Be careful when you buy from BooksOnBoard

[frquixote]

I received an e-mail solicitation from BooksOnBoard today. It reminded me that they were offering non-Agency books for 26% off and bumping their Rewards to 8% of the final price. Since this was a good deal I decided to pick up a number of items on my Wish List. The final transaction amount was just under $100, which I paid through PayPal.

I received a notice from BooksOnBoard as I was completing the transaction which said that they were locking my account for "further credit review" due to the size of the purchase (for $100??????) and that the account may remain locked for up to 24 hours. I looked everywhere on their site and found nothing that indicated that they had a limit on the size of transactions, nor did I find any information about them being able to lock, not just the CURRENT transaction, but also the other books I have paid for that are still sitting on my bookshelf!

I checked with PayPal and my bank card provider and they have already cleared the payment to BooksOnBoard, but there is no way to reach BooksOnBoard except through their trouble ticketing system. I have opened a transaction dispute with PayPal and will decide on further actions once I see how BooksOnBoard responds to both the complaint I sent through their trouble ticket system and the complaint I have filed with PayPal.

This may be the straw that breaks the camel's back for me. I have NEVER had a problem with Amazon, even with MUCH larger transactions, but in the past year I've had transaction problems with Borders (Rest In Peace), Kobo and now BooksOnBoard in the ePub ecology. In all fairness, I haven't had any problems with B&N, but then I haven't bought more than a few books at a time from them. I have tried to stay with the ePub world because I believe in open technologies and the competition they can bring to the marketplace, but I am tired of the problems.

[VicLavigne]

If that happened to me I'd be PO'd too. However, disputing the transaction with PayPal seems overboard to me, since you were likely to receive your ebooks in less than 24 hours. I'd only dispute a transaction after a mimum wait of about 48 hours. Disputing the transaction is virtually the same as cancelling it, so if you had no real problem to begin with, now you certainly will.

Vic

[JoeD]

Locking out a purchase due to over zealous anti fraud checking is really just something we all have to put up with causing the odd delay now and then, but implementing it in such a way that it locks out all past purchases is short sighted shoddy development on the part of their site creator. I'd complain about that part more than the hopefully small delay (unless you get locked out yet again with future purchases)

[taustin]

Originally Posted by JoeD

Locking out a purchase due to over zealous anti fraud checking is really just something we all have to put up with causing the odd delay now and then, but implementing it in such a way that it locks out all past purchases is short sighted shoddy development on the part of their site creator. I'd complain about that part more than the hopefully small delay (unless you get locked out yet again with future purchases)

The thinking on that is most likely that if this were a fraudulent transaction, the entire account has been compromised, and thus all existing purchases are compromised as well. While that's annoying, it does make sense.

Their real sin is there's (apparently, from OP's account) no way to contact them directly to resolve it quickly. That's just crappy customer service, and deserves the loss of business it no doubt costs them.

[VicLavigne]

Originally Posted by taustin

Their real sin is there's (apparently, from OP's account) no way to contact them directly to resolve it quickly. That's just crappy customer service, and deserves the loss of business it no doubt costs them.

For an online seller of ebooks, I doubt that they have a person standing by a phone or instant messenger ready to real-time discuss problems with a customer. Their entire staff may only amount to a very few people. So not having a person to talk to right away should not be a surprise. Submission of a trouble-ticket is standard practice with small to midsize internet companies.

Vic

[HarryT]

Although this is doubtless irksome, I would not personally have queried the transaction with PayPal until I'd heard back from BoB. It's worth bearing in mind that, annoying those these security checks can be, they are there, at the end of the day, for our benefit.

[taustin]

Originally Posted by VicLavigne

For an online seller of ebooks, I doubt that they have a person standing by a phone or instant messenger ready to real-time discuss problems with a customer. Their entire staff may only amount to a very few people. So not having a person to talk to right away should not be a surprise. Submission of a trouble-ticket is standard practice with small to midsize internet companies.

