November 10, 2015
Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback! I needed to get a new e-reader and spent a couple of weeks checking out the e-reader market. It seemed that Kobo offered the best value for money and after making a lot of comparisons with other brands I finally ordered a Kobo Glo HD. I had read several negative reviews about Kobo as a company, including that they had sent customers refurbished e-readers while pretending that they were new and that their customer service was very poor, but I thought these might be exaggerated or exceptional cases, so I paid my £140 for the device + protective case, which I ordered straight from the Kobo website.A few days later the Kobo arrived. The box had been opened and then resealed, suggesting the device inside may not have been brand new. There was no receipt with the package, which I also thought was strange. To add insult to injury, the device box had been placed inside the larger parcel with very little padding. This allowed it to slide around freely inside, which explains why some of its corners were dented. Finally, the parcel was delivered to the wrong address and arrived in my hands only thanks to a decent and helpful neighbour.Concerned that the Kobo I had received was refurbished and/or damaged, and annoyed with the sloppy delivery, I decided to return it. This was relatively straightforward, although it did require me to both e-mail and call Kobo. I think my case was helped by the fact that I had taken pictures of the dented box, the poor padding and the broken seal, which I also sent to them.What also annoyed me was that I had to cover the return shipping myself: 13.60 GBP (20.50 USD), even though Kobo was very clearly in the wrong. After I sent them an angry e-mail, I was offered credit in their on-line store but their books are compatible only with their products and I had obviously just returned my Kobo.In other words, Kobo sent me a sloppily packed, dented box containing what seemed to be a refurbished e-reader, charing me the full price of a brand new one. When I wanted to get a refund, I had to pay the cost of returning the item. I will never order anything from them again. I decided to buy a Tolino from Thalia instead and have been quite happy with it.