Able to return Kobo?

[mapleleafs]

Hello all,

I have used by Kobo for about a week, and although I have enjoyed it I find that it is lacking in a few areas (such as screen contrast, and overall speed of the system). As such, I am considering returning my Kobo for the upcoming Kindle 3. However, I was wondering if I am actually ALLOWED to return it, since there is no actual defect with said product.

On the Chapters website, it states that "Kobo eReaders must be returned in its original unopened packaging". However, I have heard of some people that have indeed been able to return it after opening.

Can anyone clarify this?

[kingduct]

I can't clarify for Chapters, but for anybody reading who bought the Kobo at a Borders store in the US, I can say they have the same policy (only unopened). I also got a Kobo and just a couple of days later they announced the Kindle 3, and I changed my mind.

Eventually, I got the Borders manager to take the return, but it was a very unpleasant experience (the manager was nice, but the policy is bad and essentially means that you should not buy it if you think you might change your mind). The other major competitors in the US -- Amazon and Barnes and Noble -- both let you do a return, no questions asked.

I hope that things are different for you at Chapters.

I should note that the Kobo itself is a nice product. It just wasn't the one for me in the end.

[clintbradford]

"Buyers remorse" is a problem for retailers. They're trying to get us products at the best possible prices, and we change our minds and want to get refunds because unforseen Model XYZ might be coming.

As a Borders Rewards Club member, I have up to 60 days to return a purchase - for whatever reason. Would I have bought a Kindle3 *instead* of the Kobo if I knew it was coming? I dunno. Am I thoroughly enjoying my Kobo? Absolutely.

>> ... it is lacking in a few areas (such as screen contrast, and overall speed of the system ...

Then you really didn;t do much homework before purchasing. The Kobo is not the speediest eReader on the planet. But the speediest one is about 3X the cost, too.

Screen contrast issues? Certainly not with TEXT while reading BOOKS. You apparently have more sophisticated requirements for an eReader than just enjoying reading text.

I could have purchased another Kindle2 or a Nook when I purchased my Kobo. And although there's been a couple "growing pains" issues, I am thoroughly enjoying it. Do I have "buyers remorse" knowing today that units have dropped in price and new models are on the horizon? Absolutely not.

I guess the bottom line is to know what store policies are BEFORE you purchase. And to help out your retailers, do some homework before purchasing.

[mapleleafs]

>> … I guess the bottom line is to know what store policies are BEFORE you purchase…

I agree with you about this. In hindsight I should have indeed clarified Chapters’ return policy

As for the screen contrast, I sincerely feel that the text is not dark enough for reading (or conversely, the background is not light enough). Perhaps due to my poor eyesight, after reading sessions (>30min) under typical lighting conditions, my eyes feel quite watery and strained. In my opinion the E-Ink screen on the Kobo is not quite as comfortable as “reading on paper”, as advertised.

Anyhow, I appreciate your comments, despite not answering my question about being able to return the Kobo to Chapters.

[dixieknits]

I was told by the Borders store manager before buying that I had 30 days to return it.. NO QUESTIONS ASKED... This was because there was not one ereader available for demo and no one in the store knew anything about them. When I went back return it, it was whole different story. I had to prove to the manager that it froze after an hour so of use and yes,, I had to stay there 45 minutes, page turning , page turning, etc. getting more and more irate until finally it froze. Then the idiot manager tried to intimidate me by saying I must have been over using it..
I was pretty loud and unhappy. I had spent a whole day on the upgrade and another learning how to transfer the adobe epubs from digital editions and felt I had spent enough of my time on this device and yes I did research before buying and certainly asked of return policy. There are no signs in the store nor statments given on the receipt of no returns for electronic goods and clearly this one didn't work very well and I had used it alot. I read alot and don't apologize for that.
The big problem was I did not want another Kobo, I wanted my money back..Finally they complied, probably just to get rid of me and truly feel obligated to warn others of Borders varying policies and uneducated on ereader employees.

[draj]

Hi MapleLeaf,

I returned my kobo reader after using it for approximately 10 days to a Chapters in Vancouver back in June. I did still have the box and receipt and put everything back in the box but it was clear the box had been open and the reader had been used. The salesperson accepted the reader and gave me a refund. My main complaint was the battery was draining too fast but other than that there wasn't anything else wrong with the reader. My suggestion is to try and take it back.

[zoran]

I cannot deny all arguments above. I would only say that epub
seems to be the best format for ereaders. Also, it is open for-
mat. I've seen devices mentioned here and could say Kindle does
not support epub. Among many minuses, one plus for Kobo.

[J. Strnad]

Dixieknits, I'm sorry to hear about your retail hassle! I guess the lesson is, "Get it in writing."

When people talk about the superior shopping experience in retail b&m stores, they obviously aren't talking about your Borders store! If Borders wants to survive, it can't just cut costs, it needs to work on the customer experience. For my money, nobody beats Amazon in this area. I would hate to see them grab a monopoly on ebook sales, but customer service has made them what they are today.

I mentioned Costco in another thread. They are great with returns:

"Why are you returning this?"
"It's the wrong color/size/shape."
"Okay."

"Why are you returning this?"
"I don't like it."
"Okay."

"Why are you returning this?"
"I'm not really sure."
"Okay."

And they seem to be doing well.

[corona]

My local Chapters/Indigo store took my original Kobo back with no receipt and no questions asked. I had a replacement in like 4 minutes.

[grapeape]

To my surprise, we were only able to get a store credit. Frankly the "unopened" requirement is ridiculous. The Kobo was a gift my mother received and to our surprise we found the books to be quite expensive and we couldn't see how to use chapters gift cards to buy kobo books. So I packed it up and took it back. Apparently we should feel lucky they took it back. Frankly I see it as one more nail in the chapters coffin - hope eveyone likes gift cards for christmas...

