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GoodReads Complaints 21

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1:03 pm EST
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GoodReads Publication

Le livre " L'usure" de Barbara LENVOL-COLLETTE (pseudonyme) ne devrait pas apparaître sur le site. L'auteure n'a pas publié cet ouvrage suite à fautes professionnelles de son editeur. Pour plus amples renseignements, veuillez me contacter au [protected]. Merci.

I THINK YOU ARE NOT HERE FOR HELP ME. MY BOOK IS NOT PUBLICATED. IT'S OK ? You don'twant to HELP me . You want I write for nothing for nothing for nothing.

Desired outcome: Veuillez me contacter de toute urgence au [protected].

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10:29 pm EDT
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Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

Starting on October 30, 2023 ... the MY BOOKS section of my Goodreads account is totally MESSED UP! I enjoy using this feature ... every single day, I track the books I read (one book EACH DAY) & like to keep track of my progress In all the time I've used it, books appear in ORDER by the latest book I've read on down. Since 10/30/23 ... NOTHING is in order...

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6:05 pm EDT
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GoodReads No phone number to talk with. Unclear how to remove incorrect information about a book.

The author of There Was Once is Freda Pongetti, NOT David McKinnon. Please please correct that! Look at the cover. It says "Freda Pongetti". I tried to access the Author Profile to try to correct it, but I had so much trouble locating the way to get to it. There is no easy author access. This is really bad! Goodreads should make it easy to get to the information about the book and verify it.

Desired outcome: Change the incorrect author in the book There Was Once description. The correct name is Freda Pongetti NOT David McKinnon.

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Is GoodReads Legit?

GoodReads earns a trustworthiness rating of 91%

Highly recommended, but caution will not hurt.

Our conclusion: After a detailed review, ComplaintsBoard finds GoodReads to be a trustworthy company. Although there's a 0% resolution rate for customer complaints, which deserves attention, GoodReads is known for their high standards and safety. If you're thinking about dealing with GoodReads, it's wise to check how they handle complaints.

Goodreads.com has a valid SSL certificate, which indicates that the website is secure and trustworthy. Look for the padlock icon in the browser and the "https" prefix in the URL to confirm that the website is using SSL.

Goodreads.com has been deemed safe to visit, as it is protected by a cloud-based cybersecurity solution that uses the Domain Name System (DNS) to help protect networks from online threats.

Several mixed reviews for GoodReads have been found on various review sites. While some customers have had positive experiences with the company, others have reported issues with their products or customer service. It's important to read and consider a variety of reviews before making a decision to purchase from this website.

We looked up GoodReads and found that the website is receiving a high amount of traffic. This could be a sign of a popular and trustworthy website, but it is still important to exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of the site before sharing any personal or financial information

Adult content may be available on goodreads.com. It is important to be aware of potential risks and to use caution when accessing or engaging with such content.

However ComplaintsBoard has detected that:

  • While GoodReads has a high level of trust, our investigation has revealed that the company's complaint resolution process is inadequate and ineffective. As a result, only 0% of 21 complaints are resolved. The support team may have poor customer service skills, lack of training, or not be well-equipped to handle customer complaints.
  • GoodReads protects their ownership data, a common and legal practice. However, from our perspective, this lack of transparency can impede trust and accountability, which are essential for establishing a credible and respected business entity.
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K
2:38 am EDT
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GoodReads Denial of access to read the books I selected

After installing Google Read, I did the necessary processing required from me.

My email

Password

Username.

Unfortunately, after these processes have been done I have access to choose the genre of books I want to read but I was not given access😔😔 to read them. It asked for a rating which I did but I was not given access to read.

I would be glad if my complaint is received and attended to urgently.

For the love of reading, I can't wait to complete my book reading challenge.

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M
8:27 am EDT

GoodReads Can't reach contact

September 14, 2022

Sheyla S. of Goodreads Support Team has offered to help me list my new book, but every time I email her receive a reply of no longer replying on Support Team.

I did indeed send her the info about my book, with no success!

Very frustrating!

Please let me know how I reach her by email!

I have no complaint about her, but I complain about the system!

Sincerely,

Dr. Moshe Sonnheim

Desired outcome: Successful contact and listing of my book!

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J
8:35 am EST

GoodReads Fake reviews

I've seen numerous books get a sudden surge of low ratings by fake reviewers. They add hundreds of books at a time, and the profile images are odd and very blurry or have blurred areas in them. I'm not sure what these bots are trying to do, but it is ruining the reputation of certain books. I've filed numerous complaints to absolutely no response. This is an ongoing issue.

Desired outcome: Increased security and vetting of members.

