This is from a post at slickdeals.net

For those with an account in the Ebook Store from Sony (for the Sony Reader), do the following:

1) Log into your account
2) Click on 'Account' on the top right
3) Click on 'Redeem A Code'
4) Enter code "HOLIDAYGIFT" (case sensitive)

Voila, $50 in your account for free books. I think this is for users who purchased directly from Borders Books, but it seems to work for everybody (Costco, direct from Sony, etc). I purchased from a different store, and this worked on top of the $50 coupon that I received.

Edit: This Gift Code will also work with a newly opened account. If you've never registered your Reader, now is a great time to do it.

Well, bless your soul, fake, that really does work! Wonderful gift. Can't figure it out, but now I will order some more books.

Thanks a million for the tip.

Thank you very much for that code. It worked!

Cheers.

I just set up a new account, and it worked for me.

Since I don't have a Sony Reader, I don't know quite what I will do with it.

Hi !

Thank you for the code.
Do you happen to know what's the limit date for the purchases using this code ?

WOW! Thank you so much, fakehate. That's a really really nice gift! :knuddel:

Hi !

Thank you for the code.
Do you happen to know what's the limit date for the purchases using this code ?

3/31/08

According to my account, the credit expires 31/3/08.

Don't count on the expiration date. I cannot imagine Sony intended to have this code spread on the world wide web. Who knows how long it will stay valid...

Excellent, thanks :D

Posting the code is almost like giving away ebooks on the darknet. Please don't use it unless you got it legally.

Well, bless your soul, fake, that really does work! Wonderful gift. Can't figure it out, but now I will order some more books.

Thanks a million for the tip.
It's not a gift. It's theft plain and simple.

Excellent, thanks :D

Thanks. It worked!

Please do not pass on this code and do not mention where you got it from. Unless of course you want to risk MobileRead getting shut down.

There was an explicit warning on my Borders receipt that this credit has a "limited quantity."

Given that Borders uses the same coupon code for every single sold Sony Reader, one can hardly call it a secret to be stolen.

Heck, even the coupon name says it's a "gift" so I don't think there is anything wrong with posting it here.

It's not a gift. It's theft plain and simple.

Well, of course, you're absolutely correct. I'm chagrined that I did not recognize that immediately.

I have to admit I am also perplexed by this coupon. On the one hand, it seems just too good to be true that Sony would offer this "gift" to all Reader owners; on the other hand, why would they use a generic coupon at all?

In the past, all promotions were tied to the device...

Maybe that was the problem. People tied the credit to the wrong account and then needed to have it shifted. This prevents that as easily by making it another step to get the credit.

But I do see one problem here....

The code is only valid to be used on one account once. So if you bought two 505s and had them authorized under one account, you' only get the credit once. In that case, I'd be on the phone to Sony and/or Borders about that.

Which brings up the question of how to get further credit on the Sony Store if you are in Europe and don't have a US address/credit card?

One member of this forum buys Sony gift cards for people outside the USA. The member's name is Leaping Gnome.

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/member.php?u=6455

Online retailers learned 10 years ago that if you don't want these codes passed around they need to be unique. Either Borders/Sony is very slow or they expect it's going to happen (my vote is for slow). Once a code like this hits someplace like FatWallet it'll get used to death.

What's strange is that Sony used other means to promote their Reader in the past. When I bought my first Reader, I received a store credit that was tied to the device registration.

Didn't work for me but I'm a PRS-500 type. Maybe it's only for the 505.

Please do not pass on this code and do not mention where you got it from. Unless of course you want to risk MobileRead getting shut down.

Then why hasn't slickdeals.net been shut down? I'm just asking....:blink:

fake.com
=

Just tried the code...didn't work.

Whoops, never mind, just realized you already edited the code in the top of the thread.

Didn't work for me but I'm a PRS-500 type. Maybe it's only for the 505.

:blink: I have 500 too and it did work for me. I do not think that this code had anything to do with device type.

