Is there a thread for kobo uk customer service

[stumped]

Am considering buying the latest aura one for my son for xmas
One concern is various bad things i have seen written about kobo cs, so i want to selfishly ask how is it IN the UK. As at now, not how was it in previous years.

Knowing how good or bad they are in other countries is not so relevant.

And how does it work IN the UK. If we buy from a uk retailer like argos or curry or wh smith and then have problems, do the retailers deal with it or are we told to.call or email kobo and how responsive are they if we have to return a device

And finally , are any uk extended warrantiew ofered. John lewis will normwlly do.2.years when other retailers only do 1, but does anyone offer 3 or more ?
Amazon sometimes sell square trade insurance addons,i have those on amazon devices but i dont think they offer them for Kobos

[Josieb1]

Kobo customer service is the same in the UK as everywhere else, abysmal. If you buy a device from a retailer they "should" deal with any issues for the first few months, I think WHSmith once told me the first 30 days. Not sure about Argos, but I've bought Kobo ereaders from them and returned them for faults the next day. If you buy one from John Lewis technically they should be your first port of call but they don't stock them (or they didn't when I tried to order one) the order is sent to Kobo to fulfill, in my case they "forgot" to send the order to Kobo. I had to cancel in the end.

But as for Kobo Customer Care it's not UK based, it's an offshore call centre. My experiences have not been good. I bought a kobo Glo direct from Kobo, it was received faulty. It took two weeks to get an authorisation to send it back and another two weeks to get a refund.

Personally if you want to buy a kobo I'd go to Argos and check the device out as soonas you get it, register it, and check it's working, just in case you have any problems.

[Josieb1]

Wherever you buy a Kobo from you can set it up and register it to a totally fictitious email address (I.e one you make up), then you can check the screen is working and that you can connect it to a pc and that the drive shows (I've had two that wouldn't be seen by a pc). Then you can set it back to factory spec and pack it up for your son for xmas.

[koboy]

my local John Lewis as the KA1 in stock also Argos should have it and are very good in my experience at returning and exchanging if it's still under warranty.

best wishes koboy

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by stumped

Am considering buying the latest aura one for my son for xmas
One concern is various bad things i have seen written about kobo cs, so i want to selfishly ask how is it IN the UK. As at now, not how was it in previous years.

Knowing how good or bad they are in other countries is not so relevant.

And how does it work IN the UK. If we buy from a uk retailer like argos or curry or wh smith and then have problems, do the retailers deal with it or are we told to.call or email kobo and how responsive are they if we have to return a device

And finally , are any uk extended warrantiew ofered. John lewis will normwlly do.2.years when other retailers only do 1, but does anyone offer 3 or more ?
Amazon sometimes sell square trade insurance addons,i have those on amazon devices but i dont think they offer them for Kobos

There's one now.

[stumped]

thanks all
looks like buy , unwrap, test, re-wrap, gift it is the way to go
and ai will look at square trade also
my previous kobo purchase was yeas ago so can I also ask how the set up goes now. will I be told to download the desktop somewhere ( or is that images on the device )
and will i be told how to get an adobe ID onto the device ( to test the borrow from library)
i have ADE2 installed so I can proably use that if Kobo do not instruct. I have read the threads about the different ADE versions and pros and cons.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

.., then you can check the screen is working and that you can connect it to a pc and that the drive shows (I've had two that wouldn't be seen by a pc). ..

that is an intermittent issue with his current one and so is one of the reasons for the planned new purchase, & I have a separate thread on it.
still unsure if its a failing port or a deeper problem.
so you have two that would not show up at all - did Kobo admit that is a known fault, and can I ask which model Kobo that was. Google searches are telling me it's probably an issue across the whole range

[darryl]

Kobo has customer service?

[stumped]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

There's one now.

{ square trade add on)

i recheked amaon uk - thea are not shoinw the aura one - only 3 of the older models and none are showing a square trade add on

did u see one on amazon uk and do you have a link please. maybe it was there there, gone now ...

i was planning to ask square trade this" if I have a policy and unit fails within the initial 12 months manufacturer warranty - who do I deal with - you or kobo "

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by stumped

{ square trade add on)

i recheked amaon uk - thea are not shoinw the aura one - only 3 of the older models and none are showing a square trade add on

did u see one on amazon uk and do you have a link please. maybe it was there there, gone now ...

i was planning to ask square trade this" if I have a policy and unit fails within the initial 12 months manufacturer warranty - who do I deal with - you or kobo "

You misunderstand my humor (I think?).

I meant that because you created one here on Mobileread, we/you now have one.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

You misunderstand my humor (I think?).