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9:22 am EDT

GoodReads Unqualified reviewer

On September 3 a so-called 'Goodreads Author' named Adam Windsor wrote a review about my new book 'The Early Years of the FA Cup' in which he openly admitted he was not the type of person the book is aimed at - but he was still allowed to give it a low star rating. I require an explanation as to why someone who is obviously not qualified to review a football book has been allowed to do so - and I have taken the time to check!

I have had numerous reviews of my books on your site and I usually accept it - good or bad - but how you can allow someone so unqualified to review this type of book is beyond me.

Even though most of my books receive positive reviews I can tell you that I have complained to my publisher about my work being sent to companies such as yours so I am obviously not happy when it is treated so unfairly.

Desired outcome: The review to be removed and for you to stop allowing unqualified people to review certain books - especially factual!

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5:43 am EST
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GoodReads Illegal sign-up to 'adult book club' with follower

Hello and I hope well.

there are 2 aspects to this:
1. I am author of a book featured by Goodreads had a review which was clearly sabotage as it complained I constantly put forward opinion on the fate of the ship and it was intrusive in the book. I made NO opinion once in the book and that was part of a great review by Merchant Navy newspaper. I merely explored possibilities as any good researcher would.
I e-mailed Goodreads to report that the unfavourable review was not from someone who had read the book and was sabotage. Had they not LIKED the book then that would be fine, but clearly abuse.

2. Someone signed me up to Goodreads 'Adult Book CLub' on my e-mail address and says I have 1 follower.
I want the name of that follower and the original source of subscription as I have never read an 'adult book' as I have a life.

This is illegal and very worrying that someone is hacking me and using my e-mail.
I need the proof and names immediately please. It is too personal and targeted.
Thank you
P Smith

Desired outcome: Name of person following my reviews on Adult Book site - it is fraud.

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L
7:25 pm EDT

GoodReads Inappropriate use of app

Someone is using Goodreads to proposition people for sex. Specifically my 13 year old daughter. Tighten up your users. This is disgusting. Please see the attachment. If this happens again, I will no longer use this app and I will tell everyone I know to stop using it as well. I expect something like this from a social media platform like Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok, Instagram, etc. This is for finding books, learning more about authors and connecting with other readers. And yet Goodreads can't seem to keep users from harassing other people. This guys needs to be removed from your site.

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1:46 pm EDT
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GoodReads Sexual predators trolling the site

My 11 year old son was contacted by email under the Goodreads address and propositioned for sex. I immediately altered his privacy status to make him as invisible as Goodreads will allow. Two days later, he was contacted again, this time through the site's own messaging. Once again, he was propositioned for sex and once again, a PICTURE was attached. There is no way to delete the communications on the site. I am about to delete his account as it's the only way to prevent him from having to look at the picture. I have contacted my local police, as he is 11. I have yet to hear a peep from Goodreads in response, and of course there is no phone number I can call. I am thoroughly disgusted and disappointed in what I thought was a great resource. I've attached a copy of the email but not the image that came with it.
A desirable resolution would be increased security on that site, including a way to block all communications from users and the option to be 100% private. Some privacy features only give the option to show to everyone, goodreads users, or friends. All features should be allowed the option to show info only to the account holder. Also the provision of a phone number to reach them in a reasonable amount of time would be a helpful outcome.

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ihaveanswers
Cleveland, US
Feb 21, 2021 10:08 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I agree that this is a serious problem and very upsetting, but it sounds like you're not very familiar with the site. First of all, you CAN delete communications. There's a "trash" option in the message inbox. As for making the profile private, if you choose the "friends only" option, that will hide the profile from anyone your son doesn't accept as his friend, so if he doesn't accept a friend request from predators, they won't be able to see anything on his profile. You also can choose to make your messaging open to friends only. Blocking people is useful and offers the most protection. Users can't see your profile, send you a friend request, or message you if you've blocked them. These are the ways to really lock down your profile and protect yourself. You can report problems using a "Contact Us" form. Finally, GR's terms of service state that users must be 13 and older to use the site, so your son really shouldn't have an account to begin with.

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LisaAlways
US
Oct 30, 2020 7:26 pm EDT

I just had the same problem. I couldn’t file the complaint through Goodreads. Both me and my daughter will be deactivating our accounts.

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L
1:14 pm EDT

GoodReads Customer service

I am an author and have been trying to Add a New book I released to my profile. Apparently my passwords are not working. Been trying FOR A MONTH to reset it, but it will NOT send me the link to my email. I have sent numerous emails for a whole month and still have not had anyone contact me. My book has released and I have NO way to add it. This is hurting my business greatly. I have tried tweeting goodreads, since emails don't work... do they have anyone working?
After speaking with other authors and readers, I was told they usually take OVER a month to respond to any inquiries. This is simply unacceptable

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R
7:24 pm EDT

GoodReads fake/retaliation reviews

There are number of people attacking author Barbara Avon with 1 star reviews. This is a result of troll activity followed by twitter.

