Email I Got From Borders AU

[MorganM]

I sent a email to Borders AU yesterday to ask when they are going to be stocking the KT and this is the response I got today.

Larissa - Borders Customer Service, Sep-13 01:18 pm (EST):

Hi Morgan,

Thank you fro your email,
We will not be selling the Kobo touch online after our technical team having done extensive testing on the devise it has not meet the requirements that is acceptable for our customers needs.

I apologise if this has caused any problems, if I can be of any further assistance then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,

Larissa
Borders Online
Customer Service Team

Bit concerned about the spelling and grammar mistakes. lol

[viviena]

Originally Posted by Borders Customer Service

We will not be selling the Kobo touch online after our technical team having done extensive testing on the devise it has not meet the requirements that is acceptable for our customers needs.

(lolwut)

I wonder what they mean by this? Perhaps they mean to sell some other ereader in its place then, because I can't see Borders AU withdrawing from the ebook business altogether.

[MorganM]

I thought Device was spelt with a C? >.>

[MorganM]

Sorry stickler for bad spelling! Yeah doesn't make any sense to me.

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by viviena

(lolwut)

I wonder what they mean by this? Perhaps they mean to sell some other ereader in its place then, because I can't see Borders AU withdrawing from the ebook business altogether.

Wasn't the ebook and online side of Borders/AngusRobertson sold or going to be sold and bought by Collins Books (or a company with a similar name)??

To be honest I have withdrawn from reading any further about this, all the Tasmanian A&R stores have been closed down.

[OneandonlyDoc]

....isn't Borders AU closing with all the other Borders, or is it a different company down under?

[Suzanna]

It could be that they no longer have the rights to sell it. I'll admit I haven't been following what's been happening with Borders in Australia. It just doesn't make sense otherwise, because the Touch is a superior device to the other Kobos. (Am I right in assuming they sold those in the past?)

[viviena]

@Solicitous: The online-only Borders AU is now bought by Pearson Publishers. Collins Booksellers is still its own entity. I think.

@OneandonlyDoc: Borders USA started Borders AU several years back. They sold the Aussie stores to another, completely separate company, Pacific Equity, but this PE continued to use the Borders name, which apparently jinxed their luck -- a year or so ago, Borders AU here went into voluntary administration and all retail stores were shut. Borders AU still operates as an online-only store under Pearson.

@Sao: Yes, both models were sold and promoted heavily by Borders Australia.

Admittedly, although not being able to sell via Borders AU isn't a huge loss in itself, the Kobo Touch will really need more local exposure to compete with the other ereaders. As far as I know, so far the KT's only going to be sold via Collins Booksellers, whose presence in my home state at least is anaemic. Perhaps it's better for other states. Hopefully the folks at Kobo have something else up their sleeve.

[taming]

Angus & Robinson AU sells the WiFi version. I was assuming they would also sell the Touch, at some point.

[HarleyB]

Originally Posted by taming

Angus & Robinson AU sells the WiFi version. I was assuming they would also sell the Touch, at some point.

A & R sort of sell the Kobo.
Many of the stores were owned by the same parent company that owned Borders and consequently they are now closed. A few independantly owned stores still survive.
The 3 stores near me (one of which I have had a long relationship with) don't display the Kobo and will only order one for you if you prepay. They really would prefer that it didn't exist.
Dick Smith (who are now selling the Kindle) have massive signs up and a display right at the front of the store - similar to how Borders used to display the Kobo.

I had never heard of Collins bookstore prior to reading here that they were to stock the Kobo - google tells me there are about 50 in Australia over half of them in Victoria and the rest scattered around regional Australia. There isn't one in Brisbane a city of about 2 million people and there is only 1 in Balmain in Sydney.

If Kobo wants to continue to exist in Australia they need to get a distribution network organised before everyone buys a Kindle.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarleyB

If Kobo wants to continue to exist in Australia they need to get a distribution network organized before everyone buys a Kindle.

Or a Sony.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Or a Sony.

Pfft. The Sony Reader uses the Kobo ebookstore in Australia.

[kiwipippa]

Originally Posted by HarleyB

A & R sort of sell the Kobo.
Many of the stores were owned by the same parent company that owned Borders and consequently they are now closed. A few independantly owned stores still survive.
The 3 stores near me (one of which I have had a long relationship with) don't display the Kobo and will only order one for you if you prepay. They really would prefer that it didn't exist.
Dick Smith (who are now selling the Kindle) have massive signs up and a display right at the front of the store - similar to how Borders used to display the Kobo.

I had never heard of Collins bookstore prior to reading here that they were to stock the Kobo - google tells me there are about 50 in Australia over half of them in Victoria and the rest scattered around regional Australia. There isn't one in Brisbane a city of about 2 million people and there is only 1 in Balmain in Sydney.

If Kobo wants to continue to exist in Australia they need to get a distribution network organised before everyone buys a Kindle.

Much the same here in New Zealand. Whitcoulls stock(ed) the wifi and original but no sign of the touch. They have recently been sold as part of the Borders/A&R group changes. Borders in NZ is shutting for good.

Dick Smith has full page ads in the paper for kindle and kindle is now even sold in the biggest supermarket chain here - pick one up with your bread and milk.

Kobo have no chance of competing against that unless they hurry up and do some heavy promotion. But somehow, I don't think we even feature on their map.

[HarleyB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Or a Sony.

Actually Sony was my first choice in an ereader but they are even harder to buy in Australia if you want to see one before you send off your money.

Borders introduced them briefly before they closed and apparently they are available somewhere but when you have to work that hard to track them down most people just give up and go for the easy option.

The funny thing is, I e-mailed them two weeks ago asking them when they're stocking it (because they had banner ads on the Borders AU site for the KT) and if they had a price, and this is what I got back:

Gretchen - Borders Customer Service, Aug-30 04:08 pm (EST):
Hi [Cyvros],

Many thanks for your email. We have been advised by our distributors that stock will be available for purchase by mid September. We have yet to be provided with approximate dates of arrival, however, be assured stock arrival will be announced and hard to miss. Should I be able to assist you with anything else, please let me know.

Kind regards

Gretchen
Borders Online
www.borders.com.au

Go go gadget consistency, Borders!