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Old 12-06-2010, 10:06 AM   #1
hippoherder
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Angry Be careful when buying from Kobo

Please be careful when taking part in a sales promotion from Kobo. They sent me an email for a Cyber-Monday sale stating that I would earn a free ebook if I bought over $30 in ebooks. I could also earn discounts for spending less money. I have noticed that many of their other sales promotions are limited to a specific list of books and not their entire catalogue so I checked the sales promotion email several times looking for any restrictions. I followed the promotion link back to the Kobo website each time and looked for restrictions there as well. I did not see any restrictions to be placed on the free ebook so I spent the required $30.

When I received my email with the coupon for the free ebook it stated that I had to choose from a list of 180 ebooks, significantly less than their entire catalogue. I believe this was underhanded. Had they provided this list of books in the original promotion I could have checked to see if it included anything I wanted to read. As it is, I feel like they performed a bait and switch, promising a free ebook and then hitting me with restrictions once they had my money. I have emailed Kobo to complain about the promotion and the matter is still under consideration.

One of the primary reasons I buy from Kobo is that they offer apps for the ipad and for Android phones while Sony does not. As Sony is supposed to release these apps soon Kobo is about to lose the functionality advantage they hold. With all other factors being equal it will be hard for me to keep buying from a company that I feel hides restrictions and is not perfectly honest in its sales.

Be sure to check the fine print when buying from Kobo, provided that you can find the fine print, that is.
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Old 12-06-2010, 10:09 AM   #2
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Given that every sale they have is off a fixed list of books, why did you think the freebie would be different?

I was relatively happy with the free book listing. There were quite a few significant new releases in there. I snagged one I never would have bought at the current asking price. (Washington: A Life).
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Old 12-06-2010, 10:14 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EricLandes View Post
Given that every sale they have is off a fixed list of books, why did you think the freebie would be different?
Quote:
Originally Posted by hippoherder View Post
I have noticed that many of their other sales promotions are limited to a specific list of books and not their entire catalogue so I checked the sales promotion email several times looking for any restrictions. .... I did not see any restrictions to be placed on the free ebook
I don't blame you if you feel misled. I'd be upset too.

It's sorta like rebates; you scour over all the requirements and they end up invalidating it anyways.
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Old 12-06-2010, 10:24 AM   #4
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"It's always that way" doeseen't mean it isn't wrong. Not disclosing restrictions is ALWAYS wrong. And knowing it is usually that way, making an active and concerted effort to find restrictions, and still getting the shaft means Kobo wasn't doing enough to disclose the terms of the deal. This borders on (if it isn't outright) illegal.
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Old 12-06-2010, 11:11 AM   #5
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I agree it is confusing but on the other hand I have to say Kobo right now is the only store I know attempting to navigate all that "Agency Books Can't Be Discounted" crap and still offering the coupon codes on non-agency books.

It is extremely frustrating for the buyer I agree. This is exactly the reason they said last March that they would discontinue their discount codes and promotions because they knew it would anger buyers to click on a bunch of books only to be told "nope, that one won't work, nope not that one, nope ..... BINGO!"

Then they changed their mind and started up again and they seem to be experimenting with trying to find the best ways to communicate the restrictions to buyers.

Sometimes they don't do that well - but I give them kudos for at least trying.
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Old 12-06-2010, 11:32 AM   #6
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Even though Kobo sends out a link to a list of books, you are not limited to the list. At least that is my experience. I have used both the percent-off coupons and the recent free-book coupon on books that were not on the suggested list.

I could not use the coupons for Agency books--that restriction is set in stone--but all other books qualify. I used the recent free-book coupon on an expensive omnibus in their catalog.
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Old 12-06-2010, 09:38 PM   #7
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Hippoherder - Did you try the coupon on a book not on the list? As Catlady said, most of the time the coupons work outside the list. I would try that. You can see if the coupon is applied without clicking through to buy the book. Just make sure it is not one of the agency 5 or Smashwords books.

Last edited by NightBird; 12-06-2010 at 09:57 PM.
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Old 12-06-2010, 11:01 PM   #8
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I have to agree with Hippoherder ... the original e-mail and link do not mention a specific list would be provided or that some publisher's books would be excluded.

I also agree with Nightbird ... did you try a few books from different publishers to make sure this isn't an Agency 5 trap?

But finally, Hippoherder, have you voiced your concern in writing to Kobo e-mail customer service? I imagine you'll find a resolution and I'd be interested to know how that works out.
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Old 12-10-2010, 07:51 AM   #9
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I emailed Kobo a couple of days before I posted on MobileRead. My request is still being processed. I will post the result when I receive it. I will have to try and apply the code to another book. The main reason I did not try is that I was worried about accidentally buying the book before I applied the discount.

Thanks for the tip.
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Old 12-10-2010, 03:43 PM   #10
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I agree it is confusing but on the other hand I have to say Kobo right now is the only store I know attempting to navigate all that "Agency Books Can't Be Discounted" crap and still offering the coupon codes on non-agency books.

It is extremely frustrating for the buyer I agree. This is exactly the reason they said last March that they would discontinue their discount codes and promotions because they knew it would anger buyers to click on a bunch of books only to be told "nope, that one won't work, nope not that one, nope ..... BINGO!"

Then they changed their mind and started up again and they seem to be experimenting with trying to find the best ways to communicate the restrictions to buyers.

Sometimes they don't do that well - but I give them kudos for at least trying.
Books on Board offers "rewards" on non-agency titles as well
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Old 12-14-2010, 09:01 AM   #11
hippoherder
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I received a response from Kobo. They said that the list of books they provided was just a suggested list and that I could buy any books but those published by Hachette Book Group USA, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Macmillan, and all respective subsidiary imprints as stated in the discount code email. Kobo did not address the fact that the restrictions were not given until after I had made my purchases.

This was on their discount code email but what confused me was their instructions on how to redeem. They read:
Redeem your free eBook in 3 easy steps:
1. View eBooks from this list & click on
"Buy Now",

2. Sign in to your account
3. Type in discount code* – **** – & click submit

I though I could only use the list because of these instructions. I replied back that they should tell people in the promotion that there will be restrictions before they make a purchase and that they should clarify their redemption instructions, perhaps by saying the list provided is only a suggested list.

I'm still not very happy with Kobo and will probably be buying all future ebooks from Google and Sony. That's assuming that Sony gets their Ipad and Android apps up and running.
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Old 12-14-2010, 09:24 AM   #12
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The restrictions are on the coupon, in the fine print. I really don't see why Kobo should be criticized for offering a coupon discount, even if it has to place certain limits on it.
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Old 12-17-2010, 08:46 AM   #13
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The issue was not that the restrictions were on the coupon. The issue is that the original promotion required me to spend $30 to get the coupon without mentioning any restrictions. I believe that Kobo should have stated to its customers that there would be restrictions placed on the coupons before taking any money.
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Old 12-17-2010, 11:19 AM   #14
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So are you saying that in order to be ELIGIBLE for the coupon, you have to spend $30 on non-agency books? Buying agency books doesn't get you over the coupon threshold?

eP
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Old 12-17-2010, 01:17 PM   #15
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You could buy any books to get the coupon, but only non-Agency books are eligible for the resultant discount.
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