Kobo Touch eReader & Customer Support

Above is a picture of my Kobo Touch eReader. On wednesday last week I decided to upload the second Hunger Games trilogy book 'Catching Fire' to my Kobo eReader. I got my Kobo for Christmas 2011 from my mother in law. She bought it at the Chapters location in Langley. The Hunger Games book was the third ebook that I had installed on my Kobo. I was slowly getting used to the idea of reading books on the eReader. I had a protective case for it and was thinking of completing my New Jersey Housewife motif by getting a new Zebra print cover.

I am an avid reader and am always ording books of chapters.ca and amazon.ca & amazon.com.

So imagine my horror when instead of reading about Katniss and Peeta I was met with this screen!
Here is a copy of the email exchange between me & Kobo customer Service. They didn't even bother to spell check the Please Fuck Off response:


Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.

If this issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may reopen it within the next 10 days.

Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.


Subject
RMA - Kobo Touch

Discussion Thread
Response Via Email (Chantelle S) 04/09/2012 02:35 PM
Hi Anastasia,

We apologize that you feel this way, but according to our warranty:

"You eReader must be shipped, prepaid and insured by you, in its original packaging, together with proof of purchase (i.e., a dated purchase or gift receipt) and the RMA number provided by Kobo, to the address specified by Kobo. If you purchased the Extended Protection Plan Limited Warranty, Kobo will be responsible for the cost of shipping your eReader to Kobo from within Canada or the United States."

"When Kobo receives your eReader, it will examine it and determine whether it is covered by this Limited Warranty. If, upon examination, Kobo determines that your eReader is covered by this Limited Warranty and an advance replacement eReader has not already been provided to your, Kobo will, within a reasonable period of time, at its option, do one of the following: (i) replace your eReader with a new or refurbished model of equal or greater value; or (ii) repair your eReader using new or refurbished parts. If your eReader is covered by this Limited Warranty, Kobo will send the replacement or repaired eReader to you within Canada or the United States, at Kobo’s cost and by Kobo’s choice of carrier."

Because you do not have the Extended Warranty purcahsed, you are responsible for paying the shipping fees. As well, seeing as the device was not purchased through Kobo, we are unable to organize an exchange for you at Chapters.

We sincerely apologize for any inconveniences caused but these are our policies that we must follow.

Sincerely,
The Kobo Team

Customer By Email (Anastasia Redekop) 04/09/2012 01:46 AM
I want to be very clear that you are asking me to pay to ship and insure my broken Kobo to you so that you 'work on it' and return it to me within 3 weeks?
I have owned this Kobo touch since Deceber 2011. It has 3 books loaded onto it - it has not been heavily used.
When I purchased the third book (Catching Fire) and tried to load it onto the Kobo I was instructed to complete a Kobo 'update'. The book finally loaded and I was able to read three chapters. I turned the device off, and when I returned to it the following day the screen was displaying 'Restoring your Device to Factry Defaults... - this will take several minutes'. The screen did not change. I took it to the Chapters store where it was purchased and they in turn contacted Kono customer service.
I did not damage the Kobo and this appears to be a defective Kobo.
Obviously I am not impressed with this offer to 'fix' the Kobo. I want to exchange the Kobo that I have for a new one right away at the point to sale location (Chapters in Langley). If that is not possible I want Kobo to provide me with a shipping label and PO number to ship the Kobo back to you in Ontario (at your cost) and once my defective Kobo is received I want a new one couriered to me immediately.
I am a blogger, and an active member in my community. I will talk, tweet, status update and blog about this experience if it is not rectified to my satisfaction.
Sincerely, Anastasia Redekop

From: help@kobobooks.com
To: anastasiaredekop@hotmail.com
Date: Sat, 7
Apr 2012 17:13:39 -0400
Subject: RMA - Kobo Touch [Incident: 120405-000685]
Response Via Email (Chantelle S) 04/07/2012 05:13 PM
Hi Anastasia,

Your Kobo eReader appears to be defective or damaged and will need to be exchanged. Per the terms and conditions of the STANDARD LIMITED WARRANTY you will be required to ship and insure your defective Kobo eReader to the following address:

*** Please be advised that in-person deliveries from Kobo customers to Ingram Micro will not be accepted under any circumstances ***

Kobo c/o Ingram Micro Logistics
Branch 40 - CATO
88 Foster Cr - Dock 9
Mississauga, ON, Canada L5R4A1

Please be sure to clearly indicate the letters "RMA" and your help ticket number which is 120405-000685 on package or it will not be accepted.

Please do not place any accessories in the package (eReader manuals, receipts, Gela skins, etc.). THESE ITEMS WILL NOT BE RETURNED SHOULD THEY BE INCLUDED.

Once you have mailed the device, please provide us with the name of the shipping company you used, and the tracking number they provided to you via response to this email.

Upon receipt and inspection of the device we will send you a replacement.

Please allow 3 weeks from the date you ship your defective unit to receive your replacement.

For more information about the Standard Limited Warranty visit:
http://download.kobobooks.com/learnmore/touch_userguides/Kobo_eReader_Touch_Warranty.pdf

Sincerely,
The Kobo Team
Response Via Email (Real M) 04/05/2012 01:14 PM
Hi Anastasia,

Unfortunately, your Kobo eReader may need to be repaired or exchanged. Please provide the answers to ALL questions below in order to proceed with a claim.

Part 1 - Your Contact Information
Name:
Street Name and #:
Apt/Suite/Unit # (if applicable):
Intercom/Entrance Code (if applicable):
City:
State/Province/Territory:
Country:
Zip/Post Code:

Primary Telephone #:
Secondary Telephone #:
Email address of your Kobo Account:

Part 2 – Your Kobo eReader Information

Model of the Kobo eReader (Kobo Original, Kobo WiFi, Kobo Touch, or Kobo Vox):
Colour (On the Kobo Original, Kobo WiFi, and Kobo Touch please look at quilted back. On the Kobo Vox, please look at the sides.):
Purchase date of your Kobo eReader:
Purchase location of your Kobo eReader:
Serial Number located on the bottom of the eReader:
Did you also purchase a Bronze/Silver/Gold extended protection plan from Kobo?:

Once your information has been reviewed, our level 2 support will contact you with options and/or information regarding next steps.

Sincerely,
The Kobo Team

Customer By Phone (Entered by Real M) 04/05/2012 01:04 PM
Customer called in Kobo is frozen basic reset did nothing and could not complete factory reset.

Question Reference #120405-000685
Product Level 1: Kobo Touch
Category Level 1: Return
Date Created: 04/05/2012 01:04 PM
Last Updated: 04/09/2012 02:35 PM

Troubleshooting.

UPDATE July 6, 2012
Kobo did eventually relent once I bumped up my complaint to Management. I was given a PO number and a shipment waybill for FedEx. New Kobo is in hand but to be honest the excitement of eReading has worn off. I am back to ordering real books that I can hold in my hands and not the ebooks that can be held hostage by my Kobo.

Grrrr.