Kobo CS is horrible.

[voracious71]

I suppose I got spoiled by Amazon, and their excellent CS. I had bought a Kobo Wireless for downloading library books. It wasn't very user friendly IMHO and I found out about the Bluefire Reader for the iPad, so I returned the Kobo.

It had been used for all of a half hour and everything was pristine. I went through the song and dance routine with Kobo- got my "return number", packaged it up nicely and sent it back. Per Fed Ex, they received it 11/24. They had also said that they would provide me with a refund..I was well within the refund period.

Well, for the past week, it's been nothing but problems trying to get a straight answer from these clowns. it goes so far and then they go silent as to when this refund will be issued. Not good. they say that someone will email me back that same day and then a day goes by and I have to prod them again.

If they want to be serious competitors to the Kindle, they have got to improve this. I've already steered two friends away from the Kobo and a complete stranger at Borders two days ago. The hardware is ok, but timely and
knowledgeable CS counts for much.

I'll tell you, I've been lavishing care and praise on my Kindle because of this . That's what I get for cheating on my pal- I look at it as someone being married to a steadfast and topnotch spouse, and whose head gets turned by that cute little newcomer. Then you find out the newcomer is a floozy with no real substance and a rotten family..

I think the Kobo people are hoping I'll just forget about the $139..not freakin' likely..I have copies of all my paperwork, and the emails so I'm prepared to escalate this if need be. Just be careful when giving this company your money and think long and hard about your ereader purchases.

[KoboNo]

This is normal. When I contacted them for an issue, it took them 5 weeks to give me a solution. Their solution was that a solution will be 'coming soon' with a future update. It does seem they are overwhelmed with their own problems.

[pokee]

You'll find that some people say great things about Kobo's CS and other people have very negative comments. This is typical for any manufacturer - including Kindle (just read their boards). I think the difference is that the Kindle has less problems, therefore, less dealings with CS required. Having said that, I've dealt with Kobo CS a couple of times for some minor stuff and they've always been prompt and accomodating.

I think there is a problem with Kobo CS when RETURNING the Kobo. Technically, it's supposed to be unused when returned. Perhaps that's why you are experiencing the run-around? I never like returning things by shipping them. That's why I don't buy electronics online (unless I can return them at a local store).

Too bad you didn't like the Kobo for your library books! I have had ZERO problems with my Kobo and I can't keep up with the library books I have checked-out!

[voracious71]

I had spoken to them, explained the situation. The thing literally had about 20-30 minutes of use. It was sent back in a box that was perfect, with all the paperwork. Furthermore, the first person I spoke to told me that the refund was no problem.

And Amazon has Kobo beat regarding refund/returns also. I know someone whose Kindle 1 died( couple of years old). This person was given a $75 credit towards a new Kindle 3. They routinely replace defective Kindles promptly, and they give no hassles with refunds as long as you're within the 30 day window..goes for if it's open or used too.

I think the reason why Kobo is so ridiculous about refunds/ returns is because they know their product is inferior. They don't have the confidence to truly stand behind it.

[corona]

Originally Posted by voracious71

I think the reason why Kobo is so ridiculous about refunds/ returns is because they know their product is inferior. They don't have the confidence to truly stand behind it.

That wouldn't explain their in-store CS, which is awesome. They just hand you a new one, or a refund, after the most perfunctory inquiry.

[La Coccinelle]

I've had to e-mail them three times already. The first e-mail got no response. The second e-mail had a response that solved my problem. My most recent e-mail is still unanswered (though I got my answer through these forums).

When I've got time-sensitive material like galleys and library books on my messed-up Kobo, I can't be waiting weeks for a response!

[MikeLC]

I would suggest contacting Kobo via they're Help/Support Line and not via email for a much more timely solution to issues regarding Kobos.

You can reach Kobo at 1-866-204-4714 8am- 12am EST 7 days a week

In-store we deal with Kobo issues for defective kobos (people with frozen screen or issues with sync'ing via Kobo help support) and they're service is prompt and fast they answer almost immediately and try to fix the problem while on the phone.

[voracious71]

I'm giving them until tomorrow to get back to me, and then I will initiate a dispute with my CC/bank..thank God that's an option.

That's all I can do right now. Well, I can also spread the word about how much they suck, which I've been doing faithfully. I may just make a FB page over it..

[EDinNB]

I've had my Kobo since early July. In fact I ordered it on June 29 and it had the new firmware installed.. I was glad of that, but I have had zero issues with my Kobo that couldn't be fixed by following the FAQ. My unet frose once on boot up. a paper clip in the hole fixed that.
I wanted a bare bones eReader, i didn't/dont need wifi or 3G, I'm very capable of plugging a mini usb cable and getting my books through the desktop app or calibre.
If i had 1 issue it would be the boot up time after syncing it.

Personally I think they are excellent for what they are designed to do, and maybe some are expecting a Navigator when they bought a Ranger.

