New online preview feature on Kobo's website

[Anak]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

If the publisher fixes the book and uploads a new version, it won't automatically replace the version linked to your account. You need to make a complaint about the book content and ask Kobo to replace it with the fixed version.

Well, I've politely asked Kobo several times to update their generated kepubs to a newer version because

1. the publisher has updated the epub version of the book. Publishers do this to improve the reading expierence by fleshing out errors and/or problems. Like OCR-errors, broken sentences, etc. The usual suspects; or
2. the kepub contains an outdated version "Kobo Style Sheet Hacks", which causes some problems like empty lines between p-tags. These KSSH problems are discussed on MR elsewhere.

Kobos answer has always been: no.

Asking Kobo to update a regular epub to the latest available version… I'm sure that the anwer will be (again): no.

Note: this is about a book with the same ISBN, not a new or rerelease of the same book title under a different ISBN. That would be a different release.


I guess this is one of the drawbacks when a bookseller hosts/stores books on its own servers.
If a book title (read: identification code, like ISBN) is already in its database, updated books by the publisher are rejected or ignored as the book title is already in the database.
In this situation the consumer is totally dependent on the bookseller if books receive updates or not.

Smaller booksellers, who usually don't store books on their own servers, often provide a download link to third-party intermediation service.
Book publishers upload their books to the intermediation service and therefore it is always up-to-date. Updated book titles replace the obsolete titles.
Which the consumer can (re)download.
Updates are triggered by the publisher not by the bookseller.

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by Anak

Well, I've politely asked Kobo several times to update their generated kepubs to a newer version because

1. the publisher has updated the epub version of the book. Publishers do this to improve the reading expierence by fleshing out errors and/or problems. Like OCR-errors, broken sentences, etc. The usual suspects; or
2. the kepub contains an outdated version "Kobo Style Sheet Hacks", which causes some problems like empty lines between p-tags. These KSSH problems are discussed on MR elsewhere.

Kobos answer has always been: no.

Asking Kobo to update a regular epub to the latest available version… I'm sure that the anwer will be (again): no.

They won't update just because the publisher has released a new version. You have to report a fault with the book.

If there is a fault and they won't update the book, then just take the refund and buy the new version of the book. I've always been offered a refund when reporting a fault with a book.

[Anak]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

They won't update just because the publisher has released a new version. You have to report a fault with the book.

If there is a fault and they won't update the book, then just take the refund and buy the new version of the book. I've always been offered a refund when reporting a fault with a book.

Well, what is considered a fault here? Retorical question. I understood the point you were making.
Kobo anwers were like "We don't consider it as a fault.", "The book is not unreadable." or "We don't think this harms the reading experience."
As a customer you'll never win this discussion and are totally left in the cold.

Kobo never offered me a refund. Or any other compensation for that matter. Not that I'm really interested in that. No, I only want Kobo to 'fix' a book and all they have to do is to update or reprocess it. This is also the most easiest and cheapest solution. And possibly, less future complains from other customers about the same book title and benfits customer loyalty "If you ask Kobo, then Kobo will update 'problematic' books."

And Kobo doesn't even have to fix every single book that, for example, still has an outdated version of "Kobo Style Sheet Hack Code". No, they only need to reprocess the books customers complain about. If it takes up to a week to reprocess a book, that's fine, I don't mind waiting as long as know a book is added to the "queue for reprocessing" and will be updated shortly.

I guess your answer is another indication that Kobo values countries differently.
Anglo-Saxon countries are probably first tier (possibly expanded by other (language) territories where Amazon is active), other countries likely are considered as second tier.

Those second countries are not offered discounts or contests(*) or receive a different quality of customer service (i.e.: offered no refunds or do not receive additional discount coupons as 'compensation' for inconveniences or these are considerably lower.).

(*) except for the "We miss you" discount coupons. Other discounts are scarse or not as generous as first tier countries. There are no localized coupons such as national holiday coupons for The Fourth of July or Canada Day. Or Cyber Monday, or other 'special' day.
There are no (localized) contests to participate in, while these are not prohibited by law.

Note: this post is not meant to be rant or such. Only to point out what is currently wrong, missing or different and how it can be solved or prevented from happening.