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Goodreads

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

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Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Goodreads's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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    • Goodreads

      188 Spear St #250 San Francisco, CA 94105-1503

    • Goodreads

      785 Market St (4th St) San Francisco, CA 94103

    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 18 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 8 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/19/2023

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have been trying to solicit help from Goodreads to help me recover an old account ******************** Back in 2019 I contacted them about this and they helped at that time. Unfortunately, the same problem has reappeared recently and no one will help me. They sent me 1 email telling me to reset my password. But, that's the problem. I can't reset my password on the old account because I no longer have that email address. I can still see the old account on my phone (for some reason it is staying active there). But, I need to be able to view my full history on my computer. I want to only have 1 account with ALL of my history. My new account ********************** doesn't have all of my book history and friends. I only created it hoping to retrieve my info, to no avail. . I am getting NO SUPPORT. My several requests have all been ignored. The reason I am filing this complaint is I am hoping someone will finally help me. Also note on ******************* Page (screenshot below) it says For customer support, re That's all it says. They don't allow messages. The only way that I could leave anything on their ******** page was to respond to one of their posts - which they ignored.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/24/2023

      Dear Better Business Bureau,

      We received your correspondence of July 19, 2023 and are writing to respond to complaint 20343640.

      For security reasons, we don't merge Goodreads accounts on users' behalf, and password reset notifications are sent to the email address associated with their Goodreads account only. If they can't access their email, they can contact their email service provider or create a new Goodreads account.

      We have communicated this information directly to the customer who filed the complaint, and they have our contact information should they have any further questions.

      Sincerely,
      The Goodreads Team
      Goodreads.com

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:06/03/2023

      Type:Order Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.

       
      Complaint: 20139179

      I am rejecting this response because:

      As a writer I have a strict policy, too, and it is this: My work is my own. I did not give Goodreads permission to post my book, Bump in the Dark. My original agreement was with Amazon Kindle. When I wanted to remove it from their lists I did not have to request permission. I had only to click one little button and it was done. No questions asked. Goodreads should do the same for any other writers who object to their argument of a "strict policy."

      Sincerely,

      *****************************

      Business Response

      Date: 06/08/2023

      Dear Better Business Bureau,

      We received your correspondence of June 03, 2023 and are writing to respond to complaint 20139179.

      We have a strict policy against removing published books that comply with our Guidelines from Goodreads. Goodreads is a complete database of all published works, and we are within our rights to continue to display information about the book for the purposes of discussion and analysis by Goodreads members. In addition, it's important to ** that members are able to rate and review books, including those that are no longer in print.

      The customer who contacted ******************** may reach out at any time should they have any further questions.

      Sincerely,
      The Goodreads Team

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/09/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

      Sincerely,

      *************************cceptable. The author ***************************** stated in her response comment that I blocked her comment. I did not block her comment, Goodreads did. The App icon features on this specific book review are disabled and grayed out. Even I was unable to comment on this review thru the App and had to login to the official Goodreads.com to add an additional comment. I had already notified the help desk of this technical difficulty with the App. It appears the author ***************************** did not login to the website or contact the help desk. As I did. Instead, she posted an inappropriate route of communication comment. I have already informed Goodreads that a formal BBB complaint would be filed, see ticket # ******* representative ******************** on 5-8-23. I was informed they are looking into the matter. It should have not taken 72 hours to remove the comment, especially on the weekend due to high traffic for potential book sales. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.Sincerely,*************************

      Business Response

      Date: 05/12/2023

      Dear Better Business Bureau,

      We received your correspondence of May 10, 2023 and are writing to respond to complaint 20036592.

      Our team carefully reviews reported items, and takes appropriate action on any content or accounts that violate our policies. It's worth noting that investigations can take some time, and we thoroughly investigate each case that is brought to our attention.

      Goodreads members are always welcome to contact ** with a link to any content that they feel is abusive, and the customer who contacted ******************** may reach out at any time should they have any further questions.

      Sincerely,
      The Goodreads Team

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/21/2023

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.

       
      Complaint: 19965096

      I am rejecting this response because:

      Will initiate a class-action lawsuit with a conglomerate of indie authors who were victims of your toxic leadership and lackluster moderation.

      Sincerely,

      ***** Dos ******

      Business Response

      Date: 04/26/2023

      Dear Better Business Bureau,

      We received your correspondence of April 21, 2023 and are writing to respond to complaint 19965096.

      Goodreads is primarily a book review and recommendation site. We display basic information related to a book's publication, like the book cover and book blurb, so our members can keep track of books they've read or want to read on their online shelves.