Then why hasn't slickdeals.net been shut down? I'm just asking....:blink:

Perhaps Slickdeals & co took the necessary precautions not to be shut down (by choosing the "right" server location, etc.). It was the right thing to react promptly and discuss the legality of the coupon code. Now that the coupon is easy to find elsewhere on the Net and that Sony could have easily restricted the code to newly restricted device (had they wanted to), we believe it's OK to post it here. Whether to use it is a matter for your own conscience ;)

I think personally it's little short of stealing to use a coupon when you haven't purchased the product. Just my personal opinion.

I think personally it's little short of stealing to use a coupon when you haven't purchased the product. Just my personal opinion.

But you did purchase the product. Nobody without a Reader can use it.

But you did purchase the product. Nobody without a Reader can use it.

Really? What's to stop someone without a Reader buying a few books and reading them on their PC using the Connect software?

Really? What's to stop someone without a Reader buying a few books and reading them on their PC using the Connect software?

This perhaps:

Didn't work for me but I'm a PRS-500 type. Maybe it's only for the 505.

This perhaps:

The reason it may not have worked is that the code entered may have been the code showing after I edited out the code and the wrong code was put in.

The reason it may not have worked is that the code entered may have been the code showing after I edited out the code and the wrong code was put in.

Quite possibly, because it worked fine and dandy with my PRS-500

Seems no luck with me. They said the coupon has some number limitation...
Any people with the same problem?

Seems no luck with me. They said the coupon has some number limitation...
Any people with the same problem?

Maybe they've disabled it from now on?

AUGH!!!! Day late and $50 Short, I need to check Mobileread more often, coupon is expired.

I spent my $50 about ten minutes after fakehate's first post. I'm not sure that I'm happy that I did that, but it certainly worked then.

Maybe it was a genuine holiday promotion Sony wanted anyone to be able to use to generate new interest in the Sony Bookstore. Why should we assume it is immoral or illegal to use this code? I enetered it and got 50 dollars credit.

Maybe it was a genuine holiday promotion Sony wanted anyone to be able to use to generate new interest in the Sony Bookstore. Why should we assume it is immoral or illegal to use this code? I enetered it and got 50 dollars credit.

when did you enter it because it wont work for me....and I have a brand new 505.

One member of this forum buys Sony gift cards for people outside the USA. The member's name is Leaping Gnome.

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/member.php?u=6455

Doh! I did know that and I'd forgotten. Thanks for the reminder.

Maybe it was a genuine holiday promotion Sony wanted anyone to be able to use to generate new interest in the Sony Bookstore. Why should we assume it is immoral or illegal to use this code? I enetered it and got 50 dollars credit.

I am in the "oh gosh, oh buggery" camp, having just bought a PRS-505 and being unable to use connect from home (Macintosh user), relying on the work PC, but not on Sundays....

That said, I agree with Roy that this looks like a piece of viral marketing, the timing is right with holidays and a new competitor from Amazon and Sony have not been afraid to try new marketing approaches in the past with PSP and Playstation.

Congratulations to any Sony Reader users who caught the deal and to anyone who grabbed it without a reader, I hope it whets your appetite enough to buy a device.

Happy New Year,
Marcus

Maybe it was a genuine holiday promotion Sony wanted anyone to be able to use to generate new interest in the Sony Bookstore. Why should we assume it is immoral or illegal to use this code? I enetered it and got 50 dollars credit.

I don't think we can assume it was either proper or improper to use it. Without any information, we'd be guessing either way. But I am certain that it would have been more responsible of me if I had checked it out before just plunging in and using it. Now, how I would have checked it out I have no idea.

I don't think we can assume it was either proper or improper to use it. Without any information, we'd be guessing either way. But I am certain that it would have been more responsible of me if I had checked it out before just plunging in and using it. Now, how I would have checked it out I have no idea.

I feel a little bit like an alcoholic responding to a 'free booze' sign. If it were anything but books, I'm sure I would have done my best to investigate and analyze. But it was *books*....
Kathy

maybe Sony had the promo preset to certain limit, when a certain number of codes were redeemed the site automatically turned it off.

