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Tracey · 05-01-2009, 04:54 PM

Hi everyone, I have received a reply from Waterstones today so wanted to update you.
Firstly, here is the latest of the mails that i sent them -

"I quite understand that there has to be an element of supply and demand associated with eBook pricing and that the manufacturers and publishers are influential in determining prices. However, i am sure that you can appreciate that is does cause significant frustration to find that eBooks are significantly cheaper from other sellers, such as WH Smith, who do not have a partnership with Sony.

Just to give you an example, i have looked at a couple of books on your website and Carra: My Autobiography by Jamie Carragher is £11.39 in hardback and £17.47 in eBook format. The eBook format is marked as having 20% off but still is significantly more expensive. Barack Obama's Dreams of my Father is priced at £5.39 in paperback and £7.18 in eBook format. Again, the eBook is marked at a 20% reduction but both the hardback and paperback prices i have quoted would be subject to an additional discount when you mail out promotional offers. Just for further information, the Sony PRS-505 is currently priced at £224 on your website but is available from WH Smith for £195. Perhaps a logical conclusion is that other resellers are extracting more advantageous terms from their negotiations with publishers?

Thanks for the positive feedback regarding the templates used by your Customer Service Team; i can assure you that the hard work to replace these will result in a more positive perception from those that make enquiries to the Team.

It is also good to hear that the search facility is being improved although the advanced search option is still very clunky and not anything like as slick as it is on other sites.

I mean no offence at all but i still feel that Waterstones approach will do nothing but continue to alienate potential purchasers of eBooks. I agree that it is a developing technology, and will expand as time goes by, but this expansion is already happening; many other retailers are seizing the moment now and enjoying increased sales because of this. Perhaps i can best summarise the opportunity by referring to Apple and iTunes - people who are in the market place to buy technology gadgets want to buy the products to use upon them and they will seek other options if they are more competitive.

I have already posted onto MobileRead that i have mailed yourselves and received initial positive feedback but i am certain that the disappointment and cynicism regarding Waterstones approach will remain once i update it with your reply. This is of great regret to me because i really would prefer to spend my money with you but, particularly in the current climate, i expect value for money and i am not receiving it from Waterstones.

I wish you well with future developments in the eBook marketplace and hope that the current pricing policy does not mean that you miss an opportunity to capture the market that should be yours, as Sony's preferred partner, in the UK.

Finally, i leave you with a few statistics about my own purchasing habits. I usually holiday three times a year and, on average, would purchase £100 or so worth of books per holiday. You can imagine the impact on my luggage allowance which is why i bought the Sony eReader when it was launched here. If you take this value, together with the £200 or so i have spent with Sony in the USA in the last six months, this gives you some indication of the expenditure that i no longer make with Waterstones. I have no pleasure in relaying this information; i would much prefer to continue to do spend it with you."

Here is the reply i received today from the person who is the Development Buyer – eBooks and Internet, for Waterstones -

"I'm the eBooks Buyer for Waterstones.com, and started a few months ago.
I've read over your e-mail and am familiar with the discussion boards at mobileread, though I do not currently post there.

My efforts are entirely focussed on improving our eBooks offering, as the market develops we see no reason why eBooks shouldn't be marketed and discounted just like their physical counterparts though we are unable to do so at present and so offer the blanket 20% discount on all eBooks. I am working with publishers to see what we can do to improve our offering and am focussed on
a) improving range with new titles added every week
b) usability that we will address with changes to the site this year
c) value by finding ways of mirroring our approach from other formats on eBooks.

I hope that as we develop our offering in the coming months we are able to regain your custom.
Please do feel free to come back to me with any further points you wish to raise."

Well, there we have it. I will acknowledge the reply but i just feel that they are missing the point that the market is already developed and competitive from other sources. Additionally, PieOPah has already posted Random House's reply regarding the prices being set by the retailer. I guess we must just wait and see what happens over the coming months.

