Kobo.com order processing time

[gadgetdude]

For any of you that have ordered a device directly from kobo.com what has been your experience as far as how long it takes before getting shipped? I placed an order for a Kobo Glo on May 1st and never even got an email confirming the the order was placed. Concerned that maybe it got lost or something I called the next day just to confirm they had my order and there wasn't any problem with the information I provided. The support person found my order and stated it was "processing" but should be shipped out shortly. So I let a few days go by and still no shipping notice so I call again to make sure there was nothing on my end holding it up. The support person indicated that it was still "processing" and when I asked how long that takes I was floored when she tells me it can take between 5 business days to TWO WEEKS before it even gets to the shipped stage! Is this normal Kobo service? I can't imagine what could possible take two weeks to process a web order.

So what about everyone else - is this just business as usual for Kobo?

BTW - I know this is my first post - been lurking for a long time and the wealth of info in the forums helped immensely as I decided what e-reader to buy. I used to own an original Nook V1, bought an iPad about a year ago and sold the Nook but found over the last year I really missed the e-ink so am back in the market. The Glo seems like the best bet for my needs (Glo feature, epub and library access etc.) but man they have to fix their OTD process if they are serious about being competitive!

[ilovejedd]

For my Aura HD:

1. ordered 4/25
2. CC charged 5/2
3. item shipped 5/2
4. tracking number received 5/3
5. item received 5/6

I think 5-14 business days is probably normal for Kobo. From my experience, Kobo contracts out order fulfillment so not sure how much control they have over that.

[Canuck_in_Japan]

I think I got mine about 24 hours after I ordered. Perhaps slightly longer. I think I ordered on April 17th

[gadgetdude]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

For my Aura HD:

1. ordered 4/25
2. CC charged 5/2
3. item shipped 5/2
4. tracking number received 5/3
5. item received 5/6

I think 5-14 business days is probably normal for Kobo. From my experience, Kobo contracts out order fulfillment so not sure how much control they have over that.

That's really too bad - for me:

Ordered: 5/1
CC Charged: 5/1
5/7 - No Shipping - still "processing"

The fact that the charged my card and THEN say it will be 5-15 days before shipping is wrong - if they take so long to ship they should not be charging my card until it ships. Now I just called to cancel and am told that it has to be escalated to level 2 support and they will contact me between 24-48 to "discuss" the cancellation. Who needs level 2 to cancel an order???

While the device seems like the right choice, something in my gut it telling me that Kobo is not the company I want to deal with.

[Nate the great]

Ordered in 21 April
Shipped on 3 May

[stoney77]

I ordered my Aura HD (Espresso) on May 1 and immediately received an invoice the same day. My credit card was charged the next day and I haven't heard another word from Kobo about my order. I spoke to a rep on live chat yesterday and she said the order was processing and had no idea when it might be shipped.

I agree with gadgetdude that they shouldn't be charging until the item is shipped. I can't think of any other company that does that.

If you're waiting for the espresso version to be shipped, don't cancel it out of frustration. If you look at the kobo website, espresso is not available. The person on live chat told me they were out of stock but orders already placed would be honored.

I'm guessing that Kobo was overwhelmed with orders after all the good reviews and they weren't prepared to handle it. But, at the very least, they need to allow customers the ability to check their order status online. It's amazing to me that they don't.

[Skydog]

Originally Posted by gadgetdude

That's really too bad - for me:

Ordered: 5/1
CC Charged: 5/1
5/7 - No Shipping - still "processing"

The fact that the charged my card and THEN say it will be 5-15 days before shipping is wrong - if they take so long to ship they should not be charging my card until it ships. Now I just called to cancel and am told that it has to be escalated to level 2 support and they will contact me between 24-48 to "discuss" the cancellation. Who needs level 2 to cancel an order???

While the device seems like the right choice, something in my gut it telling me that Kobo is not the company I want to deal with.

It took two calls to cancel my order of 4/16 that could not be found. I was told the same -- request would be forwarded to tier 2 support. A cancellation email arrived two days later. It was another three days before a credit was posted = two calls, one email and five business days in total.

[taming]

When I buy on-line in Canada, I am charged when, from the seller's perspective, the item has shipped. It seems that it is actually when the shipping label has been printed and the fulfilment centre takes over. If I watch the tracking, it can be a couple of days later before the package shows up as arriving in some place like Mississauga, and then it can sit there for 3-4 more days before it actually hits the road. This is true when I buy from Amazon here, too, btw.

[guitarizt]

I made a spreadsheet of order times. I'm hoping I get mine tomorrow. Last update was yesterday am when the package departed IL.

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

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by guitarizt

I made a spreadsheet of order times. I'm hoping I get mine tomorrow. Last update was yesterday am when the package departed IL.

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

Now that is useful. Thank you for taking the time to gather the info.

[taming]

It looks like most of the people (all of whom are from the US) who have written on the thread got their Aura's within two weeks. Communication was crappy, but delivery time, not so much.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by taming

It looks like most of the people (all of whom are from the US) who have written on the thread got their Aura's within two weeks. Communication was crappy, but delivery time, not so much.

I disagree. Kobo often took a week or more to ship the orders. That is abysmally slow by the standards of 2013.

Amazon will get a Kindle to me within a couple days. But then again Amazon is all around better at CS so that should come as no surprise.

[taming]

We are talking about international shipping, and the Aura's are generally coming within the time frame that were promised. When I order from Amazon US, the time can range from a week or so, to 14 business days. Amazon does its own fulfillment. Kobo's US fulfillment provider has failed in many ways, but the time does not come as any huge surprise.

Nate, there is a story here, but, from my POV, it is a communication failure story rather than a delivery failure one. They would both be negative (makes better news, eh) but one is just plain true (that would be the communication part) and far more important. Kobo does not seem to know where in the delivery chain a device is and there is no way to check anything about delivery from the Kobo website. Email messages were never sent, in some cases, and in others, shipping notices seemed oddly timed.

So go skewer Kobo (again) on this one, but maybe stick to what is demonstrably true and most important.

PS: You don't want to hear the horror that ordering and getting a Nexus 7 was for me.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by taming

We are talking about international shipping, and the Aura's are generally coming within the time frame that were promised. When I order from Amazon US, the time can range from a week or so, to 14 business days. Amazon does its own fulfillment. Kobo's US fulfillment provider has failed in many ways, but the time does not come as any huge surprise.

I'm not talking about the shipping time; I'm talking about the length of time that Kobo let the orders sit without doing anything. Mine sat around for nearly 2 weeks, and other buyers had waits nearly as long. And then there's the fact that Kobo's shipping process involves losing orders and then finding them again.

Sorry, but this was a high profile launch with a highly anticipated ereader. They don't get points for best effort. On this level it's pass/fail and Kobo has failed.

[taming]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Sorry, but this was a high profile launch with a highly anticipated ereader. They don't get points for best effort. On this level it's pass/fail and Kobo has failed.

LOL, yes, Kobo announced this months in advance and people were just salivating to get their hands on it. Waing two whole weeks was torturous. Very few things in life are black or white or pass/fail. I know you are capable of more nuance than that. Frankly, I think Kobo should go back to not shipping directly to the US and using their independent bookstore partners to do this. Perhaps if the Aura becomes a standard offering, they will.

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