I just registered my 500 and the coupon code worked for me. Now i have $50 credit. It seemed to work for newly opened account.

Well waddaya know, it worked!!!! :)

Just tried the code...didn't work.

Well, it just worked for me- went $6 over and had to pay that amount, though. This benefits Sony- I see their prices are much more reasonable, and the selection is larger, so I might buy from there again in the future....

Really? What's to stop someone without a Reader buying a few books and reading them on their PC using the Connect software?

Well, you ahve to have a Sony Connect account in order to use the code. If you open a new account, I believe that you have to plug your reader in to activate. So, I don't think anyone without a Reader will be using the code.

Lighten up- not everyone in the world is a thief! Why the heck would anyone read the book on their PC anyways? I HATE reading books on my PC, and I have a great monitor. I don't know anyone that actually reads entire books on their PCs.

I tried it yesterday and it wouldn't work for me, but I just tried it again and it worked fine. They must have upped the number of available credits, which also seems to point to a bit of viral marketing activity, otherwise why increase the number available.

I tried it yesterday and it wouldn't work for me, but I just tried it again and it worked fine. They must have upped the number of available credits, which also seems to point to a bit of viral marketing activity, otherwise why increase the number available.

I won't try it, but wonder what would happen if it worked once, and then a couple of days later, you tried it again?

I won't try it, but wonder what would happen if it worked once, and then a couple of days later, you tried it again?Sorry, that coupon code is not valid.We apologize but you have exceeded your maximum number of redemptions permitted for this code. If you have additional questions or if you feel you are receiving this message in error, please contact customer support at the link below.

I tried it again after I immediately depleted my credit. It said the credit has been and no longer can be used for my account. This says #1 it's legit and NOT STEALING if they put it back up and it works, and #2 You can not use it more than once per account. Either way, bery nice of them and very much appreciated by me.

I HATE reading books on my PC, and I have a great monitor. I don't know anyone that actually reads entire books on their PCs.

I used to all the time before I ever had a PDA and before e-ink devices like this existed. I can't imagine reading a book on the original connect software, though. I just checked out the site and it looks like they recently improved the program, but the original software than came with the 500 is complete crap.

Theoretically if I had two accounts and my reader was attached to one account. On the other account could I transfer books to the reader.

Theoretically ...

Thanks for the 2nd heads up. It didn't work yesterday but it just worked fine for me. I had already shot off an irate customer service inquiry (I still can't enter the $10 off on e-book code from my 2nd Borders-bought 505).

So I used the code and got the credit.... but I looked for a good 30 minutes and couldnt find a single thing to buy.

Ill probably get the Daring Book for Girls because my girlfriend showed interest in it (Dangerous Book for Boys is not on the store though... disappointing and strange considering every other book the author has written is on there.)

Id get some design books as Im a graphic designer for an employment newspaper, but most of them are the kind of thing you can either find in the myriad of poorly put together free technical ebooks or incredibly outdated (the only photoshop book they have is for PHOTOSHOP 6.)

This will probably go to waste just like the 100 free classic ebooks (which I lost in a reformat and cant redownload, so double waste right there.)

Sigh.

Freakonomics (sp?), The Tipping Point & Blink might be worth a look if nothing else shows up...

I tried the code last night and it didn't work, but i tried again today and got $50 credit, i think there must be a limited amount each day so if you havent got it yet try again, as for the moral issue it is a promotional thing and sony are happy to give it to any one who claims it, it is just a stunt to add new users to the site it doesn't cost sony $50 as they earn a healthy profit on each ebook, and they hope once people use up there credit they will buy more!

All. I bought my reader from Borders 8 weeks back and was told there was a coupon for free books when I registered but it never showed up. I noted the comment regarding "theft". Not if you bought it from Borders! The SONY registration site requires the purchaser to note where it was purchased. It isn't rocket science to note the date of the registration and the location where it was purchased to ascertain qualification for the coupon.