[pokee]

Originally Posted by grapeape

To my surprise, we were only able to get a store credit. Frankly the "unopened" requirement is ridiculous. The Kobo was a gift my mother received and to our surprise we found the books to be quite expensive and we couldn't see how to use chapters gift cards to buy kobo books. So I packed it up and took it back. Apparently we should feel lucky they took it back. Frankly I see it as one more nail in the chapters coffin - hope eveyone likes gift cards for christmas...

I believe gift cards for Chapters work at Kobo store now - or will very soon. One of the reviewers on the indigo website said that she was able to 'load' her giftcards onto her account at the store on their computer and then use that 'credit' on her account to purchase books. Not sure how accurate that is, but she did have an alternative.

That ridiculous "unopened" requirement applies to most electronics. The key is to make it look unopened until you are sure you want to keep it. Everytime I unpack ANYTHING I buy, I try to keep everything in it's new condition in case I need to return it because I don't like it or find something better/cheaper. Unfortunately, a lot of stuff comes in those plastic containers that you need to cut open, so it's obvious that you've "opened" it (and then it's assumed you've "used" it). The Kobo comes in a package with a 'sealed' sticker that is easy to unpeel and reapply. Mine came to me unsealed from a Coles store, as they had to open a bunch of packages to let me look at the different colours. So, I am sure if that seal is broken, they cannot be too picky about it.

It pays to do research before making purchases. It would've saved you some hassle, that's for sure...

[pokee]

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

Dixieknits, I'm sorry to hear about your retail hassle! I guess the lesson is, "Get it in writing."

When people talk about the superior shopping experience in retail b&m stores, they obviously aren't talking about your Borders store! If Borders wants to survive, it can't just cut costs, it needs to work on the customer experience. For my money, nobody beats Amazon in this area. I would hate to see them grab a monopoly on ebook sales, but customer service has made them what they are today.

I mentioned Costco in another thread. They are great with returns:

"Why are you returning this?"
"It's the wrong color/size/shape."
"Okay."

"Why are you returning this?"
"I don't like it."
"Okay."

"Why are you returning this?"
"I'm not really sure."
"Okay."

And they seem to be doing well.

You cannot compare Costco to any other store, IMO. Its in its own little world. They'll take back a TV you've used for 5 years that you bought at WalMart. There's just no logic to it!!!

I love Amazon. I wish Amazon.ca was even a fraction of how great Amazon.com is. Us Canadians really get ripped off with our online sales options. That's why I love ebay...

[MikeLC]

Originally Posted by grapeape

To my surprise, we were only able to get a store credit. Frankly the "unopened" requirement is ridiculous. The Kobo was a gift my mother received and to our surprise we found the books to be quite expensive and we couldn't see how to use chapters gift cards to buy kobo books. So I packed it up and took it back. Apparently we should feel lucky they took it back. Frankly I see it as one more nail in the chapters coffin - hope eveyone likes gift cards for christmas...

Sorry to hear about your unhappy experience in one of our Chapters stores. To clarify the return policy is 30days on the ereader with original receipt, original packaging and resellable condition (we return all purchases to the supplier so this is something that we require if you want to return the ereader).

Currently there is no way to actually use gift cards to purchase Kobo books however it has been a long discussed issue on this forum as well as the offical Kobo website.

We always attempt to remain competitative with our competitors but such as certain prices are set by the publishers and as a result we can only charge what they require for the ebook.

[grapeape]

Originally Posted by pokee

I believe gift cards for Chapters work at Kobo store now - or will very soon. One of the reviewers on the indigo website said that she was able to 'load' her giftcards onto her account at the store on their computer and then use that 'credit' on her account to purchase books. Not sure how accurate that is, but she did have an alternative.

That ridiculous "unopened" requirement applies to most electronics. The key is to make it look unopened until you are sure you want to keep it. Everytime I unpack ANYTHING I buy, I try to keep everything in it's new condition in case I need to return it because I don't like it or find something better/cheaper. Unfortunately, a lot of stuff comes in those plastic containers that you need to cut open, so it's obvious that you've "opened" it (and then it's assumed you've "used" it). The Kobo comes in a package with a 'sealed' sticker that is easy to unpeel and reapply. Mine came to me unsealed from a Coles store, as they had to open a bunch of packages to let me look at the different colours. So, I am sure if that seal is broken, they cannot be too picky about it.

It pays to do research before making purchases. It would've saved you some hassle, that's for sure...

Where do people shop that do not allow the return of opened electronics? I mean I can return a TV to Futureshop, I can return a cell phone to Rogers, I can return a laptop to Dell, etc... How the bloody hell does someone evaluate a product they cannot touch first? You assume I tore open the package and made it look opened, but I am as careful as you at protecting the packaging. As for research - it was a gift received by my mother - how much research can one do when it's a gift?

[grapeape]

Originally Posted by MikeLC

Sorry to hear about your unhappy experience in one of our Chapters stores. To clarify the return policy is 30days on the ereader with original receipt, original packaging and resellable condition (we return all purchases to the supplier so this is something that we require if you want to return the ereader).

Currently there is no way to actually use gift cards to purchase Kobo books however it has been a long discussed issue on this forum as well as the offical Kobo website.

We always attempt to remain competitative with our competitors but such as certain prices are set by the publishers and as a result we can only charge what they require for the ebook.

While I appreciate the reply, sorry doesn't help much when I am stuck with a $170 gift card. Perhaps your return policy needs clarified at the store level with the folks that handle the returns. As for using gift cards to buy Kobo books - how many less of these things do you think would be sold if the fact that you cannot use Chapters gift cards to buy the books?

I look forward to Amazon's Kindle arriving.