Now I'm reading along and notified of email, interrupted, the tiny notification that flashes is a request from vendor to remember to leave feedback. The request is couched in a message of greeting having entered into a relationship by my purchase. Later when going through emails the message is recognized and dragged directly to the trash without even opening.
I bought two reams, two separate orders. This is all automatic so another message was shot to me, two reminders to leave feedback for them.
Then two more. Then two more. Then two more. Then two more. Knock it off already.
"I bought paper from you. That makes me your customer not your husband with his Honey do list. You are not my employer. Stop telling me what to do unless you're willing to negotiate my fee."
How's that for a review? I'm such an asshole. I already bragged about this paper. Man, I really hate people telling me to do things that I'm already doing. It pisses me off so hard I cease doing it. Something snaps. Now that right there is a real character flaw. It would be easier and more fun for me to write a great review for them on Amazon for a product I adore than it was for me to tell them to stop bossing me around. But I cannot do that now. Because they bossed me around. And that is a character flaw. My cross to bear. I cannot help myself. I guess my bragging all the time elsewhere will just have to suffice. Everywhere but where they told me to. That's how this character flaw works. It's mental.
22 comments:
Amazon reviews are chancy things. A lot like Yelp reviews.
There is always a lot of controversy about them. I remember that Jill Zarin of the Real Housewives of New York got in to a lot of controversy over reviews of her book. That she was writing them under sock puppet names and writing nasty ones about Bethenny Frankel's book that came out later.
Yelp reviews can be even worse. As a business owner you can't really explain what the problem is. The shitty review just sits there forever and there is nothing you can do. They often erase good reviews and leave the bad ones up.
I had to laugh about a Yelp review last week though. We were going to this restaurant on Staten Island for a communion brunch. There was this guy who made a terrible review about the joint. How the staff gossiped and didn't serve him. How the food sucked and the salad was soggy with too much dressing. Especially how bad the bathroom was and he even posted horrific photos. Then he left a punchline.
He says "I go there all the time."
Go figure. People are crazy.
I think that sometimes it's Amazon that sends out the auto-mailings to leave a review. (Not for books, though.)
In any case, I feel your pain.
Have you published something recently Synova that I can buy? I would love to do so and give you a positive review.
I have done so with many of my favorite authors. Including most of the Sad and Rabid puppies guys. I know the Hugo thing is heating up again and I am curious how it will turn out.
I've got that flaw, hard. Growing up, I had a regular list of chores to do. I would do them without being asked- but if my mom or dad asked me to do something I had already planned on and was asked to do- I would procrastinate as long as possible.
Don't tell me to do what I'm already doing. ROAR.
Sometimes my spitefulness is directly unproductive and makes the problem worse. Like mowing the lawn gets put off for another two days and then the grass is longer and more of a chore to actually do. Maybe it rains in that interim.
I try to not be such a PITA these days, but every now and then I just clam up and fukitol.
Although I have left a review similar somewhere like, "The product was exactly as advertised, functioned well, and was fairly priced. As a consumer, however, I am turned off by the fact that this company is badgering me for approval and acting so insecure. Just be proud of your quality product and leave me alone!"
I put a short story on my blog page, Trooper. I'm going to have to get my butt in gear and write some stuff and get it out there.
As for the Hugo stuff... the brouhaha today is that one of the RP picks for fan artist drew a naughty cartoon once of a pretend character who was maybe not yet a legal adult, which is so way way worse than actual child abuse that it puts it all in perspective don't ya' know.
A good, thoughtful comment and someone has to insert vapid reality TV garbage into it. Only a dumb fucking Mick would not get, after hundreds of attempts @ reality TV garbage posts, that we just aren't into it.
Amazon did respond fairly quickly to libelous, hateful reviews on my wives book by a despicable human being that I have been told I'm just like.
I was listening to NPR a couple years ago. I listen to all types of radio. They had an executive from Yelp explaining the steps they take to identify pernicious reviews by competitors and delete them, and sometimes punishing the rival company if they can nail it down. I have a friend w/ a mail order biz and they bust their ass for good Amazon reviews. Amazon is Gestapo like in policing their companies.
I will check out your story Synova.
I hope you can publish something soon. I know you have been talking about it for a while and I know how tough it is to let something go and put it out there for people to read.
The child abuse thing with Rabid Puppies has gotten way out of hand. You know the history I am sure of Marion Zimmer Bradley and it got all mixed up with the Hugo awards controversy. It has become a huge mess that is hard to untangle. It is really unpleasant all the way around.
There is such a glut in science fiction writing these days. Especially with the advent of ebooks and self publishing. So it is hard to get seen because you get lost in the mix.
But if you publish something please let us know. I will publicize and pump it as much as possible.
I use yelp some, mostly for restaurants and that's about it. So you strong yelp users, if there haven't been any reviews for a retail store for a year or so, is that a bad sign? I'm guessing it is since it certainly is for a restaurant.
Yelp is a racket. A Yelp representative came to my store and offered me better reviews and poor reviews to be moved down a page if I joined their premium program.
Only morons rely on Yelp. Or think they know something about it. It is a racket just like all of these on-line review services like Angies List.
Witness the moron who trashed the restaurant in Staten Island and then said he goes there all the time. That is the level of reviewer you get at Yelp. People who want to start trouble. Who have nothing to do but try and start trouble. You get them in comments sections too. That's how they try and destroy things. Restaurants. Stores. Blogs. They don't create anything. They don't bring anything to the table except their overinflated opinion of themselves and the worth of their opinion. They are pernicious and destructive and should be ignored at all costs.
I read the story Synova. It was very good. Evocative and I bet you could flesh it out into a novel for sure.
Woah! I just asked a simple question about yelp, the topic on this thread, and got a whole lotta vitriol. WTF? Yelp has been pretty good in my experience for restaurants. Open Table has a better batting average from my experience, but many places don't use Open Table. Yelp is ubiquitous. I wish you would have ignored me as you declared you would just yesterday.
If anyone else has some yelp experience I would appreciate it.
"That's how they try and destroy things. Restaurants. Stores. Blogs." Then, "They are pernicious and destructive and should be ignored @ all cost." WTF? A question about yelp produces this hateful response. WTF am I missing?
You are just trying to cause trouble and you know it. Look this is the last time I am going to talk about it with you. I do not intend to do what we did yesterday where we fight all day and clutter up the threads with personal interactions. I do you the courtesy of not talking about personal things. Something you do not extend to me. I do not intend to let you turn this into Turley's blog where every thread has you monitoring and hectoring and telling everyone what to do with your incessant attacks. You managed to drive down his blog. Don't try and do that here. You do not bring anything positive and productive. Nothing creative or enjoyable. Leave me out.
So I will ignore you from this time forward. Please do me the courtesy of the same. Stop referring to me. Especially stop referring to my business with sly comments. You are not fooling anyone. Stop attacking me in every thread. Stop cluttering up Lem's Levity with your nonsense.
I am a strong supporter of this blog. I praise bloggers that are worthy and thoughtful. I make comments daily. Positive comments. Encouraging comments. I leave the threads of people I abhor alone. I won't be driven away. I don't back down. Not one fucking inch.
We are done.
My comment @ 5:09p was about you. But, you didn't get all wacky about that comment. Again, WTF?? Are you a special snowflake? Are there special rules for you? No one else is having a hissy fit, and I hit others pretty fucking hard. Well, I take it back. Lawnboy demanded no references about him.
Only 2 people obsessively reference Turley. You, and the person you compared ME TO.
Pass the popcorn, best reality show on the internet. Hahahahahahaaah.
Post a Comment