Hi Everyone,
I'm from London, England, i registered my reader in june 07 and the code worked for me first time

Thankyou Mobileread

Spent in 10 Mins had 4 books there i had on my list.

I wouldn't say it's theft but i feel some mistake has been made by sony & because alot of people are on holiday they havn't noticed yet that it's been posted. I can't see them giveing away that many books. That's alot of money to lose.

Well, that just made my day.

This is the coupon cops; come out with your hands up.

Just bought my first 505 yesterday from Borders to take advantage of the $50 free offer. To my disappointment, I setup my new reader and entered the code and was told that the promotion was over its quantity of usable allowances. I have emailed SONY to force the issue. I pulled in some of the free classics to pacify my angst. Looking forward to the new foray in ereading, but rather banged-up about the promotion issue.

I have one of the early 500s and it does not work for me either yesterday or today.

So I used the code and got the credit.... but I looked for a good 30 minutes and couldnt find a single thing to buy
....

This will probably go to waste just like the 100 free classic ebooks (which I lost in a reformat and cant redownload, so double waste right there.)

Sigh.

If you can't find *any* books to buy on the entire Sony Connect site, then why do you even have a Reader? Seriously, there is a huge variety of new and classic books there in all sorts of categories.
:blink:

If you can't find *any* books to buy on the entire Sony Connect site, then why do you even have a Reader? Seriously, there is a huge variety of new and classic books there in all sorts of categories.
:blink:
i agree there are books to suit all styles and tastes.:book2:

I have one of the early 500s and it does not work for me either yesterday or today.

It stopped working last night around 9PM EST according to Fatwallet posts. It may come back up in the future. Who knows :cool:

This must have been shut down - it does not work at this time

This must have been shut down - it does not work at this time

I hope someone tells the guy on ebay who is selling a code for $50 worth of books for the Sony reader for $24.99.
Kathy

I hope someone tells the guy on ebay who is selling a code for $50 worth of books for the Sony reader for $24.99.
Kathy

Seriously?
:rofl:

If you can't find *any* books to buy on the entire Sony Connect site, then why do you even have a Reader? Seriously, there is a huge variety of new and classic books there in all sorts of categories.
:blink:

Im not sure if were looking at the same store or not. Im not really into most of whats on the "Best Seller" list - stuff that will be in the dollar bins around the world within the next few months - and their graphic novel and technical books sections are laughably empty and/or out of date. Yeah I know it would be free, but its still not all that interesting.

FYI Im about 1/3 of the way through the Sherlock Holmes Omnibus from this site. I like victorian literature, most of which can be obtained freely. Probably why none of the Sony store stuff appeals to me.

I tried using the code and received a message that it is not valid and has a "limited number" of times it may be used.

EDIT: Insulting language removed.

This promotion was misrepresented to my wife at the retail counter at Borders (no mention of limits when the sale was made). So I'm going to give Sony customer service AND Borders the opportunity to do the right thing by me ... and by any legitimate purchaser.

They need to honor their promise made at retail .

This promotion was misrepresented to my wife at the retail counter at Borders (no mention of limits when the sale was made). So I'm going to give Sony customer service AND Borders the opportunity to do the right thing by me ... and by any legitimate purchaser.

They need to honor their promise made at retail .

thieves is a bit strong, if sony wanted to make the other only available to borders customers they could have b the simple way of a unique code on each receipt of purchase.
i think you should take up your complaint with borders as they have miss sold
you!
The code clearly calls it a holiday gift not a borders gift! so stop being bitter and move on.
the code was clearly in the public domain and in my view free to use by any one.:bookworm:

Sheesh George ... This line of yours scares me ... :eek:

> the code was clearly in the public domain and in my view free to use by any one

By this reasoning, someone can take your car from a public lot because by the taker's view it is "free to use by any one". :D

Sorry, I could not help yanking your chain a bit. I actually agree with you. Sony/Borders should have taken better preventative steps to ensure that the correct people (assuming intent) only received the opportunity of the rebate. Since I am one of those people that bought the E-reader right after Christmas and I got the "we are out message". I was sorely dissappointed and unless someone does a class action suit, there are not many options available for me. I consider this a bad lesson learned about using the Border's/Sony online store.

