Kudos to Kobo

m0_joe · 07-03-2010, 01:15 AM

Ok so I am currently waiting for my 4th Kobo replacement.

The first one I replaced after having for a day. The image was ghosting badly and I had a blank line running vertically.

I then got a black one. After having Chapters exchange it for me. It worked great for about a month. I woke up a week ago and had about an inch think line running vertically. After contacting Kobo they said they would send me a box and shipping info to ship it back to them. I decided to see if Chapters would replace it anyways. Which they did. Unfortunately they only had white ones (I really liked my black one). I did the exchange anyways. So having my new white one for a day (no it didn't have the new firmware yet), I found out the the books section kept freezing on me and no lines above and below the letters at the top.

So I contacted Kobo and told them that I will be sending my new white one in and I want a black one in return. I am waiting for the replacement now.

I bought 2 others on the same day I bought my original one, they both work fine.

My point is, I still love my Kobo. Despite the bugs and everything I think Kobo is doing a fantastic job through all this. I have not had any problems in replacing my device. I always expect a "discussion" to take place when I exchange my device, but none occur.

I don't remember the last time a company put out a firmware so quickly to fix issues with their device. Issues that are more annoyances than actual real operating issues. Despite poor battery performance and font rescaling most devices have worked as they should, as an ereader.

So I just want to say, as a Kobo customer, Kudos to you Kobo! I have had some 'bad' experiences with my Kobos. But, thanks to your customer service and support, my experience has been enjoyable! Of course I have to admit I don't think I have read so many books in such a short time in my life!

(ps - I can't buy books from Kobo yet cause I don't have a credit card so you gotta get the chapters gift certificates working for you site soon, then I can support your company that much more!)

m0_joe · 07-07-2010, 12:33 AM

I take it back Kobo. You were supposed to send me a Black replacement. I confirmed that with customer service. Guess what I got a white one. Well, it will probably break again so I'll get a black one then.

clintbradford · 07-07-2010, 01:01 AM

If they were out of black units - would you have accepted a delayed delivery date for one? I am not making excuses for them ... But you sure have had some "imtimate" dealings with them!

Turt99 · 07-07-2010, 08:09 AM

Weirdest post ever.

You have had 3 messed up Kobo's and state that you believe the one you have will break so you'll just get the colour you want then. Yet you still think its a good product?

You give them Kudos for releasing a firmware 2 months after release as if that is a good thing. Microsoft and Sony Playstation are 2 examples I can think of that had a patch ready to be installed on release day.

I like the Kobo, I just find your reasoning odd.

HamsterRage · 07-07-2010, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turt99

Weirdest post ever.

You have had 3 messed up Kobo's and state that you believe the one you have will break so you'll just get the colour you want then. Yet you still think its a good product?

You give them Kudos for releasing a firmware 2 months after release as if that is a good thing. Microsoft and Sony Playstation are 2 examples I can think of that had a patch ready to be installed on release day.

I like the Kobo, I just find your reasoning odd.

Not even a little bit odd. The customer's experience when they contact the company is statistically way, way, way more important than the quality of the product itself. The fact that Turt99 felt valued, and was treated promptly with courtesy and respect will go a long way towards making them happy.

There's lots of companies that make stellar, top-notch products that many people won't go anywhere near because the minute that you do need to contact the company you know it's going to be an agonizing, frustrating experience in poor service.

Mememememe · 07-07-2010, 10:42 AM

"Great customer service" is just superficial gloss if the product is faulty. If someone produces a pile of crap, no amount of sweet-talking customer service is going to change it from crap to good, or even adequate.

And if a product is working properly, you shouldn't have need for customer service, anyway.

THAT SAID ...

If someone is on their third or fourth Kobo reader (I lost count), that would be extraordinarily bad luck. Certainly there are problems with faulty readers -- and I myself had to return a unit, and had serious troubles with the replacement (I ended up having to remove the sqlite file).

But that many problem readers? I have to wonder if perhaps the postal carrier was smacking boxes around (since two of the problems sound like they could actually be hardware damage). Or maybe the computer they're being hooked up to is somehow transmitting a virus. I'm not a techie, so I have no idea ... but I'm just stunned to hear one person having all those problems.

By the way ... OP, at the end of your post you mention that you don't have a credit card. I'm not sure if this is because you have bad credit, or simply don't like credit cards, but the advice I give to people is to get a prepaid credit card. I have one from BMO, and I use it more than my regular credit card. You just load it up with money -- whatever amount of money you want -- and use it as you would a credit card. No fees, no interest ... and more importantly, no debt, and no guilt over your spending. I use this for ebook and iTunes purchases so that I don't find my bills creeping up. Actually, I only use a regular credit card for places that won't accept prepaid (car rental agencies, for example).

