Warning: ranting to follow.
If you’ve missed my ranting on Twitter & Facebook about the issues I’ve been having with Kobo, here’s at cliff-notes version of the saga I’ve been dealing with. Up until now, I loved Kobo’s products. I have the Kobo Touch and I’m very happy with it. My feelings have since changed.
I’m not a mean person. I tend to think I’m a pretty understanding individual. But when a company’s poor business decisions (in this case, not having enough of a product and guaranteeing delivery of said, unavailable product) affect the consumer at large it’s not acceptable. All I wanted was an update on my order. What company sells products without an ability to track to see if they’ve been shipped? Kobo, apparently. Looking at Kobo’s twitter stream, it seems I’m one of many individuals frustrated with their service.
And the saga continues. I can’t even get in touch with Kobo to cancel my order. I spent 45 minutes on hold last night. I have a family, two children. A life. I can’t afford to spend this much time attempting to contact a company to cancel my order due to poor customer service. But I also can’t afford for a company to retain what I paid for this product, not knowing when/if I’ll ever receive it. They can’t even tell me if they product is shipped. They can only tell me what their web site says, what it’s said since I purchased this item three weeks ago. Pending. Not acceptable.
I’ve tried everything to get in contact with this company. Called (I’ve now spent a total of nearly two hours on hold.), emailed (asked for an update on my order, they closed the ticket) and Twitter (told me an update was coming via email. That email stated they were closing my issue ticket.)
This post isn’t only to rant, it’s also to make you aware of these business practices. As I’ve stated all along, all I want is a tablet/eReader not tied to a big-box store here in the states. I tried. Unfortunately, due to poor customer support, I failed.
So, if you are planning on purchasing a Kobo product, think again. Do your research. If you are dead set on buying one of their products, buy it from a retailer so you have somewhere to go for issues/support. I for one will not be shopping at Kobo any longer. Kobo, I’m breaking up with you.
Pingback: Round About the Interwebs: Edition Two | There's A Book