The bad Kobo customer service thread

[Canuck_in_Japan]

I've been a real fanboy of Kobo for the past couple of weeks. Just to show that I'm not biased, I'll start this thread so we can all winge (whinge?) in one place!
I got my Aura about a week ago. I tried to sync it when I got it through the desktop but it would always hang when I got to some old newspaper trial subscriptions that I had and canceled over 2 years ago. I sent Kobo an email asking if they could delete those subscriptions from my library (because I don't seem to be able to) so that I can actually sync my Aura. That was on April 27th and I got an automated reply an hour later saying that they would reply within 24-48 hours. Well finally 4 days later I got another reply saying that my issue has been escalated to Tier 2 and they'll try to resolve my problem as soon as possible. Well three days later and still no contact. Really, Kobo? Seven days and counting just to do something as simple as delete a few cancelled subscriptions from my account? Is it really that difficult?

[Breid]

Canuck, I would be v peed off if I got a similar response from Kobo CS. Luckily I have never had to contact them!!! I have installed the desktop application but I never use it. I do all my updates and syncs via WiFi. Admittedly, I do not have the added complication of newspaper subscriptions because they are not available in my country. If you cancelled your subscription two years ago, that is shocking that Kobo has not updated its records to reflect this.

[93terp]

Originally Posted by Canuck_in_Japan

Is it really that difficult?

Evidently, yes it is. I ordered the Aura twice, for which Kobo claimed they had no record of either order, even though their own ordering system generated order #s for each one! When I ordered for the 3rd time & Kobo was able to "see" the order in their system, I requested cancellation for the 1st 2 orders. Kobo reps confirmed cancellation, for which I have the email confirming! Yet somehow I now have 2 more Auras & sleep covers now on their way to me, and accompanying credit card charges!

So yes - it IS that difficult for Kobo! I'm simply amazed how they have managed to stay in business given their extreme incompetence!

[guitarizt]

I'll be surprised if Kobo is still around in 5 years. The competition in the ebook market is fierce, Amazon is the big player, and Kobo is only ahead right now because they are 6 months ahead of the next gen ereader curve.

The competition in the market is too great for Kobo to survive with such horrible customer service and shipping times for the Aura HD. US customers can't even buy an Aura HD in a B&M store yet which looks very unprofessional. A lot of us are only paying for the Aura HD because it is slightly ahead of the next gen curve. Technology will move so fast in the next 5 years that ereaders will be largely satisfactory for most people. Then it'll come down to how easy it is to purchase ebooks and customer service.

Amazon has both those areas covered and it's not even close. There's no reason to think that Kobo will change. If anything I would expect it to get worse because they'll have to deal with more orders and problems than with whatever they put out in the future than what they did with the Aura HD.

[Dr. Drib]

From the Free Dictionary:

whine (hwn, wn)
v. whined, whin·ing, whines
v.intr.
1. To utter a plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound, as in pain, fear, supplication, or complaint.
2. To complain or protest in a childish fashion.
3. To produce a sustained noise of relatively high pitch: jet engines whining.
v.tr.
To utter with a whine.
n.
1. The act of whining.
2. A whining sound.
3. A complaint uttered in a plaintive tone.



Dr. (Mister Know-it-all) Drib

[93terp]

Originally Posted by guitarizt

I'll be surprised if Kobo is still around in 5 years. The competition in the ebook market is fierce, Amazon is the big player, and Kobo is only ahead right now because they are 6 months ahead of the next gen ereader.

I don't disagree with anything you say, except I seriously doubt Kobo is "ahead" of Kindle, B&N, or any other big time player, in any category - sales of hardware, sales of ebooks, revenues, profits, or any category of significance. The only thing they have done is introduce a piece of hardware with the best screen resolution to date.

What they HAVE been able to beat Amazon at is, in my opinion, implementation of the front light capability. I also have the Kindle Paperwhite, and the lighting is really disappointing, especially when you put it up against the Aura HD. But I don't think this will be anywhere near enough to overtake Amazon, overall. It's temporary at best.

[93terp]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

From the Free Dictionary:

whine (hwn, wn)
v. whined, whin·ing, whines
v.intr.
1. To utter a plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound, as in pain, fear, supplication, or complaint.
2. To complain or protest in a childish fashion.
3. To produce a sustained noise of relatively high pitch: jet engines whining.
v.tr.
To utter with a whine.
n.
1. The act of whining.
2. A whining sound.
3. A complaint uttered in a plaintive tone.



Dr. (Mister Know-it-all) Drib

Who exactly are you saying is whining?

