I'd been a customer of Alibris.com for more than 12 years. While I found lots of good used books, and only occasionally did I get shorted (but reimbursed), what was scary was the lack of direct communication with anyone at Alibris and when there was some communication with Alibris, it was slow and inadequate. If I really ran into trouble with Alibris over a book, over a charge, or a bookseller, just who could I count on to get resolution? I had no idea.
Like most people I signed the Terms of Service to become a customer, and I never really read the agreement. However, last month I started receiving repetitive emails asking for information from me from Alibris, telling me to respond but only if I were dissatisfied with my purchase. I did not respond at first because the instructions in the email were clear: do not respond if you are satisfied. But then I got a second email the following day, making the same request. I ignored it. Who was responsible for sending me these emails? Was it a third-party bookseller, was it Alibris, was it a customer service rep, or was it somehow an automated email? Who could I talk with to find out? No one. I ignored the second email, but then i received a third, and i decided I would respond.
I responded angrily and asked why I was being sent emails requesting a response that wasn't really necessary, especially since the customer was satisfied with his purchase -- and I used a couple of expletives.
I never got a reply to my angry query, but when next I tried to order a book from Alibris, I swiftly learned my account was suspended. I couldn't order books any more.
I created a new account with Alibris then and used a different email account as well, though I used my same charge card. At first, I was successful in purchasing books. I bought two without any difficulty, and at last I thought the obstacle that Alibris had posed me was finally overcome and done with. But then I went to order a third book, and learned my new account too had been suspended without notice or email. Why wouldn't Alibris allow me to purchase a book?
When Alibris suspended my first account that I had for 12 years, I thought it was because someone at Alibris hadn't liked me using a couple of foul words in my email and was punishing me for foul language. But when Alibris suspended my second account, I queried Alibris and a nasty man who heads Clients Services at Alibris emailed me, signing his name Ryan Warner, and asked me if my email's name was different from the name on my account. My email name was George Smith and my account name was George, so I said No, it is not different. I never heard back. I wrote Mr. Ryan Warner a second time and still no response. After I had emailed him three times, Ryan Warner wrote me back telling me i never answered his original question -- which, in fact, I certainly had done and I had the Sent emails to prove it.
I never heard back from Ryan Warner. Today I complained about Ryan Warner's behavior on Twitter or X, and before I knew it, Alibris blocked me from posting any more comments.
Finally, I read Alibris's Terms of Service contracts. Little did I know that Alibris states it can terminate any account for any or no reason at all. The reason I wasn't able to get any communication from Alibris about my account was because Alibris doesn't want to waste time communicating or negotiating its decision on terminating or suspending an account it deems it doesn't want. That's all there is to it.
So if a customer does or says something, anything, once that Alibris doesn't like, it will terminate you as a customer, and you will NEVER get a second chance with it. The lack of communication lots of customers complain of about Alibris is all in the Terms of Service. Alibris wants just to press a button to delete and you've been X'd. This is a lousy business practice and Ryan Warner is a lousy intermediary between Alibris and the customer. Alibris's Terms of Service and Client Services are unfair and inadequate for good business about books.
Tip for consumers:
The Terms of Service at Alibris are such that the company can suspend or terminate an account without providing any reason at all, and Alibris does employ the Terms of Service in this manner with customers. read more