Pookeysgirl · 07-07-2010, 11:03 AM

By the way ... OP, at the end of your post you mention that you don't have a credit card. I'm not sure if this is because you have bad credit, or simply don't like credit cards, but the advice I give to people is to get a prepaid credit card. I have one from BMO, and I use it more than my regular credit card. You just load it up with money -- whatever amount of money you want -- and use it as you would a credit card. No fees, no interest ... and more importantly, no debt, and no guilt over your spending. I use this for ebook and iTunes purchases so that I don't find my bills creeping up. Actually, I only use a regular credit card for places that won't accept prepaid (car rental agencies, for example).[/QUOTE]

I have the same card. It's great.

Turt99 · 07-07-2010, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mememememe

"Great customer service" is just superficial gloss if the product is faulty. If someone produces a pile of crap, no amount of sweet-talking customer service is going to change it from crap to good, or even adequate.

And if a product is working properly, you shouldn't have need for customer service, anyway.

Exactly my point. Good or Great Customer Service doesn't make a product better. Actually I would prefer to never know if a products Customer Service was good or not.

luqmaninbmore · 07-07-2010, 11:35 AM

We don't live in a perfect world. Something will always go wrong, eventually. And when it does, Customer Service does count. There are all kinds of defects that can creep into a complicated electronic device. There all sorts of things that can go wrong in a web service. I've had to deal with Sony CS (Good Experience), Pocketbook CS (Amazing experience), Fictionwise CS, Diesel Ebook CS and out of all of them Kobo is number two, right behind Pocketbook.

Turt99 · 07-07-2010, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luqmaninbmore

We don't live in a perfect world. Something will always go wrong, eventually. And when it does, Customer Service does count.

Valid point, but giving Kudos to a product that your "waiting on your 4th replacement" after 2 1/2 months of it being released doesn't make sense.

juiceless · 07-07-2010, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HamsterRage

Not even a little bit odd. The customer's experience when they contact the company is statistically way, way, way more important than the quality of the product itself.

Statistically? Really? Let's see them stats...

HamsterRage · 07-07-2010, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juiceless

Statistically? Really? Let's see them stats...

Sorry, bad choice of words. Originally, I was going to say something like "always", but realized that there would always be some kind of people that are tightly focused on the product itself - so clearly that wouldn't be right.

Having had some time to reflect, I'd revise what I posted along these lines, "When customers have the need to seek out customer service to resolve some matter, the way that they are treated by the company, and the company's approach to delivering service, generally has a greater impact on customer satisfaction than the actual material facts comprising the service issue itself."

So for sure, the vast majority of customers buy a product and use it happily and never have any need to contact the manufacturer or retailer or whatever, so the customer service side of things plays absolutely zero in their satisfaction with the product.

But when there is a problem...then the experience is virtually everything. I've seen this from both sides of the situation lots of times - as a customer, or hearing people talk about their own experiences as customers and from dealing with people as the service provider. But sorry, I don't know of any studies on this - but there must be some.

Personally, I think getting three faulty replacement units in a row would start taint the service experience for me, "Sure, they were nice about it, but they never took the time to make sure that the replacement actually worked...". But I'm not at all surprised that someone could still walk away happy from the experience.

m0_joe · 07-08-2010, 01:01 AM

It is kind of a weird post. It was late at night and I had no Kobo to read. I guess my whole point is that, in my experience, Kobo and it's retailers (in this case Chapters) has done a fantastic job in standing by their product and customers.

As stated my Kobo is one of 3 bought on the same day at the same store. Mine was the only one that is messed up (no it's not a virus, they all got hooked to the same computer and no to all the other theories as well).

I don't expect things to be perfect on a brand new product (look at the new iphone), what I expect is that the company offering the products stand by and fix the mistakes made.

When things go wrong on something I purchased, I don't want to hear excuses or reasons why something isn't working. I just want the issue resolved. Granted I probably wouldn't have gone this far if I didn't love the product so much.

My point and kudos about the firmware update is this. Most other products I have seen that update firmware quickly (ie Mircosoft and possibly sony) do so to fix security flaws or major product flaws. Kobos firmware was mainly to fix annoying things their customers didn't like about the product. (The power issue was a bit of problem admittedly, but surprisingly it wasn't a widespread issue with all devices. Well at least not any of the ones I bought).