      We don't remove listings of published works that comply with our guidelines, even if the books are no longer in print or available for sale, particularly if a book record has received ratings and reviews from Goodreads members

      We hope this is helpful, and the customer who contacted ******************** has our contact information should they have any further questions.

      Sincerely,
      The Goodreads Team

      Business Response

      Date: 04/27/2023

      Dear Better Business Bureau,

      Weve received your response on April 26 regarding complaint 19965096.

      Please be advised that the decision to retain the book records on Goodreads is final, but we will continue to respond to any other questions or inquiries the customer might have through our standard contact channels. Wed like to reiterate that Goodreads is not a publishing platform, and only operates as a social cataloging website that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews.

      Sincerely,
      The Goodreads Team

      Customer Answer

      Date: 04/26/2023

       
      Complaint: 19965096

      I am rejecting this response because:

      This response did not address my complaint. Even though Goodreads does not automatically sell products, it is our right to decide which platform we decide to publish our works on. Ownership laws do not only cover sales but also publication. In this case, there is also a case of defamation of character that led to a loss of income, emotional distress and death threats.

      I will proceed with a lawyer.

      Sincerely,

      ***** Dos ******

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/17/2023

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.

       
      Complaint: 19944363

      I am rejecting this response because: I own the Copyright to the book cover design of ***** Box Dancers and the copyright on the  photograph of Better Off Mine.  Using them is copyright infringement.

      Also the reviews on their website are not verified readers of the books.  Anybody can leave a review for whatever reason.  This is unethical to the authors as well as the reading public.

      I have given Goodreads the opportunity to remove my books before I file a lawsuit for copyright infringement.  



      Sincerely,

      *******************

      Business Response

      Date: 04/25/2023

      Dear Better Business Bureau,

      We received your correspondence of April 17, 2023 and are writing to respond to complaint 19944363.

      Goodreads is primarily a book review and recommendation site. We display basic information related to a book's publication, like the book cover and book blurb, so our members can keep track of books they've read or want to read on their online shelves.

      We don't remove listings of published works that comply with our guidelines, even if the books are no longer in print or available for sale, particularly if a book record has received ratings and reviews from Goodreads members.

      We hope this is helpful, and the customer who contacted ******************** has our contact information should they have any further questions.

      Sincerely,
      The Goodreads Team

      Business Response

      Date: 04/27/2023

      Better Business Bureau,

      Weve received your response on April 26 regarding complaint 19944363.

      Please be advised that the decision to retain the book records on Goodreads is final, but we will continue to respond to any other questions or inquiries the customer might have through our standard contact channels. Theyre also welcome to reach out to us about specific ratings or reviews that they believe are in violation of our guidelines.

      Sincerely,
      The Goodreads Team

      Customer Answer

      Date: 04/27/2023

       
      Complaint: 19944363

      I am rejecting this response because there is no reason to keep my books on your website the biggest reason is the owner and author does not want them there as it's a violation of my rights 

      The book is no longer in print so there is no reason to recommend it to anyone.

      Also it's the right thing to do.

       


      Sincerely,

      *******************

      Business Response

      Date: 05/03/2023

      Better Business Bureau,

      Weve received your response on April 27 regarding complaint 19944363.

      We have a strict policy against removing published books that comply with our Guidelines from Goodreads. Goodreads is a complete database of all published works, and we are within our rights to continue to display information about the book for the purposes of discussion and analysis by Goodreads members. In addition, it's important to us that members are able to rate and review books, including those that are no longer in print, or for sale. It looks like the book record has received a number of ratings/text reviews, and it wouldn't be fair to delete user content.

      We're sorry that we can't comply with the request.

      Sincerely,
      The Goodreads Team

      Customer Answer

      Date: 05/03/2023

       
      Complaint: 19944363

      I am rejecting this response because: the reviews on Goodreads are not verified purchasers of the book.   The book is no longer for purchase so there is not any reason for it to be there.  Also like I keep trying to tell you my cover design and photograph on the books are copyright protected and cannot be used without my permission.  
      Sincerely,

      *******************

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:02/27/2023

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

      Sincerely,

      *******************

      Business Response

      Date: 02/28/2023

      Dear Better Business Bureau,

      We received your correspondence of February 27, 2023 and are writing to respond to complaint 19506053.

      As we we have previously informed ************, we have a policy against removing published books that comply with our guidelines as Goodreads is striving to be a complete database of all published books, even if the books are no longer in print or available for sale. We are not selling or distributing the book on Goodreads and we are within our rights to continue to display information about this book, including the cover image, for purposes of discussion, evaluation and analysis by Goodreads members.

