eBooks from Waterstones.com longer selling eBooks outside of the UK and Eire - Page 5

doone · 10-28-2010, 12:07 AM

I, too, received the email, days after it went into effect.

Here's where I'm confused - P-books by Author A are published by Company A here in Canada (for some reason the canadian book stores don't sell the ebooks). The ebook & p-book is published by the same Company A in the UK. Company A gets my money no matter where I and my computer are sitting...why restrict that?

If a different company held the publishing rights here in Canada, I could see the point of restricting my purchase, but in this instance that's not the case.

orwell2k · 10-28-2010, 06:22 AM

The message from Waterstones is also worded very strangely. In the first para they use the term 'Registered Address outside the UK'. Later, they say they can no longer take orders from anywhere outside the UK.

Now, my registered address is UK, but I am often ordering from other EU countries as I travel on business, and I use a non-UK card. This will be interesting to see if they try to block me.

Luckily, I don't buy much from them as there are cheaper UK alternatives, but it could spark a domino effect in that other, cheaper, UK outlets like WHSmith and BookDepository could go the same way.

WHSmith has already undergone a major rehash of their eBook site and, quite frankly, it sucks now. Searching is cumbersome, as by default you get all formats being found. Known eBooks on their site sometimes don't get found unless you search for the eISBN. My greatest complaint - Audio books often get lumped in wth eBooks. Release dates for eBooks are greatly delayed (and when they finally appear, the publication date is correct, i.e. some months prior to first appearance - WTF?). And pricing has increased slightly overall. If they add insult to injury by locking out users in the manner Waterstones is trying, then it will have to be the big 'f**k you' to WHsmith.

And BTW, f**k you Waterstones for even trying this lock-out scheme. I didn't like your prices before, and ordered from you only as a last resort, and now I will definitely not bring any business your way. Here's hoping you enjoy your inexorable slide into bankruptacy - and rest assured I'll be there to p**s on your financial grave!

AprilHare · 10-28-2010, 07:07 PM

Please, orwell2k, don't censor yourself on my account!

colinsky · 10-28-2010, 07:32 PM

Curious to hear if anyone does attempt to buy a book from Waterstones to see how/if this is enforced.

gimmeshelter · 10-29-2010, 04:31 AM

Had messages now from both Waterstones & WH Smith the gist being that as I live 'overseas' actually I live in France, I'm toooo dangerous to allow to buy from them. Although both have happily supplied me with ebooks for about 2 years. Indeed I bought my Sony Reader from Waterstones in the first place. I understand this row is due to Amazon and the Kindle website. What I don't get, but then I'm looking at it from a commercial standpoint rather than a Publishing one, is why Waterstones and WH Smith don't just beef up their websites. I totally get the point about publishers losing revenue, but this is the 21st century and surely these publishers actually want sales. EReaders are really the best idea, but only if books are available. This situation is ridiculous, I have protested to both Smiths and Waterstones, and shall simply download and buy elsewhere in future.

gimmeshelter · 10-29-2010, 04:41 AM

Just had confirmation from BooksonBoard that they will still supply me with ebooks, even though I live in France that they can still supply me. Am I being simplistic in thinking that the answer to this is to make the point-of-sale the point of download, not the computer it's being downloaded onto eh!!!

AprilHare · 10-29-2010, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gimmeshelter

Had messages now from both Waterstones & WH Smith the gist being that as I live 'overseas' actually I live in France, I'm toooo dangerous to allow to buy from them. Although both have happily supplied me with ebooks for about 2 years. Indeed I bought my Sony Reader from Waterstones in the first place. I understand this row is due to Amazon and the Kindle website. What I don't get, but then I'm looking at it from a commercial standpoint rather than a Publishing one, is why Waterstones and WH Smith don't just beef up their websites. I totally get the point about publishers losing revenue, but this is the 21st century and surely these publishers actually want sales. EReaders are really the best idea, but only if books are available. This situation is ridiculous, I have protested to both Smiths and Waterstones, and shall simply download and buy elsewhere in future.

You do have a dangerous way of typing!

Hellmark · 10-29-2010, 12:30 PM

Was going through my emails last night, and I just received my email from Waterstones. Too bad they couldn't have announced it before they did it. I'd have gladly went through and started buying stuff. I just guess now I'll buy using a friend's address.

Frawan · 10-31-2010, 10:43 AM

Sorry for not reading through the whole thread.

I agree with people that this sucks big time.

Could anyone provide suggestions as to where to purchase ebooks for my Sony Reader now? I am located in Denmark, so with the new restrictions I am not aware of a single decent ebook store that allows for non UK non US citizens to shop?

And yeah Waterstones were overpriced, but they were getting there, and I belive its mostly a question of getting enough people on board the ebooks.

Edit: Guess I should add: Their loss - looks like I will be finding my epubs via torrents.

Roger Manley · 10-31-2010, 10:54 AM

I notice that the application of the geographical limitations is very patchy. Here in France
I can buy from some non-French sellers on the Internet and not from others. This is restrictive of my rights and I intend to take it up with my Euro MP (for whom, incidentally I must vote in England even though I live in France).

I do have bank accounts and credit/debit cards both in France and the UK. I am now looking for a friend in the USA so I can open a bank account in that country!

What a stupid rigmarole (and minor deceptions) I must go through to simply employ modern technology.

We should all rise up and protest.

Roger Manley

flyblown · 11-02-2010, 11:39 AM

Hi All,
This is my first post on here. Sorry to be making my first contribution in such a foul mood. I just received the mail too.
I live in France... So my ereader has just become a convenient way of levelling up unsteady tables in cafés rather than being something I can actually read.
I'm absolutely furious, and really shocked by the situation.
I would have thought that within the European Union this is a totally scandalous restraint of trade.
I have sent a stinky email back to Waterstones as, tbh, even though I realize this is most likely the fault of publishers, I am a Waterstones client (bought my ebook from them too) and I think Waterstones should go out to bat for their customers.
Ridiculous situation.
Interesting to note that "gimmeshelter" is in France and using Books On Board. I guess I'll try there.
Has anybody else written to Waterstones ?

EowynCarter · 11-02-2010, 11:53 AM

I did. No answers.

Quote:

Could anyone provide suggestions as to where to purchase ebooks for my Sony Reader now? I am located in Denmark, so with the new restrictions I am not aware of a single decent ebook store that allows for non UK non US citizens to shop?

Amazon, if you own a kindle...

then, you can look at booksonboard and baen.

flyblown · 11-02-2010, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

I did. No answers.

for info, i'm not expecting an answer from the email address from which the original mail came as I received an out of office message explaining that the mail address is very rarely monitored. So I forwarded my mail to service "at" waterstones.com
already received a mail informing me they'll reply in 48 hours (it's ok, I don't believe them but at least they say they'll reply at that address)

flyblown · 11-02-2010, 01:32 PM

well, here's their reply. total waste of time. Can't even be bothered to write back that repeating the same thing they said in their original mail doesn't answer any of the questions, as it's just a waste of time. I'm feeling really very grumpy

"Dear David,

Thank you for your email.

I appreciate you are disappointed that we are no longer able to fulfil orders that come from outside the UK and Ireland.

The reason for this is to make sure that Waterstone's complies with international rights, and so is beyond our control.

We apologise for the inconvenience, but hope you are able to find a local eBook supplier that will be able to fulfil your needs.

Kind regards, "

bevdeforges · 11-02-2010, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frawan

Could anyone provide suggestions as to where to purchase ebooks for my Sony Reader now? I am located in Denmark, so with the new restrictions I am not aware of a single decent ebook store that allows for non UK non US citizens to shop?

Have you tried Kobobooks? They don't have quite the selection that the Sony Store in the US has, but they sometimes have better prices on the books they do carry and they have never given me any problem about either my IP address or the billing address on my credit card (which is in France).

10-28-2010, 06:22 AM	#62
orwell2k Addict Posts: 357 Karma: 1112 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Euroland Device: PocketBook 360°, BeBook (Hanlin V3), iRex DR1000S, iPad	The message from Waterstones is also worded very strangely. In the first para they use the term 'Registered Address outside the UK'. Later, they say they can no longer take orders from anywhere outside the UK. Now, my registered address is UK, but I am often ordering from other EU countries as I travel on business, and I use a non-UK card. This will be interesting to see if they try to block me. Luckily, I don't buy much from them as there are cheaper UK alternatives, but it could spark a domino effect in that other, cheaper, UK outlets like WHSmith and BookDepository could go the same way. WHSmith has already undergone a major rehash of their eBook site and, quite frankly, it sucks now. Searching is cumbersome, as by default you get all formats being found. Known eBooks on their site sometimes don't get found unless you search for the eISBN. My greatest complaint - Audio books often get lumped in wth eBooks. Release dates for eBooks are greatly delayed (and when they finally appear, the publication date is correct, i.e. some months prior to first appearance - WTF?). And pricing has increased slightly overall. If they add insult to injury by locking out users in the manner Waterstones is trying, then it will have to be the big 'fk you' to WHsmith. And BTW, fk you Waterstones for even trying this lock-out scheme. I didn't like your prices before, and ordered from you only as a last resort, and now I will definitely not bring any business your way. Here's hoping you enjoy your inexorable slide into bankruptacy - and rest assured I'll be there to p*s on your financial grave! Last edited by orwell2k; 10-28-2010 at 06:25 AM.*

10-31-2010, 10:43 AM	#69
Frawan Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Denmark Device: Sony PSR-505	Sorry for not reading through the whole thread. I agree with people that this sucks big time. Could anyone provide suggestions as to where to purchase ebooks for my Sony Reader now? I am located in Denmark, so with the new restrictions I am not aware of a single decent ebook store that allows for non UK non US citizens to shop? And yeah Waterstones were overpriced, but they were getting there, and I belive its mostly a question of getting enough people on board the ebooks. Edit: Guess I should add: Their loss - looks like I will be finding my epubs via torrents. Last edited by Frawan; 10-31-2010 at 10:46 AM.

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10-28-2010, 12:07 AM	#61
doone Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Canada Device: Sony PRS-300; eee pc	I, too, received the email, days after it went into effect. Here's where I'm confused - P-books by Author A are published by Company A here in Canada (for some reason the canadian book stores don't sell the ebooks). The ebook & p-book is published by the same Company A in the UK. Company A gets my money no matter where I and my computer are sitting...why restrict that? If a different company held the publishing rights here in Canada, I could see the point of restricting my purchase, but in this instance that's not the case.

10-28-2010, 07:07 PM	#63
AprilHare Wizard Posts: 2,981 Karma: 11862367 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: Sony Reader PRS-T2	Please, orwell2k, don't censor yourself on my account!

10-28-2010, 07:32 PM	#64
colinsky Addict Posts: 238 Karma: 3500000 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Sony PRS-300, PRS-T1, PRS-T3	Curious to hear if anyone does attempt to buy a book from Waterstones to see how/if this is enforced.

10-29-2010, 04:31 AM	#65
gimmeshelter Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: France Device: sony prs505	Had messages now from both Waterstones & WH Smith the gist being that as I live 'overseas' actually I live in France, I'm toooo dangerous to allow to buy from them. