July 24, 2009

How to Apologize

bigbrotheramazon.jpgA few days back Amazon snuck in the back door of everybody's Kindles that had purchased a copy of a certain edition of 1984 and deleted it. (Yes, Amazon has the keys to the backdoor of all their Kindles, and apparently they thought they had the right to just come into your electronic library and take something back. Oh sure they credited you for it, but that's not the point is it?)

For details on this dumb move and why there's a lot of evil potential in Kindle, see Jason Perlow's JEFF BEZOS IS WATCHING YOU.

Amazon has been at some pains to keep the Kindle's rep pure and at greater pains to hide sales figures. Both of these items suggest that Kindle is not the iPod of print that Amazon want's everyone to believe. I know I don't. This latest move of Amazon Dumbth was brimming with irony since the title was "1984." Very damaging stuff since it's easy to make this sort of theme into a meme that will not die, and it has become that. I had a conversation about it with a colleague just this evening over dinner.

Now I'm back home and I have to say I am impressed not only with the speed of Amazon's apology, but with it's straightforward tone as well.

Barack Obama, President of the United States, could learn a lot about how to salvage a sinking brand from Jeff Bezos, President of Amazon. This is how to apologize. No weasel words. No "calibrated" words. Just "I was wrong / We were wrong / We'll use what we've learned to do better."

An Apology from Amazon

Jeffrey P. Bezos says:
This is an apology for the way we previously handled illegally sold copies of 1984 and other novels on Kindle. Our "solution" to the problem was stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles. It is wholly self-inflicted, and we deserve the criticism we've received. We will use the scar tissue from this painful mistake to help make better decisions going forward, ones that match our mission.

With deep apology to our customers,

Jeff Bezos
Founder & CEO
Amazon.com

That is how a full human being says they're sorry. Presidents take note. Or not. Preferably not.

Posted by Vanderleun at July 24, 2009 9:23 PM
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Colleague?! Now my head is swollen.

It is an excellent apology. But are they going to change the software/hardware so that this sort of thing is impossible in the future? If not, the apology is probably just PR smoke and mirrors.

Posted by: BroKen at July 25, 2009 6:33 AM

My hubby is sitting across from me reading his Kindle. I'm thinking Bezos' apology is so good that I'll suggest my dearest rework it to our particular circumstances as required.

I'll be gracious and confer absolution.

Posted by: Cathy at July 25, 2009 12:59 PM

Notably absent from this apology: the word "if", a word invariably used in non-apology apologies:

http://badexample.mu.nu/archives/098168.php

Posted by: Harvey at July 25, 2009 10:28 PM