They have gone on to harass anyone who responds to their reviews.

As an author myself, I find this an unacceptable practice for Goodreads to allow.

Please investigate these targeted attacks. The perpretators are even laughing about it in the comments.

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Amina Warsuma
US
Feb 22, 2020 11:41 pm EST

In my eagerness, I post I misspelled a word so this is an error-free copy.
Yes, as an author, I gave a $400 give away. A reviewer attacked me, and she left a nasty review on Amazon too. I responded to a reviewer who said he was struggling to read to my work, and he gave a spoiler, and it would take him some time to read it thoroughly. I posted my first chapter on Grammarly, and here is what it said. Your text is likely to be understood by a reader who has at least a 7th-grade education (age 12) and should be easy for most adults to read. I said maybe he has a reading disability, and if you are over 50, you might not like my writing style, or he may have to have his glasses checked or needed glasses. This other reviewer came out of nowhere and said what turned her off was what I said, and she gave my book a 2 star because the story didn't connect; she liked the premise. Because I turned her off, she gave me a one-star on Amazon which, is a violation because this is a Quid Pro Quo meaning I am giving the book for a review and asks on GoodReads, not Amazon. You are not allowed on Amazon to go to customers and provide a free book and tell them you want a review or pay for reviews. A couple of authors paid people to read their writing and give reviews. Most of them were good, and maybe one or two were terrible. Amazon got wind of it and took the authors to court and sued them and won. I made it clear my age range is 18 to 45, and anyone over 50 is reading my book at their own risk, and if there are flaws and I fix them, they won't like it because it is not marketed to them or their age range. GoodReads is letting anyone enter the contest who may or may not be a fan of your genre or your market. They just want something for free.
This woman is over 65. Another woman over 50 gives me a detailed editing assessment review and a 2 star. Still, she told the whole story and details so everyone will know what the book is about so they won't read it, and she posted the review on Amazon and Barnes & Noble she said there are missing words the grammar is terrible. I am going over the book because I am doing a screenplay, and the syntax is excellent. Her kindle machine is an old version because I haven't found any missing words. GoodReads warned me not to say or respond to the reviews, but they are protecting the reviewer who says anything they want and discourages other readers, which infringes on the writer's rights and destroys their sales. If there are any errors I will fix them, but I won't be spending another $400 on GoodReads the positive thing out of this whole ordeal I was going to pay $1, 000 in giveaways but those two reviewers attacking me blew it for GoodReads, and I will complain, to Amazon to take their reviews off of my books page. Most of the readers are writers and sour grape editors who can't get a job. They better not come after me on twitter I have 32, 000 followers I'll turn into a warrior and crush them and their reputation a bunch of freeloaders.
The Literary Squad.

A
A
Amina Warsuma
US
Feb 22, 2020 11:17 pm EST

Yes, as an author, I gave a $400 give away. A reviewer attacked me, and she left a nasty review on Amazon too. I responded to a reviewer who said he was struggling to read to my work, and he gave a spoiler, and it would take him some time to read it thoroughly. I posted my first chapter on Grammarly, and here is what it said. Your text is likely to be understood by a reader who has at least a 7th-grade education (age 12) and should be easy for most adults to read. I said maybe he has a reading disability, and if you are over 50, you might not like my writing style, or he may have to have his glasses checked or needed glasses. This other reviewer came out of nowhere and said what turned her off was what I said, and she gave my book a 2 star because the story didn't connect; she liked the premise. Because I turned her off, she gave me a one-star on Amazon which, is a violation because this is a Quid Pro Quo meaning I am giving the book for a review and asks on Good Reads, not Amazon. You are not allowed on Amazon to go to customers and provide a free book and tell them you want a review or pay for reviews. A couple of authors spent people to read their writing and give reviewers. Most of them were good, and maybe one or two were terrible. Amazon got wind of it and took the authors to court and sued them and won. I made it clear my age range is 18 to 45, and anyone over 50 is reading my book at their own risk, and if there are flaws and I fix them, they won't like it because it is not marketed to them or their age range. GoodRead is letting anyone enter the contest.
This woman is over 65. Another woman over 50 gives me a detailed editing assessment review and a 2 star. Still, she told the whole story and details so everyone will know what the book is about so they won't read it, and she posted the review on Amazon and Barnes & Noble she said there are missing words the grammar is terrible. I am going over the book because I am doing a screenplay, and the syntax is excellent. Her kindle machine is an old version because I haven't found any missing words. Good Reads warmed me not to say or respond to the reviews, but they are protecting the reviewer who says anything they want and discourages other readers, which infringes on the writer's rights and destroys their sales. If there are any errors I will fix them, but I won't be spending another $400 on GoodReads the positive thing out of this whole ordeal I was going to pay $1, 000 in giveaways but those two reviewers attacking me blew it for GoodReads, and I will complain, to Amazon to take their reviews off of my books page. Most of the readers are writers and sour grape editors who can't get a job. They better not come after me on twitter I have 32, 000 followers I'll turn into a warrior and crush them and their reputation a bunch of freeloaders.
The Literary Squad.

