07-10-2013, 01:42 PM | #1 |
Kate
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Problems with Kobo Books customer service
I've been buying from them for a long time, and I've never had this happen before, so I'm scratching my head and wondering if anyone else has had the same experience.
I purchased an ebook two weeks ago that was clearly marked readable on ereaders - but after paying for it, was not provided with a download link. I emailed CS and got a reply of 'no, there's no link, but it's available on all the platforms listed.' Which it isn't, so I sent them a screenshot of the page showing the 'readable on ereaders' icon. Several days passed, I got a 'we have to kick it up to another department if you want a refund' email. More than a week has passed since then with no refund, but the book has disappeared from my library. I've never been treated this way by Kobo - I really do not know what to make of it. Especially with the loss of Books On Board, this makes me mad as there are few other options for buying ePubs anymore. I hope this is just a fluke, but I'm afraid it's not. I'm leery of buying from vendors who ignore legitimate complaints and do not give refunds. |
07-10-2013, 01:58 PM | #2 |
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Under eBook information does it say;
Download options: Adobe DRM EPUB or Download options:EPUB (DRM-Free) or Download options: Adobe DRM PDF? That's the only way I know of to assure that there will be a file you can download (besides a kePub into their software or on their readers). I believe when they say the book readable on ereaders they're referring to being able to download a kePub version to a Kobo eReader, although I could be wrong. |
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07-10-2013, 03:37 PM | #3 |
Treasure Seeker
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You can read it on the Android Kobo app. I bought a book like that and that is the only way I could read it.
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07-10-2013, 05:14 PM | #4 | |
Kate
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Quote:
I hate to read on a tablet - I can't go more than 20 minutes at a time before my eyes start hurting. There aren't any download options because the book is not downloadable - but Kobo doesn't tell you what the download options, if any, are until AFTER you've bought the book. Here's the book's page Do you see any info that would let you know the book is not downloadable? Here's another book - can you tell from this what formats are available, or if they're downloadable? |
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07-10-2013, 06:04 PM | #5 |
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The second book does have "Download options: Adobe DRM EPUB" on the right side under " eBook Information". It also has desktop and tablet under READ THIS ON:. I've never looked for this before and I can see how it would be easy to miss.
Since you don't have the book in your library anymore, hopefully you will get your refund. |
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07-10-2013, 07:18 PM | #6 |
Kate
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I've reloaded the page and I'm not seeing what you're seeing. All I see on the right hand side are ads for Kobo's ereaders.
So after scratching my head for awhile, I reloaded it in IE (I normally use Chrome), and lo and behold - there it is. They seriously need to fix that. That information, as well as the Goodreads reviews, is completely missing in Chrome. So I also reloaded the original one, and although it doesn't list any download options, it still says it's readable on Kobo and other 'select' ereaders. Try looking at the site in Chrome and see how completely different it is. That's just wrong. Last edited by khalleron; 07-10-2013 at 07:21 PM. |
07-10-2013, 07:54 PM | #7 |
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I just tried Chrome on my Nexus 7 and everything shows up. I agree the "read this on ereaders" is very misleading.
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07-10-2013, 07:56 PM | #8 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
It is a crappy setup. Their website has always left a lot to be desired, so I don't know that anything will change anytime soon. The confusing thing with the Pinkwater book is that others have it available in ePub, so why not Kobo. https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/da...00000000836876 https://play.google.com/store/books/...DNCX1BIb29DIl0. FWIW, I'm using Chrome on Win7 Last edited by AnemicOak; 07-10-2013 at 08:03 PM. |
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07-10-2013, 08:01 PM | #9 |
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Kate, are you by any chance using an ad blocker plugin in Chrome? I ask because I recently noticed entire sections of some web sites not showing up, and I traced it to the ad blocker I'm using. I think some sites are using code for certain blocks of text / pictures that is the same as or similar to that used to display ads.
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07-10-2013, 08:02 PM | #10 | |
Treasure Seeker
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Quote:
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07-11-2013, 01:27 AM | #11 |
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There is something weird with "Bushman Lives!". The area for "Read This On!" shows eReaders / Kobo Arc / Android / iPhone / iPad.
The second book "Seeing a Large Cat" lists Desktop / eReaders / Tablets / Kobo Vox / Kobo Arc / Android / iPhone. So "Bushman Lives" is not supported on Kobo Arc / Desktop. Weird! |
07-11-2013, 04:07 AM | #12 |
Wizard
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Just to let you know, I'm using Chrome (well, Chromium), Ghostery and AdBlock and I can see all the details on the kobobooks pages.
Khalleron, I hope you'll get a refund soon. |
07-11-2013, 05:54 AM | #13 |
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I can also see all the options in Chrome, but I never looked for this information. I assumed - obviously stupidly - that all the books will be downloadable. So thank you for pointing this out and hopefully you'll get refund soon.
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07-11-2013, 06:11 AM | #14 |
Wizard
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Problems with Kobo Books customer service
I had a similar problem a while ago and when I emailed Kobo CS they replied back saying they'll escalate the problem to the Tier X team for investigation. They just kept escalating and it took almost 3 weeks when I finally figured out the issue myself and have emailed them to tell them my findings, they emailed me thanking me and that they're glad that everything is resolved. This was my first and last time buying an ebook from Kobo.
When I asked for a refund before figuring out what the problem was they declined saying that it shows in their system that it has already been bought. But I hope you get a refund. |
07-11-2013, 09:40 AM | #15 |
Kate
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I did turn AdBlock off to see if that was the problem, but the page didn't change. I've also looked at it on two different computers and I see them both the same.
That is so weird, that everyone else seems to be able to see it, but I cannot. I've given up on Kobo doing anything about it and have filed a dispute on the charge on my credit card. Thanks for everyone's input. |
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