I meant that because you created one here on Mobileread, we/you now have one.

i still did not get it , but anyway, going back to square trade.[ you an only buy square trade if you are also buying a new device, it seems, then amazon connect the 2 purchases.]
Below is an example of the cover I have for a kindle. So if I was able to buy one like this for a kobo, does it insulate me from having to ever deal with kobo cs, i.e. any issue , even within first months - i.e. I'd be able to go straight to square trade & ask them to sort it ?
dunno if amazon have an exclusive on sure trade, but maybe other retailers have similar add on cover deals

and accidental damage cover hopefully addresses the broken screen/substrate risk however caused ?

Covered Product: Kindle
Coverage Term: 2 Years

Coverage Amount: Up to 3 Replacements
Coverage Start Date: 10/05/2016

Coverage Type: Accidental Damage from Handling (ADH)
Coverage End Date: 10/05/2018
....
HOW SERVICE WORKS
If during the period of cover your insured item suffers accidental damage or develops a mechanical or electrical breakdown you should contact our Claims Department by using the contact details as set out in Section 1 of this policy document within 30 days of discovering that your insured item is damaged or has developed a fault. We will initially attempt to troubleshoot the problem you are experiencing.
If we are unable to resolve your issue through troubleshooting we will confirm the details of your active policy and the circumstances of the incident. We will endeavour to make a decision on your claim at this time. If we require any additional information we will advise you during the call.
If a replacement is approved by our Claims Department, we may replace your insured item with a new or refurbished item of the same or similar specification. The replacement item may be a future version or edition of your insured item. Technological advances may result in a replacement item being provided which has a lower purchase price than your original insured item but in all cases will be of the same grade and quality of your insured item.
Broken Items: In order to receive a replacement item, you must provide valid credit card details. you will need to send your original item back within 30 days of receiving the replacement device using a pre-paid shipping label we provide. If you do not, the price of the replacement device will be deducted from your credit card.
We do not offer an option for repair of your device.
The replacement provided will have a 90 day manufacturer's warranty which will run from the date you receive the replacement item. Any claims made under the manufacturer's warranty will not affect your maximum coverage under this policy.

..

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by stumped

thanks all
looks like buy , unwrap, test, re-wrap, gift it is the way to go
and ai will look at square trade also
my previous kobo purchase was yeas ago so can I also ask how the set up goes now. will I be told to download the desktop somewhere ( or is that images on the device )
and will i be told how to get an adobe ID onto the device ( to test the borrow from library)
i have ADE2 installed so I can proably use that if Kobo do not instruct. I have read the threads about the different ADE versions and pros and cons.

You can do the initial set up via wifi, you don't need the Kobo desktop.

Also if you want to test a book on it just sideload one. I wouldn't worry about ADE initially. I always downloaded ADE books to my PC then added them via Calibre, I never set up ADE on the ereader.

For the initial set up if will ask for an email address, you can literally type anything in there is no validation back to an actual address. you can then skip past any payment set up.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

... I wouldn't worry about ADE initially. I always downloaded ADE books to my PC then added them via Calibre, I never set up ADE on the ereader.

...

that would be my preferred real life usage also, a PC is a much better browsing device for libraries, but I figure if I am going to test a new device prior to gifting it, I may as well test everything, while I still have a return if faulty option
.
Also kobo make a big thing out of the new direct accees to library so I'd like to try it at least once- which means learning how to add, change. remove adobe IDs on the reader. I assume they use the Adobe system for uk library checkouts

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by stumped

that is an intermittent issue with his current one and so is one of the reasons for the planned new purchase, & I have a separate thread on it.
still unsure if its a failing port or a deeper problem.
so you have two that would not show up at all - did Kobo admit that is a known fault, and can I ask which model Kobo that was. Google searches are telling me it's probably an issue across the whole range

My first Kobo was a 6" Aura, that was bought from WHSmith and had pin pricks. I lived with it, not knowing any different then.

My next was a Glow, bought from Argos, I had a couple of returns until I found one with a good screen, all from Argos though, i just worked my way around my local stores, buying and returning.

I then ordered a Glow HD from Kobo. Never again is all in can say. It had screen issues and was returned for a refund. I then tried to order one from John Lewis, thats how i found out my order was supposed to be fulfilled direct from Kobo and JL never passed my order to them. I ended up getting one from Argos.

My last Kobo was a 6.8" Aura H20, again from Argos and again it took a few attempts to get a decent screen.

In my experience getting a decent screen with Kobo is a big a lottery as with Amazon. I had issues with and getting a decent screen with every model I had.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by stumped

that is an intermittent issue with his current one and so is one of the reasons for the planned new purchase, & I have a separate thread on it.
still unsure if its a failing port or a deeper problem.
so you have two that would not show up at all - did Kobo admit that is a known fault, and can I ask which model Kobo that was. Google searches are telling me it's probably an issue across the whole range

With the Kobo drive not being recognized by a PC, I had two straight out of the box like that, both from Argos, both the same model, it was the Glow HD from memory.

I did contact Kobo themselves with the first one but they didn't consider it a problem Argos refunded both as I told them it they were faulty and explained why.