[Canuck_in_Japan]

Originally Posted by guitarizt

I'll be surprised if Kobo is still around in 5 years. The competition in the ebook market is fierce, Amazon is the big player, and Kobo is only ahead right now because they are 6 months ahead of the next gen ereader curve.

Kobo will definitely be around in 5 years. They're not ahead of Amazon but they are probably the #1 international brand and they're owned by a huge company Rakuten with deep pockets who are battling it out with Amazon for a huge market in Japan . Anyways that's beyond the point. We're supposed to complain about Kobo service here of which I am sure there are many valid complaints.

[buffaloseven]

Originally Posted by guitarizt

I'll be surprised if Kobo is still around in 5 years. The competition in the ebook market is fierce, Amazon is the big player, and Kobo is only ahead right now because they are 6 months ahead of the next gen ereader curve.

The competition in the market is too great for Kobo to survive with such horrible customer service and shipping times for the Aura HD. US customers can't even buy an Aura HD in a B&M store yet which looks very unprofessional. A lot of us are only paying for the Aura HD because it is slightly ahead of the next gen curve. Technology will move so fast in the next 5 years that ereaders will be largely satisfactory for most people. Then it'll come down to how easy it is to purchase ebooks and customer service.

Amazon has both those areas covered and it's not even close. There's no reason to think that Kobo will change. If anything I would expect it to get worse because they'll have to deal with more orders and problems than with whatever they put out in the future than what they did with the Aura HD.

Again, Kobo can be a much more viable option than anywhere in the world that isn't the United States of America. Kobo is a much better option than Amazon even here in Canada.

I think it will all come down to the quality of the store in the long term. Amazon's store is good, but the selection is limited in non-U.S. regions. Kobo's selection is quite good in many non-U.S. regions, but the store...well it could use work.

In a sense, I think it'd be easier for Amazon to expand their international content selection than for Kobo to build a better store (several aspects of coding doesn't seem to be Kobo's strongest suit), but if Kobo was willing to throw a bunch of money at the problem, it could easily be fixed.

But that's all I'll say; I've had my Kobo Glo since October and haven't had a single reason to complian (other than the odd non-critical firmware bug), so I'll show myself out the back door.

[Gazella]

Did they remove live chat support from their website? I wanted to ask a quick question a few weeks ago and I couldn't find it and I didn't want to email them because I know they'd take long to reply.

[Witty Username]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

From the Free Dictionary:

whine (hwn, wn)
v. whined, whin·ing, whines
v.intr.
1. To utter a plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound, as in pain, fear, supplication, or complaint.
2. To complain or protest in a childish fashion.
3. To produce a sustained noise of relatively high pitch: jet engines whining.
v.tr.
To utter with a whine.
n.
1. The act of whining.
2. A whining sound.
3. A complaint uttered in a plaintive tone.

Dr. (Mister Know-it-all) Drib

But 'whine' and 'whinge' are two different words not a spelling error:

Grammarphobia blog explains

Both words are very old; “whine” dates from 1275 and “whinge” from 1150. Originally, “whine” referred merely to the sound. But “whinge” implied a wailing or crying: the sound was one of distress. Eventually, to “whine” also came to mean complain or express discontent.

Though Americans use only one word, “whine,” the British use both: “whining” covers a variety of meanings, including sounds made by people, animals, or inanimate objects, and “whingeing” (also spelled “whinging”) is more specifically for peevish or fretful complaining. The British sometimes use the terms together for emphasis: “Stop your whingeing and whining!”

Witty (picky little show-off) Username

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by 93terp

Who exactly are you saying is whining?

Originally Posted by Canuck_in_Japan

I've been a real fanboy of Kobo for the past couple of weeks. Just to show that I'm not biased, I'll start this thread so we can all winge (whinge?) in one place!

Why, right here, my good man! Right here!


Dr. (knows-how-to-laugh) Drib

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Witty Username

But 'whine' and 'whinge' are two different words not a spelling error:

Grammarphobia blog explains



Witty (picky little show-off) Username

Thanks to you, I just learned a new word!



Don (embarrassed like a sleeping bed-bug) Drib

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by Gazella

Did they remove live chat support from their website? I wanted to ask a quick question a few weeks ago and I couldn't find it and I didn't want to email them because I know they'd take long to reply.

I've used it yesterday but can't say, of course, if it's available everywhere.

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by Jaden

I've used it yesterday but can't say, of course, if it's available everywhere.

It was available to me. I always preferred live chat over email when wanting to contact Kobo customer service.