Sorry Astak, I give up.

SaraD · 11-08-2010, 11:09 AM

And Sony gets my money for a PRS-650 that arrives this morning. I had really wanted to wait until you had a new unit out and give it a chance, but Abt.com offered the deal that I hoped to get on Black Friday for an included cover and I opted to go for it instead of waiting another month. RobertB earned my trust and even after he was gone I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt because I like the Jinke product line. I do believe you have a new unit lined up and have read a few hints that it will be very nice, but it's not available yet. Sony offered offered everything I wanted for functionality and nothing I didn't want with the PRS-650 and Abt.com offered a price tag I was willing to pay. A user-replacable battery would have been nice, but I can take part of my cell phone apart to fix a jammed key, I can deal with a battery. I also really like the Pocketbook 602/603 and nearly bought one of those units, but the Pearl screen tipped me over to the Sony PRS-650.

Today is November 8, 2010. At this point I really doubt Astak will have a new device ready for sale and availabe for purchase before Black Friday November 26, 2010 (the day after the US's Thanksgiving Holiday and traditional start of the holiday shopping season). Therefore good luck to you for your company's e-book division's survival because sadly I think you will need it.

I am doing this as a new thread to show Astak specifically a lost sale. Anybody else out there tired of waiting?

jenifer.ezread · 11-08-2010, 01:16 PM

SaraD,

I am of course sad that Astak lost you as a customer. This is a poor reflection on our company, especially because you and all of the forum goers have been so dedicated to giving us honest feedback and interacting with us throughout the years. Every customer we lose here, I feel as if we've lost ten more who don't use the forums.

But naturally, this is expected on our end. If a company does not have a product in stock, consumers will buy elsewhere. We are not as large as Sony or Kobo, and because of this, we are more susceptible to issues out of our control that we must weather.

I will pass your post along to my bosses, it's important for us to understand the seriousness of the upcoming Black Friday for shoppers. I am again sorry that we lost your confidence and your support.

Jenifer

polly · 11-08-2010, 07:54 PM

For what it's worth, I agree with SaraD completely. I've also been waiting for the long promised A6 with the Sipex screen. I'd prefer to buy from a small company with good customer support. When I bought my pEZ, I got both. Now I'm not so sure about the good customer support and there's no indication that the A6 is anything more than vaporware. I feel sorry for you, Jenifer, trying to offer the same level of support that RobertB offered without being fired in the way that he was. That's pretty telling to me about how your company feels about building relationships with the customers.

Sony came out with a great touchscreen reader with well designed software. I miss folder support, but the collections help make up for that. The recent offer of a free lighted case for the Sony with no indication that Astak really plans to stay in the eReader business tipped me over. I just can't understand how Astak can go for so long with no readers for sale and no explanation. And so it is that SaraD and I are off enjoying our new readers. Seeing mine convinced my mother that she wanted one too, so that's another potential sale lost. I like my 650 enough that it's the one I take on plane rides now. I used to talk about how great my pEZ was, but now I show off my Sony.

I'm afraid that you're too late for the holiday shopping season. You'd have to have a product on the street right now getting good reviews from influential web sites for people to be considering what you have. By Black Friday, people know what they want and are trying to decide where to get it. I wish Astak all the best, but don't see myself being a customer again any time soon.

Xanthe · 11-08-2010, 08:53 PM

I, too, was someone waiting for the new Astak reader that RobertB had talked so much about. But when I was ready to buy, you didn't have product to sell, so I'm another purchase lost to Sony.

dacattt · 11-09-2010, 02:32 AM

Silly question / comment... I ordered, and received the new 6 during the short time when they were up on the website (and love my little beast). Did anyone else here manage to order one before they took it off the site?

oggelbe2007 · 11-09-2010, 09:35 AM

Same here...waited, and waited...nothing. Bought a nice kindle and moved on.

SaraD · 11-09-2010, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenifer.ezread

Every customer we lose here, I feel as if we've lost ten more who don't use the forums.

Actually, that is probably true.

If you do a web search for pretty much anything about e-readers or e-books Mobileread is the site that comes up the most and the Wikipedia sends you to the Mobilread Wiki. So yes, I would say there are a lot more lurkerers who come here for information than ever post. I started reading here in May 2008 but did not join until September that year so I could make a comment on RobertB's original thread and this is the only forum I read for advice/information that I have ever joined.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenifer.ezread

I will pass your post along to my bosses, it's important for us to understand the seriousness of the upcoming Black Friday for shoppers.

Um, for your sake I really hope I am reading this comment incorrectly. If your bosses do not already deeply understand the importance of Black Friday shopping day in the US, then I am amazed that any part of Astak is still in business unless it does nearly all commercial sales. Actually, I find the idea very scary and I sincerely hope that you and all other e-book division employees have feelers out in the job market given how tough it currently is. EZRead and the retail-oriented side of things cannot survive long with that same attitude being applied. As it is when devices become available again that side of the business will have to be built up all over again from zero with the downside of everyone wondering for so long what happened and will such a delay happen again.

I wish you much patience and luck over the coming months because you will need both the way this situation looks from the outside. The Jinke products still interest me, but it will be a long time before I will purchase another reader since I tend to keep my electronics for a long time.

Solicitous · 11-09-2010, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SaraD

And Sony gets my money for a PRS-650 that arrives this morning.

Quote:

Originally Posted by polly

I like my 650 enough that it's the one I take on plane rides now. I used to talk about how great my pEZ was, but now I show off my Sony.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xanthe

I, too, was someone waiting for the new Astak reader that RobertB had talked so much about. But when I was ready to buy, you didn't have product to sell, so I'm another purchase lost to Sony.

See the common thread? The problem isn't that Astak wont/cant sell their ereaders, the problem is Sony selling the 650

All seriousness Astak management might be trying to solve current contractual issues, but I highly doubt they full understand the market and the importance of resolving the issue quickly.

Jen I'm going to ask a question with which I understand whether you can answer or not, so don't feel bad if you can't give me an answer. I understand that a new 6" model from Jinke is coming out, will this mean that the current 6" EZReader Plus wont be on offer when the contract is fixed? ie: will the V60 replace the EZReader Plus as the only 6" on offer?

SmartyPants · 11-09-2010, 08:01 PM

yep, i am yet another ex-Astak-now-Sony customer.
My mum still owns 6" so i am checking this part of the boards.. plus i want to know what the heck is going to happen at Astak!

I have to admit Robert and his involvement played a big part in my decision when i got my PP. But once the time came for me to replace my broken reader, the persisting 'out of stock' message and the whole 'we cant tell you anything except that better things are coming.. but we cant tell you when either' business put me off Astak for a long, long time. And yeah, i think Rob's departure was definitely fishy and i feel bad for the guy. He might have made mistakes and whatnot, but he certainly built a huge customer base for Astak.

Plus, Sony and their new touch screens are fabulous, although i do miss the fb2 and Coolreader badly...

and now for some pure speculation... i wonder if the new upcoming model will be a COLOR e-ink reader?

i have been reading news on those... they are closer than we think.

jenifer.ezread · 11-10-2010, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmartyPants

But once the time came for me to replace my broken reader, the persisting 'out of stock' message and the whole 'we cant tell you anything except that better things are coming.. but we cant tell you when either' business put me off Astak for a long, long time.

and now for some pure speculation... i wonder if the new upcoming model will be a COLOR e-ink reader?

SmartyPants,

Correct me if I'm wrong about this, but you currently have a broken reader that needs a replacement? We can still take care of this problem for you, despite the message left for new customers looking to purchase a device on the site.

If it's covered by warranty and meets the requirements, you might even receive a free replacement device. Please contact support at support@ezread.com, and CC your message to me at jenifera@ezread.com.

This message also goes for anyone else who does not believe their broken device can be replaced by us. It most certainly can.

On the note about color e-ink screens, I was excited to learn about the Hanvon device which has color yet NO backlit screen. That would be a sight to see. I've heard from my boss that we will be looking into those devices in the very near future.

jenifer.ezread · 11-10-2010, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solicitous

Jen I'm going to ask a question with which I understand whether you can answer or not, so don't feel bad if you can't give me an answer. I understand that a new 6" model from Jinke is coming out, will this mean that the current 6" EZReader Plus wont be on offer when the contract is fixed? ie: will the V60 replace the EZReader Plus as the only 6" on offer?

Solicitous,

I spoke with a coworker about this, as I had never heard of the new Jinke model replacing our 6". She informed me that the V60 will not replace our 6" when we are able to put our devices back in stock.

I'll keep you posted if we do have any new devices upcoming in the future, but as of right now, the 6" Plus is still the good ol' 6" Plus.

SmartyPants · 11-10-2010, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenifer.ezread

SmartyPants,
If it's covered by warranty and meets the requirements, you might even receive a free replacement device. .

Hi Jenifer,
unfortunatly, my broken PP is PURELY my fault...

