Anyone having problems buying books on Kobo? - Page 3

Plumadona · 10-18-2013, 09:40 AM

Okay, so it's Worldpay that's at the root - fine. Kobo said they would send a transcript of the chat which had the long number from Worldpay, but that hasn't shown up.

If so many users are complaining about Worldpay, and not just Kobo customers, is it not in Kobo's interest to either complain to them or get another processing firm? Why do business with a processing firm with a known reputation for customer disatisfaction?

This and the other complaints about Kobo service seem insane to me. They seem to have come up with a fine ereader design that could be a real winner at a time when their competitors have either left the American market (Sony) or stumbled out due to poor management and customer service (B & N), and instead of using Amazon as the model (say what you will about the evil empire, they're usually very easy to deal with), they seem to be trying to compete with B & N in a race to the bottom.

Kobo couldda had class, they coudda been somebody, they couldda been a contenda, insteada bein a bum.

(Hey, after a while, you have to laugh at the absurdity of it all...)

Plumadona · 10-18-2013, 09:54 AM

BTW, thanks to Moffattm for the info on Worldpay. While I realize all online reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt, after reading that and other stuff about Worldpay, I wouldn't knowingly go near them or any firm using them with a ten foot pole.

Plumadona

moffattm · 10-18-2013, 03:53 PM

My main reason for pointing out that other people seem to have problems with WorldPay processing their credit cards was just to explain that we shouldn't necessarily be heaping all the blame for this at Kobo's door. When building their website they had to make the decision of which credit card processor to use and they elected to go with WorldPay. Maybe, in hind sight, that wasn't such a good idea, and maybe that's why the decided to also offer PayPal as a second option.

BTW: for those people that say they don't want to use PayPal, it's actually no more complicated than using the normal credit card option. You don't have to have a PayPal account, you don't have to sign up with PayPal to use them. You just get taken to the PayPal site where you enter your credit card details and that's it!

Blossom · 10-18-2013, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moffattm

My main reason for pointing out that other people seem to have problems with WorldPay processing their credit cards was just to explain that we shouldn't necessarily be heaping all the blame for this at Kobo's door. When building their website they had to make the decision of which credit card processor to use and they elected to go with WorldPay. Maybe, in hind sight, that wasn't such a good idea, and maybe that's why the decided to also offer PayPal as a second option.

BTW: for those people that say they don't want to use PayPal, it's actually no more complicated than using the normal credit card option. You don't have to have a PayPal account, you don't have to sign up with PayPal to use them. You just get taken to the PayPal site where you enter your credit card details and that's it!

You must be new to Kobo. Kobo has switched processors a few times. One was to stop getting banks charging us a foreign transaction fee so they went with a place in Delaware and then they switched again and some people were getting a guy's name on their transactions and now they have switched again to World Pay who I think they tried last year where I had similar problems.

moffattm · 10-18-2013, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blossom

You must be new to Kobo. Kobo has switched processors a few times. One was to stop getting banks charging us a foreign transaction fee so they went with a place in Delaware and then they switched again and some people were getting a guy's name on their transactions and now they have switched again to World Pay who I think they tried last year where I had similar problems.

No, my first Kobo was their original model when they bought it out in 2010, so I'm not new to Kobo. Admittedly I've only bought about 30 books from them so I might not have noticed the changing of credit card processors. Also, being from New Zealand, I'm used to most companies in the world considering me as being "foreign" and having to pay currency conversion charges on most things I buy over the internet.

When Kobo (or, more correctly, whichever CC processor Kobo were using at the time) first declined my credit card I tried their PayPal option and it worked fine, so now I just stick to using that as it works a treat.

Blossom · 10-19-2013, 09:04 PM

Update: I just bought a book from Kobo using my Credit Card!

It looks like my problem is fixed hopefully!

Plumadona · 10-20-2013, 10:12 AM

Hooray! Glad to see something is working for somebody. Hope some of the other folks here will have some good luck as well.

I had pretty much gave up on the whole thing the other day, but will give it a try later and report back. Who knows, perhaps all the emails, posts, and complaints from all of us have had some effect. I really did have high hopes for Kobo...

Plumadona

Plumadona · 10-23-2013, 02:37 PM

After getting the following message from Kobo yesteday, I decided to give them one more shot:

"Thank you for contacting Tier 2 Kobo Customer Care.
Please accept our apologies for the ongoing inconvenience and misunderstandings.
Of course we do not expect a customer to get in touch with Worldpay or other payment providers.
We are now in touch with Worldpay and are investigating the matter.
At this point it seems that there is a broken connection between [XXXX] and Worldpay.
We kindly ask you to use a different credit card if possible until this issue has been resolved.
We will contact you after we received an update on this issue.
We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience in this matter.
Sincerely,
The Kobo Team"

I again tried a different credit card, and lo and behold, this time, it actually worked. I'm still hoping for a resolution for the original card as my backup card calls to confirm every single transaction out-of-state, let alone out of the country - not a bad thing, but it is a bit of a damper on spur-of-the-moment book buys. Still, at least I finally got a response from Kobo in which they took responsibility for their own problems.

