HUGE price difference between USD and Euro

snooman · 05-13-2008, 08:29 PM

Hi,

I am ordering a Cybook from Australia but I've noticed that its going to cost me a lot more to purchase the unit in Euro versus USD, but I cannot seem to change currency.

The unit is priced at $350 USD which converts to around $370 AUD, but when I say I'm from Australia it changes the pricing to 295 Euro which converts to over $480 AUD - that's a 30% increase in price!

Has anyone else from Australia purchased a Cybook? Can I request the transaction be completed in $USD?

Sean

Nate the great · 05-13-2008, 08:40 PM

Buy it from NAEB, one of the Cybook resellers in the US. It's actually a buying club, but that's not important. You'll get a much better deal and pay the US price.

snooman · 05-13-2008, 08:46 PM

Nate,

I've seen the NAEB site - there does not appear to have been much activity there since mid March, so I would be in for a long wait.

It just seems a little absurd to me that Bookeen say they have tried to price the units equivalently across the currency types, but the exchange rate on US/Euro is 1.6/1 while the Cybook price is 1.18/1.

I've also read a lot about the Bookeen people being notoriously bad at responding to customer emails - does anyone have a good contact at Bookeen that I can talk to?

Sean

delphidb96 · 05-13-2008, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snooman

Nate,

I've seen the NAEB site - there does not appear to have been much activity there since mid March, so I would be in for a long wait.

It just seems a little absurd to me that Bookeen say they have tried to price the units equivalently across the currency types, but the exchange rate on US/Euro is 1.6/1 while the Cybook price is 1.18/1.

I've also read a lot about the Bookeen people being notoriously bad at responding to customer emails - does anyone have a good contact at Bookeen that I can talk to?

Sean

Sean,

We at NAEB are active. But let us face facts here. If we place our orders when we know we can get the stock from Bookeen, well... We're not involved in developing the Cybook, nor are we an ebook retailer. We sell Cybooks, at a decent price. If you want one, place an order.

Derek

snooman · 05-13-2008, 10:12 PM

Derek,

I've have already found out that you are active - I have been having an email conversation with James in the last hour or so.

My comment about the wait was based on the information on the NAEB website - it talked about minimum quantities of 100 before orders were made etc. It looks like that was just for the first run and now you are making more regular orders. This was not clear on the website so it looked to me like it would be a while before NAEB would be in a position to ship me a Cybook.

I will be placing an order through NAEB, but timing is an issue for me as I will be travelling overseas at the end of May. James is going to be getting back to me with a more definite ship date once he gets one from Bookeen.

Thanks for the forum response - between you and James you've already improved over Bookeen's customer service by 1000%!

Sean

HarryT · 05-14-2008, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snooman

Thanks for the forum response - between you and James you've already improved over Bookeen's customer service by 1000%!

Sean

Hi Sean,

What bad experiences have you had with Bookeen's customer service?

snooman · 05-14-2008, 03:22 AM

Harry,

Actually I cannot really say I've had bad experiences with them - they have yet to answer any of my emails so I guess I've had no experiences with them at all.

I've emailed them a number of times over the last week and a half to ask questions about product details, availability, delivery time frames etc and have yet to receive a response.

I emailed NAEB earlier today to ask a question and had an answer within the hour - now that's customer service.

You might say I'm impatient only waiting a week for a response to a query, but I don't think its unreasonable to expect an answer to a simple question within say 48 hours. Especially when I'm trying to make a purchasing decision and may go purchase a competitors product.

Bookeen have a great opportunity here to establish themselves as one of the pre-eminent brands for ebook readers, but from what I see and read it seems that they're squandering it. Normally I like dealing with software and hardware startups as they provide great support and service - it doesn't seem that this is the case for Bookeen.

I'm happy to be corrected on this - I'm most likely going to by a Cybook from NAEB so some reassurance that after sales support is good would be welcome.

Sean

HarryT · 05-14-2008, 03:38 AM

No, you're absolutely right - answering e-mail is not their strong point

.

