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Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

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Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#221

Post by Rebelgecko »

embedding-shape wrote: post #20

Hah, they actually did a slight rollback! When I first heard about them stopping the downloads, I immediately downloaded all the books I purchased from Amazon and went from buying ~1 book per week to 0. Seems a lot of us doing so had some sort of effect. Unfortunately, it seems like this will be chosen by the publisher, so of course probably most of the books won't be downloadable at all, and Amazon can now point the…

YMMV depending on the kind of books you read, but I think the majority of the ones I've gotten from Amazon are labeled as DRM-free. A lot of fantasy/science fiction authors (as well as some publishers like Tor!) feel strongly about that kind of thing

Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#222

Post by nitwit005 »

thegrim000 wrote: post #208
al_borland wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Banning long-time customers in otherwise good-standing for a mistake they made years ago, which would already be settled financially and such a minor cost is wild. I can imagine something like this has happened to almost everyone. So much for being the world’s most customer-centric company. That mission is dead.

99.99% of the time when you read something on the internet and your reaction is "that's wild" / "wow that's crazy" / "that's unbelievable", then what you are reading is in fact likely nowhere near the actual truth / real.

If you read up on Amazon's prior scandal(s) regarding their broken leave system, you'll believe almost any mistake is possible: https://web.archive.org/web/20211025011703/https://www.nytim...

Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#224

Post by kstrauser »

BeetleB wrote: post #210
ay wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have bought more than 600 books over a decade or so; But after they decided the ebooks were actually just license to read, I did exactly the same as you, and now rather than happily buying from them, actively discourage everyone in my social circle from using kindle. I am not going back, whoever they decide to blame.

> But after they decided the ebooks were actually just license to read They decided that when they launched the Kindle. It's always been that way.

No, it hasn't. Until very recently, their website said "Buy now with 1-Click", minus the new "By placing an order, you're purchasing a content license & agreeing to Kindle's Store Terms of Use." wording underneath it. The process was identical to buying a physical book: you give them money, and you end up with your own physical or electronic copy of it.

Any interpretation of that transaction as anything but a purchase of a copy is delusional. I couldn't care less what their ToS said about it, any more than I'd care what a sign on the wall of a bookstore said.

Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#225

Post by zelphirkalt »

chocochunks wrote: post #216
zelphirkalt wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But Kobo is bad too. Try refunding a book. Their website sent me in neverending circles and still I could not find a way to refund. Their stuff requires some specific reader or so. I don't quite remember the details, but I bought a book, thinking to avoid Amazon shit. Then I realized that their stuff sucks and I don't want to buy their blessed device or install special reader software. Also not DRM-free. So I wanted…

It's not super easy to refund digital goods in general with few exceptions like Steam. I have done it with Kobo but IIRC you have to chat with a CS rep or least you did when I did it. No where legit is DRM free for eBooks from the big publishers. You don't even have to use the Kobo app since they let you download the ACSM file and use it Adobe Digital Editions which could be used on a computer or ADE supported eReade…

This ACSM file fiddling was too much of a hassle. I used to DeDRM ebooks from Amazon (also using Calibre), but I didn't know about DeACSM. I just want an epub or pdf file. I don't want their reinventing the wheel to somehow gatekeep content bs file formats. This is a clear sign for me, that they do not have my best interest at heart.

Their website didn't guide me towards a callable phone number or give me an actual e-mail address I could write to. Instead I went back and forth between chatbot and docs and webpages, without success. It is obvious to me, that they want as little actual human in the loop as possible. Real shitty experience, while my money is already gone and I am trying to get it back. Easier to give up and just download an acceptable version elsewhere. Not going through all that hassle to use their platform, which doesn't value me as a customer anyway.

Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#226

Post by b8 »

nippoo wrote: post #51
icqFDR wrote: post #44

I’d advise anyone buying e-books on Amazon to think it through carefully. My account was banned recently because, years ago, I ordered two paper books that Amazon said would be split into two shipments. Both books arrived without any issues, but later Amazon refunded me for one of them, claiming that one package never arrived. This happened 4–5 years ago. Apparently, during a recent review, they decided this counted…

They failed to deliver a Pixel phone to me - they never even tried to deliver it and the status said "permanent delivery failure" so I assumed they'd automatically refund me. Fast forward a few months, I never received a refund and they claim they have no record any more. I could chargeback my credit card but I imagine I'd also be permanently banned from Amazon - so instead I accept they've just stolen $1000 from me…

Just reach out to andy or bezos and the executive team will reach out and fix it.

Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#227

Post by chocochunks »

m01 wrote: post #212
kmeisthax wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All of Cory Doctorow's books are DRM-free. Actually, he insisted on it as a contractual rider with his publisher, so he isn't available on any platform that doesn't have a DRM-free option. I wouldn't be surprised if Amazon re-allowing downloads for DRM-free is specifically because Doctorow's publisher is angry at them. In practice, the biggest store that doesn't have a DRM-free option is Audible... which has a near-m…

Ironically on Kobo you can buy Enshittification with DRM: "Download options: EPUB 3 (Adobe DRM)": https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/enshittification-4 Kobo does sell some other books DRM-free, so perhaps this is some sort of error. You can buy it directly from the publisher without Adobe DRM, there it has a watermark instead.

Depends on the region and publisher. On the Canada site, where it's published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, it is DRM-free. https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/enshittification-2

So maybe it's screwup on the UK site.

Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#228

Post by nightshift1 »

barbazoo wrote: post #103
dust-jacket wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, this is silly. Don't do this. You absolutely keep pushing for a refund and go via you CC provider if they don't respond.

And risk being locked out of the world’s online marketplace and all of Amazon’s other businesses? Maybe a bit hyperbolic but that’s where we are headed for sure.

It's perfectly feasible to never use Amazon. I don't know your situation, but i think people should go out more and prefer quality over quantity. Most of the stuff that Amazon sell is crap anyway.

Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#230

Post by singpolyma3 »

delfinom wrote: post #183
nippoo wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They failed to deliver a Pixel phone to me - they never even tried to deliver it and the status said "permanent delivery failure" so I assumed they'd automatically refund me. Fast forward a few months, I never received a refund and they claim they have no record any more. I could chargeback my credit card but I imagine I'd also be permanently banned from Amazon - so instead I accept they've just stolen $1000 from me…

File in small claims court, they can't ban you for that and they have to send someone out

They can ban you for any reason they want
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