That is terrible if it the case - the review which accurately raises the latest scientific research, with mainstream reference, and which uses only polite and informative language, is banned yet Amazon keep a number of ranting reviews which are scientifically illiterate and untruthful? I know that the respected classical scholar Mary Lefkowitz faced criticism from an extreme unscientific fringe when she challenged this sort of thing in Egyptology, but Amazon? Does Amazon truly take the side of ignorance, dare I say hate, when it clashes with Science?
Will they banning references to Evolution next? I don't know what to say!

James wrote: "Tim wrote: "James wrote: "I was happily writing a thank you comment to Benny's review on Amazon.com for my novel "Religion Without a God" but when I came to press send/comment/whatever I received t..."

As the excellent YouTuber 'The Critical Drinker' quipped on one of his videos, "My feelings don't care about your facts!"

As for Amazon, it could be they've chosen to take the path of least resistance to avoid the online lynch mobs. In another place I found it was impossible to type the word 'grapefruit' because it contains another word within it, the four letters of which would be replaced by asterisks!

Hi James,

I do fit into both categories! I liked the movie Gods of Egypt regardless of the critics, and I was banned from writing product reviews because Amazon said I was a seller and had a conflict of interest with other sellers. I also couldn't respond to other reviews or ask questions of the community because I wasn't a member in good standing.

I called Amazon and told them I wasn't a seller, have never been a seller, and no interest in becoming a seller. The first person I spoke with said I was listed as a seller and wouldn't help me. I called the Seller's Dept, and they said I was not listed as a seller. I called Amazon back, spoke with another person, explained the situation, and in a few days I was reinstated. Geez!

I don't see anything wrong with your review. It would have been deleted if Amazon thought it inappropriate, but not ban you over it. I would suggest you call or email Amazon and tell them you have no ties to these other authors, or received any compensation from them. And if first you don't succeed, nag nag again!

miscellaneous wrote: "Hi James,

I do fit into both categories! I liked the movie Gods of Egypt regardless of the critics, and I was banned from writing product reviews because Amazon said I was a seller and had a confl..."

Thanks very much! I will try - they ignored the two emails I sent to their customer support/complaints people at the time.

I will certainly be very reluctant to leave reviews if I do get back "in"....

Gods of Egypt, can't resist films like this, reminds me of my early teens with those old Steve Reeves Saturday morning pictures and classic Ray Harryhausen films. It's knocking about the house somewhere, have to watch again.

Martin wrote: "Gods of Egypt, can't resist films like this, reminds me of my early teens with those old Steve Reeves Saturday morning pictures and classic Ray Harryhausen films. It's knocking about the house some..."

I think the film's creators were probably also fondly reminiscing those wonderful old movies :-)

Just a word that I'm going to move this thread into the TV, radio, cinema, books & tech folder over the weekend.

Gordon wrote: "Just a word that I'm going to move this thread into the
TV, radio, cinema, books & tech
folder over the weekend."

Hi Gordon!
It does seem to have drifted that way... Although my main point is the lifetime ban from reviews on Amazon, the movie is just there because it seems to have been the cause of the ban, although I know no one involved in the movie. The ban is now impacting my interaction with readers on Amazon.

Also, James. Sometimes calling Amazon gets better results than emails, and if they still refuse to reinstate you, you can open up a new account and start fresh. Good luck!