Amazon...we need to talk

[kaitou]

I appreciate that you like to recommend things. But unlike Netflix, which often suggests things that I enjoy...like Rough Science, or Three Sheets (more posts about these later) you send me e-mail like this...

Dear Amazon.com Customer,
We've noticed that customers who have purchased or rated North by Northwest have also purchased Harlequin: The Waiting Game on DVD. For this reason, you might like to know that Harlequin: The Waiting Game will be released on January 20, 2009. You can pre-order yours by following the link below

Now, North by Northwest is a classic. It's CARY GRANT. It's HITCHCOCK. So what's this Harlequin?

"College friends Sarah Frazer (Chandra West, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry) and Amy Fuentes (Paula Abdul, TV's American Idol) become the center of a seductive conspiracy when Sarah's Uncle Lowell unexpectedly visits their art gallery. Claiming he has a gift from a recent vacation to Mexico, Lowell insists Sarah visit his estate. But when Sarah arrives there, Adrian, a handsome stranger who claims he knows Lowell, is waiting. Meanwhile, Carl, a real estate investor, has Amy coughing up clues on Lowell's whereabouts. Both Sarah and Amy fall for the mysterious men, but neither Carl nor Adrian is who they say they are, and the women may be no more than pawns in their game of deception."

One of these things does NOT EQUAL THE OTHER. Seriously, Amazon, you need to step up your game.

Comments

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I really don't get that. Why are they even reccing based on what people who bought X also bought? The last things I bought on Amazon were Dr. Horrible and a new vacuum. They're not really related, you know?

[kaitou1412.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Amazon also sends me a lot of notices about toys and things and I want to say "They were christmas gifts for my cousin's kids! They were not FOR me, do not rec them TO me!"

[m-steelgrave.livejournal.com]

Pretty much the only time I use Amazon now is to find used books through their other vendors. My recs on Amazon got screwed up (more than usual) because of the textbooks I ordered for my education classes. No, I do not have children. No, I do not need Dr. Spock's books. You'd think they'd figure out that when I spawn, I'm just going to bud off of my elbow, anyway.

Sometimes even Netflix can make weird recs. I rented a bunch of classic mob and/or detective films and it suggested Sweeney Todd because it's a "crime drama." Which I suppose isn't untrue, it just takes a lot of squinting to make it fit in with the French Connection and Bonnie and Clyde.

[kaitou1412.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Netflix is very often odd. They'll say 'You liked Yojimbo, so you'll like Singin in the Rain!' and well....yes, but that's a very odd combo.

I do think it's funny that the more I use it the more specific my recs get. I used to get very general sorts of recs, and now it's all 'see your pre-20th century history recs', 'more from the BBC,' 'so we hear you like mudkips!' sort of thing. Now it's getting kind of snippy with me and won't give me SF&F recs because I haven't liked anything they suggested.