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Goodreads

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Complaints

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

Customer Complaints Summary

20 total complaints in the last 3 years.
9 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

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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.

Initial Complaint
Date:01/19/2025
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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 had an account with ********************** since 2016 and had saved and reviewed thousands of books on the site. In August 2024 I tried to login and my account / profile were completely gone. They have refused to recover my profile or give me an explanation for what happened. I had devoted days of my life to saving and reviewing books on there and its all just gone.
Business Response
Date: 01/30/2025
Dear Better Business Bureau,

We received your correspondence of 1/19/2025 and are writing to respond to complaint 22832647.

Unfortunately, we are unable to retrieve deleted accounts as these accounts are completely removed from our system and we no longer have access to the account's content.

The customer may reach out directly to ********************** should they have any additional concerns.

Sincerely,
The Goodreads Team
Customer Answer
Date: 01/30/2025

Complaint: 22832647

I am rejecting this response because:

Sincerely,

******** ******
Initial Complaint
Date:01/19/2025
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
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 wrote a book in 2013 called Rainy. I listed this book on a blog called Goodreads. Goodreads sold this account to ****** around 2013. I am trying to access my account on ********************** to remove my book. Goodreads will not work with me to give my access to my old account. They keep telling me to use the email I used when I first registered. I am using the correct email address. The only email associated with that account is ************************* When I use that email it no longer works. I don't know if it's because goodreads sold our information to ****** and now it is unverifiable. However this is something that I need GoodReads to investigate. My personal demographic information is easily verifiable. People are giving me the run around about my book. All I want is access to my account so I can remove my story. My book is listed on Amazonb ecause they are now affiliated my information is easily verifiable. Will you please reach out to the corporate office at Goodreads and have them to investigate. I am willing to submit my phone number address and any other information to their **************** to have this issue resolved.
Business Response
Date: 01/28/2025
Dear Better Business Bureau,

We received your correspondence of 1/19/2025 and are writing to respond to complaint 22831960.

Unfortunately, we cannot comply with the customers request to remove the book record, as it complies with Goodreads Catalog Guidelines. The profile the customer is referring to is an unclaimed author profile that is not associated with the email address used to write to Goodreads. The customer is welcome to apply to the author program; however, this would still not allow removal of the book from the Goodreads catalogue. 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.

Additionally, the book record has received a number of ratings/text reviews, and it wouldn't be fair to delete member content.

Sincerely,
The Goodreads Team
Customer Answer
Date: 01/28/2025
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. My book was posted by a customer. ********************** should have given me the response they gave you when I initially contacted them for help. Thank you for your assistance in this matter. I'm sure other authors will benefit from my complaint.

Sincerely,

****** ******
Initial Complaint
Date:12/21/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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.
l am filing a formal complaint against Goodreads for multiple instances of copyright infringement and misrepresentation concerning my published works. Goodreads has repeatedly attributed books authored by other individuals under my name, thereby violating my intellectual property rights and misleading readers.Despite contacting Goodreads multiple times to address and rectify this issue, no action has been taken to resolve the problem. Their negligence has caused harm to my professional reputation and potentially impacted my book sales.I hereby request that Goodreads immediately:1.Remove all incorrect author attributions associated with my works.2.Implement corrective measures to prevent such misrepresentations in the future.3.Provide appropriate compensation for the damage caused by their actions.Failure to resolve this matter promptly will leave me with no choice but to pursue further legal and regulatory actions.Thank you for your attention to this matter.Sincerely,**** ***************************************************************************************** **********************
Business Response
Date: 12/31/2024
Dear Better Business Bureau,

We received your correspondence of 12/21/2024 and are writing to respond to complaint 22718967.

We have successfully removed the misattributed books from the author's Goodreads profile.

Additionally, we conducted a thorough search for outreach emails from this author but found none. In the future, we kindly request that any issues be reported directly to us either by flagging the content or contact us with a direct link so we can evaluate.

Sincerely,
The Goodreads Team
Initial Complaint
Date:10/17/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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.
Goodreads has false information about me on their website. They refuse to change it unless I sign up for an author account, they keep denying my application for an author account, and they refuse to provide any customer service help to resolve this.
Business Response
Date: 10/22/2024
Dear Better Business Bureau,

We received your correspondence of 10/18/2024 and are writing to respond to complaint 22438335.

We looked into this for the customer and found that they now have an active Goodreads author profile. Weve also found that the customers concerns related to the misattributed books have also been resolved, and that their book, The Wages of Peace, is correctly listed as their only publication.

In the future, if the customer comes across incorrect edits or misattributed books, they may post a correction request in the **************** found on the Goodreads site.

Sincerely,
The Goodreads Team
Initial Complaint
Date:09/15/2024
Type:Customer Service Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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.
Dear Better Business Bureau,I am filing a formal complaint against Goodreads, owned by ******, for failing to address an impersonation issue despite multiple requests. An unauthorized user created a profile on ********************** using my name and profile picture, which violates their Terms of Service regarding impersonation.Impersonating Profile Link:**************************************************************************** I discovered this profile through a ****** search. It was created years ago by an individual who also impersonated me on ********. The profile uses my name and photograph without my consent.Actions Taken:1. Initial Request: I contacted Goodreads with all necessary information to show this profile was impersonating me.2. Goodreads Response: Goodreads replied that they had "investigated and taken appropriate action." However, the profile remained active.3. Follow-Up: I reached out again, but received the same response, even though the profile was still online.4. Final Response: Goodreads sent a final email refusing to address the issue further, despite the impersonating profile remaining live.Complaint Details:Goodreads refusal to remove the profile violates their own Terms of Service and disregards my rights. They have consistently failed to take appropriate action, raising concerns about their willingness to protect users from impersonation.Desired Outcome:I request that Goodreads immediately remove the impersonating profile and take necessary steps to prevent similar issues. Additionally, I expect clear and honest communication regarding this matter, in line with their policies.Thank you for your assistance.Sincerely, ******* *** ******
Business Response
Date: 09/26/2024
Dear Better Business Bureau,

We received your correspondence of 9/15/2024 and are writing to respond to complaint 22289217.

We cannot verify that the complainant is being impersonated by the account provided.

We've reached out to them and inquired whether or not they may have created their Goodreads account using a different email address or through their ******** account. Previously, customers had the option to create a ********************** account using ********, thus linking the two platforms.

If the customer no longer has access to the email address used at the time the Goodreads account was created, we recommend that they contact their email service provider to try and regain access to it. For security purposes, we won't be able to delete the account on their behalf.

Sincerely,
The Goodreads Team
Customer Answer
Date: 09/27/2024
Dear Goodreads Team,

I am deeply frustrated by your response regarding complaint #********, and I find it completely unacceptable. Let me be very clear: I have never created a Goodreads account. The account in question was created by someone impersonating me, using my name and my profile picture without my consent. I have repeatedly informed you of this and yet you continue to disregard my request.

I am fully prepared to provide all documentation necessary to verify my identity and prove that this account is fraudulent. I do not understand why, despite my willingness to provide proof, you refuse to take action. Your inaction raises serious doubts about your abilityor willingnessto control your platform and remove impersonating profiles. It appears that you either do not have the tools to manage impersonation effectively, or you are neglecting to use them.

This is a violation of your own Terms of Service and a breach of my privacy. If you do not act swiftly to remove this impersonating account, I will escalate this issue through legal channels, as it is clear that you are failing to protect user identities and enforce your own policies.

I urge you to resolve this matter immediately by removing the impersonating profile. I look forward to your prompt and serious response.

Sincerely,
******* *** ******
Initial Complaint
Date:09/03/2024
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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.
Need my goodreads account deleted and taken down. Have privacy issues and can't access my account to deactivate it myself. Already contacted support with no success. Thank you.********************************************************************** ***********************
Business Response
Date: 09/04/2024
Dear Better Business Bureau,

We received your correspondence of 9/4/2024 and are writing to respond to complaint 22233503.

We recommend that the member contact their email service provider to try and regain access to the email address used when creating their Goodreads account. For security purposes, if theyre unable to access the email address associated with their Goodreads account, we won't be able to delete the account on their behalf.

Sincerely,
The Goodreads Team
Initial Complaint
Date:08/23/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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.
Goodreads.com provides free giveaways for books on their website. I received an email from Goodreads on Aug 14th stating I won a free digital copy of e-book, Enemies to Lovers. One minute later, I received an order email from Amazon stating I had purchased that exact same book for $12.99 (purchased with MY digital credits). However, I did NOT purchase this book. I did NOT authorize in any way this purchase. I contacted ***************************** confirmed they placed the order on my account. I contacted Amazon as this was a fraudulent purchase, & Amazon confirmed that it was purchased with MY digital ************** refunded me $12.99 for it. Goodreads has not responded to multiple requests as to how they accessed my Amazon account and how they were able to place an order on my account. Amazon is supposedly doing an inquiry into this as well, but I have heard nothing back from Amazon on this, & it has been a week. Goodreads is owned by Amazon so I feel there is collusion here regarding this fraudulent purchase. Amazon is probably giving Goodreads access to users' accounts.
Business Response
Date: 09/03/2024
Dear Better Business Bureau,

We received your correspondence of 8/23/2024 and are writing to respond to complaint 22185984.

We would like to reassure the member that their Amazon account was not accessed without their authorization. Kindly note that as per the Goodreads giveaway terms and conditions, an Amazon account is required to be linked to a Goodreads account in order to fulfill participating giveaways won so that the book may reflect on an Amazon account. Therefore, redeeming a book on an Amazon account from an account that is not currently linked to your Goodreads account would not be possible, and winners would be prompted to purchase the book instead of downloading the book.

After thoroughly investigating the incorrect charge, our team has also confirmed that the refund has already been processed and submitted to the member.

Sincerely,
The Goodreads Team
Initial Complaint
Date:07/14/2024
Type:Customer Service Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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 did an online search of my name and saw a Goodreads account. This account shows my name, photo, and books that I have read to the general public without logging in. I attempted to log in with an old email that I nolonger have but it has been so long since I have tried to login that the system is attempting to have me reset the password. And since I nolonger have access to the email, I cannot reset the password. I contacted customer service because I want the account deleted and they informed me that since I don't have the old email, I cannot delete the account. This was told to me via email as they don't have a telephone number. The account is under ********************
Business Response
Date: 07/16/2024
Hello Better Business Bureau,
Goodreads has been in contact with ******************* regarding their issue of accessing their account and has informed the complainant that in order to delete a Goodreads account, users must have access to the email address associated with their account. For security reasons, we are unable to delete an account on behalf of users.
Sincerely,
The Goodreads Team
Customer Answer
Date: 07/16/2024

Complaint: 21986928

I am rejecting this response because: There is no good reason to not have another method to authenticate my account. I can prove its my account as I still have access to it, I just cannot accept new messages. Additionally, my information should not be made public. I do not accept that anyone call type in my name and see personal information. The resolution is not acceptable. Please see screenshots showing my email address.. My account is the same, its under a new email handle name.

Sincerely,

*******************
Customer Answer
Date: 07/17/2024
Hello, I would like to include this in my dispute. This is from the company's website. In the screenshot at the bottom, it says they would help if I cannot access using the email address I signed up with, however, they have not helped.
Complaint ID ********
Business Response
Date: 08/14/2024
Hello Better Business Bureau,

As Goodreads has previously indicated, if the account holder cannot sign in to their account to change their email address and if they no longer have access to the email linked to the account, they won't be able to regain access to it. Added to this, for security reasons, we are unable to delete an account on behalf of users.
Sincerely,
The Goodreads Team
Customer Answer
Date: 08/14/2024

Complaint: 21986928

I am rejecting this response because: on the website Goodreads gives the expectations that you can contact them if you need to change your email address. Nowhere does it state that if you nolonger have access to the email, then a person cannot retrieve the account. I have provided Goodreads substantial evidence to my ownership of the account including the welcome email received in 2014. This is a consumer account and not a business or financial one. Goodreads is lying on their site. Customers should know this about ********************** before they sign up with Goodreads. In addition, accounts not logged into for years should be purged.

Sincerely,

*******************
Initial Complaint
Date:07/01/2024
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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.
Around Jun 25 I attempted to login to my Goodreads account. Following the applications prompts I learned that logging in from my ******** was no longer supported but the email address at the time of account creation is an email that I no longer own. The email address is from my old employer and no longer exists. I cannot reset my password and login because of this. Goodreads is not willing to help me, or even attempt to confirm my identity to help me after providing them the locked account by creating a new one and taking a picuture. I do not want my photo on their app, on an account I cannot access. Furthermore, after asking they will not supply me with their corporate office to write a letter inquiring about this.
Business Response
Date: 07/11/2024
Better Business Bureau,
As indicated in the original complaint attachment, we are unable to delete accounts or change email addresses on behalf of users for security purposes. Changes to account security and login settings must be made by users themselves and require that they have access to the latest email address that they have associated with their user account.
We are also unable to provide additional customer support regarding account security and login settings via external contact methods such as the BBB portal.
Sincerely,
The Goodreads Team
Customer Answer
Date: 07/16/2024

Complaint: 21927695

I am rejecting this response because: there was no attempt on the businesses part to work with me to prove my identity and if left, my picture and private information will remain on their site. Their response is unacceptable, bad business practice and unethical.
Sincerely,
*******************
Initial Complaint
Date:08/16/2023
Type:Customer Service Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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.
This occurred on 4-11-23 Two people that identify as influencers for Goodreads left a review about my book that are lies. These two people live in the same city and since they filed a review on the same day I think they know each other. One said I like **** and there is no **** in my book. She called me a racist because I wrote favorably about Native *********. Another one said they couldn't follow the plot which follows the timeline of the ******** Revolution that I taught for thirty years in high school. They both said that you can not read the book for all the misspellings and I pointed out to Goodreads that I paid an editor thousands of dollars to go line by line. I do have three people in my book that are English as a second language and wrote dialogue phonically which the editor thought was great. I left commends on the reviews to defend myself and Goodreads removed them saying that I was not allowed to defend myself. Goodreads is showcasing these negative reviews on top of all my reviews saying that these are influencers and their reviews will come over any positive reviews that I have gotten since April. Goodreads said that they like the clicks that these two people get over any one else so they will continue to showcase them.
Business Response
Date: 08/21/2023
Dear Better Business Bureau,

We received your correspondence of August 16, 2023 and are writing to respond to complaint 20480365.

There isn't any way to manually reorder the reviews on a book's page. The order is completely determined by our sorting algorithm, which takes into account length of the review, popularity of the reviewer, number of likes, how recently the review was posted, and a number of other factors. The order of reviews tends to change over time, as new reviews are added to a book's page.

In addition, we take the responsibility of supporting our community of readers and authors very seriously and require all members to follow our Community and Review Guidelines. We do not remove content posted by our members unless it breaks our rules.

The customer may reach out directly to us should they have any additional concerns. We also recommend visiting Goodreads Help for answers to many of our commonly asked questions.

Sincerely,
The Goodreads Team
Customer Answer
Date: 08/21/2023

Complaint: 20480365

I am rejecting this response because: you are showcasing the bad reviews over the good ones and have a self-servicing excuse for doing it by saying you love the haters over the positive reviews because they get more responses and clicks. You have a one star rating on the BBB and two star rating on ****** and yelp, so post that on your website

Sincerely,

*************************
Business Response
Date: 08/23/2023
Dear Better Business Bureau,

We received your correspondence of August 22, 2023, and are writing to respond to the rejection of complaint 20480365.

Wed like to thank the customer for their feedback. As previously mentioned, the order of the reviews on the book page is determined by an algorithm, and we cannot manually reorder them.

Sincerely,
The Goodreads Team
Customer Answer
Date: 08/23/2023

Complaint: 20480365

I am rejecting this response because: Goodreads is encouraging hate-booming on this website. Your website is filled with hatred.

Sincerely,

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

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