Overdrive and Windows Phone Problem and Anomaly

[Curmudgeon10]

Beginning two weeks ago, I could no longer borrow audio books from two local libraries where I maintain a membership using the Overdrive app. This was a change over my experience of the six months prior, a period where I downloaded and listened to 15 audio books.

The evidence of the problem was simple: having logged in to my account, selected a library, and navigated to an available-for-checkout audio book, the "Borrow" button simple didn't make anything happen. No title was "checked out;" no title was added to my Bookshelf. etc.

Troubleshooting to date has consisted of the following: many resets of Windows Phone (Lumia 735); deletion and reinstallation of Overdrive App; and clearing browser history and cookies. None of it appears to have done anything but cause more work (i.e., reinstalling Overdrive several times and reentering info for Library accounts).

The above summarizes the Problem. Below is the Anomaly.

On one library site, once one signs in and navigates to a list of title available for checkout, a banner pops up and invites you to experience "the new Overdrive." Clicking yes on that takes you to a new sign in screen, clearly with some bugs to be worked out (on my phone, some text interference/overwriting is always present). Today, I signed in with my existing Overdrive credentials, and the app "acted like" it was seeing me for the first time, and setting up a brand new account. But with some newly formatted screens, new color scheme (orange, predominantly) I was able to select a title, and the Download was possible, although subtly different from the "old" Overdrive.

I have done a fair amount of searching the internet for a discussion of this and come up empty. Does anyone know a) how to fix the problem described above, and/or b) how to permanently download and install the "new Overdrive" on Windows Phone (that would made the answer to question a) moot.

[tubemonkey]

I tried this on my Nokia 520 after seeing your post this morning and it wouldn't let me check out a book. I just tried it again, and was able to check one out.

Give it another shot and see what happens.

[Curmudgeon10]

I'll give it a try tomorrow but I've had this problem (and tried to resolve it) for more than two weeks.

I would like to take this opportunity to rant about Overdrive support. THERE IS NONE. Any queries through the help icon in the app eventually takes you only to FAQ's, "Tips and Tricks," etc. If you persist, you read that their "partners" provide support, but there are no links to, or names of the "partners." One gets the impression they are talking about Libraries and library systems that have gone with Overdrive for their audio book solution, but I can tell you from experience that I have been unable to find anyone at the two libraries, each in a different library system, that I visit and make inquiries about Overdrive. VERY FRUSTRATING.

On one library site, I was able to complete an email form describing my problem with the app (as described in the OP) and send it off. A number of days later, I received this from an organization named "Frontline Support":

"I’m glad that I could assist you with your recent support case.

• If your issue has not been thoroughly addressed:
If you still need help, please respond to this email and provide more information about your case. I’m happy to continue working with you.

• If this is the first email you’ve received from OverDrive:
Please check your other email folders (spam, junk, etc.) or your firewall settings (personal or corporate). I also recommend adding “@overdrive.com” to your email contact list or safe sender list in your email client to be sure you get emails from OverDrive."

How do I even know if "my issue has not been thoroughly addressed?" I received no answer, either in this email or any other email about the problem. I sent back a reply asking for a link to the place where my issue might have been addressed or discussed. So far, nothing back.

[Curmudgeon10]

I only had time to try one library and one book, but yesterday, the app worked.