Bookeen are far from a "Startup", BTW. They've been in the eBook reader business for longer than almost anyone else. They released the original CyBook around 1998, if I recall correctly - a Windows CE3 machine. I still have mine!

snooman · 05-14-2008, 05:51 AM

Woh!

Now that's worrying - these guys have been in business for 10 years and still haven't got their customer service sorted out?

I guess I'm just going to have to grin and bear it - I've been standing on the sidelines for a few years now (ever since I first stumbled on eInk on the web) and I really want to get an ereader, and Cybook is the best fit for my needs (paperback sized, multi-format, DRM capable, sold and warrantied internationally etc etc).

If there's anyone from Bookeen reading these forums - can you shed some light on your customer service policies?

HarryT · 05-14-2008, 06:03 AM

What seems to have happened to some people is that their e-mail gets eaten by spam filters. It might be worth-while re-sending from a different account, such as a Yahoo or Hotmail account. What address were you using? "support@bookeen.com" is the one which seems to work best.

snooman · 05-14-2008, 08:35 PM

Thanks for the tip Harry - I'll try emailing from one of my other accounts.

In any case I've had a really good response from NAEB so that coupled with the Euro/USD pricing issue means I will most likely just purchase from them.

tzutolin · 05-14-2008, 10:42 PM

Hello guys,

I have a few questions. If I order a CyBook from NAEB now...
1. Can I get the new CyBook with 512 MB?
2. Can I order CyBook deluxe pack?
3. Can I track the shipping progress to Japan or Taiwan, and how long does it usually take?

Thanks & Regards,
David

delphidb96 · 05-14-2008, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tzutolin

Hello guys,

I have a few questions. If I order a CyBook from NAEB now...
1. Can I get the new CyBook with 512 MB?
2. Can I order CyBook deluxe pack?
3. Can I track the shipping progress to Japan or Taiwan, and how long does it usually take?

Thanks & Regards,
David

You'll get the latest version. However, it will be the NAEB special package with a 1GB SD card, no extra battery.

Derek Benner

tzutolin · 05-14-2008, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delphidb96

You'll get the latest version. However, it will be the NAEB special package with a 1GB SD card, no extra battery.

Derek Benner

Thanks Derek. Can NAEB update the product detail page to match the latest specification?

Besides, how long does it take in average to ship to Japan/Taiwan? Is it possible to watch the shipping progress online or by any mean?

Thanks & Regards,
David

Skyblue · 08-29-2008, 03:10 AM

Hi

I have the same problem as the first poster, i'm from Australia and im trying to buy a cybook in US currency. I see that NAEB has closed down, so does anyone know where I can buy a cybook in US currency (that will post to aussie)? I have emailed booken but no response.

Thanks

05-13-2008, 08:29 PM	#1
snooman Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Cybook Gen3	HUGE price difference between USD and Euro Hi, I am ordering a Cybook from Australia but I've noticed that its going to cost me a lot more to purchase the unit in Euro versus USD, but I cannot seem to change currency. The unit is priced at $350 USD which converts to around $370 AUD, but when I say I'm from Australia it changes the pricing to 295 Euro which converts to over $480 AUD - that's a 30% increase in price! Has anyone else from Australia purchased a Cybook? Can I request the transaction be completed in $USD? Sean

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05-13-2008, 08:40 PM	#2
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	Buy it from NAEB, one of the Cybook resellers in the US. It's actually a buying club, but that's not important. You'll get a much better deal and pay the US price.

