Kobo Discounts: Coupon Codes + Discussion

[Chapter One]

They give you store credit?? So its not price matching at all. You are still spending the full amount at Kobo, you just have to keep shopping there to spend it.

[Lynx-lynx]

I've just checked the AU home page and we now have the Price Match Guarantee as well.

I note the following:
'If you find the same eBook on another website for a lower price, we'll credit you the difference plus an extra 10%!*
*10% of your original purchase price, within 7 days of purchase. Terms and conditions apply.'

For those who have used the price match, did you get an extra 10%?

Whilst I applaud Kobo's initiative I'm not sure that I see the advantage to using it .....

But, I don't care for the super points promo, and haven't signed up for their Loyalty program.

Edit
Here is a link to the Terms and Conditions mentioned above: https://store.kobobooks.com/p/pricem...ut#terms-modal

This link just takes you back to the page you were on .... so the T&C seem to be as already stated on the page ....

Edit 2
As the price match works on 'all' ebooks perhaps an advantage would be when the book is one that is not discountable. But still, you could spend a lot of money on the original and you don't get the difference back in cash, just in credit. So basically, it's money you've well and truly forked out.

[AnemicOak]

I'd think the biggest issue folks would run into (assuming they match Kindle books ok) will be with sale books at Amazon or Google as many price drops only last a day. Will Kobo check the price quickly enough to get it before it goes back up? They're generally not very fast at doing anything. Books where Kobo is just plain more expensive will be the ones more likely to be matched, but being they're so much more expensive on some I wonder how long the PM offer will last if lots were to start taking advantage of it.

Don't really like the buy it first and then we'll PM (provided we can verify price). I think I prefer the Amazon method of report the lower price and wait for them to drop the price on site for everyone before buying.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

...

Don't really like the buy it first and then we'll PM (provided we can verify price). I think I prefer the Amazon method of report the lower price and wait for them to drop the price on site for everyone before buying.

Yes! I don't trust Kobo at all.

[samosa]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

I'd think the biggest issue folks would run into (assuming they match Kindle books ok) will be with sale books at Amazon or Google as many price drops only last a day. Will Kobo check the price quickly enough to get it before it goes back up? They're generally not very fast at doing anything. Books where Kobo is just plain more expensive will be the ones more likely to be matched, but being they're so much more expensive on some I wonder how long the PM offer will last if lots were to start taking advantage of it.

Don't really like the buy it first and then we'll PM (provided we can verify price). I think I prefer the Amazon method of report the lower price and wait for them to drop the price on site for everyone before buying.

I wonder if they would accept screen capture as proof. May be have the website of some newspapers or weather station on the background to show the date and time?

To be honest I would rather have a website like eReaderIQ for Kobo...

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by samosa

I wonder if they would accept screen capture as proof.

It's pretty easy to alter a screen cap to show whatever price you want though.

[tdanzie]

The first book I requested a price match for was $7.28 at kobo and was three something at Amazon. By the time they got back to me with my credit, the price was back up to seven something on Amazon. I still got my credit for the price that was submitted. I think that the url that is submitted, show the book with the price as it is at the time the url was copy.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

I've just checked the AU home page and we now have the Price Match Guarantee as well.

I note the following:
'If you find the same eBook on another website for a lower price, we'll credit you the difference plus an extra 10%!*
*10% of your original purchase price, within 7 days of purchase. Terms and conditions apply.'

For those who have used the price match, did you get an extra 10%?

Whilst I applaud Kobo's initiative I'm not sure that I see the advantage to using it .....

Huh? Overall, the book will cost less than Kobo's listed price, and the other store's listed price. Ok, as store credits are involved, maybe I should say that the next book you buy will cost less. But, in the long run, if you need to use this, you will probably spend less on books.

But, I don't care for the super points promo, and haven't signed up for their Loyalty program.

Edit
Here is a link to the Terms and Conditions mentioned above: https://store.kobobooks.com/p/pricem...ut#terms-modal

This link just takes you back to the page you were on .... so the T&C seem to be as already stated on the page ....

The link is to a part of the page. You need to click on it within the page to work. A popup is displayed over the page. But, here's the text:

If, within seven (7) days after the purchase from Kobo of an eBook or a single issue of a digital magazine, you find that same product advertised for sale by a competitor at a lower price, Rakuten Kobo Inc. will issue a credit to your Kobo account the difference in cost between the two items, plus 10% of your original purchase price, after taxes.

To qualify:

1. You must complete the required information and submit your price-match request using the provided form within seven (7) days of purchase;
2. The advertised product must be identical to the purchased product (same ISBN for eBooks, or same volume and issue for digital magazines);
3. The product must be priced in Australian Dollars and include all fees, costs, and other charges;
4. The product must be sold by an authorised retailer located within Australia;
5. The product’s price must not be lower due to an advertising error; misprint; combination promotion (e.g., gift with purchase); after-sale rebate offer; or preferred-customer, or other similar discount.

