WARNING! - A Sony free ebook is no longer re-downloadable

[Dr. Drib]

This is very disturbing news.

The documenatation for this is here in another thread at MobileRead:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...155#post344155

And, it happened to me yesterday.

This is potentially damaging information. Here's the possbile scenario:

Apparently, books that were free and that were downloaded to your personal library, may - at some future point - never again be accessible by you, even though the book(s) will be listed in your Library.

I urge all Sony owners who routinely take advantage of freebies from Sony to write to them and file a complaint about this policy.

Remember, it's happened twice...and the third time it just might be YOU.

Information: The book in question is Secret Vampire.

Don

[lilac_jive]

So you tried to open it and it won't open?

I think this post is a little misleading. If you try to re-download it if you lost it for some reason, you can't get it back (since the free version was apparantly different than the cost version). Not that if it is in your library and it just won't open.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

So you tried to open it and it won't open?

I think this post is a little misleading. If you try to re-download it if you lost it for some reason, you can't get it back (since the free version was apparantly different than the cost version). Not that if it is in your library and it just won't open.

No, it simply cannot be downloaded, even though it's listed in my Library.

Don

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

So you tried to open it and it won't open?

I think this post is a little misleading. If you try to re-download it if you lost it for some reason, you can't get it back (since the free version was apparantly different than the cost version). Not that if it is in your library and it just won't open.

My post is not misleading. I have this book in my library. Another member has this book in his library. These copies, still listed in our respective libraries, cannot be downloaded.

I urge you and everyone else to follow Sony's comments regarding this issue, as linked in my first post.

Sincerely,
Don

[lilac_jive]

If they are in your library, why would you need to redownload them? Or do you mean off the library online?

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

If they are in your library, why would you need to redownload them? Or do you mean off the library online?

You may need to re-download for various reasons. If your copy somehow was corrupted. A hard drive crash, etc. Personally I keep a backup copy of all my ebooks, but many don't think about backing something up, especially when it's stored online for you.

[Hollie]

I had this happen with my first free download. The problem for me is that I download it and it's in my library but when I transfer it to my reader it completely freezes the program and restarts itself. I can't get it into my reader. Called Sony on the issue and got no return call.

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

You may need to re-download for various reasons. If your copy somehow was corrupted. A hard drive crash, etc. Personally I keep a backup copy of all my ebooks, but many don't think about backing something up, especially when it's stored online for you.

Ahh gotcha.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

If they are in your library, why would you need to redownload them? Or do you mean off the library online?

I mean from Sony's ebook store where all one's books are kept, when one wants to re-download what is in one's library.

Follow these steps:

1) Go to the ebook store
2) Sign In
3) My Account
4) Go to: "View and/or Download Books I Own"

Sony does not ask me - or you, for that matter - why I (or you) wish to download a title. The title is very clear: "View and/or Download Books I Own."

What's the next free ebook that one will not be able to download (he asked rhetorically)?


Don

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I mean from Sony's ebook store where all one's books are kept, when one wants to re-download what is in one's library.

Follow these steps:

1) Go to the ebook store
2) Sign In
3) My Account
4) Go to: "View and/or Download Books I Own"

Sony does not ask me - or you, for that matter - why I (or you) wish to download a title. The title is very clear: "View and/or Download Books I Own."

What's the next free ebook that one will not be able to download (he asked rhetorically)?


Don

I think you're overreacting a little. Send Sony an email. I think the amount of people who downloaded this book then had to redownload would be slim to none. So another person emailing them would help.

I really just don't find it that disturbing.

[Andybaby]

keep your library in your dropbox folder, problem solved.

I dont buy digital downloads all that much, but i dont expect them to last more than a few weeks. glad that they do though.

you are only as safe as your last backup

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

I think you're overreacting a little. Send Sony an email. I think the amount of people who downloaded this book then had to redownload would be slim to none. So another person emailing them would help.

I really just don't find it that disturbing.

Then we agree to disagree.


Don

[MarciaCat]

The previous book with the same problem was Private by Kate Brian. The person who reported the problem emailed Sony about it and now it's downloadable again (I just checked) so I'd like to think Sony will get this one working again if it's brought to their attention.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Sony does not ask me - or you, for that matter - why I (or you) wish to download a title. The title is very clear: "View and/or Download Books I Own."

I'm not sure what you are saying here. I bought a "free" book from Sony and I can redownload it anytime I want.

BOB

[JasonB]

I've never relied on keeping books in the online Sony library. After getting them from there, I immediately copy them to my reader and then use calibre to copy them to my computer's hard drive. (Where I'm maintaining my own library of Sony lrf content as well as others.)

Is it common for people to rely solely on the online source for their media? (I know that Kindle keeps bought books at Amazon - but can't those also be copied over to your own storage?)

If I compare this to the real world, and I buy a book, I don't expect to be able to go back to the book store and have them hand me another copy if I lose the original or it gets damaged in some way. If that were to happen, and it were still available in the store, I'd either buy it again or, having read about it, not bother. (Or if my house burned down along with my personal library and I lost my couple of thousand print books.) I don't consider the concept of having an online store and being able to download another copy at any time as anything other than a "nice bonus". (Kind of like them providing a free backup service.) But if I really want to make sure that what I've bought and downloaded remains available to me, I'll store it and/or back it up myself.

Plus, this seems to only be one specific title - and nothing (so far) indicates that it has actually been "rescinded", just that there's some as yet unidentified problem with the entry for that book on their site / in their database. It doesn't sound like there's any reason to panic. Nor do I see any sign of this being a policy - it just looks more like a simple glitch.

Lastly, even if this were true (a policy I mean, not the glitch - which I believe) I don't think that it would bother me or that I'd care. I mean, it was a free book. Now, if I'd actually paid money for it - and there was a commitment that anything you bought was supposed to always remain online - that would be different.