Free SF/Fantasy January 2012 WebScription Gift Thread

[SilverBear]

OK.
I now hold the e-coupon, courtesy of Papi47.
Michelle2011 ought to be ahead of me, but she hasn't been around. If she PM's me, I'll put in her email address when I check out at Baen.

In case she doesn't reply with 24 hours, why don't you PM me with your email, Mostly Math. That way we can keep the train on the tracks.

[SilverBear]

Well. . .
I got the "You've received a Free Baen Ebooks Gift Certificate!" in my email yesterday from Papi47, and today Sarah Mostly Math PM'd me with her email. So I went into action.

I followed the link in the email and created a new customer account so I could check out. But when I plugged in the Claim Code from the email, the Baen checkout gave me the message:
THAT COUPON HAS ALREADY BEEN USED BY SOMEONE, AND CANNOT BE RE-USED (nnnnnnnnn-nnnnnn-nnnnn-nnnnnn)
(I'm not copying the actual number here in my post. But it's the one from the Gift Certif. email.)

Does anyone who understands this system know what to do now?

[gbm]

Originally Posted by SilverBear

Well. . .
I got the "You've received a Free Baen Ebooks Gift Certificate!" in my email yesterday from Papi47, and today Sarah Mostly Math PM'd me with her email. So I went into action.

I followed the link in the email and created a new customer account so I could check out. But when I plugged in the Claim Code from the email, the Baen checkout gave me the message:
THAT COUPON HAS ALREADY BEEN USED BY SOMEONE, AND CANNOT BE RE-USED (nnnnnnnnn-nnnnnn-nnnnn-nnnnnn)
(I'm not copying the actual number here in my post. But it's the one from the Gift Certif. email.)

Does anyone who understands this system know what to do now?

Contact Baen at:
baensupport@principledtechnologies.com
they will help you out.
bernie

[SilverBear]

Thanks, Bernie!
I emailed them with the details of the problem, as you suggest.
I'll post back when I hear from them.

[SilverBear]

OK!
We are back on track!
Here is the friendly & courteous email I got back the same day:
--------- quote-------------
Hi John,

Thanks for your interest in Baen Books! The coupon code you forwarded is a single-use coupon and can only be used by the person whose email address is typed in when the coupon is generated. I looked up the coupon and the coupon's original recipient was "Tom," who already redeemed the coupon.

However, I realize this information may not have been made clear. As such, I've created a coupon for you to purchase a free Monthly Baen Bundle of your choice from our Web site, BaenEbooks.com. This one-time use coupon can be used on any Monthly Baen Bundle or any Baen Ebooks purchase totaling $18 or more. Just use the below code in the "Coupon or Gift Card" field in your Shopping Cart prior to clicking "Checkout Now". This coupon can only be used on your account.

Coupon Code: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Discount Amount: $18.00
Expires: 01/27/2013

Please let me know if there are any issues using this coupon or if I can be of any further assistance.

Regards,
Jenny Cunningham
Baen Ebooks Web Team
---------- end quote --------------

I am winding down for the evening (translation: getting tired and apt to make mistakes) so I will wait until the morning to go back to Baen and do the transaction.

This is not the first time this chain has broken a link. IF this is successful and Sarah is able to do hers, too, I'll post with a step-by-step "how-to" process so folks may not get as confused as has happened so far.

For tonight: Thanks to Baen eBooks and Jenny Cunningham!

[SilverBear]

Trouble in Paradise, again.
Things seemed to be going well up to the point when I entered an email for Sarah Mostly Math. Sarah, it says you are already a Baen customer registered under that email address.

The free gift certificate can ONLY go to someone who is not already a Baen customer --or at least to an email address that isn't in their database.

If you are a registered Baen customer already [i wasn't] I guess you have to come up with an alternate email. How to fudge the rest of the details of the new customer account you'll need to set up, I'm not sure.

Anyway --I'm frozen at the checkout with no email address to which to send a gift certificate.

First person to PM to me with a valid, non-Baen-registered email address gets the certificate!

[SilverBear]

Here is the first relevant screen of the Baen checkout. Your Bundle is in your cart. You need to put your Coupon Code in the text entry field at the bottom that I have masked in bright blue. See attached screen-shot



PRIOR to entering the Code and clicking "Update Cart" the Subtotal was $18.00. After entering the Code and clicking "Update Cart" the Subtotal Including Discounts is $0.00.

IF your Coupon Code is invalid this is the stage when those "Red Letters of Rejection" will appear, and your subtotal will remain $18.00.


ONWARD to the next screen!

[SilverBear]

The next screen confirms the success of the last operation. Again, I've "blued out" the actual coupon code.



NOW, the NEXT screen is where pitfalls again may lie awaiting. . .

[SilverBear]

This screenshot was taken after I filled in the email and typed a supposedly humourous gift message to some nice person whom I have never actually met. I'm rarely as entertaining as I think I am. Her email address is blued out, of course, for this post.

But trying to "Place Order" got me the error message you can see.



Thus ends this tutorial on How to keep a Baen Gift Certificate chain running.

[Mostly Math]

My bad, sorry. I guess I already have an account with them. On a positive note, the dog is fine.

S

[SilverBear]

Originally Posted by Mostly Math

My bad, sorry. I guess I already have an account with them. On a positive note, the dog is fine.

S

[SilverBear]

To summarize where this thread is currently stalled:

YOU can get, ABSOLUTELY FREE of cost, the bundle of ebooks offered as the January selection from Baen eBooks!

Grantville Gazette Volume VI by Eric Flint
Cobra Gamble: Cobra War Book III by Timothy Zahn
Sixth Column by Robert A. Heinlein
Voyage Across the Stars by David Drake
Invasion: Book One of the Secret World Chronicle by Mercedes Lackey, Steve Libby, Cody Martin, and Dennis Lee
Back to the Moon by Travis S. Taylor and Les Johnson
Golden Reflections by Fred Saberhagan

If you know anything about the scifi genre, you will no doubt notice that this selection in no way resembles a list of crap by unknown authors!

The Rules:
1] The free gift certificate can ONLY go to someone who is not already a Baen customer --or at least to an email address that isn't in their database.

2] If you are a registered Baen customer already [i wasn't] I guess you have to come up with an alternate email. How to fudge the rest of the details of the new customer account you'll need to set up, I'm not sure.

3] Please review the first post in this thread, and my 3 Tutorial posts on how it works. If you understand the deal, please continue.

4] I'm currently shuffling my hind paws, frozen at the checkout, with no email address to which to send a gift certificate. I don't want to just grab the freebies and end the chain without passing it on!

4] SO The first person to PM to me with a valid, non-Baen-registered email address gets the certificate!

5] Please review the 3 tutorial posts so that the Goodness can continue, and so that we don't have to once again bug the most excellent people at Baen eBooks to bail us out of a the jail of SNAFU once again.

Christmas in January!
--Jolly ol' SilverBear
__________________

[koland]

If Sarah simply sends you a new email, you can send her the code. she actually can use it with an existing account (rather than have to set up a new one); although the offer is made to attract "new" customers, they also want to get people hooked on the bundles (who have accounts, but don't buy any books, currently).

[Ginwen]

I'd like this bundle. I PMed SilverBear but can pm Sarah instead assuming she wants to use a different email. I have an account, but not with that email, so from what I read here should be ok.

[SilverBear]

Transaction completed!

The new Gift Certificate is on it's way to Ginwen.
Whomever wants to be next in line, PM Ginwen with the email address you want Baen to use.
-------------------------------------------------

For general information. After the order goes through, you get email confirmation from Baen, and another email from them with the download links and instructions.