Account credit is not redeemable for cash. Limit one credit per item.

We will endeavour to verify and issue account credits within three (3) business days of an authorized request. Account credits will only be provided to the account holder who made the original purchase.

Rakuten Kobo Inc. reserves the right to cancel or withdraw a refund at any time, if it determines in its sole discretion that the requestor has violated these terms, including through any fraudulent or misleading activity. Rakuten Kobo Inc. reserves the right to limit quantities, or change or cancel this offer at any time.

To me that is a reasonable set of conditions. The ISBN match might cause a problem, but checking the last few books I bought from Kobo, all the books from mainstream publishers were on Amazon. The ones that didn't match on ISBN, were either from Smashwords or an indie.

Comparing the prices was interesting. Except for the books I used a promo on, ALL of them where the same price at Amazon as what I paid. I'd already been buying my books from Kobo because of the convenience

Edit 2
As the price match works on 'all' ebooks perhaps an advantage would be when the book is one that is not discountable. But still, you could spend a lot of money on the original and you don't get the difference back in cash, just in credit. So basically, it's money you've well and truly forked out.

My take on this is that it isn't something that Kobo has to do. It's a smart thing to do, especially if they start working on their pricing to better match Amazon. If they match Amazon or other stores normally, they have a nice promotion point, with virtually no cost to them. And maybe that's the point. Maybe Kobo are going to do better price matching so that no-one ever gets to make a claim. Or only those who buy the book in the few minutes before Kobo notices the price drop elsewhere.

As to giving a credit rather than a refund, if Kobo didn't do the price matching, you would have "lost" that money. And unless you are only ever going to buy one book from Kobo, it does it matter? The next time you buy a book, it will use the credit. Plus, refunding the money would be complicated and possibly incur charges from the credit card company. And from Kobo's point of view, this is not about saving you money, it's about attracting and keeping customers. Store credit does keep customers

[Lynx-lynx]

David is seems the price match initiative suits you

[zelda.owns.link]

I only use store credit, so receiving store credit is fine with me. I just hope they follow through as right now it is nearly $20 they owe me for two titles to match with Amazon.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

David is seems the price match initiative suits you

Probably. What I can't work out is why everyone seems to be against it. It seems simple: buy a book from Kobo and if you see it cheaper elsewhere, you get more than the difference back. That's a lot better than what they had before and in the long run will probably mean Kobo's prices more closely match the other stores.

Or maybe we should hope that Kobo raises their prices. That will make it easier to find cheaper prices elsewhere and get more money back on the price match refund.

[Lynx-lynx]

@davidfor, no - I'm not against it. I think that it's an excellent initiative, but for various reasons it's not for me.

I can understand those who would rather the amazon way of meeting price matches, that is by changing the advertised price rather than giving incentive refunds, but Amazon's not using a loyalty promo like Kobo is.

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

I can understand those who would rather the amazon way of meeting price matches, that is by changing the advertised price rather than giving incentive refunds, but Amazon's not using a loyalty promo like Kobo is.

Since Kobo is not just matching the competitor's price, but beating their price, they can't make it their new listed price on their site: if they did then there would be downward price spiral as the competitor matches the new lower Kobo price, Kobo beats the competitor's new price, etc., etc. Every book would end up priced close to zero, and so no publisher would allow Kobo to sell their books.

By offering a credit after the sale, plus super points, Kobo can beat any local competitor's price and still avoid the price spiral.

Edit: Also, after-sale credits, super points, etc. are the only way they can give an effective discount on non-discountable books, since those publishers won't agree to lowering the pre-sale price.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Probably. What I can't work out is why everyone seems to be against it. It seems simple: buy a book from Kobo and if you see it cheaper elsewhere, you get more than the difference back. That's a lot better than what they had before and in the long run will probably mean Kobo's prices more closely match the other stores.

I'm in favor of it, but I'm wary. Suppose a book costs a lot more at Kobo and then they reject the request for a price adjustment? It could mean a long time on the phone while the CS rep reads from the script and even then, you might not get your refund. Kobo CS has a terrible track record.

I'm going to let others be the guinea pigs with this, frankly. It's easier and safer just to buy from Amazon. Once Kobo establishes more of a track record I'll reconsider.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by samosa

To be honest I would rather have a website like eReaderIQ for Kobo...

I've been using Luzme.com to track prices.

I'm happy to see the price matching, but I don't know if I'll ever have a situation where I'll use it. I tend to buy books only when they're on sale wherever they are on sale. Even though my main ereader is a Kobo, I'd rather spend less up front than have the convenience of direct download (and maybe get a credit). Since I only buy at Kobo when it's already the same or lower, it's unlikely it will drop more elsewhere within a week. I'd probably miss it anyway after removing it from my watchlist. But it's still nice to know it's available. It's also reassuring to hear people say that they've had good experiences with it.