I got it jammed between two airlplane seats and it is totally, completely smashed. You would laugh if i sent it to you demanding replacement!!

A lesson for me to be more careful about where i put my reader.
Although i do have to admit, it took A LOT of force to break the reader! I got a feeling the seat broke first lol...

Readerati · 11-11-2010, 05:52 PM

I'm a long time lurker, very occasional contributor to these boards. I've got a lot out of them, particularly the Astak one (I'd contribute more but what I have to offer is dwarfed by the regular contributors depth of knowledge, etc.).

So: I bought an EZReader PP based on the discussions on these boards. Great. Love it. My constant companion. Then I buy one for my wife. Great. She loves it. Her constant companion. A great community for the product exists. RobertB seems to offer a level of customer management hitherto unheard of. I start to entertain thoughts of supporting the Astak line of Readers to the end of my days.

Then...well readers of this and the "Announcement from EZ Read/Astak Team " thread know the rest. We don't have a Black Friday shopping day here in Australia, but when I'm shopping for gifts for my family and friends, "Astak ereader alternative" will be one of my search terms in Google.

Blossom · 11-11-2010, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Then...well readers of this and the "Announcement from EZ Read/Astak Team " thread know the rest. We don't have a Black Friday shopping day here in Australia, but when I'm shopping for gifts for my family and friends, "Astak ereader alternative" will be one of my search terms in Google.

The Pocketbook 360, Jetbook or Jetbook Lite are very similar to the Pocket Pro. None have the new Pearl screen but I've been doing research on alternative readers like the PP and those are the two that seem the closet to supporting many formats and Adobe DRM.

Next Week I will be ordering a Kindle 3 for my Birthday. Have to order it early cause of Black Friday no doubt Amazon will sell out by offering some deal or discount. My PP sits on my shelf I will still use it for Library books till it goes.

DaleDe · 11-12-2010, 01:09 AM

The Jetbook and Jetbook Lite are not ePaper screens. They are reflective LCD. Expect only 20 hours roughly battery life in either one. The screen resolution is 640 x 480 on both units as opposed to 800 x 600 on the Pocket Pro. They can be nice units but don't be fooled into thinking they are e Ink devices.

11-08-2010, 11:09 AM	#1
SaraD Groupie Posts: 161 Karma: 2670 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mead, WA, USA Device: Sony 650, Basic Kindle 7th generation	Sorry Astak, I give up. And Sony gets my money for a PRS-650 that arrives this morning. I had really wanted to wait until you had a new unit out and give it a chance, but Abt.com offered the deal that I hoped to get on Black Friday for an included cover and I opted to go for it instead of waiting another month. RobertB earned my trust and even after he was gone I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt because I like the Jinke product line. I do believe you have a new unit lined up and have read a few hints that it will be very nice, but it's not available yet. Sony offered offered everything I wanted for functionality and nothing I didn't want with the PRS-650 and Abt.com offered a price tag I was willing to pay. A user-replacable battery would have been nice, but I can take part of my cell phone apart to fix a jammed key, I can deal with a battery. I also really like the Pocketbook 602/603 and nearly bought one of those units, but the Pearl screen tipped me over to the Sony PRS-650. Today is November 8, 2010. At this point I really doubt Astak will have a new device ready for sale and availabe for purchase before Black Friday November 26, 2010 (the day after the US's Thanksgiving Holiday and traditional start of the holiday shopping season). Therefore good luck to you for your company's e-book division's survival because sadly I think you will need it. I am doing this as a new thread to show Astak specifically a lost sale. Anybody else out there tired of waiting?

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11-08-2010, 01:16 PM	#2
jenifer.ezread EZ Read Team Member Posts: 114 Karma: 602 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: EZ Read Pocket Pro	SaraD, I am of course sad that Astak lost you as a customer. This is a poor reflection on our company, especially because you and all of the forum goers have been so dedicated to giving us honest feedback and interacting with us throughout the years. Every customer we lose here, I feel as if we've lost ten more who don't use the forums. But naturally, this is expected on our end. If a company does not have a product in stock, consumers will buy elsewhere. We are not as large as Sony or Kobo, and because of this, we are more susceptible to issues out of our control that we must weather. I will pass your post along to my bosses, it's important for us to understand the seriousness of the upcoming Black Friday for shoppers. I am again sorry that we lost your confidence and your support. Jenifer