Yes clintbradford I am sure the reason I got a white one was because it may be out of stock. Admittedly I probably wouldn't have waited for a black one.

and Pookeysgirl I will look into that. I have gotten those prepaid CC as gifts and found stupid service charges. But I haven't gone directly to a bank yet to see what they offer. Thanks!

nursedude · 07-08-2010, 07:26 AM

can make a bad experience with a product/service a lot better. Likewise, poor customer service take a good product/service and spoil the experience of using/owning it.

Example: Before migrating to HD cable I owned a TiVo PVR. A great product and service made even better by wonderful customer service. When I called to cancel my subscription with them I was talking to a lady in the southern US who was so nice that I felt bad giving up the service. I compare that to my cable co and when I have problems with them I dread calling their support lines as it's usually a horrendous experience.

Kobo customer service and their posters here like Sameer and Michael go a long way to providing most of us with answers to questions. Just my $0.02.

Pookeysgirl · 07-08-2010, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m0_joe

and Pookeysgirl I will look into that. I have gotten those prepaid CC as gifts and found stupid service charges. But I haven't gone directly to a bank yet to see what they offer. Thanks!

You can go online and apply, it takes about 7 business days to arrive. They charge $9.95 after a month. You have to go into the bank to activate it, which was a pain if you don't bank with BMO. I got it just to be able to buy books from KOBO.

07-03-2010, 01:15 AM	#1
m0_joe Member Posts: 17 Karma: 14 Join Date: May 2010 Device: kobo	Kudos to Kobo Ok so I am currently waiting for my 4th Kobo replacement. The first one I replaced after having for a day. The image was ghosting badly and I had a blank line running vertically. I then got a black one. After having Chapters exchange it for me. It worked great for about a month. I woke up a week ago and had about an inch think line running vertically. After contacting Kobo they said they would send me a box and shipping info to ship it back to them. I decided to see if Chapters would replace it anyways. Which they did. Unfortunately they only had white ones (I really liked my black one). I did the exchange anyways. So having my new white one for a day (no it didn't have the new firmware yet), I found out the the books section kept freezing on me and no lines above and below the letters at the top. So I contacted Kobo and told them that I will be sending my new white one in and I want a black one in return. I am waiting for the replacement now. I bought 2 others on the same day I bought my original one, they both work fine. My point is, I still love my Kobo. Despite the bugs and everything I think Kobo is doing a fantastic job through all this. I have not had any problems in replacing my device. I always expect a "discussion" to take place when I exchange my device, but none occur. I don't remember the last time a company put out a firmware so quickly to fix issues with their device. Issues that are more annoyances than actual real operating issues. Despite poor battery performance and font rescaling most devices have worked as they should, as an ereader. So I just want to say, as a Kobo customer, Kudos to you Kobo! I have had some 'bad' experiences with my Kobos. But, thanks to your customer service and support, my experience has been enjoyable! Of course I have to admit I don't think I have read so many books in such a short time in my life! (ps - I can't buy books from Kobo yet cause I don't have a credit card so you gotta get the chapters gift certificates working for you site soon, then I can support your company that much more!)

07-08-2010, 07:26 AM	#14
nursedude Zealot Posts: 131 Karma: 17102 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo (Original), KT, iPad 1, iPhone 4S, iPad 3rd gen	Good customer service can make a bad experience with a product/service a lot better. Likewise, poor customer service take a good product/service and spoil the experience of using/owning it. Example: Before migrating to HD cable I owned a TiVo PVR. A great product and service made even better by wonderful customer service. When I called to cancel my subscription with them I was talking to a lady in the southern US who was so nice that I felt bad giving up the service. I compare that to my cable co and when I have problems with them I dread calling their support lines as it's usually a horrendous experience. Kobo customer service and their posters here like Sameer and Michael go a long way to providing most of us with answers to questions. Just my $0.02.

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07-07-2010, 12:33 AM	#2
m0_joe Member Posts: 17 Karma: 14 Join Date: May 2010 Device: kobo	I take it back Kobo. You were supposed to send me a Black replacement. I confirmed that with customer service. Guess what I got a white one. Well, it will probably break again so I'll get a black one then.

07-07-2010, 01:01 AM	#3
clintbradford Older ... slower ... Posts: 450 Karma: 1924 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Jurupa Valley CA US Device: Kobo, Kindles 2/3/Keyboard/Fire/Fire HD, HDX.	If they were out of black units - would you have accepted a delayed delivery date for one? I am not making excuses for them ... But you sure have had some "imtimate" dealings with them!

07-07-2010, 08:09 AM	#4
Turt99 Connoisseur Posts: 92 Karma: 14 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Weirdest post ever. You have had 3 messed up Kobo's and state that you believe the one you have will break so you'll just get the colour you want then. Yet you still think its a good product? You give them Kudos for releasing a firmware 2 months after release as if that is a good thing. Microsoft and Sony Playstation are 2 examples I can think of that had a patch ready to be installed on release day. I like the Kobo, I just find your reasoning odd.

