Virtual Fail - Using Chapters gift cards on Kobo

VirtualWorld.ca

It's great that we now have a choice of ereaders to use, and among these is the Kobo.  The Kobo reader website is at KoboBooks.com and the device is also sold by Chapters/Indigo in Canada.

For Christmas, we bought a Kobo for our daughter, and it was hard to get.  Stores were running out, they were backordered online, but a family member was finally able to find one for us to give our child.

All great until we tried to use a Chapters gift card to order an ebook online at the Kobobooks.com site.

Here are some tips for the people at Kobo to get their site running a lot better.

- On the checkout page, PUT A NOTE saying that you have to enter credit card information even if you are using a Chapters gift card.  It is a hassle to even have to enter a credit card when you have a gift card that will cover the full amount, but if those are the rules post it so it's clear!  We didn't know to enter a credit card as well as the gift card info, plus we thought the site might charge the credit card.  All of this could have been avoided if there was a simple note on the page.  I'm sure many people are also having a headache with this.

- Don't ask for a credit card if someone is using a gift card.  It isn't necessary.  If there isn't enough on the gift card to cover the payment, you can always create an error message to that effect and THEN ask for a credit card or other payment option.  People hate to enter credit card info when it isn't necessary.

- ANSWER requests for HELP promptly.  I sent a message through their online Help center about a week ago over this problem.  My wife sent another one a few days ago.  Still no reply!  I know it's just after the holidays, but a response within one or two business days is almost mandatory these days for a mainstream product.  I found the answer to this problem by myself eventually by searching through online forums.  You are competing with the Kindle, the Sony reader and others!  You have to differentiate yourself and stand out through ease of use and great customer service!

- And a final note to Chapters/Indigo.  If you are going to sell an ereader in your store, your store should also sell the ebooks that go on it.  Why should I have to go to a completely different website and create another account somewhere else?  If I were you I'd find a way with the Kobo people to let the books be sold through Chapters, with a Chapters account.

All in all, despite this checkout problem, I had the ebook we wanted on the Kobo within minutes after completing the order and it is ready to go.  This isn't a tech or gadget problem, which would be a bigger issue to me.  I think the Kobo reader is going to work well and now we'll be able to order with ease knowing how it all works.  I don't want to scare anyone away from the device itself. 

But the people at Kobo could learn a few things about improving customer service and ease of website use.