AUDIBLE.COM high on promise, poor on performance

[whatsthtagain]

Big catalog, poor product
high on promise, poor on performance.


I get the feeling everytime I use ADBL that I am dodging a screwing, as they do things right only about perhaps 3/4 of the time.

The player is buggy, AM crashes frequently. forget about Palm compatability
and I feel like I have spent as much time with CS/TS as I have spent listening to books

Many calls required subsequent followup to effect solutions which have consitently proved only temporary.

NO ADVANTAGE OVER RIPPED CD'S
Any savings in convenience in one area is rapidly eclipsed in another
and good will displaced by diappointment

I do not need to add problems to life.

A corporate policy of growth over retention only makes sense to a cancer.
They need to fix the system before they try to peddle it farther

I can not recomend Audible as a reliable vendor .

Sorry to be a flamer, but
This is a way that the market adresses this manner of problem

 

[Eragon]

Big catalog, poor product
high on promise, poor on performance.


I get the feeling everytime I use ADBL that I am dodging a screwing, as they do things right only about perhaps 3/4 of the time.

The player is buggy, AM crashes frequently. forget about Palm compatability
and I feel like I have spent as much time with CS/TS as I have spent listening to books

Many calls required subsequent followup to effect solutions which have consitently proved only temporary.

NO ADVANTAGE OVER RIPPED CD'S
Any savings in convenience in one area is rapidly eclipsed in another
and good will displaced by diappointment

I do not need to add problems to life.

A corporate policy of growth over retention only makes sense to a cancer.
They need to fix the system before they try to peddle it farther

I can not recomend Audible as a reliable vendor .

Sorry to be a flamer, but
This is a way that the market adresses this manner of problem

I've heard others have had similar experiences. So far, I've been lucky. But, I suppose it's only a matter of time. Since joining Audible in January 2006, I've had only one experience where an audio book I wanted to purchase with my monthly credit would not work (Audible conveniently wanted two credits). Paying the 15.00 monthly fee for books such as the Wheel of Time has certainly been cheaper on Audible than iTunes.

Additional details on user experiences with Audible, including lessons learned short of quitting would be greatly appreciated.

 

[newtothepod]

Just got my Ipod well a hand me down from my brother and i was thinking about getting some Audiable stuff downloaded , hate reading thought it might be good but not sure now after reading this

 

[Podunk]

If you use the iPod for Audible, you shouldn't have any trouble at all. I've used Audible since 2001, and with the iPod since the first iPods supported Audible.

The problems encountered above only apply to some non-iPod users who must use Audible's software-AudibleManager for devices like Palm's, pocketPC's, or other non-iPod mp3 players-instead of iTunes.

With the iPod, you just use iTunes and download the Audible files directly into iTunes so its no more trouble than putting your iTunes files on your iPod.

Don't worry about it.

 

[arsolot]

I've been an Audible subscriber for over four years. I am entirely satisfied and recommend it without reservation. My experience is using an iPod. Transferring the book from my computer to my iPod is seamless and easy, using iTunes.

 

[Stensvaag]

Audible: Nothing But Good Experiences

I've been an Audible subscriber for over four years. I am entirely satisfied and recommend it without reservation. My experience is using an iPod. Transferring the book from my computer to my iPod is seamless and easy, using iTunes.

My experience is similar. I previously used the Audible Otis player and it was, indeed, somewhat complicated and buggy. But the iPod and Audible are made for each other. The cost of audio books through Audible, if you sign up for one of their many plans, can be as low as $10 for a 30-60 hour book. There is nothing like this available anywhere. And the catalog is huge.

I think the person who started this thread is being honest about his or her own experience, and expressing (no doubt) legitimate frustrations. I would just hate to have folks scared away from the Audible experience, because it is stunning. And I really hope that the originator of this thread will soon have a truly great experience with Audible. Once you've seen how cheap and effective it is, you'll be hooked.

 

[whatsthtagain]

80% of time no Problems/ 20% disaster

When it worked, it worked well.
Otherwise very poor
EG
1:while the iPod implementation has been good
(look at their stock in relation to apple's annoucements!)
their link to the Palm has been disaster, and players are limited
2:The Audible Manager is consistently buggy in non iPod applications
such as burning CD's and crashes often with need for CSV resetting of account
3: they tend to bill you for renewals and extentions despite cancelations
and wiped out my unused credits in a haphazard way without warning or
notification.
4: their Catalog is great, but other dificulties make it a poor deal for me
5: Their DRM system can create a lot of problems in accessing your purchased
books


How many hour of CSV and device rebuilding is acceptable?

No, I find it better to rip CD's in the aggregate , than deal with ADBL
Sadly the new MS DRM systems are even worse

 

[whatsthtagain]

addendum

Thanks to Podunk for their contributions
I could never have set up without their tech help 2 years ago
I even recomended them to ADBL for reimbursing the time they spent
doing what ADBL tech help wasn't
I wanted to add that I have bought over 200 hours of audio from Audible, previously recomended it and it was the "killer ap" for my iPod
My disappointment is the product of consistent problems
Audible just find the current CSV world of "Sell it , collect then try to get it to work"
as acceptable.
Computers are binary to me
They work, or they don't.

 

[stitchersflock]

Exception not the rule ...

Big catalog, poor product
high on promise, poor on performance.


I get the feeling everytime I use ADBL that I am dodging a screwing, as they do things right only about perhaps 3/4 of the time.

The player is buggy, AM crashes frequently. forget about Palm compatability
and I feel like I have spent as much time with CS/TS as I have spent listening to books

Many calls required subsequent followup to effect solutions which have consitently proved only temporary.

NO ADVANTAGE OVER RIPPED CD'S
Any savings in convenience in one area is rapidly eclipsed in another
and good will displaced by diappointment

I do not need to add problems to life.

A corporate policy of growth over retention only makes sense to a cancer.
They need to fix the system before they try to peddle it farther

I can not recomend Audible as a reliable vendor .

Sorry to be a flamer, but
This is a way that the market adresses this manner of problem

I've been an Audible customer since before ipods were a supported platform. I have never had a problem with the functionalty of books or the customer support staff. The price, quality, and selection of books has not been found elsewhere even after looking. I have used a variety of mp3 players with Audible, including a Palm LifeDrive, and have never had a problem that wasn't on my end. If there is an audible problem with a palm the most likely solution is that the palm software needs to be updated.

To be honest, the ONLY reason I got an IPod was because of Audible. I seriously have to disagree with the opinion above based on my experience.

 

[Stensvaag]

To be honest, the ONLY reason I got an IPod was because of Audible. I seriously have to disagree with the opinion above based on my experience.

I am very sorry that the originator of this thread has had such unhappy experiences. I am chiming in again not because I intend to refute his or her unhappy experience; if a person is unhappy with a product (such as Audible), they are unhappy.

I, too, have an iPod almost exclusively because I listen to audio books--most often from Audible. The smallest iPod nanos are, hopefully, cheap enough that people unhappy with other devices can switch to them. They are certainly ideal for Audible book listening.

Most importantly, for iPod users who happen to be reading this thread: please do not stay away from Audible because of this user's unhappy experiences. You owe it to yourself to see the enormous power and cost-effectiveness of the Audible/iPod combination.

 

[bfcoughlin]

I've been an Audible subscriber for nearly two years. I recent upgraded to platinum membership (two books a month) and gave my husband a membership for Christmas. I bought my iPod mini through them, and used it until I bought a nano in November. DH has the mini now. We've never had a problem buying and downloading books or with transferring them onto the iPod. We are pleased with the quality. We certainly don't have problems finding books to listen to, either--I've got a pretty long Wish List. I've recommended Audible to several friends, and I don't hesitate to recommend it now.

 

[Marthas1]

Audible is a terrific product!

I am also a long time Audible subscriber, and have used Audible books on various players: Audible OTIS (with Audible Manager), Creative Zen Nano (with WMP), Kenwood Music Keg in my car (with Phatnoise Media Player), and Ipods (with Itunes). I only found the OTIS with the Audible Manager occasionally buggy, all others with no negative issues.
Direct download to Itunes is absolutely the easiest, seamless connection to Audible audiobooks. The subscription price of $9.56/book is better than I have seen elsewhere, and newly released books are readily available.

Any Ipod/Audible questions I had, such as bookmarking, scrubbing techniques, use of the Audible Helper were answered here, where everyone has been so helpful. These issues were not problems with Audible.

Once, I mistakenly purchased a book with a book credit that I actually wanted to purchase, and Audible's customer service reversed the transaction immediately. They were helpful and professional.

For anyone who may be considering Audible, my suggestion would be to try a book. I think you will be pleasantly surprised how well the process of downloading Audible audiobooks works.

Marti

 

[dordale]

I agree with Marthas1

If you're considering audible, try a book. They usually have great trial offers.

I've been an audible subscriber for almost five years. I've had a few minor problems with some books, but the audible staff took care of me--usually offering me free credits for purchasing another book.

I haven't had any problems with my iPod/iTunes/Audible combination. I've used other players by Rio and Creative with my Audible account as well. I do admit that Audible's own download manager program for use with non-iPod mp3 players is not the best written piece of software, but I've always been able to get it to work--sometimes with more effort than should have been necessary on my part!

Overall, I'm very satisfied with my Audible experience. They have a great selection and offer books at good prices--especially if you sign up for one of their listener plans.

dordale

 

[robert]

iPod and audible.com are a great combination

Big catalog, poor product
high on promise, poor on performance.


I get the feeling everytime I use ADBL that I am dodging a screwing, as they do things right only about perhaps 3/4 of the time.

The player is buggy, AM crashes frequently. forget about Palm compatability
and I feel like I have spent as much time with CS/TS as I have spent listening to books

Many calls required subsequent followup to effect solutions which have consitently proved only temporary.

NO ADVANTAGE OVER RIPPED CD'S
Any savings in convenience in one area is rapidly eclipsed in another
and good will displaced by diappointment

I do not need to add problems to life.

A corporate policy of growth over retention only makes sense to a cancer.
They need to fix the system before they try to peddle it farther

I can not recomend Audible as a reliable vendor .

Sorry to be a flamer, but
This is a way that the market adresses this manner of problem

Suggest that if you want a really good experience that you buy an iPod. This, is, after all an iPod centric forum and you can not expect too much sympathy here. My personal experience with Audible has been wonderful. The few problems have been rapidly responded to and resolved to my satisfaction even to the extent of allowing me to correct at no cost my error of downloading an unabridged version. Sorry you are not enjoying the same experience, but go with the flow and try the iPod. I cannot imagine using any other player than the iPod - to each his or her own. I do rip library CDs to iPod for cost savings and title access, but audible is my mainstay for audiobooks.

Edited to delte following inappropriate reaction to my misreading his comments about CD's"
I can't imagine fiddling with CD's and trying to locate my book mark, carrying a bulky player with me while running having to change CDs mid lap, or the inherent cost, limited selection, and effort entailed. Nor can

 

[raynebair]

To be honest, the ONLY reason I got an IPod was because of Audible.

I too only got an iPod because of Audible. I don't like the way it works on Windows, but since I switched to the Mac, I've never had a problem. It works seamlessly with iTunes and syncing my books to my iPod has never been a problem.