Barnes and Noble, Nook e-books, non-US readers
So, andpuff has a new book out as an e-book, being sold by Barnes and Noble for the Nook. Great, I thought, Nook is ePub and I can read that.
So I went to the B&N site, and they let me order, and the order went through. It appeared in my library. But when I tried to download it I was told "you have ordered using an invalid credit card so you can't download" (so why didn't it tell me that when I ordered the book and before it put it in "my library"?). Checked the credit card information, nothing wrong with it (and anyway if it was blocked anywhere else would have rejected the order).
Around an hour later I get an email confirming that -- and telling me that Nook books are not available ouside the US and Canada. So why the F*** didn't they say that when I tried to order it??? They have my address which learly says United Kingdom, why are they wasting my time trying to correct a perfectly good credit card entry?
(Oh, the email does say "you have not been charged". After wasting over half an hour of my time trying to work out what was wrong and who to contact (no one, it seems), they owe me at least 20 quid for the time...)
Nowhere on their site can I see anything which says that Nook books are only available to the US and Canada. There's lots of promotion for them, no mention of geographical restrictions. Perhaps there's something hidden in a locked filing cabinet in a disused toiled in the basement, with a sign on the door saying "Beware of the leopard", but it's certainly not at all obvious. And even if it were, what bozo goes through and makes it look as though the order is accepted, even puts it in the 'library', and only rejects it after it looks OK?
Someone remind me to never try to buy from B&N again.
[ETA: message sent back to B&N]
On 12 October 2011 08:49, Barnes & Noble wrote:
Dear XXXXXX XXXXXX,
We are contacting you regarding your recent order, XXXXXXXXX. Your order has failed our authorization process therefore we are unable to process your order.
Yes, when I went to My Library to try to download it (the process seeming to accept my order) I was told that my credit card was invalid. Which it isn't, it's just not a US one.
If you received this email regarding your order for a Barnes & Noble NOOK Book or NOOK App, please be advised that these purchases are limited to those customers physically located in the United States and Canada.
Where on the site does it say that? Not when I go to the book's page (via a link). Not when I try to buy it. Not even when it goes through and (presumably) verifies my credit card. In fact, not even when I go to "My Library" and try to download it there, I am then told that the credit card was invalid (and no mention of whay I can do about it).
Every other U.S. online vendor I have used checks the credit card BEFORE accepting the order, and they can then say then if it has been rejected and not complete the order (they also generally give a contact at that point to resolve it). They say up front if a product is only available in some places.
Not B&N. You let me enter my address (with a selection from dozens of countries) with no warning that my purchases may be geographically limited.
Please be assured that you have not been charged for this order.
Oh, that's good to know. It would have been better if you had told me at the time, of course, so that I didn't then waste time trying to fid out what was wrong with my credit card.
Please inform me how to remove my account from your site, because that's not obvious either, since you evidently don't want my custom.
Avoid them like the plague...
So I went to the B&N site, and they let me order, and the order went through. It appeared in my library. But when I tried to download it I was told "you have ordered using an invalid credit card so you can't download" (so why didn't it tell me that when I ordered the book and before it put it in "my library"?). Checked the credit card information, nothing wrong with it (and anyway if it was blocked anywhere else would have rejected the order).
Around an hour later I get an email confirming that -- and telling me that Nook books are not available ouside the US and Canada. So why the F*** didn't they say that when I tried to order it??? They have my address which learly says United Kingdom, why are they wasting my time trying to correct a perfectly good credit card entry?
(Oh, the email does say "you have not been charged". After wasting over half an hour of my time trying to work out what was wrong and who to contact (no one, it seems), they owe me at least 20 quid for the time...)
Nowhere on their site can I see anything which says that Nook books are only available to the US and Canada. There's lots of promotion for them, no mention of geographical restrictions. Perhaps there's something hidden in a locked filing cabinet in a disused toiled in the basement, with a sign on the door saying "Beware of the leopard", but it's certainly not at all obvious. And even if it were, what bozo goes through and makes it look as though the order is accepted, even puts it in the 'library', and only rejects it after it looks OK?
Someone remind me to never try to buy from B&N again.
[ETA: message sent back to B&N]
On 12 October 2011 08:49, Barnes & Noble wrote:
Dear XXXXXX XXXXXX,
We are contacting you regarding your recent order, XXXXXXXXX. Your order has failed our authorization process therefore we are unable to process your order.
Yes, when I went to My Library to try to download it (the process seeming to accept my order) I was told that my credit card was invalid. Which it isn't, it's just not a US one.
If you received this email regarding your order for a Barnes & Noble NOOK Book or NOOK App, please be advised that these purchases are limited to those customers physically located in the United States and Canada.
Where on the site does it say that? Not when I go to the book's page (via a link). Not when I try to buy it. Not even when it goes through and (presumably) verifies my credit card. In fact, not even when I go to "My Library" and try to download it there, I am then told that the credit card was invalid (and no mention of whay I can do about it).
Every other U.S. online vendor I have used checks the credit card BEFORE accepting the order, and they can then say then if it has been rejected and not complete the order (they also generally give a contact at that point to resolve it). They say up front if a product is only available in some places.
Not B&N. You let me enter my address (with a selection from dozens of countries) with no warning that my purchases may be geographically limited.
Please be assured that you have not been charged for this order.
Oh, that's good to know. It would have been better if you had told me at the time, of course, so that I didn't then waste time trying to fid out what was wrong with my credit card.
Please inform me how to remove my account from your site, because that's not obvious either, since you evidently don't want my custom.
Avoid them like the plague...