Kindle abroad - angst with Amazon

[Mike L]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why purchase a Kindle for use outside the US? Seems to me that all the hoops you have to jump through are not worth the hassle.

Not true.

There are pros and cons of the Kindle compared to other readers. I don't plan to rehash the same old arguments about which reader is better. The fact is that (for me at least) the advantages easily outweigh the small effort needed to purchase content.

In fact, even with the hoop-jumping, it's still easier to find and buy books in the Kindle store than it is in, say, the Waterstones site (which is supposed to be the main source of books for Sony users in the UK).

[Acextreme]

I remembered 2-3 years back when I first started buying from Amazon, I was also slapped with such a verification. I refused to fax my statement for privacy and security reasons. So what I did was, I called up my bank, and since the verification was after I placed an order with my credit card, I obtained the merchant transaction code (was that what it's called?) and emailed that code to Amazon; my bank suggested me to do that since I was concerned about security over the transmission. That code is an identification of the transaction from Amazon's bank with your bank, hence Amazon should have info on that too. This is one good way to do verification.

[Acextreme]

Originally Posted by Mike L

Not true.

There are pros and cons of the Kindle compared to other readers. I don't plan to rehash the same old arguments about which reader is better. The fact is that (for me at least) the advantages easily outweigh the small effort needed to purchase content.

In fact, even with the hoop-jumping, it's still easier to find and buy books in the Kindle store than it is in, say, the Waterstones site (which is supposed to be the main source of books for Sony users in the UK).

The reason why I went with Kindle though I am in Asia is mainly because Amazon's book support is the largest and most affordable; I read non-fiction business books only and so can forget about Guthenberg and the likes and other eBook retailers like Sony's aren't extensive and affordable enough. And at a price of $489, I can get a 9.7" Kindle DX, which has basic PDF support and that is good enough for me.

[Myng]

All is good, thanks for all your kind words and help. I gave in to their request (blacking out sections before I faxed) and my account is no longer frozen, the gift card went through and all is good, for which I am grateful.

Nevertheless, I'd never have expected that in this day, a customer has to feel err "grateful" to a merchant or service provider for letting him have access to a purchase that has already been paid for...

[Mike L]

Myng,

Delighted to hear you've got it sorted.

[daffy4u]

Congratulations Myng! Happy reading!