07-07-2010, 10:42 AM	#6
Mememememe Connoisseur Posts: 98 Karma: 7542 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Kobo	"Great customer service" is just superficial gloss if the product is faulty. If someone produces a pile of crap, no amount of sweet-talking customer service is going to change it from crap to good, or even adequate. And if a product is working properly, you shouldn't have need for customer service, anyway. THAT SAID ... If someone is on their third or fourth Kobo reader (I lost count), that would be extraordinarily bad luck. Certainly there are problems with faulty readers -- and I myself had to return a unit, and had serious troubles with the replacement (I ended up having to remove the sqlite file). But that many problem readers? I have to wonder if perhaps the postal carrier was smacking boxes around (since two of the problems sound like they could actually be hardware damage). Or maybe the computer they're being hooked up to is somehow transmitting a virus. I'm not a techie, so I have no idea ... but I'm just stunned to hear one person having all those problems. By the way ... OP, at the end of your post you mention that you don't have a credit card. I'm not sure if this is because you have bad credit, or simply don't like credit cards, but the advice I give to people is to get a prepaid credit card. I have one from BMO, and I use it more than my regular credit card. You just load it up with money -- whatever amount of money you want -- and use it as you would a credit card. No fees, no interest ... and more importantly, no debt, and no guilt over your spending. I use this for ebook and iTunes purchases so that I don't find my bills creeping up. Actually, I only use a regular credit card for places that won't accept prepaid (car rental agencies, for example).

07-07-2010, 11:03 AM	#7
Pookeysgirl Wizard Posts: 1,705 Karma: 12696746 Join Date: May 2010 Device: K3, Kobo Mini	By the way ... OP, at the end of your post you mention that you don't have a credit card. I'm not sure if this is because you have bad credit, or simply don't like credit cards, but the advice I give to people is to get a prepaid credit card. I have one from BMO, and I use it more than my regular credit card. You just load it up with money -- whatever amount of money you want -- and use it as you would a credit card. No fees, no interest ... and more importantly, no debt, and no guilt over your spending. I use this for ebook and iTunes purchases so that I don't find my bills creeping up. Actually, I only use a regular credit card for places that won't accept prepaid (car rental agencies, for example).[/QUOTE] I have the same card. It's great.

07-07-2010, 11:35 AM	#9
luqmaninbmore Da'i Posts: 1,144 Karma: 1217499 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Baltimore Device: Toshiba Thrive, Kobo Touch, Kindle 1, Aluratek Libre, T-Mobile Comet	We don't live in a perfect world. Something will always go wrong, eventually. And when it does, Customer Service does count. There are all kinds of defects that can creep into a complicated electronic device. There all sorts of things that can go wrong in a web service. I've had to deal with Sony CS (Good Experience), Pocketbook CS (Amazing experience), Fictionwise CS, Diesel Ebook CS and out of all of them Kobo is number two, right behind Pocketbook.

07-08-2010, 01:01 AM	#13
m0_joe Member Posts: 17 Karma: 14 Join Date: May 2010 Device: kobo	It is kind of a weird post. It was late at night and I had no Kobo to read. I guess my whole point is that, in my experience, Kobo and it's retailers (in this case Chapters) has done a fantastic job in standing by their product and customers. As stated my Kobo is one of 3 bought on the same day at the same store. Mine was the only one that is messed up (no it's not a virus, they all got hooked to the same computer and no to all the other theories as well). I don't expect things to be perfect on a brand new product (look at the new iphone), what I expect is that the company offering the products stand by and fix the mistakes made. When things go wrong on something I purchased, I don't want to hear excuses or reasons why something isn't working. I just want the issue resolved. Granted I probably wouldn't have gone this far if I didn't love the product so much. My point and kudos about the firmware update is this. Most other products I have seen that update firmware quickly (ie Mircosoft and possibly sony) do so to fix security flaws or major product flaws. Kobos firmware was mainly to fix annoying things their customers didn't like about the product. (The power issue was a bit of problem admittedly, but surprisingly it wasn't a widespread issue with all devices. Well at least not any of the ones I bought). Yes clintbradford I am sure the reason I got a white one was because it may be out of stock. Admittedly I probably wouldn't have waited for a black one. and Pookeysgirl I will look into that. I have gotten those prepaid CC as gifts and found stupid service charges. But I haven't gone directly to a bank yet to see what they offer. Thanks!

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