Here’s a story that first blew up a few weeks ago, but which seems to be continuing. There are multiple reports claiming that some Kobo customers have found that the prices of some ebooks are different at different times, seemingly depending on whether the user is logged in or not. These sources claim that the bug has been occurring for a while now, without being fixed.
I just tried to recreate the problem myself, and couldn’t. I’m in the UK, whereas those reporting the problem seem to all be in the US so far. Still, if prices are fluctuating in this way, it’s a little strange and it’s something that Kobo should probably get on with fixing. Many customers are rather sensitive about ebook prices right now, and might not take kindly to having a dollar or two accidentally added to their total some time between choosing a book and placing an order.
Kobo has been expanding rapidly over the past year, since being purchased by Japanese retail giant Rakuten. There have been blips along the way, such as concerns over the Japanese launch of the Kobo e-reader and ebook store, but the company still has a very solid base from which to compete with the likes of Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It’d be a shame if little bugs, which should be fairly easy to fix, cause further slip-ups.
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