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8:14 am EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

GoodReads true influence the magic of human connection

True Influence, LLC is a company well known for its development of customized leads for its clients to influence potential customers to buy products and services. Mr. Tim David's book also addresses how to influence potential customers to purchase goods and services. The book cover includes the infringed mark. True Influence, LLC registered trademark number is 5230089. URL below to the exact web page/ product with infringement.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36621172-true-influence

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2:30 am EDT
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GoodReads fake book reviews.

Margaret Stickland has been a so-called book reviewer, who should not be given the opportunity.

This woman has a tie with an opportunity shop that illegally on-sells novels, and gets to peruse shelves of authors' works at will, and without any personal expense to her, and no reward to the authors, whose works she denigrates.

As the author of a novel titled 'A Scattering of the Pearls', she has harmed me, and future sales of this otherwise well regarded work.

I hereby request that her fake review be removed from your website.

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9:42 pm EDT

GoodReads inability to get help

I am the author of eleven children's books, all of which are on Goodreads. I noticed that some were missing cover images and was able, using the "edit" facility, to insert these. However, I inadvertently uploaded an old cover image for the third edition of The Doolally Kid (ISBN [protected]). When I tried to delete this old image so I could upload the new one, your system said that only librarians could delete covers.

I've tried fruitlessly to get help & twice have tried to send an email via the section dealing with librarians. This email simply wouldn't send, and I'm fed up.

It should not be this difficult for an author to correct a mistake on your website. I should be able to upload the correct cover. I have tried to attach the correct cover to this email without success. I should at least be able to access someone who can help me get the correct cover uploaded.

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Update by Wendy Milton
Aug 01, 2018 9:44 pm EDT

There is no indication that my email has been sent. Dealing with Goodreads is a nightmare.

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C
4:11 am EST

GoodReads what a disappointment

Has anyone had the same problem?
I found a book to read, picked it, but didn't find where exactly I should start reading. No links, no buttons. What exactly did I do wrong?
I asked them the same question one week ago, but they haven't answered yet. Tried to read other books on the website, the same thing happened again. Maybe they don't have anything at all and will ask for money?

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A
5:01 am EDT

GoodReads do not use

It's a typical website stating that it's free but in fact, it's not.
I was looking for a special literature and found it on this website for free (as they stated). Once I confirmed I wanted a definite book, they said I have to pay.
What else can be said? Why do you say it's free when it's absolutely not?
I highly recommend staying away from them. Don't trust people who feel ok using your trust. They are the scariest ones to deal with...

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1:43 am EDT

GoodReads goodreads is very difficult to use

Goodreads is very difficult to use and their support service is absolutely ridiculous! I joined this site because I found some good books on their site, but after I joined I wasn't able to find where to read. I checked everything carefully and there was no option to start reading the book.
I contacted their customer care service and they simply said that everything was available on their site and that I should have checked more carefully.
I checked again and found nothing. I was very disappointed with Goodreads service because these people clearly showed that they did not care. I would not recommend this site to anyone.

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7:30 am EST

GoodReads bad place!

I want to post this complaint from the name of my friend. He is an author and he decided to list his book on Goodreads and as he said that was the biggest mistake he ever made.
He was attacked by several users which didn't like something about his book and he received angry and threatening messages.
When my friend asked Goodreads for help they simply banned him! What I want to say is that there is no author protection and that this site is a bad place! Don't use this site!

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11:18 am EDT

GoodReads fake charges and their free books are not for free

I signed up for the website www.goodreads.com. I wasted a lot of time in order to find the necessary books, but it was crap. I tried to download from them, but the website showed error all the time. WTF? As well as it was impossible to get any help from the moderators. Not recommended website and it was only waste of time. As well as some of the books were for free, but it was fault info. They charged for free books as well. Post comments.

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Overview of GoodReads complaint handling

GoodReads reviews first appeared on Complaints Board on Apr 26, 2010. The latest review Publication was posted on Nov 8, 2023. GoodReads has an average consumer rating of 1 stars from 21 reviews. GoodReads has resolved 0 complaints.
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    Jun 13, 2024

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