[Elfwreck]

Oh please, in order to get ebooks you have to have a pc, it's just common sense that if this is your first time buying an ebook, you will click on the link as to how the whole proccess works, and every store that sells ebooks has those links.

(almost) Every store that sells ebooks has a "download ebook reading software" link. Only the DRM-infected ones hide what devices & operating systems they work on, implying that *whatever* system you have, it'll work for you.

"Dug for the system requirements and noticed that the eReader Guide (which, as noted above, lies) only notes the OS needed -- OS 8.6 with CarbonLib or OS X version 10.1 or later, 10.5 recommended; I am running 10.5.8 -- the hidden Requirements tab on the website specifies 10.5 or later and PowerPC Macs not supported."

"In one case, the library software allowed me to purchase books without having first "logged in". The concept of logging in is strange because the software greeted me with a welcome using my first name and didn't object when I purchased 5 books. The act of loading them onto the device caused the account to be locked out and my mom was left stranded in the hospital with no reading material!"

"I sent Sony Support another email, saying the program still wouldn’t work, and thanks, but I wouldn’t be using it anymore. They wrote back saying I should call in. I didn’t; it seemed like an awful lot of trouble just to be allowed to pay them more money for their books."

"because I am using Android, I can only access MP3 audio books on my device, which GREATLY reduces my selection. WAV audio books (the bulk of our collection), music, and video are completely off the table unfortunately and I cannot access them. Worse yet, I cannot access any of the text eBooks. No PDF access whatsoever. By the by, I had to hunt for this information on the Overdrive website–nothing came up on my Android download warning me about the limited access."

No shortage of stories online about "I went to the ebook store, jumped through the install hoops, and *poof* ... no readable ebooks on my computer/device, WTF?" I don't think it's reasonable to say "first-time customers should research the industry, check several stores to see which of them has ebooks in a format their computer works *well* with, hunt for "help" tabs on the store site to find out if there are known problems with their particular version of firmware, and first test their software on a free DRM'd book to make sure all their settings are correct."

And last time I checked all stores had a "Your Library" online so that after downloading the software, they can easily redownload the book.

Large stores do; small stores often have "you have 24 hours to download your book." (Of course, small stores don't tend to have DRM.)

Do you actually know someone who was foolish enough to do this or is this another what if scenario that you like to dream up?

There aren't a lot of stories about "I downloaded this & it didn't work and I'm never reading ebooks again." (People who've decided that, don't post about it; such things come up in comments, not as articles or blog posts.) There *are* a lot of "I'm never buying from that store/for that device again," and a number of "meh, I'll maybe read ebook freebies if they're easy, but I'm waiting a few more years before I try buying again."

Originally Posted by cfrizz

Good for you do that, in the meantime I will make sure to also point out that they can purchase the books they want & back them up without all the bother that some of you going through.

What bother is it to avoid stuff that doesn't work?

I don't buy clothes that can't be thrown in a washing machine; I don't buy ebooks that can't be thrown into Calibre. I'm not wealthy enough to risk having my purchases vanish when the producer decides not to support my platform anymore.

I'm aware there are people who think of ebooks as single-use purchases: read & delete, so it doesn't matter how long they last. I like the option of re-reading, including years later when I want to rethink those concepts. I'm not buying books I can't keep.