Who has better customer service? - Page 2

meeera · 06-09-2017, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've never had to use Kobo or Amazon CS for eBook or Reader related issues.

My last contact with Kobo CS was quite a few years ago, so I'm abstaining. I get all the Kobo help I need here. If "davidfor" was one of the poll options, that would be a different matter...

Hemmi · 06-09-2017, 08:56 AM

I use Kobo but not Amazon. Not impressed with Kobo's customer service.

They may be a dying company but I've had the best customer service ever from Kmart.com. They are truly the best!

Dr. Drib · 06-09-2017, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've had rather good customer service from Sony.

You needed help on your Betamax?

JSWolf · 06-09-2017, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

You needed help on your Betamax?

Nope. I've needed help with a couple of Sony Readers.

DNSB · 06-09-2017, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John F

I would hope that only people who have experience with both would vote. That was what I was trying to get at with the "personal" blurb.

And that was why I answered the same limiting my answer to ereader/ebook related incidents. I don't know about Amazon in the USA but dealing with Amazon in Canada has been a mixed experience. One example being an ebook purchase where the delivered book did not match the version shown on their site (the version I thought I was purchasing has 5 short stories, the version delivered had 4 making it not the "Compleat" version. It took multiple discussions before I received the refund I wanted.

One lesson my mother drilled into me definitely applied, courtesy and politeness go a long ways towards making dealing with customer service a less unpleasant experience. Though I sometimes wonder why anyone would want to catch flies...

barryem · 06-09-2017, 04:02 PM

I've had experience with both. I'm mainly a Kindle user and I have a Prime account and I live in rural Arkansas and I don't have a car so I buy a lot at Amazon, both for myself and for a lot of my neighbors. Their service is amazingly good. I sometimes have to work hard to avoid taking unfair advantage of them.

I've had 2 experiences with Kobo customer service. One was very good. I reached them quickly and they resolved my issue. I forget now what that issue was but I do remember that I was happy about it.

The other time was a bit different. I wasn't able to get through to them. I tried every day, sometimes several times. Being retired I have time to spend on that sort of thing. The problem I had was an inability to place an order for a new Kobo Aura when they first became available. Their website was rejecting my account.

After two weeks of trying constantly I finally found a place to leave a message and a time I'd be home so they could call me back. They promised to call me back within two days. I got the call a few days later, I think it was 3 or 4 days. Fortunately I was in the house when they called.

Once I got the guy on the phone he was great. It took him a while to figure out a solution but he did and I felt really good about his attitude and his willingness to help. They'd just updated their website and there was some internal problem, I'm not sure what, but he finally found a way to make it work and I got my Kobo.

So my experience with Kobo service is both very bad and very good. I think the problem was one of those things that can happen and I don't feel much need to complain. But it did happen.

I've never had any problems with Amazon. They're always on the phone with me in less than a minute, usually a lot less. They do what they say they're going to do. They're attitude is great.

I think Amazon's success is more because of their customer service than any other factor.

Barry

MGlitch · 06-09-2017, 10:57 PM

I haven't had to deal with Amazon CS, I generally don't use them. As for Kobo, when I pre-ordered my H2O I had issues getting a tracking number, calling Kobo got mixed results, they initially told me to wait a few days, then it was a few more, finally I got tired of waiting (this was a week+ past when it was meant to have shipped) and I was a bit more aggressive, though not mean, and finally got a tracking number.

Not really what I'd call ideal CS, but this seemed to be the norm at the time, Kobo just had issues getting tracking numbers to US buyers. So okay, I'll cut them some slack on that issue.

Flash forward to more recently, my mother lost her Kobo Glo HD, or it was stolen, either way it was no longer in her possession. We called Kobo, explained the situation, they told us she'd need to make a new account and they could transfer everything over and then deactivate her old account. So when she got a new Kobo, this time going with the Kobo Aura 2nd edition, we called again and while it took some time, the CS rep was good, she understood what had happened, what we needed to have done, and presto it was done. I'm pretty sure they even let my mom keep the 5$ bonus that they're offering for new accounts.

So while their CS was questionable a few years back, in my experience it's improved markedly.

I will note i did not vote in this poll as I don't have experience with Amazon CS.

GeoffR · 06-10-2017, 01:26 AM

I haven't needed to use either one very often, usually they are both good, but a couple of experiences with Amazon have left me wondering whether I was actually communicating with a human or a malfunctioning 'bot.

(Edit: Sorry 'bots, nothing personal, I would be happy to deal with you if you could solve my problem. But cutting and pasting generic solutions to problems I don't have is not very useful, and it ends up being less hassle to just live with the problem than continuing with the customer service experience.)