As I see it the facts are as follows:
1) The Border's receipt from the Brick and Mortar store promises the $50 credit, not Sony.
2) The Border's receipt only limitation is redemption dates and not on the number of redemptions.
3) For this arm chair lawyer, this seems like a binding agreement. I wonder what Judge Judy would make of it?

I was going to buy the E-reader anyhow, the $50 Book Credit just convinced me to pull the sale ahead and buy it at Border's Bookstore. BUT due to this mishap, I am going to exercise my consumer right and boycott the Sony/Border's Online Store. My take is that if they are this bad in handling a promotion, just how bad will they be in handling my credit card information?

I would suggest that those others who got taken in by this fiasco also boycott the on-line store.

NN2, have you contacted Borders and let them know?

Also, when will people who didn't buy the reader at Border's have access to their online ebook store? Thanks! :)

Honestly, I would call either Sony or Borders CS and explain the situation before boycotting or insulting any businesses. There's a good chance they'll do the right thing once the situation is explained.

We've spent numerous posts debating the rightness/wrongness of all this based on why we think Sony or Borders were offering the "HOLIDAYGIFT". Has anyone got a definitive answer on just what the free gift certificate was all about?

Does anyone here actually work for Sony or Borders, or have real inside information? Or are we all just guessing?

(I haven't asked Sony or Borders myself because I know from bitter experience how hard it can be to get information from big companies).

Hi all,
I have been fuming about the HOLIDAYGIFT promotion, too, as I made a lengthy trip to a Borders store that still had some stock available of the PRS-505 (several near me were sold out).

As many others experienced, I too received an error message that the limit had been reached. Furious, I emailed Sony and received a note back 5 days later essentially referring me to the terms of the promotion: in short, SOLD OUT, too bad!

My response to them was similar to those posted here; as a technology company, and Borders being an online retailer for many years now, they both certainly should have known how to keep this promotion out of the hands of those who didn't qualify for the credit. The fact that the code spread virally, and people took advantage of it (unscrupulously, IMHO) doesn't make that my problem. I followed the rules, and I lost out. What's wrong with this picture?

Anyway, long story long, Sony sent me a one-time use code today for the $50 credit. Precisely what they should have done with their point of sale system at Borders to reduce fraud, which is what moochers were committing.

Thought I'd fill you in.
Difs

A variation on the theme. I got the 505 from Sonystyle while it was advertising $50 free coupon code. When it arrived, there was no code. I contacted them, and after faxing a copy of the offer, they made good on it.
- Mike

A variation on the theme. I got the 505 from Sonystyle while it was advertising $50 free coupon code. When it arrived, there was no code. I contacted them, and after faxing a copy of the offer, they made good on it.
- Mike

If you purchase the 505 at a SonyStyle store, they give you a gift certificate with a code on it, and that is certainly NOT a simple phrase.

To me the HOLIDAYGIFT code sounds like a somewhat deliberate promotion, it is too bad the number of uses expiring prevented some legitimate customers from redeeming their $50. A lesson one can learn reading the last six pages of posts is: do not get it from Borders, get it from SonyStyle.

While the morality of using the code can be certainly debated, the "stealing the car from the parking lot" analogy is ill-fitting. If someone went to the parking lot and could literally clone my car without any loss to me, then it is more along intellectual property and piracy lines, not physical theft; as in, digital piracy does not mean stealing CD's, just copying them.

However, I must say I am impressed! People actually "steal" and redeem BOOK coupons! The only thing they can do with them is buy BOOKS! Rejoice, there is a READING craze! Perhaps that was bound to happen with less and less quality shows on TV due to the writers' strike, with more box office bombs, and with less quality music as artists run out of original ideas. I do symphatize with those who were robbed of the chance to redeem their codes, but it is exciting to see people are so eager to read.

As far as reading books on a screen is concerned: with the amount of web pages, word and PDF documents and e-mails we read every day on monitors, reading a book cannot be THAT far-fetched...