      However, as the books are no longer for sale, and there are no ratings of the books, we were able to make an exception and remove these book records from the general catalog.

      ************ can contact us directly if she has any further questions.

      Sincerely,
      The Goodreads Team
      Goodreads.com

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/30/2022

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.

       
      Complaint: 18487313

      I am rejecting this response because:

      "We have a policy against removing published books that comply with our guidelines as Goodreads is striving to be a complete database of all published books, even if the books are no longer in print or available for sale. We are not selling or distributing the book on Goodreads and we are within our rights to continue to display information about this book, including the cover image, for purposes of discussion, evaluation and analysis by Goodreads members."

      We also dont delete accounts on users behalf for security reasons, but users are able to delete their own Goodreads account from the Account Settings page, by clicking Delete my account at the bottom of the page, and then confirming the removal on the next page.

      --

      I have asked Goodreads to provide me with terms where I agreed that I would be part of their process to continue publishing a book that is no longer in print or available for sale. I need those terms that I signed and/or agreed to with a date timestamp. 

      They are actually not in their right to continue displaying said book, because the metadata was deleted by the publisher and Goodreads parent company. 

      Goodreads advised I could delete the account, but I cannot delete the books without the account. This is counterproductive as the purpose is to NOT have any affiliation with Goodreads. 

      Additionally their note that I can contact them, per the prior communication they have advised me that they would NOT respond to any of my further correspondences thus the need to defer to BBB. Additionally, messages to their leadership team have gone unanswered. 


      Sincerely,

      ******************

      ads is primarily a book review and recommendation site. We are not selling or distributing the book; the books you see on Goodreads are records of books, not the books themselves. We display metadata about a book's publication so our members can keep track of books they've read or want to read on their online shelves. We also don't remove listings of published works that comply with our guidelines, as Goodreads is striving to be a complete database of all published books, even if the books are no longer in print or available for sale.Please be aware that this will be our final email on the matter.Please let us know if we can help with anything else.Sincerely,The Goodreads Team

      Business Response

      Date: 12/09/2022


      We received your correspondence of December 1, 2022 and are writing to respond to complaint 18487313.

      We have a policy against removing published books that comply with our guidelines as Goodreads is striving to be a complete database of all published books, even if the books are no longer in print or available for sale. We are not selling or distributing the book on Goodreads and we are within our rights to continue to display information about this book, including the cover image, for purposes of discussion, evaluation and analysis by Goodreads members.

      We also dont delete accounts on users behalf for security reasons, but users are able to delete their own Goodreads account from the Account Settings page, by clicking Delete my account at the bottom of the page, and then confirming the removal on the next page.

      We have communicated this information directly to ************** who has our contact information should she have any further questions.

      Regards,
      The Goodreads Team
      Goodreads.com

      Business Response

      Date: 12/14/2022

      Better Business Bureau,

      Weve received your response on December 9 regarding complaint 18487313.

      Goodreads has a strict policy against deleting records for books that have already been published when the book adheres to our Book Records Guidelines, as Goodreads is striving to be a complete database of all published works, whether they are currently in print or not. To add on, Goodreads does not publish, republish, or sell any of the books that appear on the site. These book records are displayed for the purpose of discussion by members of our community.

      Weve created a new edition for each of their books with the authors preferred covers, and set them as the "default" edition on their author profile. That way, the only book record that appears in search and on her author profile will be this new edition. The old edition would only be available in the "Other Editions" pane on the book page. These changes are usually made by authors themselves or by Goodreads Librarians, and are aligned with our book record guidelines.

      All our terms, and guidelines can be found through this link:

      https://www.goodreads.com/about/terms

      Please be advised that the decision to retain the book records on Goodreads is final, but we will continue to respond to any other questions or inquiries ****************** might have.

      Sincerely,
      The Goodreads Team

      Customer Answer

      Date: 12/16/2022

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. It seems they should have done this first instead of having it escalate to the BBB. 

      Sincerely,

      ******************

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/18/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

      Sincerely,

      ***********************

       

      P.S. I would like to update my review to reflect the end positive experience overall that ended up being experienced. 

      or worse) so Im hoping that it will be expedient in this to set a new record. There is the whole email dialogue too, which Im assuming yall already have. With kind regards, ************************* Niece With kind regards, **************

      Business Response

      Date: 10/19/2022

      Dear Better Business Bureau,

       

      We communicated an update with ************** regarding this complaint and our resolving actions on 10/19/2022.

       

      Sincerely,

      The Goodreads Team

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