05-13-2008, 08:46 PM	#3
snooman Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Cybook Gen3	Nate, I've seen the NAEB site - there does not appear to have been much activity there since mid March, so I would be in for a long wait. It just seems a little absurd to me that Bookeen say they have tried to price the units equivalently across the currency types, but the exchange rate on US/Euro is 1.6/1 while the Cybook price is 1.18/1. I've also read a lot about the Bookeen people being notoriously bad at responding to customer emails - does anyone have a good contact at Bookeen that I can talk to? Sean

05-13-2008, 10:12 PM	#5
snooman Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Cybook Gen3	Derek, I've have already found out that you are active - I have been having an email conversation with James in the last hour or so. My comment about the wait was based on the information on the NAEB website - it talked about minimum quantities of 100 before orders were made etc. It looks like that was just for the first run and now you are making more regular orders. This was not clear on the website so it looked to me like it would be a while before NAEB would be in a position to ship me a Cybook. I will be placing an order through NAEB, but timing is an issue for me as I will be travelling overseas at the end of May. James is going to be getting back to me with a more definite ship date once he gets one from Bookeen. Thanks for the forum response - between you and James you've already improved over Bookeen's customer service by 1000%! Sean

05-14-2008, 03:22 AM	#7
snooman Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Cybook Gen3	Harry, Actually I cannot really say I've had bad experiences with them - they have yet to answer any of my emails so I guess I've had no experiences with them at all. I've emailed them a number of times over the last week and a half to ask questions about product details, availability, delivery time frames etc and have yet to receive a response. I emailed NAEB earlier today to ask a question and had an answer within the hour - now that's customer service. You might say I'm impatient only waiting a week for a response to a query, but I don't think its unreasonable to expect an answer to a simple question within say 48 hours. Especially when I'm trying to make a purchasing decision and may go purchase a competitors product. Bookeen have a great opportunity here to establish themselves as one of the pre-eminent brands for ebook readers, but from what I see and read it seems that they're squandering it. Normally I like dealing with software and hardware startups as they provide great support and service - it doesn't seem that this is the case for Bookeen. I'm happy to be corrected on this - I'm most likely going to by a Cybook from NAEB so some reassurance that after sales support is good would be welcome. Sean

05-14-2008, 03:38 AM	#8
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	No, you're absolutely right - answering e-mail is not their strong point . Bookeen are far from a "Startup", BTW. They've been in the eBook reader business for longer than almost anyone else. They released the original CyBook around 1998, if I recall correctly - a Windows CE3 machine. I still have mine!

05-14-2008, 05:51 AM	#9
snooman Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Cybook Gen3	Woh! Now that's worrying - these guys have been in business for 10 years and still haven't got their customer service sorted out? I guess I'm just going to have to grin and bear it - I've been standing on the sidelines for a few years now (ever since I first stumbled on eInk on the web) and I really want to get an ereader, and Cybook is the best fit for my needs (paperback sized, multi-format, DRM capable, sold and warrantied internationally etc etc). If there's anyone from Bookeen reading these forums - can you shed some light on your customer service policies?

05-14-2008, 06:03 AM	#10
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	What seems to have happened to some people is that their e-mail gets eaten by spam filters. It might be worth-while re-sending from a different account, such as a Yahoo or Hotmail account. What address were you using? "support@bookeen.com" is the one which seems to work best.

05-14-2008, 08:35 PM	#11
snooman Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Cybook Gen3	Thanks for the tip Harry - I'll try emailing from one of my other accounts. In any case I've had a really good response from NAEB so that coupled with the Euro/USD pricing issue means I will most likely just purchase from them.

05-14-2008, 10:42 PM	#12
tzutolin Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 11 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Taiwan Device: Cybook Gen3	Hello guys, I have a few questions. If I order a CyBook from NAEB now... 1. Can I get the new CyBook with 512 MB? 2. Can I order CyBook deluxe pack? 3. Can I track the shipping progress to Japan or Taiwan, and how long does it usually take? Thanks & Regards, David

08-29-2008, 03:10 AM	#15
Skyblue Member Posts: 18 Karma: 178 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Iliad	Hi I have the same problem as the first poster, i'm from Australia and im trying to buy a cybook in US currency. I see that NAEB has closed down, so does anyone know where I can buy a cybook in US currency (that will post to aussie)? I have emailed booken but no response. Thanks

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