Amazon meander

Several months ago, I ordered a copy of "Voice and the Actor" from Amazon UK. A few weeks later, I got an e-mail from Amazon telling me my order had been delayed and I should expect delivery to take 4-6 weeks. Several weeks after that, I got another e-mail telling me there'd been a further delay - delivery would take another 4-6 weeks.

At that point, I mailed Amazon to tell them the only reason I wasn't cancelling my order was because I wanted to see just how bad their service levels could get. (I was real polite, too). A while after, they mailed to say they'd cancelled my order.

Last time I looked, Amazon.co.uk were still offering the book for sale: "usually dispatched within 24 hours". I guess they just didn't want my custom.

Today, I found a copy of "Voice and the Actor" in a local charity shop. It cost me £1. Of course, I had to ask. "Oh, yes," she said, "we've had that one on the shelf a good while now. Months, I expect."