Not exactly earth-shattering news, but I'm posting this for all the other folks who are caught in customer service hell - sometimes, persistence does pay off, and I hope those poor souls who have really been put upon will see light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck!

Blossom · 10-23-2013, 02:41 PM

Great news!

Maybe you can call your Card and tell them to note the account that all purchases from Kobo are from you?

49Kat · 10-23-2013, 04:46 PM

Hmmm...

I just went to buy a book from Kobo. Find my titles, determine they are eligible for promo codes. Sign in. Click on the book. Click on the price button, which says $1.03. Taken to a purchase page, where the price is now listed at $3.10. I don't think so.

Tried a different browser, different device, several times. Same result.

Plumadona · 10-23-2013, 05:19 PM

Good idea, Blossom - might just do that!

49Kat, I'd say complain by chat and don't take no for an answer as I did, but it took me too long and too many chats to urge someone else to go down that path! If I hadn't gotten that last email from Kobo, I wouldn't have bothered at all. Still, it might do some good...

Plumadona

49Kat · 10-23-2013, 05:27 PM

Just had a chat session with Kobo. He said these things usually happen because the publisher has changed the price and it hasn't gone through the catalogue yet, but the correct price will show on the checkout page.

Amazon has the same item for $0.96.

We'll see if their checkout price will be the same as their 'shelf' price...<sigh> And...yes, it is.

49Kat · 10-23-2013, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plumadona

Good idea, Blossom - might just do that!

49Kat, I'd say complain by chat and don't take no for an answer as I did, but it took me too long and too many chats to urge someone else to go down that path! If I hadn't gotten that last email from Kobo, I wouldn't have bothered at all. Still, it might do some good...

Plumadona

I've never had this happen with a Kobo purchase before, although I have read of other cases.

In a physical store, I do believe the store is obligated to honor the shelf price if it is lower. Oh, well. I voted with my wallet here and Kobo lost a sale. When it comes to ebooks, I go where I can get the best price. Of the non-Kindle books, Kobo usually does have the best prices, and especially with the discount codes. In this case, it didn't work that way.

PeterT · 10-23-2013, 05:38 PM

I seem to recall this is a long standing issue with the web-site; different prices appearing when browsing vs checkout.

49Kat · 10-23-2013, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterT

I seem to recall this is a long standing issue with the web-site; different prices appearing when browsing vs checkout.

.

And it's not right. Physical stores can't do that, and I don't think an online store should be doing that either. My chat session had a feedback session, and I pointed this fact out to Kobo. I do find Kobo has been quite responsive to customer feedback in the past, and I do hope this continues.

10-23-2013, 02:37 PM	#38
Plumadona Groupie Posts: 188 Karma: 615554 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Oasis, Kindle HD6, Kindle PW2, Sony PRS-T1, Nook NE1	Progress, of a sort... After getting the following message from Kobo yesteday, I decided to give them one more shot: "Thank you for contacting Tier 2 Kobo Customer Care. Please accept our apologies for the ongoing inconvenience and misunderstandings. Of course we do not expect a customer to get in touch with Worldpay or other payment providers. We are now in touch with Worldpay and are investigating the matter. At this point it seems that there is a broken connection between [XXXX] and Worldpay. We kindly ask you to use a different credit card if possible until this issue has been resolved. We will contact you after we received an update on this issue. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience in this matter. Sincerely, The Kobo Team" I again tried a different credit card, and lo and behold, this time, it actually worked. I'm still hoping for a resolution for the original card as my backup card calls to confirm every single transaction out-of-state, let alone out of the country - not a bad thing, but it is a bit of a damper on spur-of-the-moment book buys. Still, at least I finally got a response from Kobo in which they took responsibility for their own problems. Not exactly earth-shattering news, but I'm posting this for all the other folks who are caught in customer service hell - sometimes, persistence does pay off, and I hope those poor souls who have really been put upon will see light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck!

10-23-2013, 04:46 PM	#40
49Kat Fanatic Posts: 580 Karma: 1309104 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: BC,Canada/NV, USA Device: iPad 9th Gen, iPhone 11, Paperwhite 10th Gen.	Hmmm... I just went to buy a book from Kobo. Find my titles, determine they are eligible for promo codes. Sign in. Click on the book. Click on the price button, which says $1.03. Taken to a purchase page, where the price is now listed at $3.10. I don't think so. Tried a different browser, different device, several times. Same result. Last edited by 49Kat; 10-23-2013 at 05:02 PM.