Vic

I agree with everything you say. But that doesn't make it good customer service. (I've run an online book store. By myself. I know how it goes. But once the payment has cleared the bank, so to speak, as the OP indicated it has according to PayPal and his bank, the purchase should be made available to download. In point of fact, unless there's some indication that it might not be, it's very likely illegal to delay it for any length of time. But it's certainly bad service.)

[Pomtroll]

Happened to me once. I contacted BOB immediately & they unlocked it right away. And since I've purchased from them regularly they said they would make sure I didn't get locked out again. Plus they gave me points to use for further purchases because of the inconvenience.

[=X=]

Originally Posted by frquixote

I received an e-mail solicitation from BooksOnBoard today. It reminded me that they were offering non-Agency books for 26% off and bumping their Rewards to 8% of the final price. Since this was a good deal I decided to pick up a number of items on my Wish List. The final transaction amount was just under $100, which I paid through PayPal.

It happened to me a few years back. They where having a 60% off book sale. I normally purchased a few books here and there from them but the sale was so good I purchased over $200 worth of books. I to ass rewarded with them locking out.my account and had to wait two days for them to reactive my account(it was a holiday weekend).
As angry was very upset and told them how displeased I was. They where unapologetic and felt it was a measured they had to take to protect themselves. I said fine I respect that and will never do businesses with you. I have not so much as visited that site since that day, well with the exception of downloading my purchased books.

I have never had any iissues with any online retailer prior to this incident.

=X=

[FizzyWater]

I had a credit card once I only use for emergencies. The last time I used it, it had probably been over a year since I'd last used it. When I got home, there was a call from my credit card company, making sure I had been the one to make the purchase.

I was grateful for that. I might have been less grateful if they'd stopped the purchase at the cash register and made me deal with that embarrassment, but they didn't. I had a credit card number "hi-jacked" once, and I don't ever want to go through that again!

I can understand why BooksOnBoard did what they did. I can also understand the frustration of having it happen over a holiday weekend, where you're not likely to get a timely response *and* having it be an online deal, they locked you out of getting what you legally paid for.

I used to shop from BoB fairly regularly (before Agency Pricing when I was buying lots of books from sites that offered discounts and rebates). I always found them friendly and responsive.

I truly hope you hear back from them soon and get access to your books.

[Andrew H.]

It's horrible customer service and I would have done just what =X= did. Just as I would if I went to a B&M store and they told me I would have to pick my books up in two days due to some security issue.

I've had to cancel a card due to someone stealing it and using the number, and I've had companies ask whether I was the person who made the transaction. But I've never had any online purchase held up for a number of days, and I don't think it's acceptable.

[taustin]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

I was grateful for that. I might have been less grateful if they'd stopped the purchase at the cash register and made me deal with that embarrassment, but they didn't.

I had that happend once (gas cards used more than two or three times the same day, especially in different states, tend to provoke paranoid in the issuing company, unless you tell them in advance you'll be traveling). I didn't find it embarassing at all. They explained it clearly to me, and the gas station employee already understood.

So long as the credit card companies have to eat nearly 100% of the losses (as they should), they will be erring on the side of caution.

None of that, however, excuses this situation. (PayPal isn't a credit card company, after all, and they apparently had transferred funds already.)

[mikaelalind]

Here is the link to Customer Service.

Edit: The link was found at the front page, under the Learn More headline. Yes, it can be a bit more visible. But it is easy to find. *shrugs*

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by taustin

Their real sin is there's (apparently, from OP's account) no way to contact them directly to resolve it quickly. That's just crappy customer service, and deserves the loss of business it no doubt costs them.

Exactly! That's no way to run a business.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by mikaelalind

Here is the link to Customer Service.

Edit: The link was found at the front page, under the Learn More headline. Yes, it can be a bit more visible. But it is easy to find. *shrugs*

Where's the toll free number for live customer support?

I won't deal with a company that doesn't provide one.