ComplaintsforSmashwords

• Initial Complaint

  06/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  Help please Smashwords has ben holding my royalties for months. Within that time they have requested several documents from me in order to verify my identity and I had provided every single one of them within the next day, however, they are claiming that because of their merging with *************, it wouldntake around 6 months to verify my information and release my payments... this is completely unacceptable, they can't withhold my royalist for such a long time and the fact that they are merging doesn't habilitate them to bypass ***** own terms and ilegally hold the money that belongs to me. For that, I request that they release my funds immediately. I would like to avoid voicing my problem to the different writer communities I belong to, but if the problem persists I'll reach out to whoever is willing to listen, and there's a lot on eyes on Smashwords already. Thank you.

  Business response

  07/11/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/06/13) */ This author has had multiple, persistent instances in which they've been unable to provide us accurate, verifiable payment information. Until the author completely satisfies our reasonable requests for accurate payee information, we cannot pay them. Over the last few years it appears they've provided us inaccurate information as to their tax identification information (including multiple dissimilar names located in multiple countries). This is all information Smashwords is legally obligated to collect and verify before we can legally pay someone. We also adhere to these rules for the protection of authors so their royalties are not stolen. There are many more details I can share, including their many claimed and dissimilar identies, countries and addresses, but I will not provide in a public forum such as this for risk of violating this author's privacy. If they wish to resolve the issue, they should carefully follow the instructions the Smashwords finance team has provided them. The information they provide must be accurate and honest, per the Smashwords Terms of Service they agreed to each time they uploaded a book. If they have any questions as to the status of their payment, or what more they need to do to satisfy our reasonable requiremetns, they should contact Smashwords customer service. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/06/20) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) That is completely false. I have provided to them EVERYTHING they asked me for. And yes, I just bought the account from someone in ****** including all the assets BUT I provided them with al letter signed by the previous owner where he transfers everything to me including pending royalties. I have provided EVERYTHING that they have asked for me, and there has NEVER been any inconsistencies. They were the ones who ignored my email where I said I had just sumbitted the last documents they asked for. I am ready to pursue legal action if they keep denying the facts and refusing to cooperate.

*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. ↩