Aura HD For U.S. Buyers...

[bookwurm70]

Originally Posted by guitarizt

I made a spreadsheet of the delivery times of everyone in this thread best I could. It looks like times are improving.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...0cVgybVE#gid=0

Mine was Espresso and came from Canada, if you want to update your list.

[Janet54]

I ordered the espresso but it really looks more dark grey like the kindle. It sure does not look brown. Any one else notice a color difference? I will most likely get a skin for it when they become available so it was no big deal. Just thought it was an odd color for espresso.

[bookwurm70]

Originally Posted by Janet54

I ordered the espresso but it really looks more dark grey like the kindle. It sure does not look brown. Any one else notice a color difference? I will most likely get a skin for it when they become available so it was no big deal. Just thought it was an odd color for espresso.

I think mine looks like espresso, which I think is usually a very dark brown, at least that is what I was expecting. In low light, it looks closer to black or dark grey, but it is brown.

I like the color. I was afraid it would look bad with the black/grey text, but it doesn't.

[david8866]

Originally Posted by bookwurm70

I think mine looks like espresso, which I think is usually a very dark brown, at least that is what I was expecting. In low light, it looks closer to black or dark grey, but it is brown.

I like the color. I was afraid it would look bad with the black/grey text, but it doesn't.

Someone said it looks like deeper maroon. What an odd brown, becoming three different colors. We need a color chart to match.

[grooks]

Originally Posted by david8866

Someone said it looks like deeper maroon. What an odd brown, becoming three different colors. We need a color chart to match.

Mine looks almost black but I am red/green color blind. I do have the black sleep case and the combination looks fine to me.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by david8866

Someone said it looks like deeper maroon. What an odd brown, becoming three different colors. We need a color chart to match.

Mine looks quite different depending on lighting. Anything from a nice rich dark brown to nearly black.

[voracious71]

Originally Posted by soseono

Unfortunately, not really, in my case. Ordered on the 22nd, and after three live chats (two of which got escalated), finally received the invoice email yesterday. I have no idea when it will ship, and it's already been 9 days. My order is for an onyx reader and sleepcover.

I know, their service sucks. It's a shame too, because the ereaders are nice. I did a live chat looking for mine and the doofus was supremely unhelpful.

I ordered on the 26th, my card was charged right away, and I did get an invoice and order confirmation. After this nothing. I'm sorry, I think it is shady to charge a customer for a product and then drag your feet on shipping. Amazon will not charge you until they ship your order. If they don't have it in stock, fine. But don't charge me until you ship the thing.

[Pierre Menard]

Originally Posted by voracious71

I ordered on the 26th, my card was charged right away, and I did get an invoice and order confirmation. After this nothing. I'm sorry, I think it is shady to charge a customer for a product and then drag your feet on shipping.

Or certainly to charge you without even giving any indication of when or if it's actually going to ship!

I don't know if this is still the case--in the ecommerce age I can how it might have changed--but at least at one point it was a violation of Visa's [what I used] terms for a merchant to bill you before shipping, other than for something like a deposit.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Pierre Menard

I don't know if this is still the case--in the ecommerce age I can how it might have changed--but at least at one point it was a violation of Visa's [what I used] terms for a merchant to bill you before shipping, other than for something like a deposit.

It's been awhile since I needed to know this, but unless something's changed they can charge right away as long as they'll ship within 30 days. Not that most places do that since it tends to lead to disgruntled customers.

Part of Kobo's problem even with the stuff they are shipping is that some folks aren't getting their shipping emails until after the device is shipped and sometimes the day of arrival. Then there are the orders that seem to be getting lost in the system. It's certainly making them look very inept.

[pidgeon92]

My espresso Aura is dark brown, almost black. No maroon or gray here.

[guitarizt]

Support said today my order hasn't shipped, but I'll have my aura in 7 days. I'm skeptical, but it would be on par with the the 2 week or less timing of other people.

[6charlong]

I wonder if we aren't just overlooking a problem with international commerce. NAFTA was supposed to smooth this out but there are still two different currencies, two dissimilar postal services and a Sequestered US Customs to get through.

It looked like the notice it was shipped came from Canada Post rather than Kobo itself. Within 12 hours of the notice that it was received by Canada Post it was in a US postal facility where it seemed to stall again.

[bookwurm70]

Originally Posted by 6charlong

I wonder if we aren't just overlooking a problem with international commerce. NAFTA was supposed to smooth this out but there are still two different currencies, two dissimilar postal services and a Sequestered US Customs to get through.

It looked like the notice it was shipped came from Canada Post rather than Kobo itself. Within 12 hours of the notice that it was received by Canada Post it was in a US postal facility where it seemed to stall again.

For me, it wasn't shipping time that was the problem at all. I think it sat in customs for a day at most. Thursday night it left Toronto, arrived in Chicago on Friday morning, (probably sat in Customs for most of Friday), left Chicago on Friday night or Saturday, and I had it in S. Illinois at 3 pm on Monday. I'd call that FAST!!! I mean, seriously, it was at my small town post office first thing Monday morning so they could put it out for delivery same day. Really fast!!! Especially since it was post offices.

[grooks]

I believe Kobo manufactured a set amount of readers for the initial run. I also believe there were more customer orders than their initial run which is causing delays for some people. Once packages actually ship they arrive in customers hands very quickly.

My guess would be that for any new online order, the reader will be manufactured/assembled as part of a batch. Those batches will then be shipped off to customers.

[jeankap]

Couple of points... I ordered mine on announcement day, and received it on Saturday, Apr 27, Canadian Post.

The only reason I did not receive any emails from either Kobo or Canada Post was because I (as in me, myself, and...) screwed up typing my own email addy into my order (I ordered from my iPad whilst attempting to man a conference booth with a raging upper respiratory infection. So much for my own quality check...).

I announced to 4 "venues" that I had no info: here, the kobo beta readers group on Google, my friend Ben, who works at Kobo, and the Twitterverse. Within 5 seconds of stating I had a problem, @ KoboHelp was on the case... The guys at the kobo beta readers tried to help, and my friend Ben tried to help, too, but it actually took longer for their emails to come back to me than it did for that one Twitter conversation with @KoboHelp to happen.

Moral of story... Check your typing, and try @KoboHelp before emailing or dialing the phone. I have since been following @KoboHelp, and see in my Twitter time, in that they are very responsive to kobo readers in need.

As for the Kobo Aura itself... Love it. Have already finished 2 books and started on a 3rd since it got here last Saturday. Wish I had a sleepcover, but don't want the added weight of a leather cover (the fitted leather kindle touch cover added a ton of weight to my Kindle touch). May try to jerryrig something or find something over on etsy, instead.