Josieb1 · 06-10-2017, 04:06 AM

I wouldn't even call what Kobo offer as 'Customer service'. It's appalling. I've had issues with everything from buying and returning a Kobo device (never again), nonworking promo codes, overcharging on purchases, and general queries. Half the time they don't understand the problem, they send out generic emails. They ask you to wait for a response but then either never reply, or close the query as it's been open too long and they 'haven't heard from you'. It's an absolute joke.

llcj · 06-10-2017, 07:19 AM

I didn't vote in this pole as I rarely buy from Amazon. I must say that the few times I have had to deal with Kobo, customer service was very good to excellent. My issues were sorted within an hour and I received bonus credits for any inconvenience I may have experienced.

R. Daneel Olivaw · 06-23-2017, 02:01 AM

OK, I can see how everyone loves Amazon support buy if you buy a kobo from kobo you get all The support you need! If anything goes wrong you send them your purchase conformation email and 2 weeks later, you get refurbished one and this can be done any number of times!

Cesca · 06-27-2017, 09:42 AM

Could be because I'm in Canada, but I received both refunds and apologies from both companies, so I'd say both were excellent.

Laine · 07-14-2017, 06:25 AM

Amazon is happy ringing people in Australia and talking them through problems.

haydnfan · 07-14-2017, 08:16 AM

The absolute worst CS I had from was BN. I almost feel like they hate customers.

Kobo used to be equally bad but I think they've improved. It's still not great. If you persist and are patient and stubborn you will eventually get what you want but it's like pulling teeth. I think that most of the bad experiences come from the fact that CS is meant to deal with the ebook store and not hardware. And most people call about the latter. If your concern is with the former you'll find it much easier to get results.

Amazon CS is divine. Anything can get resolved in under five minutes on the phone.

Cinisajoy · 07-14-2017, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haydnfan

The absolute worst CS I had from was BN. I almost feel like they hate customers.

Kobo used to be equally bad but I think they've improved. It's still not great. If you persist and are patient and stubborn you will eventually get what you want but it's like pulling teeth. I think that most of the bad experiences come from the fact that CS is meant to deal with the ebook store and not hardware. And most people call about the latter. If your concern is with the former you'll find it much easier to get results.

Amazon CS is divine. Anything can get resolved in under five minutes on the phone.

Unless it is the day after Prime.

View Poll Results: Who has better customer service, Kobo or Amazon?
Kobo	2	3.08%
Amazon	55	84.62%
They are the same	8	12.31%
Voters: 65. You may not vote on this poll

06-10-2017, 01:26 AM	#23
GeoffR Wizard Posts: 3,821 Karma: 19162882 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Te Riu-a-Māui Device: Kobo Glo	I haven't needed to use either one very often, usually they are both good, but a couple of experiences with Amazon have left me wondering whether I was actually communicating with a human or a malfunctioning 'bot. (Edit: Sorry 'bots, nothing personal, I would be happy to deal with you if you could solve my problem. But cutting and pasting generic solutions to problems I don't have is not very useful, and it ends up being less hassle to just live with the problem than continuing with the customer service experience.) Last edited by GeoffR; 06-10-2017 at 03:26 AM. Reason: Sorry 'bots, nothing personal, ...

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06-09-2017, 08:56 AM	#17
Hemmi Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,366 Karma: 15987608 Join Date: Apr 2015 Device: Sonys, Nooks, Kobo Libra, Forma, Mini, Paperwhite	I use Kobo but not Amazon. Not impressed with Kobo's customer service. They may be a dying company but I've had the best customer service ever from Kmart.com. They are truly the best!

06-09-2017, 04:02 PM	#21
barryem Wizard Posts: 2,459 Karma: 68781975 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Arkansas Device: Paperwhite 4	I've had experience with both. I'm mainly a Kindle user and I have a Prime account and I live in rural Arkansas and I don't have a car so I buy a lot at Amazon, both for myself and for a lot of my neighbors. Their service is amazingly good. I sometimes have to work hard to avoid taking unfair advantage of them. I've had 2 experiences with Kobo customer service. One was very good. I reached them quickly and they resolved my issue. I forget now what that issue was but I do remember that I was happy about it. The other time was a bit different. I wasn't able to get through to them. I tried every day, sometimes several times. Being retired I have time to spend on that sort of thing. The problem I had was an inability to place an order for a new Kobo Aura when they first became available. Their website was rejecting my account. After two weeks of trying constantly I finally found a place to leave a message and a time I'd be home so they could call me back. They promised to call me back within two days. I got the call a few days later, I think it was 3 or 4 days. Fortunately I was in the house when they called. Once I got the guy on the phone he was great. It took him a while to figure out a solution but he did and I felt really good about his attitude and his willingness to help. They'd just updated their website and there was some internal problem, I'm not sure what, but he finally found a way to make it work and I got my Kobo. So my experience with Kobo service is both very bad and very good. I think the problem was one of those things that can happen and I don't feel much need to complain. But it did happen. I've never had any problems with Amazon. They're always on the phone with me in less than a minute, usually a lot less. They do what they say they're going to do. They're attitude is great. I think Amazon's success is more because of their customer service than any other factor. Barry

06-09-2017, 10:57 PM	#22
MGlitch Wizard Posts: 2,841 Karma: 22003124 Join Date: Aug 2014 Device: Kobo Forma, Kobo Sage, Kobo Libra 2	I haven't had to deal with Amazon CS, I generally don't use them. As for Kobo, when I pre-ordered my H2O I had issues getting a tracking number, calling Kobo got mixed results, they initially told me to wait a few days, then it was a few more, finally I got tired of waiting (this was a week+ past when it was meant to have shipped) and I was a bit more aggressive, though not mean, and finally got a tracking number. Not really what I'd call ideal CS, but this seemed to be the norm at the time, Kobo just had issues getting tracking numbers to US buyers. So okay, I'll cut them some slack on that issue. Flash forward to more recently, my mother lost her Kobo Glo HD, or it was stolen, either way it was no longer in her possession. We called Kobo, explained the situation, they told us she'd need to make a new account and they could transfer everything over and then deactivate her old account. So when she got a new Kobo, this time going with the Kobo Aura 2nd edition, we called again and while it took some time, the CS rep was good, she understood what had happened, what we needed to have done, and presto it was done. I'm pretty sure they even let my mom keep the 5$ bonus that they're offering for new accounts. So while their CS was questionable a few years back, in my experience it's improved markedly. I will note i did not vote in this poll as I don't have experience with Amazon CS.

06-10-2017, 04:06 AM	#24
Josieb1 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,010 Karma: 18018738 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: UK Device: Kobo Forma, Libra2, Clara 2e, Kindle PW SE & Kindle 2022	I wouldn't even call what Kobo offer as 'Customer service'. It's appalling. I've had issues with everything from buying and returning a Kobo device (never again), nonworking promo codes, overcharging on purchases, and general queries. Half the time they don't understand the problem, they send out generic emails. They ask you to wait for a response but then either never reply, or close the query as it's been open too long and they 'haven't heard from you'. It's an absolute joke.

06-10-2017, 07:19 AM	#25
llcj Addict Posts: 250 Karma: 883854 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Canada Device: kobo touch	I didn't vote in this pole as I rarely buy from Amazon. I must say that the few times I have had to deal with Kobo, customer service was very good to excellent. My issues were sorted within an hour and I received bonus credits for any inconvenience I may have experienced.

06-23-2017, 02:01 AM	#26
R. Daneel Olivaw Member Posts: 19 Karma: 2072578 Join Date: Jun 2017 Device: Kobo aura one	OK, I can see how everyone loves Amazon support buy if you buy a kobo from kobo you get all The support you need! If anything goes wrong you send them your purchase conformation email and 2 weeks later, you get refurbished one and this can be done any number of times!

06-27-2017, 09:42 AM	#27
Cesca Groupie Posts: 155 Karma: 1106620 Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Home of the Maple Leaf Device: Kobos, iPads, Sonys	Could be because I'm in Canada, but I received both refunds and apologies from both companies, so I'd say both were excellent.

07-14-2017, 06:25 AM	#28
Laine Addict Posts: 341 Karma: 1162396 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cabramatta, Sydney, Australia Device: Aura H2O, Voyage	Amazon is happy ringing people in Australia and talking them through problems.

07-14-2017, 08:16 AM	#29
haydnfan Guru Posts: 649 Karma: 5632362 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: Kindle PW 4, Oasis 2	The absolute worst CS I had from was BN. I almost feel like they hate customers. Kobo used to be equally bad but I think they've improved. It's still not great. If you persist and are patient and stubborn you will eventually get what you want but it's like pulling teeth. I think that most of the bad experiences come from the fact that CS is meant to deal with the ebook store and not hardware. And most people call about the latter. If your concern is with the former you'll find it much easier to get results. Amazon CS is divine. Anything can get resolved in under five minutes on the phone.

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