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Originally Posted by Byrdie
Do they realize how incredibly stupid that sounds? I am a Canadian customer, therefore my billing address is NOT in the US or UK. In order to get books WHICH I PAID FOR, first I must somehow obtain an American or British credit card with the relevant address. Last time I checked, one had to actually reside in either country to do that. Then, oh joy! -- assuming I can somehow pull off that stunt, I can have my books IF I'm willing to take them in smartphone format only. Hooray for BN, aren't they clever to have come up with such a brilliant plan? OH, BUT WAIT! I cannot simply download them all to this hypothetical smartphone, that would be asking too much. Far easier -- and cheaper, and more environmentally-friendly -- for me to get a passport, get my shots, find a travel assistant whom I must pay expenses for since, being disabled, I cannot travel on my own, then hop on a plane and FLY ALL THE WAY TO THE US OR OVERSEAS TO GREAT BRITAIN IN ORDER TO OBTAIN MY LEGALLY PURCHASED E-BOOKS. Wow, isn't modern technology simply amazing! How on earth did we ever do without the wonders of DRM and the magic of Geo-Blocking?
Thankfully, I have already downloaded and decrapped all my Fictionwise purchases, otherwise that nonsense they are talking would be my only legitimate means of getting access to the books I bought there. BUT, this absolutely guarantees I will never be buying any books from BN, thank you very much. And I have to ask myself, if these publishers insist on making it so difficult, even onerous, to buy and use their content, is it any wonder even the most honest citizens will someday throw up their hands in disgust and say "Pirate Bay here I come!" next time they go on a hunt for Fifty Shades Of ... Whatever the next bestseller happens to be.
Not of course that I would advocate such action. But I can certainly understand the motivation when faced with such inane BS.
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What a ridiculous rant. You're clearly being given a couple of months more to make sure you've downloaded your books.
Continued access to the books via B&N is a nice-to-have for the countries where they operate, but it is not something they're obliged to give anyone.
Fictionwise's terms and conditions have always made it clear that access to previously purchased books is something that may not continue indefinitely:
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After purchasing any downloadable eBook or product from Fictionwise.com, it is the Fictionwise Member's responsibility to download the eBook or product within 1 hour of purchase. ... Please note: Because of the constantly evolving nature of the eBook industry and eBook formats, we do not guarantee that eBooks you purchase from Fictionwise will always be available in the formats that we "currently" support. That is why it is important that you download the eBook in the format of your choice immediately after purchasing.
Fictionwise, however, will make efforts to keep the product listed and available for download in the Fictionwise member's "Bookshelf" for one week, and longer when possible -- but this is not guaranteed.
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Graham