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10-18-2013, 09:40 AM	#31
Plumadona Groupie Posts: 188 Karma: 615554 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Oasis, Kindle HD6, Kindle PW2, Sony PRS-T1, Nook NE1	Okay, so it's Worldpay that's at the root - fine. Kobo said they would send a transcript of the chat which had the long number from Worldpay, but that hasn't shown up. If so many users are complaining about Worldpay, and not just Kobo customers, is it not in Kobo's interest to either complain to them or get another processing firm? Why do business with a processing firm with a known reputation for customer disatisfaction? This and the other complaints about Kobo service seem insane to me. They seem to have come up with a fine ereader design that could be a real winner at a time when their competitors have either left the American market (Sony) or stumbled out due to poor management and customer service (B & N), and instead of using Amazon as the model (say what you will about the evil empire, they're usually very easy to deal with), they seem to be trying to compete with B & N in a race to the bottom. Kobo couldda had class, they coudda been somebody, they couldda been a contenda, insteada bein a bum. (Hey, after a while, you have to laugh at the absurdity of it all...)

10-18-2013, 09:54 AM	#32
Plumadona Groupie Posts: 188 Karma: 615554 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Oasis, Kindle HD6, Kindle PW2, Sony PRS-T1, Nook NE1	BTW, thanks to Moffattm for the info on Worldpay. While I realize all online reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt, after reading that and other stuff about Worldpay, I wouldn't knowingly go near them or any firm using them with a ten foot pole. Plumadona

10-18-2013, 03:53 PM	#33
moffattm Addict Posts: 333 Karma: 1440670 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Device: Kobo Original, Kobo Glo	My main reason for pointing out that other people seem to have problems with WorldPay processing their credit cards was just to explain that we shouldn't necessarily be heaping all the blame for this at Kobo's door. When building their website they had to make the decision of which credit card processor to use and they elected to go with WorldPay. Maybe, in hind sight, that wasn't such a good idea, and maybe that's why the decided to also offer PayPal as a second option. BTW: for those people that say they don't want to use PayPal, it's actually no more complicated than using the normal credit card option. You don't have to have a PayPal account, you don't have to sign up with PayPal to use them. You just get taken to the PayPal site where you enter your credit card details and that's it!

10-19-2013, 09:04 PM	#36
Blossom Treasure Seeker Posts: 18,708 Karma: 26026435 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Kobo HD Glo, Kindles, Kindle Fires, Andriod Devices	Update: I just bought a book from Kobo using my Credit Card! It looks like my problem is fixed hopefully!

10-20-2013, 10:12 AM	#37
Plumadona Groupie Posts: 188 Karma: 615554 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Oasis, Kindle HD6, Kindle PW2, Sony PRS-T1, Nook NE1	Hooray! Glad to see something is working for somebody. Hope some of the other folks here will have some good luck as well. I had pretty much gave up on the whole thing the other day, but will give it a try later and report back. Who knows, perhaps all the emails, posts, and complaints from all of us have had some effect. I really did have high hopes for Kobo... Plumadona

10-23-2013, 02:41 PM	#39
Blossom Treasure Seeker Posts: 18,708 Karma: 26026435 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Kobo HD Glo, Kindles, Kindle Fires, Andriod Devices	Great news! Maybe you can call your Card and tell them to note the account that all purchases from Kobo are from you?

10-23-2013, 05:19 PM	#41
Plumadona Groupie Posts: 188 Karma: 615554 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Oasis, Kindle HD6, Kindle PW2, Sony PRS-T1, Nook NE1	Good idea, Blossom - might just do that! 49Kat, I'd say complain by chat and don't take no for an answer as I did, but it took me too long and too many chats to urge someone else to go down that path! If I hadn't gotten that last email from Kobo, I wouldn't have bothered at all. Still, it might do some good... Plumadona

10-23-2013, 05:27 PM	#42
49Kat Fanatic Posts: 580 Karma: 1309104 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: BC,Canada/NV, USA Device: iPad 9th Gen, iPhone 11, Paperwhite 10th Gen.	Just had a chat session with Kobo. He said these things usually happen because the publisher has changed the price and it hasn't gone through the catalogue yet, but the correct price will show on the checkout page. Amazon has the same item for $0.96. We'll see if their checkout price will be the same as their 'shelf' price...<sigh> And...yes, it is.

10-23-2013, 05:38 PM	#44
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,535 Karma: 78910202 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Libra H2O, Libra Colour	I seem to recall this is a long standing issue with the web-site; different prices appearing when browsing vs checkout.

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