05-01-2009, 04:54 PM	#49
Tracey Connoisseur Posts: 67 Karma: 68 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Wilburton, Ely Device: Sony PRS-505	Hi everyone, I have received a reply from Waterstones today so wanted to update you. Firstly, here is the latest of the mails that i sent them - "I quite understand that there has to be an element of supply and demand associated with eBook pricing and that the manufacturers and publishers are influential in determining prices. However, i am sure that you can appreciate that is does cause significant frustration to find that eBooks are significantly cheaper from other sellers, such as WH Smith, who do not have a partnership with Sony. Just to give you an example, i have looked at a couple of books on your website and Carra: My Autobiography by Jamie Carragher is £11.39 in hardback and £17.47 in eBook format. The eBook format is marked as having 20% off but still is significantly more expensive. Barack Obama's Dreams of my Father is priced at £5.39 in paperback and £7.18 in eBook format. Again, the eBook is marked at a 20% reduction but both the hardback and paperback prices i have quoted would be subject to an additional discount when you mail out promotional offers. Just for further information, the Sony PRS-505 is currently priced at £224 on your website but is available from WH Smith for £195. Perhaps a logical conclusion is that other resellers are extracting more advantageous terms from their negotiations with publishers? Thanks for the positive feedback regarding the templates used by your Customer Service Team; i can assure you that the hard work to replace these will result in a more positive perception from those that make enquiries to the Team. It is also good to hear that the search facility is being improved although the advanced search option is still very clunky and not anything like as slick as it is on other sites. I mean no offence at all but i still feel that Waterstones approach will do nothing but continue to alienate potential purchasers of eBooks. I agree that it is a developing technology, and will expand as time goes by, but this expansion is already happening; many other retailers are seizing the moment now and enjoying increased sales because of this. Perhaps i can best summarise the opportunity by referring to Apple and iTunes - people who are in the market place to buy technology gadgets want to buy the products to use upon them and they will seek other options if they are more competitive. I have already posted onto MobileRead that i have mailed yourselves and received initial positive feedback but i am certain that the disappointment and cynicism regarding Waterstones approach will remain once i update it with your reply. This is of great regret to me because i really would prefer to spend my money with you but, particularly in the current climate, i expect value for money and i am not receiving it from Waterstones. I wish you well with future developments in the eBook marketplace and hope that the current pricing policy does not mean that you miss an opportunity to capture the market that should be yours, as Sony's preferred partner, in the UK. Finally, i leave you with a few statistics about my own purchasing habits. I usually holiday three times a year and, on average, would purchase £100 or so worth of books per holiday. You can imagine the impact on my luggage allowance which is why i bought the Sony eReader when it was launched here. If you take this value, together with the £200 or so i have spent with Sony in the USA in the last six months, this gives you some indication of the expenditure that i no longer make with Waterstones. I have no pleasure in relaying this information; i would much prefer to continue to do spend it with you." Here is the reply i received today from the person who is the Development Buyer – eBooks and Internet, for Waterstones - "I'm the eBooks Buyer for Waterstones.com, and started a few months ago. I've read over your e-mail and am familiar with the discussion boards at mobileread, though I do not currently post there. My efforts are entirely focussed on improving our eBooks offering, as the market develops we see no reason why eBooks shouldn't be marketed and discounted just like their physical counterparts though we are unable to do so at present and so offer the blanket 20% discount on all eBooks. I am working with publishers to see what we can do to improve our offering and am focussed on a) improving range with new titles added every week b) usability that we will address with changes to the site this year c) value by finding ways of mirroring our approach from other formats on eBooks. I hope that as we develop our offering in the coming months we are able to regain your custom. Please do feel free to come back to me with any further points you wish to raise." Well, there we have it. I will acknowledge the reply but i just feel that they are missing the point that the market is already developed and competitive from other sources. Additionally, PieOPah has already posted Random House's reply regarding the prices being set by the retailer. I guess we must just wait and see what happens over the coming months.