Kobo Discounts: Coupon Codes + Discussion

[slex]

Originally Posted by bartveld

@slex: So, have you reported our shopping spree to Kobo yet? I wish you the best of luck dealing with their customer service.

I didn't intend to, but I wrote to them after your post.

After all, that's the only way to know if it's a legitimate code or not.

[samhy]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

It could be a deliberate plot to gain huge amounts of attention, and make a bit of money in the process, instead of paying for advertisements...

Or to lure us into buying books that use the terrible Adobe Content Server 10, now that we've reached March (just kidding)

[Marcy]

Originally Posted by slex

You actually kind of sneaked into it *, since you changed your location to India (I assume you are not there). And I'm not talking about the legality of it. It may be legal or it may be not **. It may not be covered by law, but it doesn't mean it's right. And that is what I am talking about. In both cases someone exploits the vulnerability of someone else and causes them damage.

Actually, no, I boldly walked in and didn't sneak in. I didn't use an IP cloaker to disguise I'm in the US. I didn't use a proxy that said I was in India. When asked what state I live in I said "Nevada" not an Indian one. The address I gave is my actual address, with just the country changed to India. I used my US credit card which charges in US dollars. I couldn't have screamed any louder that "I'm from the US!!" but the store didn't seem to care.

In my theoretic bookstore there were two doors, one marked "US only" and one that said "India only." I had a coupon only good in the Indian store, so I walked in there. I'm totally pasty, wearing western dress and speak American-accented English. My ID says "US" on it. I pick out my book, hand it and the coupon over, give my US address, US ID and US credit card and the cashier processes my transaction.

Nothing remotely sneaky about it, except for walking in that door in the first place. If the store wants the door to mean anything they need to make even a token effort at enforcing the partition, which they didn't.

[AlbertaCowboy]

Can't believe I missed out.
The fdkY9rd code isn't working for me, even after teleporting to India and Mexico.
Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy??!!!

[sufue]

I am now getting the "Unable to apply promo code" message in the new checkout in India. Have tried in a couple of other places and different browsers also, and no-go. (Currently 9 am US Pacific time...)

I suspect Kobo has ended the validity of this coupon, but will be interested to know if anyone else can still get it to work.

Luckily I got pretty much everything on my "buy with coupon" list, so was really trying it this morning more out of curiosity than anything else.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by slex

I didn't intend to, but I wrote to them after your post.

After all, that's the only way to know if it's a legitimate code or not.

You really think they will reply? Last time I emailed them they never replied.

[peachiekene]

Looks like the code has been quashed.
(Tested a book I knew was couponable in the US)

It was fun while it lasted.
Thanks again, LadyStardust!

[chilady1]

Originally Posted by peachiekene

Looks like the code has been quashed.
(Tested a book I knew was couponable in the US)

It was fun while it lasted.
Thanks again, LadyStardust!

Yeah, I think it's all done!

But the 75% code AdjSXLyM still rocks on!

[rjcchan]

Perhaps this is not a glitch.

Suppose a seller wants to have a marketing campaign offering a discount to a large segment of its customers ..perhaps without knowing how many might qualify...and give them a reasonable amount of time to take advantage of the offer. It might be easiest to create one code with a set expiration date that it gives to every customer that qualifies. That would result in the type of "multi-use" code that has been posted on this thread.

Making such a code available to certain people is not the same as making it available to everyone. I do not know what terms and conditions were imposed on the current 90% code when it was given to the original poster. I doubt that there was a statement to the effect: "and give it to all your friends!!" It is clear that most of the people posting here were not given the code by Kobo.

Finding the key to someone's house, or being given that key by someone, doesn't entitle you to use it. Having someones credit card number does not entitle you to use it. If the shopkeeper forgets to lock his door you cannot march in and take what you want...even if you leave some money behind. Taking advantage of someones mistake...is taking advantage of someone.

You can march into a store in India as long as you don't lie to get in there and tell the blind shopkeeper you will be using a coupon for redheads as long as you are not a brunette. Of course, they should have security in place in case someone wants to switch the price tags at checkout.

Perhaps what is happening with this 90% coupon is what Kobo intended..or is a risk it decided to take. I don't know the answer to that.

[PeterShow]

India is gone. At least I could buy 28 Ebooks.

[Josieb1]

Its gone in the UK as well.

[Lady Stardust]

It was great while it lasted and it is good it didn't last too long

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by slex

I didn't intend to, but I wrote to them after your post.

After all, that's the only way to know if it's a legitimate code or not.

You'll probably never get a response from them.

You might get an answer if you send them a postcard, or actually mail them a letter.....Has anyone actually tried that?

In fact, has there EVER been an instance when they returned a PM? --- I honestly can't remember.

[samhy]

I'm all for not robbing, no taking something just because its owner wasn't careful to hide it enough or whatever. That's a no brainer.

However, a Kobo representative never comes to that thread telling us what codes are in use at a given time. Usually it's known through a website or a blogger, like it was for the bargainmoose code (multi-use). That's how they let users know about the discounts. And they expect the word will be spread.
Sometimes, they send an email. But in France, we never get those since French (e)books don't allow the use of coupons. However, many readers buy books in more languages than their native one (see a thread on that topic). So yes, we can use codes but on specific books only.

Without those forums, websites and blogs, I wouldn't even know what a Kobo coupon is and I would do most of my purchase at Amazon without a doubt.

edit to clarify things and correct spelling mistake

[Dr. Drib]

I spent oodles, gobs, and craploads of money.....about 30 pounds, I think (who's counting!?) for hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of ebooks.

Wow, what a great plan they created: Purposefully lower the price to actual reasonable terms, and the ebooks will sail off the shelves!