Kobo Discounts: Coupon Codes + Discussion

[issybird]

The December contest started on the 15th, so it's been a full month. This also meant that, ending on the 24th, the codes ceased to work as of the 31st. Last year. Maybe... Kobo policies and practices about contests have undergone further revisions for the new year? After all, they pretty much used to give away the store.

Could new contests require a valid email? I never understood why they didn't enforce that, by the simple expedient of only mailing codes. "You have won a 10% discount! Check your email for the code!"

[BuyMore]

No! Don't jinx it!

[pdurrant]

Valid email addresses are easy. mailinator.com or any of its many aliases.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Valid email addresses are easy. mailinator.com or any of its many aliases.

I know. But it would be one more hoop and some (many? most?) wouldn't bother.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Valid email addresses are easy. mailinator.com or any of its many aliases.

But anyone can read what is sent there so if you get a good code, someone else could use it before you. Not that we get good codes anymore...

[Lynx-lynx]

There's a distinct advantage to using an email (viz many different email) account/s to register your Contest entries: if you win a device or the grand prize that includes money (like an MR member posted here a few weeks ago) then you want the confirmation email in order to pursue your claim and receive the prize.

You can't claim without the confirmation email.

Hotmail accounts are easy enough to establish, and remember that you can use up to 10 aliases per hotmail email address. The alias emails just go straight into the primary hotmail email account, and if you reply to an email (or create an email) you can choose which of the alias addresses or the primary account to send the email from.

Only issue I have with hotmail accounts is that I am forever going through the darn security rigmarole to access the account.

[lkmiller]

Huh, it never occurred to me to use anything but my regular email address. Is this to enter multiple times and get more/better codes?

[ChandaK562]

Maybe the contest will start next week, in connection with Martin Luther King Jr. Day?

[bgalbrecht]

The catch for winning a nice prize and you are registering a bunch of extra emails for the coupons, if the emails all list your name/address for the coupons, you'll probably be disqualified for multiple entries, and if you use a fake name/address you can't collect the prize unless you're lucky enough to win on the one email with your real name.

[Lynx-lynx]

No, that's not the case. You can register whatever Contest name and incomplete address details, they do not have to be your own details. Of course you need to identify the State and postcode and country where required, but incomplete street number and name.

The email that advises you that you have won the device goes to the Contest registered email address and then when you reply to that you inform of your actual name and the address where you want the device to go to. And that address can be whatever address you provide or to a forwarding agency address, that is you can use 'care of'.

Provided the forwarding agency is in either the US CA or UK.

Edit
I forgot to add that the same person can win more than one device in the same Contest and more than one prize can be sent to the same address. In fact kobo will mention these things to you.

[Chapter One]

Lynx-lynx is correct.
Yesterday morning I received the 2 Kobo Aura H2O's that I won in last months contest. They were sent to me via a freight-forwarding service, both in the same box.
I was asked to supply a delivery address, which did not have to be the same details I gave when I registered. I was upfront about it being a freight-forwarding service and this was never queried in anyway.
Both the Kobo's were won on the same registered email address, so I dont know what would happen if someone using multiple addresses won twice on different accounts. I suspect then there would be issues due to the multiple account rules.
I will say dealing with Kobo has not been easy or straight froward, partly because communication between various Kobo departments is non-existent, so if you did win twice on different accounts, I doubt they would even cross check details or notice in any way, especially if you chose different delivery address to have them sent to.

[peachiekene]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

Hotmail accounts are easy enough to establish, and remember that you can use up to 10 aliases per hotmail email address. The alias emails just go straight into the primary hotmail email account, and if you reply to an email (or create an email) you can choose which of the alias addresses or the primary account to send the email from.

Gmail allows you to write your email address with added periods and you will still get your emails.

ie: If your email is kobocontestaccount@gmail you could enter it as
k.obocontestaccount
ko.bocontestaccount
k.o.bocontestaccount

etc...

and you will still get the all the emails. The amount of extras depends purely on how many characters your email has.

[Lynx-lynx]

Winning a device using two different email addresses but going to the same forwarding address is picked up, but you are asked if you want to consolidate the package. (So I am reliably informed)

[peachiekene]

Just got an email (and it's on the US-Kobo front page) about an unlimited 30% off code.

NEWYEAR30
Only good for select titles though. :/
http://www.kobo.com/newyear30

[issybird]

Absent a contest.... Just as one example, there's a book I want that's $22.79 at Kobo (5% off list) and $13.49 for Kindle. Even with a 35% code, it would equal the Google price of $14.39 and Amazon would still be cheaper. Just saying.