FYI My wife is getting her own for Christmas so I can get mine back...

EDinNB

[robko]

Originally Posted by MikeLC

I would suggest contacting Kobo via they're Help/Support Line and not via email for a much more timely solution to issues regarding Kobos.

You can reach Kobo at 1-866-204-4714 8am- 12am EST 7 days a week

In-store we deal with Kobo issues for defective kobos (people with frozen screen or issues with sync'ing via Kobo help support) and they're service is prompt and fast they answer almost immediately and try to fix the problem while on the phone.

As much as I love my Kobo, CS definitely sucks. Saying you should call for CS is a cop out -- if they aren't going to respond to support request e-mails then they shouldn't have that as a CS option. The 2 issues I have e-mailed on shouldn't have required me to spend any time on the phone (possibly waiting on hold??) as the first was straight forward and simple (wrong book downloaded after I bought, I bitched about it earlier) and the 2nd using e-mail allowed me to explain it better (had they actually read the e-mail the 1st time around rather than assuming what my problem was and answering a totally unrelated question -- took them 7 days after that to even acknowledge my actual issue and now at 30 days from 1st e-mail I still haven't had any meaningful response).

I am beginning to fear for Kobo's long term future due to poor service. They were amazingly responsive to make changes based on customer feedback in the 1st firmware update for the original, but they seem to have been overwhelmed by the success of Kobo. The "new company" excuse is starting to get a little old.

Robert

BTW - the book that downloads the wrong book (Lonely Planet Ireland 9) is still in the Kobo bookstore 2 weeks after they acknowledged it's wrong and refunded me, so pity the next person that buys it.

[zoran]

Second thread on the same subject. The point is that none on
this forum cannot help. We all feel sorry, be assured.
Original poster did not mentioned where he lived. Emails at the
spot where I live are not smart way to manage. Personal touch.
Phone call with "when I could come to you and whom to ask for?"
Aside this, forum is not very populated, but there is a number of
very happy users.

[Pookeysgirl]

Originally Posted by voracious71

I'm giving them until tomorrow to get back to me, and then I will initiate a dispute with my CC/bank..thank God that's an option.

That's all I can do right now. Well, I can also spread the word about how much they suck, which I've been doing faithfully. I may just make a FB page over it..

It's not all you can do. If you're really that worried about it, then you would call.

There have been quite a few problems with the Kobo, I personally have a few gripes of my own, but really, what's the problem with calling? Afraid they'll actually help you so you can't make anymore complaints about them? When somebody doesn't respond to my e-mails, I pick up the phone.

[Psyke]

Originally Posted by robko

BTW - the book that downloads the wrong book (Lonely Planet Ireland 9) is still in the Kobo bookstore 2 weeks after they acknowledged it's wrong and refunded me, so pity the next person that buys it.

The books actually do get updated on a pretty regular basis, and probably quicker once a problem has been reported. I know I've gotten a couple of updates on books I've purchased that corrected issues such as minor spelling mistakes, graphic additions and syntax errors.

[erictoma]

Originally Posted by voracious71

I suppose I got spoiled by Amazon, and their excellent CS. I had bought a Kobo Wireless for downloading library books. It wasn't very user friendly IMHO and I found out about the Bluefire Reader for the iPad, so I returned the Kobo.

It had been used for all of a half hour and everything was pristine. I went through the song and dance routine with Kobo- got my "return number", packaged it up nicely and sent it back. Per Fed Ex, they received it 11/24. They had also said that they would provide me with a refund..I was well within the refund period.

Well, for the past week, it's been nothing but problems trying to get a straight answer from these clowns. it goes so far and then they go silent as to when this refund will be issued. Not good. they say that someone will email me back that same day and then a day goes by and I have to prod them again.

If they want to be serious competitors to the Kindle, they have got to improve this. I've already steered two friends away from the Kobo and a complete stranger at Borders two days ago. The hardware is ok, but timely and
knowledgeable CS counts for much.

I'll tell you, I've been lavishing care and praise on my Kindle because of this . That's what I get for cheating on my pal- I look at it as someone being married to a steadfast and topnotch spouse, and whose head gets turned by that cute little newcomer. Then you find out the newcomer is a floozy with no real substance and a rotten family..

I think the Kobo people are hoping I'll just forget about the $139..not freakin' likely..I have copies of all my paperwork, and the emails so I'm prepared to escalate this if need be. Just be careful when giving this company your money and think long and hard about your ereader purchases.

Where do you live ? Canada or USA??

What was your real problem with Kobo ? was is the gadget or the customer service ?

[Pookeysgirl]

Originally Posted by erictoma

Where do you live ? Canada or USA??

What was your real problem with Kobo ? was is the gadget or the customer service ?

Looks like he/she returned it because they found a device that better fit their needs. The problem is that Kobo CS hasn't given the refund as of yet.