Problems ordering a Aura HD from their site

[BasaBat]

Has anyone else had problems completing an order from Kobobooks.com?
My attempted purchase shows up as Payment authorization declined....
I called Visa and they show no problems and have no idea why its declined.

[sharphamster]

Yes, I (and others) had the same problem. Are you in the US?

I wound up getting my HD through an indie bookstore (Greenlight in Brooklyn) but these days you can order the Onyx or Ivory HDs at Best Buy.

[BasaBat]

Yes, i'm in Arizona. I was trying to get an espresso otherwise i would have ordered it off of BestBuy on ebay for the same price but only onyx or white.

[jersysman]

I swear it seems as if I had gone to sleep for about 10 or 11 months and woke up to the same issues!
Deja vu is alive and well...

[BasaBat]

I made 8 attempts to purchase using 3 different browsers with no luck, then i contacted Kobo customer care and they emailed me back 3 days later with no help. By that time i had gotten tired of waiting and had read all the problems listed on here to get on in the US from the Kobo website. So i gave up and in 2 minutes had a new Kindle PW2 ordered and delivered yesterday. About the same time i get a email from Kobo wanting me to answer a survey on how satisfied i was with Kobo customer care...
When i contacted my visa card they showed 8 purchases from Kobo pending.

[Marcy]

I see you've already gotten a PW, but I was going to caution you about ordering through Kobo. Their customer service is horrific and if anything goes wrong they won't help you or let you return the device. If you decide to go with a Kobo you should get it from Best Buy to have a chance of help in case of a problem.

I bought a Vox direct from Kobo that was my hugest e-reader mistake. It never worked right from the moment I had it out of the box. Kobo's "customer service" totally blew off my complaint emails until I disputed the charge on my credit card. Then they waited until the time to close the dispute was almost up and then suddently and miraculously answered my now 3-month-old emails and still wouldn't help.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Marcy

I see you've already gotten a PW, but I was going to caution you about ordering through Kobo. Their customer service is horrific and if anything goes wrong they won't help you or let you return the device. If you decide to go with a Kobo you should get it from Best Buy to have a chance of help in case of a problem.

I'm going to put in a word of moderation here: plenty of people are reporting improvements in Kobo's CS recently, especially regarding returning/replacing devices; and with Kobo going above and beyond statutory requirements (WiFi owners having their device replaced with a Touch, etc). It's still easier to buy initially from a store local to you of course (and easier to return a dud in person!), but a blanket "Kobo will never replace anything ever" is just not true.

My advice to Kobo buyers:
- buy from a store local to you/in your country if at all possible.
- Use Mobileread as front-line support.
- If you do need to contact Kobo, use phone or live chat, never email.
- If you don't get satisfaction from that, escalate to Kobo's twitter help.