[GtrsRGr8]

I want to alert you to a what I consider to be a less-than-forthright offer from NoiseTrade. I got it in my email today.

As they often do, NoiseTrade offered an ebook. Heretofore, as far as I'm aware, these have been complete books, not excerpts, samples, previews, select chapters, etc., etc. Well, that wasn't the case today.

This time, at least (I don't remember the exact wording of previous offers), there was a button that said "download ebook" (emphasis mine, G). Not "part of the ebook," not "excerpt," not "sample," not "preview," not "chapter," not et al, but "ebook." If you click on that button, and then a subsequent one, you get a request for a $1 tip. You can zero that out, and choose to "download pdf" without paying. That's what I did. However, what I got was only the cover and the 7-page Introduction.

Well, since I had zeroed out the tip box, I didn't lose anything per se. But I want to make everyone aware of this, because some people may leave a tip of $1 (and, I assume, you could leave as much as you wanted to, and probably some do that) and have their money end up going "down the drain."

In all fairness, there was a tip off (no pun intended) before clicking on "download." The webpage, under "formats available," showed PDF, with a file size of only 364.1 KB--much too small to be the complete book (the Kindle mobi is 304 pages)! But people shouldn't have to depend upon seeing that to know whether or not they are getting the "ebook" and not just some piece of it.

I have frequently passed along NoiseTrade's offers to you, but NoiseTrade is officially on probation with me beginning now--no more posts from me of their offers for the foreseeable future.

Am I steamed? Yes.

ADDENDUM: What I said above applies to the first of three ebooks that they offered. I checked the second one. The complete ebook downloaded, and without me having to leave a tip.