If you have used Audible services....

[Tarana]

I never lost any credits, but for awhile there, it was tough keeping up to prevent losing any due to rollover. Twice I had them reinstate a lost rollover credit. Family trauma does that to you. You just can't keep up sometimes. Currently have the 12 credit plan - I never assumed I could rollover the credits at the end of the year, but apparently, since I bought before April 1, I can roll over an extra year if need be. Probably won't happen though.

[Catlady]

Audible's continued the worst aspect of its policy: canceling existing credits if you cancel your membership. That's really unfair--they're taking away something you've paid for and forcing you to choose between losing the money you've spent, or spending even more. How is that right?

Yes, it's part of the one-sided, nonnegotiable agreement you accept when you join, but it's still not fair to the consumer.

Downpour has a policy of expiring a credit one year after purchase, regardless of your membership status. I have credits there now even though I canceled my membership. Audible ought to do the same thing, and it's a shame that this settlement apparently doesn't include that.

[HarryT]

It doesn't strike me as particularly unfair. Use your credits before you leave. Audible's catalogue is sufficiently large that I'm sure most people can find something that interests them.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It doesn't strike me as particularly unfair. Use your credits before you leave. Audible's catalogue is sufficiently large that I'm sure most people can find something that interests them.

It's inherently unfair to deprive people of something they've already paid for.

[DiapDealer]

I'm not quite following why anyone would choose to cancel their membership when they have unused credits in the first place.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by Catlady

It's inherently unfair to deprive people of something they've already paid for.

You aren't being deprived. You are choosing not to use the credits. That is a choice YOU make. They just tell you before you cancel that you can't get them back so that you are fully aware of the results of your choice.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Tarana

You aren't being deprived. You are choosing not to use the credits. That is a choice YOU make. They just tell you before you cancel that you can't get them back so that you are fully aware of the results of your choice.

Exactly.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I'm not quite following why anyone would choose to cancel their membership when they have unused credits in the first place.

Because you have to keep buying credits to keep your membership active. There are ways to slow down the accumulation, but it's still not unusual for them to keep coming in faster than you use them.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Tarana

You aren't being deprived. You are choosing not to use the credits. That is a choice YOU make. They just tell you before you cancel that you can't get them back so that you are fully aware of the results of your choice.

Obviously, if I've accumulated unused credits, I'm having trouble finding books I want to buy. The choice they give me is to continue spending money on new credits, or lose my investment. Or, yes, I can use up the credits I accumulated on books I don't want.

Audible does it because they assume I will choose one of the first two options, both of which benefit them, not me. The third option is a wash; it benefits neither them nor me. Where's the choice that will benefit me, the consumer?

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by issybird

Because you have to keep buying credits to keep your membership active. There are ways to slow down the accumulation, but it's still not unusual for them to keep coming in faster than you use them.

I guess I'm not familiar enough with the service. I'm seeing 1 or 2 credits per month depending on the membership plan. Which doesn't seem to me would cause much hardship keeping up. Under what conditions would they issue a member more credits (than those included with the membership fee), and when must they use them by to keep their account active? Can't they simply change their plan to the 1 credit per month plan if they can't keep up? Didn't I also see something about placing an account on hold once per year (for up to 3 months)?

Help me to understand the runaway credit situation.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I guess I'm not familiar enough with the service. I'm seeing 1 or 2 credits per month depending on the membership plan. Which doesn't seem to me would cause much hardship keeping up. Under what conditions would they issue a member more credits (than those included with the membership fee), and when must they use them by to keep their account active? Can't they simply change their plan to the 1 credit per month plan if they can't keep up? Didn't I also see something about placing an account on hold once per year (for up to 3 months)?

Help me to understand the runaway credit situation.

You're overthinking this! Even with a one credit per month membership, you might be getting credits faster than you use them. You can suspend your membership once a year. People still accumulate a backlog of credits and have no choice except to keep buying new credits in order not to lose the old ones.

[KyBunnies]

Originally Posted by issybird

You're overthinking this! Even with a one credit per month membership, you might be getting credits faster than you use them. You can suspend your membership once a year. People still accumulate a backlog of credits and have no choice except to keep buying new credits in order not to lose the old ones.

That is one of the main reasons I do not have a membership (if you do not count the cost). I had rather wait a few months for the audiobook to be released in a library. So much cheaper.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by issybird

You're overthinking this! Even with a one credit per month membership, you might be getting credits faster than you use them. You can suspend your membership once a year. People still accumulate a backlog of credits and have no choice except to keep buying new credits in order not to lose the old ones.

Sorry. I guess I still don't get it. I figure if you can't manage to use 1 credit per month, then you clearly didn't need an audible membership in the first place.

I feel for those who may have let their credit situation get the best of them, but throwing good money after bad isn't the answer. Get out before you (rhetorical) go under.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It doesn't strike me as particularly unfair. Use your credits before you leave. Audible's catalogue is sufficiently large that I'm sure most people can find something that interests them.

That's what I did when I cancelled my account.

[sun surfer]

I received the OP letter in an email last week.

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I guess I'm not familiar enough with the service. I'm seeing 1 or 2 credits per month depending on the membership plan. Which doesn't seem to me would cause much hardship keeping up. Under what conditions would they issue a member more credits (than those included with the membership fee), and when must they use them by to keep their account active? Can't they simply change their plan to the 1 credit per month plan if they can't keep up? Didn't I also see something about placing an account on hold once per year (for up to 3 months)?

Help me to understand the runaway credit situation.

I can help. I subscribed to their yearly ultra/platinum plan. I don't remember exactly what they called it but it was the largest plan they had. I spent a few hundred and got a lump sum of I think it was 24 credits at once to use. If you're going to listen to a lot of audiobooks, it's the best plan because it is the cheapest cost-per-audiobook plan. The plan recurs yearly, so they will charge a few hundred more the next year too if you're still active and give you the same amount of credits again.

The first year I actually used the credits up before a year was over. I talked to them and it was easy; they simply start your next year early and so give a new yearly date. So, for instance, if before I'd subscribed on the 1st of January 2019 my next charge would've been the next 1st of January 2020, but if I re-up early on the 1st of October 2019 then the next date I'll be charged again will change to the 1st of October 2020.

The second year I did not use my credits up within one year and didn't want to be charged for another year but wanted to keep the credits I still had, so I talked to them again. They cancelled my membership and put me on a special membership (I don't think it's advertised) to keep my credits active. It was either $10 or $15 and is basically no membership but with active credits. I was happy, because even with the extra cost factored in I still had a lower cost-per-audiobook than any other plan I think.