Aardvark, Aardvark Global Publishing Company Ripped off, paid to have book printed 4 months no books! Communication by answering machine and email only! Beware!!!! Salt Lake City Utah

I purchased an ISBN from Aardvark and paid to have one hundred books printed. I was informed there would be a four to six week lead time before they could get to the printing phase.

After seven weeks I called them at their 800 number and got an answering machine. I left a message and got a email reply apologizing for the delay due to a death in the family. I emailed my condolences and waited.

A week later another email arrived stating I would be receiving a cover proof to approve and would be getting a tracking number used USPS. Another week passed and I phoned, getting the answering machine again, to report not receiving the proof. Seven days passed, I phoned once more leaving the same message.

Then the following day I emailed them to express my displeasure and requesting a time and phone number to call to discuss the problem. A few days later the proof showed up and after checking it, I phoned and emailed both to approve it.

The response was very quick stating they would start printing and give me a tracking number when the books shipped out. Two weeks passed by and I phoned and emailed to ask for an estimated time to shipping so I could prepare at my end for the marketing phase.
No response.

Another week passes and I drop them another reminder and a comment on their lack of communication and professionalism.This gets a response stating they are printing and binding my book, once again promising to send me a tracking number when they are shipped.

Another two weeks pass and I send off an email asking what ever happened to my books. I informed them that I believed that I was being ripped off and stated that if I didn't hear from them by the noon the day after next, I would contact the various authorities about them on charges of fraud and internet theft.

Their response was almost immediate (for them) and they said my books would be shipped immediately and a tracking number would follow. A week has passed and still I have had no further contact from them although I did email them yesterday asking them for the tracking number of my supposed shipment of books.

I would warn anyone reading this that in my opinion, even if my books do appear, Aardvark Global Publishing's lack of customer service i.e. a human at the other end of the phone, and their slow and vague responses should be enough to warn one off of using their "services".

Another note to would be first time authors thinking about purchasing their ISBN, some printers won't print your books using Aardvark's ISBN, so buying a number from them is very risky and having them print your work is definitely an exercise in frustration.

Leroy
Loganton, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.