11-08-2010, 07:54 PM	#3
polly Evangelist Posts: 454 Karma: 270240 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Sony PRS 650, PocketBook 360, Astak PocketPro (RIP), Tungsten T3	For what it's worth, I agree with SaraD completely. I've also been waiting for the long promised A6 with the Sipex screen. I'd prefer to buy from a small company with good customer support. When I bought my pEZ, I got both. Now I'm not so sure about the good customer support and there's no indication that the A6 is anything more than vaporware. I feel sorry for you, Jenifer, trying to offer the same level of support that RobertB offered without being fired in the way that he was. That's pretty telling to me about how your company feels about building relationships with the customers. Sony came out with a great touchscreen reader with well designed software. I miss folder support, but the collections help make up for that. The recent offer of a free lighted case for the Sony with no indication that Astak really plans to stay in the eReader business tipped me over. I just can't understand how Astak can go for so long with no readers for sale and no explanation. And so it is that SaraD and I are off enjoying our new readers. Seeing mine convinced my mother that she wanted one too, so that's another potential sale lost. I like my 650 enough that it's the one I take on plane rides now. I used to talk about how great my pEZ was, but now I show off my Sony. I'm afraid that you're too late for the holiday shopping season. You'd have to have a product on the street right now getting good reviews from influential web sites for people to be considering what you have. By Black Friday, people know what they want and are trying to decide where to get it. I wish Astak all the best, but don't see myself being a customer again any time soon.

11-08-2010, 08:53 PM	#4
Xanthe Plan B Is Now In Force Posts: 1,894 Karma: 8086979 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Surebleak Device: Aluratek,Sony 350/T1,Pandigital,eBM 911,Nook HD/HD+,Fire HDX 7/8.9,PW2	I, too, was someone waiting for the new Astak reader that RobertB had talked so much about. But when I was ready to buy, you didn't have product to sell, so I'm another purchase lost to Sony.

11-09-2010, 02:32 AM	#5
dacattt Connoisseur Posts: 51 Karma: 3102 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Los Angeles Device: Astak 6 EZ Reader Plus	Silly question / comment... I ordered, and received the new 6 during the short time when they were up on the website (and love my little beast). Did anyone else here manage to order one before they took it off the site?

11-09-2010, 09:35 AM	#6
oggelbe2007 Limited Warranty Posts: 89 Karma: 576 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: North Georgia, USA Device: A sweet PRS-500, DXG	Same here...waited, and waited...nothing. Bought a nice kindle and moved on.

11-09-2010, 08:01 PM	#9
SmartyPants Zealot Posts: 119 Karma: 46 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Kindle PW	yep, i am yet another ex-Astak-now-Sony customer. My mum still owns 6" so i am checking this part of the boards.. plus i want to know what the heck is going to happen at Astak! I have to admit Robert and his involvement played a big part in my decision when i got my PP. But once the time came for me to replace my broken reader, the persisting 'out of stock' message and the whole 'we cant tell you anything except that better things are coming.. but we cant tell you when either' business put me off Astak for a long, long time. And yeah, i think Rob's departure was definitely fishy and i feel bad for the guy. He might have made mistakes and whatnot, but he certainly built a huge customer base for Astak. Plus, Sony and their new touch screens are fabulous, although i do miss the fb2 and Coolreader badly... and now for some pure speculation... i wonder if the new upcoming model will be a COLOR e-ink reader? i have been reading news on those... they are closer than we think.

11-11-2010, 05:52 PM	#13
Readerati Readerholic Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Astak EZ Reader Pro	I'm a long time lurker, very occasional contributor to these boards. I've got a lot out of them, particularly the Astak one (I'd contribute more but what I have to offer is dwarfed by the regular contributors depth of knowledge, etc.). So: I bought an EZReader PP based on the discussions on these boards. Great. Love it. My constant companion. Then I buy one for my wife. Great. She loves it. Her constant companion. A great community for the product exists. RobertB seems to offer a level of customer management hitherto unheard of. I start to entertain thoughts of supporting the Astak line of Readers to the end of my days. Then...well readers of this and the "Announcement from EZ Read/Astak Team " thread know the rest. We don't have a Black Friday shopping day here in Australia, but when I'm shopping for gifts for my family and friends, "Astak ereader alternative" will be one of my search terms in Google.

11-12-2010, 01:09 AM	#15
DaleDe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,470 Karma: 13095790 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Grass Valley, CA Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7	The Jetbook and Jetbook Lite are not ePaper screens. They are reflective LCD. Expect only 20 hours roughly battery life in either one. The screen resolution is 640 x 480 on both units as opposed to 800 x 600 on the Pocket Pro. They can be nice units but don't be fooled into thinking they are e Ink devices.