Audible Dot Com- Beware

[irregularjoe]

I used to think that Audible was a good company. That ended yesterday when I called about what should have been a simple solution to my problem but instead was compounded by "Ed", of "customer service".

I had been a member for about a year at the "Platinum" level which cost $23 a month and offers 2 book credits monthly. I am usually cafeful about which books I buy and check reviews. I felt that I should be able to download the books of my choice on MY timetable, not Audible's

I should have had 13 unused credits but while checking my online account I saw that I only had 12.

I then noticed that they only "allowed" 12 rolled over credits to accumulate. Reluctanly I had to accept the fact that I paid for a credit that I could not use.

This was the day before the recurring monthly charge is paid from my credit card. As I did not want to have to scramble and download just anything to stay under the "allowed" limit, and I certainly did not want to pay another $23 for credits that I could not access, I called Audible and asked "Ed" to suspend my service for three months to give me time to download some of my already paid for credits. I was offered this exact remedy last year, so I knew that it was possible.

"Ed" informed me that "unfortunately Audible does not offer suspended service and that I only had two options available." I could either cancel my membership (unbelievably this was his first recommendation) upon which I would LOSE ALL MY PAID FOR CREDITS, or I could downgrade to their basic $9.95 annual membership that offers no credits at all. The basic membership would "allow" me to keep the credits that I already paid for. In other words, I had to pay a fee to have access to credits that I already paid in full for. Of course I could also just leave the membership the way it was, get charged the next day $23.95, and get absolutely nothing in return.

I found this logic to be incredulous. What was the purpose of membership other than to be able to download books? "Ed's" reponse to this was that "Oh no.......you are not paying for book credits. You are paying for the privalege of membership. The book credits are only a benefit, but not sold."

HUH???? Is this a bad dream? Can this guy really be this stupid, or does Audible actually think that people pay them monthly charges just to be able to say that they are members?

He also went on to say that membership also allows me to purchase other audio books for 30% off list price. Big deal! So does Borders, Amazon, Apple Itunes, and most other retailers. Who in their right mind pays list prices? And you don't have to pay a membership fee to do so.

So, the bottom line is that I got ripped off for one credit and had to pay an extortion fee of $9.95 just to be able to hold onto my aready paid for credits.

I plan on downloading my 12 books, and cancelling my membership in this rediculously incompetant organization.

Joey

Edited December 15, 2006 by irregularjoe

[hitest]

Thanks for the frank review, Joe! I'm very sorry to hear that you've been hosed by that company! I'll never buy their product after reading your account. One would think that a company would go out of their way to foster customer loyalty. Odd corporate behaviour.

[mikex]

The company I work for is a small Wireless ISP. We do hundreds of dollars of unbilled work. Everything from connecting a client to aoHell witht is as a broadband pipe to repeatedly going to customers home for the dumbest of things. We still get people complaining when we charge for time.

We do everything we can to keep our customers happy. There is no place we are safe from customer service questions, supermarket, ballgames, 10pm on personal phone while watching a movie with the family.

I would hope you just got thee wrong customer service rep on the day you really needed the right guy for the job.

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