[frquixote]

I received an e-mail solicitation from BooksOnBoard today. It reminded me that they were offering non-Agency books for 26% off and bumping their Rewards to 8% of the final price. Since this was a good deal I decided to pick up a number of items on my Wish List. The final transaction amount was just under $100, which I paid through PayPal.

I received a notice from BooksOnBoard as I was completing the transaction which said that they were locking my account for "further credit review" due to the size of the purchase (for $100??????) and that the account may remain locked for up to 24 hours. I looked everywhere on their site and found nothing that indicated that they had a limit on the size of transactions, nor did I find any information about them being able to lock, not just the CURRENT transaction, but also the other books I have paid for that are still sitting on my bookshelf!

I checked with PayPal and my bank card provider and they have already cleared the payment to BooksOnBoard, but there is no way to reach BooksOnBoard except through their trouble ticketing system. I have opened a transaction dispute with PayPal and will decide on further actions once I see how BooksOnBoard responds to both the complaint I sent through their trouble ticket system and the complaint I have filed with PayPal.

This may be the straw that breaks the camel's back for me. I have NEVER had a problem with Amazon, even with MUCH larger transactions, but in the past year I've had transaction problems with Borders (Rest In Peace), Kobo and now BooksOnBoard in the ePub ecology. In all fairness, I haven't had any problems with B&N, but then I haven't bought more than a few books at a time from them. I have tried to stay with the ePub world because I believe in open technologies and the competition they can bring to the marketplace, but I am tired of the problems.