This thread inspired me stop lurking and register with mobileread-

A couple days ago I was checking out the FAQ on the Reader page at Sony Style, and they mentioned "HOLIDAYGIFT" specifically, and said that like many viral marketing codes, it had a time/number limit. The promotion would have ended on 15 Jan, but the number of codes they were willing to honor expired quickly.
Today I checked the same FAQ, and I can't find specific reference to HOLIDAY GIFT but I did see this:

How to replace an E-Coupon promotion code that either been lost or you receive a message that the code has expired or has already been used.

If a Sony® product has a promotion requiring an E-Coupon promotion code, and the code has been lost, has expired, or you receive a message that the code has already been used, contact the Sony Style® store customer support department via phone at 888-900-9872 or e-mail at sonystyle@custhelp.com.


Makes me think they've had enough calls about this :)

This thread inspired me stop lurking and register with mobileread-

In that case, welcome! I hope you get your coupon from Sony...

I have gone around in circles with Sony Customer Service on this unfortunate topic. They have yet to relent. It looked like someone earlier got them to provide the credit. Where did you call and how did you do it. I am beyond angry with this topic with them. I love my new reader, but am a bit exhausted with them on this issue.

Thank you for the help.

Blame all the crooks who illegally used the code.

Blame all the crooks who illegally used the code.

You do realize using the code isn't illegal, right?

I have gone around in circles with Sony Customer Service on this unfortunate topic. They have yet to relent. It looked like someone earlier got them to provide the credit. Where did you call and how did you do it. I am beyond angry with this topic with them. I love my new reader, but am a bit exhausted with them on this issue.

Thank you for the help.
Contact the BBB. I've yet to find a company who wouldn't help me out when I went through the BBB (and you usually get someone higher up in the food chain).

You do realize using the code isn't illegal, right?
Yes, I knew that. I tried telling others here but they would not listen.

Yes, I knew that. I tried telling others here but they would not listen.

It was FatWallet'ed. I guess FW spreads words faster than other forums.

I didn't know that FatWallet was run by crooks.

When HOLIDAYGIFT didn't work for me, I called the Borders where I bought the Reader and complained. A few days later I got an email from Sony with a new code.

When HOLIDAYGIFT didn't work for me, I called the Borders where I bought the Reader and complained. A few days later I got an email from Sony with a new code.

I've been emailing them non-stop with no response. What number did you all call?

hmm... i bought a sony reader prs-505 at a borders just last week. was i eligible for this $50 credit at the ebook store?? they didn't mention anything at the time...:blink:

to those who were entitled to a coupon code, i hope everyone gets what they were entitled to.

http://ebooks.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/ebooks.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=115&p_created=1199050644&p_sid=6DH*OXWi&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfc m93X2NudD0xMDEsMTAxJnBfcHJvZHM9JnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0 mcF9jdj0mcF9zZWFyY2hfdHlwZT1hbnN3ZXJzLnNlYXJjaF9ub CZwX3BhZ2U9MQ**&p_li=&p_topview=1

Question


When I enter the promo code "HOLIDAYGIFT" I get an error saying the coupon code is not valid.
Answer


This holiday promotion had a limited quantity of "HOLIDAYGIFT" code redemptions available, as stated in the accompanying code terms (see below). Due to an overwhelming demand, the limit has already been reached.

As with all other viral code promotions such as this one, the promotion ends either when the limit has been reached or at the promotion end date, whichever one comes first. In this case the limit was reached prior to the promotion end date of January 15.

Per the terms that came with the coupon:

"Redeem Code by 1/15/08. Must be 13 yrs. or older. Limit 1 Code per account/individual (each Code good for one credit ("Credit") for $50 in eBook downloads). Must spend Credit balance by 3/31/08. Limited quantity of "HOLIDAYGIFT" code redemptions available for promotion. Full terms/computer requirements @ ebookstore.sony.com/cardterms."

Since it expired on 15 January, I am going to lock this thread.

:locked: