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Lulu.com Reviews
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Reviewed Jan. 11, 2021
Ordered a book from them that I never received. Company will not track package for me, send a replacement, or refund me. Best they can do is waive shipping if I purchase another copy. Will be requesting chargeback.
Reviewed Dec. 8, 2020
Customer Service is a nightmare. Different people give totally different answers to the same question. Sometimes they don't understand and just read off a script. Horrible. They also don't necessarily respond in a timely manner. As happy as I am with the actual finished product, dealing with them is impossible. Had I known, I would have gone elsewhere. Customer Service is the worst ever!
Reviewed Nov. 24, 2020
I'd been with Lulu pretty much since they began. They were great for POD (Publish On Demand) books. Until...April 2020 when they launched their improved platform. Nine months later, I still do not have access to my books, let alone distribution stats or compensation. What I do have is a myriad of emails from Lulu telling me to be patient. They have no intention of fixing this issue for their customers. As a writer, I strongly advise future customers to stay away from Lulu. They are dishonest and could care less about their customers. If you are a former customer trying to resolve an issue, file a complaint with the Attorney General in the state Lulu is operating from.
Reviewed Oct. 24, 2020
I started by buying Soda PDF software because it was cheap. Okay, I didn't read the fine print. I could only use a fraction of the capability. I needed the capability of splitting and combining documents for a about 6 months so I bought the next level, well that added the one and not the other so I moved up to the next level. I finished the job and just left the software on my machine figuring the software code would be up shortly. A few months later I get this charge on my card coming from Lulu. I messaged Lulu and they kept sending me messages that they had a high demand and would get back to me. This went on for about 4 weeks and I called them and I got the, I can't do anything about it because of their 30 day policy. I gave in but removed their software. Later I found out you need to switch from auto charging in their software. I didn’t reinstall the software thinking it would end.
One year later I get a notice I'm being charged for their continued service. I immediately contacted my cardholder and started a case against Lulu. I also sent Lulu a cancelation notice. I get the same email that they are having a high demand but they will get back to me. Then a get and email that says if I don't respond in two days they will close my case. I’m not sure how this will all turn out. I advise, keep all the email traffic and take a picture of anything you send to them if it’s not an email form. My suggestion is don’t buy it in the first place. Next I’m contacting the Better Business Bureau.
Reviewed Oct. 7, 2020
I purchased a book online recently. Reason why I purchase without checking reviews the author is a my teacher and he told me that it is a printed book. Once I paid I received an invoice and download link But I am unable to download. Their customer support is useless. If I can I will give only zero stars to this company.
Reviewed Sept. 29, 2020
I have currently sold over 10,000 books through Lulu.com and to date have received over £20,000 in royalties. Very rarely there's a problem, but when there is they deal with it very quickly. The printed books are excellent quality, but you must remember that if you submit a detective file, then you will get a defective result. So don't blame Lulu for your own shortcomings! This review can be backed up with absolute proof. Highly satisfied and would thoroughly recommend them.
Reviewed Sept. 21, 2020
I published an ebook with Lulu.com in February 2020. Was supposed to receive first royalty check May 15. It arrived about 6 weeks late, having been sent to the wrong address although I had made it a point to notify them of correct address. After several weeks I notified the company that the check hadn't come, so they stopped payment on that check and I didn't receive a replacement check. I sent several emails and asked them to confirm that they had the right address. I was promised that the royalties due May 15 would be included in a check to be sent out on August 15th. As of today, September 21, I have not received any check from the company. I now wonder if there is fraud in their Finance Department. Very disappointed.
Reviewed Aug. 19, 2020
Worst experience ever. I paid $1999 and my manuscript sat for over TWO months in "Step 1 - Content Evaluation," before some dude named Eugene ** called me and told me that he "didn't think my book was a good fit for Lulu Press" and basically told me to pound sand. WHAT??!! They wasted over TWO MONTHS of valuable time just to tell me they didn't want to work with me. Who does that? I ended up using Amazon KDP and getting the same job done in mere days (less than a week) while saving a lot of money. Lulu is an awful company. Run!
Reviewed July 28, 2020
I went with Lulu publishing because I stupidly thought that the service promised was going to be the right one for the publication of my story, I picked out a package and received the paperwork, it was agreed that I could pay my package in installments, I paid two installments worth over £700 british pounds, I was told I had a check in councillor Liz **, I have tried to email Lulu ON ABOUT 8 OR 9 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND HAVE HAD NO RESPONSE whatsoever so now I want my money back.
Reviewed July 18, 2020
Over the years, I have self-published numerous books through Lulu.com and have been totally delighted with the quality of their printing and binding and customer service. Everything has been excellent -- that is, until recently when the customer service has been non-existent. Recently, I had a problem which I reported using their online form (the only way to contact them now). The only reply I received was an automated impersonal reply. Several attempts to report the problem produced the same non-results. I don't like to complain but my experience with customer service has been negative. I should add that their printing and binding are still top-notch. I don't know what has happened at Lulu's customer service, and I hope they get things straightened out.
Reviewed June 25, 2020
I have used Lulu for a couple of years with only minor complaints. But I recently tried to contact their support department and got zero response. Over the past month I have sent 5 requests. No response has been forthcoming. My next step is to find a new publisher.
Reviewed June 18, 2020
LULU is a rip off and useless!!! I created my account with lulu.com over a year ago to sell my e-book. I spent money on google ad campaigns etc only to find that LULU had taken money out of my account. After querying this with them they gave me some rubbish about how they had changed their services but did not explain where the money had disappeared to. Stay well clear of this useless service. I have read many reports about money going missing from peoples accounts on forums but I never believed it until it happened to me. I will be going elsewhere and I suggest you do too!
Reviewed April 25, 2020
I have my own publishing company and have published several authors of national prominence. I have used Lulu for about two years. My customers (numbering in the hundreds), my authors, and I myself have been very pleased with the quality of my books. I am very pleased with Lulu. They ask nothing upfront, allow orders of any size with no minimums, there are no hidden costs, and I receive a larger percentage of the price by far than I did when I published through larger conventional publishers.
Also, unlike conventional publishers, they never interfere in my design choices. In my experience Lulu has been a first-rate, completely professional company. When there have been problems with the printing, which is very rare, they have replaced the book immediately. As my business and livelihood depend completely on my ability to turn out books reliably, I would not have stuck with Lulu these past two years if they hadn't been completely honest, dependable and professional.
Reviewed April 17, 2020
Updated on 06/11/2020: I am reality author Cornelius Rogers of novel "The Land Of No Pity" In & Out the system based on a modern day slavery. I've submitted my revised novel to Sarah ** about a month ago for them to place my novel back on print. I believe the guy Jorge are withholding my novel from print and trying to insult my intelligence. This are how LuLu publishing treat their authors during the coronavirus epidemic. I'm requesting as a author for my novel to be place back on Lulu's publishing after I've paid them $2000 thru time to fix their publisher's errors. However, I can't contact LuLu publishing by phone. I'm requesting as my right as a United States of American for my novel to be place in print or my full refund of $2000. If worse comes to worse I'll sue LuLu Publishers for their possible fraudulent activity. I would file a lawsuit now but my book may mysteriously then go thru print. However, LuLu, Dates are very important! Thanks.
Original Review: I am reality author Cornelius Rogers. My book are "Land Of Nopity": In & Out The System based on a modern day slavery. I sealed with a guy named Logan ** and he promised me that my book will be edited and published for perfection. However, It was all a scam. My novel was published with all kinds of in corrections. The errors in my book are publishers errors that LULU.com Publishing refuse to edit it correctly. I am now asking for my refund. If not my lawyer will be contacting LULU.COM. I don't advise any author to go thru heartaches networking with a anti-Honest publishing company the same as LULU.COM. The guy Logan ** are a liar and manipulator. I will post the terrorable book printed by LULU.COM publishing after our lawsuit are over.
Reviewed Feb. 13, 2020
Lulu just deleted my account because of a book deemed it "offensive". This book was only accessible for purchase by myself and not publicly visible. I did not receive any warnings whatsoever nor given any chance to appeal or defend my right to print that book for private use. And no only am I not able to publish books with my account anymore, I can't buy any items from other people either. And I was not given any means of appeal. Now, THAT is something I consider truly offensive & disrespectful...
Reviewed Jan. 15, 2020
I was quite surprised to read so many one-star-reports. Sometimes I doubt their accuracy, because Lulu is a self-publishing service provider. That means I write my book, design the cover and upload everything. It doesn't cost me money, but time and experience. If there are typos in it, then I wrote them and I didn't notice them.
I have published several books on Lulu and I have bought two from other authors. The print quality is good. The process of publishing is intuitive. When you need help, the people at Lulu are friendly and helpful - but it takes time. Faster is the Lulu Author Forum http://lulu.boards.net. As a publisher, I could imagine a wider range of landscape formats.
Reviewed Jan. 12, 2020
I've had an awful experience working to get my book published by LULU publishing and never again. I had to wait over 2 months for a "review" process and I kept calling them, they were nowhere to be found. Finally, someone else took over my case and paid for a service that I didn't get. Even though, I was told by Kevin that they had proofread my work which they didn't. My book came out with a lot of errors on it and they refused to get it fix unless I pay additional money on top of what I paid for and not even get the service that I needed in the first place. They are not professionals at all. I would not recommend anyone else to get their services. Now, they have me on hold for a phone call from an editor, which seems to be a game to them because it seems like they are running away.
Reviewed Jan. 1, 2020
I have published two books with Lulu. At first I did not know what I was doing so I had to give myself a crash-course in typesetting etc (I also provided my own artwork and editing). Lulu does provide some overviews but everything else was easily found online. If you're self-publishing you have to be somewhat savvy, no one anywhere is going to spell out all the steps and walk you through them.
I have had zero issues with receiving revenues from Lulu, in fact they have a fairly in depth stat page for revenues. It does take until the following month to properly update as they only follow sales on Lulu live, from outside channels (Amazon, iTunes, Kindle) take a few days after the first of the month to update. I have had a few print issues but when they were due to Lulu, Lulu fixed it immediately. Lulu gives you print-ready copies to look over prior to authorizing a print, and also requires you order and check a proof copy. For now, Lulu is the only self-publishing, print-on-demand site I'll use. (Also, I have paid Lulu absolutely nothing, aside from them taking their dues from sold books).
Reviewed Dec. 4, 2019
I ordered two of the same manuals in error and after contacting them I was told that there were no returns or exchanges. They did offer an insulting discount for the product that I wanted. DISAPPOINTED is an understatement. I will not do business here in the future.
Reviewed Sept. 1, 2019
I signed up to get my book published through the advanced program with Lulu.com. I paid $2000 to have them help me to publish my book. They wasted two months of my time in a "review" process. They kept rejecting my manuscript and refusing to publish my book for what they termed as libel issues. They wanted me to present a letter from my grandfather saying that he was OK with me writing that he threw me into the sea when I was a little girl. I explained to Lulu reviewers that he is dead - so it is not an issue. Additionally, they wanted me to get a similar letter from my father because I was beaten as a child.
Once again, I explained that corporal punishment is legal where I grew up so- there is no issue. After two months of going back and forth with the "review" process, they said they could not publish my book and canceled the contract. They then refused to refund my complete investment. I believe they intentionally create hurdles that people can not clear in order to have an excuse not to publish works and withhold people's money.
Reviewed Aug. 16, 2019
I've had a terrible experience working to get my book published by Lulu publishing. My book is 100% legal, no copyright issues, no **, no threats against anyone living. The subject is controversial, writings and speeches of a mid 20th century European leader. I explained the subject and content of the book to the Lulu sales rep Danny, he assured me there would be no problems printing and marketing my book. So I paid $899. Then various women in manuscript division told me they didn't like the subject and content of the book and my manuscript was rejected. I exchanged phone and e-mail messages with various Lulu representatives including the original sales rep Danny and expressed disappointment and asked for a full refund. A full month passed and I hadn't received the refund.
After lots of more back and forth e-mails and phone messages I was assured of a refund, which I finally received. It was for... $499! That's $400 Lulu kept. I've been bugging Lulu every day since then and only received one voice mail from accounting saying that they would explain why they kept $400. I haven't got through. So it seems rather obvious that certain people at Lulu didn't like the subject and content of a perfectly legal manuscript so they stole $400 of my $. I guess the 1st Amendment doesn't apply to Lulu and they can and do steal customer's $ if certain people at Lulu don't like the manuscript - that's pathetic.
John **Chicago, IL
Reviewed June 14, 2019
I have purchased a book at www.lulu.com using my credit card, surely I received nothing. No confirmation email, no reply from support. They just selective scammers without any address whatsoever. I'm calling my bank to reverse that transaction and change the credit card itself. Do not buy anything from them if you don't want to be scammed. Order №**.
Reviewed May 18, 2019
I have three books published on LULU and have nothing, but good to say. All the books look fantastic and I have always been paid all revenues. I am super happy with LULU, found the site easy to use and publish on. Super thankful for such an easy way to self publish.
Reviewed May 11, 2019
I wanted to create a "my story" hard-covered account of my first forty years, I have no experience or training whatsoever with desktop publishing. I found the Lulu website informative enough to complete my work with terrific results. Understanding the formatting was challenging however all information was available for FREE.... My overall opinion if you need professional services to produce work then hire an outside professional desktop person to perform your work. The printing was flawless and arrived on time...
Reviewed April 26, 2019
Customer complaint LULU.COM. Book Project **. Montreal, April 26th, 2019. I am truly shocked and dismayed that a company that claims to support the written word, authors and books could react in such an unscrupulous and underhanded way. Having finished writing my book in December 2018, I signed a service fee in order to get my book published with LULU.COM.
First, I received incessant and useless standard emails encouraging me to finish my book. These are impersonal emails that basically take your clients for fools. Finally, I was put in the hands of an agent, Chelsea ** who responded vaguely and sporadically to the advancement of my project. She asked me to reduce the song lyrics in my books to 7 lines which I did. I stopped getting answers from this person and I believe this person was discharged and my file was given to Nina **. This transition took a long time, but Nina was more cooperative. She asked me to send a legend of all the name changes which I did, in order to ensure no real names were used. She asked me to change two street names which I did. Finally, she said that the names I had changed were not sufficiently changed. One cannot change Jordan for Jason. I changed them again.
My book seemed to be finally underway and then I received a call from a certain Pamela. This woman said that I had exhausted my four trials, my book would not be published, I would only be refunded very partially and goodbye. I am truly shocked. I was sent from one department and person to another incessantly. No one ever stipulated I was running out of “chances”. I have been treated unfairly because my book was “handed around”. I left Sarah ** many messages, but she never answered. Dana **, did not answer my calls until I landed on her one day and told her it was rude not to return calls.
The whole team at Lulu does not take their work or the authors seriously. And now to be a victim of a SCAM is reprehensible. You are no longer publishing my book so you MUST refund me $896.30. Either that or publish the book that has been tailored to all your requests. Find below the amounts. It is really disheartening to know that your company preys on people who put their soul into writing in order to take their cash and then leave them void. No book and a dent in their Visa.
Reviewed Feb. 27, 2019
I asked for a refund of $1000 plus which I need my why would I give away this amount of money for not using the service and I received this email: "We recently received your request for cancellation and refund on the publishing package you purchased. We will promptly implement your request for cancellation. However, as per the terms of your agreement, we regret to inform you that your publishing package is ineligible for refund since it has been over 6 months, or 180 calendar days, from the time it was purchased. Your purchase date was December 7, 2017.
"A copy of the terms and agreement is attached for your reference. Should you change your mind and wish to continue your project, you must let us know immediately. We can then place the project on hold indefinitely, and we will complete your services upon submission of a completed manuscript. If you have further questions or concerns, please let us know and we will be glad to assist."
Reviewed Jan. 9, 2019
I checked the status of my Lulu photo book order on the day it was expected to arrive. It said "in production". I sent Lulu Support a message asking for a status update. I did not hear back from them for four days, so I called. I was told that there was a problem with my file and that I would need to work with the printing team to correct it. This was four days AFTER my order was expected to arrive. I asked them to cancel the order. I have yet to receive verification of the cancelled order or refund.
Reviewed Dec. 15, 2018
I have 5 books on Lulu that if Googled show up as used copies, on eBay, and on various other sites. Some sites have multiple copies. Recently, I sent a certified letter requesting a total accounting. I also reported them to the BBB & Lulu responded quickly with a letter that was literally packed with BS but never answered my questions. I started publishing with them when they were a startup but I think Amazon will get all my publishing needs from now on. That is unless they can give me a straight answer.
Reviewed Dec. 13, 2018
NEVER PUBLISH WITH LULU, EVER AGAIN. Lulu delays author payments for months and then refuses to pay you ie. Lulu pockets all your revenues. The customer service does not help and keeps repeating whatever in its FAQ.
Reviewed Nov. 26, 2018
I ordered one copy of a hardcover book that my parents wrote. It arrived on time but with multiple errors inside. There is one page that is printed 9 times in a row. Yes, you read right. 9 times. There are other pages where two pages of text are on top of each other, and photos that are on top of text. I cannot get through to Lulu with the phone number that appears at the bottom of the shipping page, nor with any other means. I would like a call from Lulu to discuss this but no one will call me.
Lulu.com Company Information
- Company Name:
- Lulu.com
- Website:
- www.lulu.com
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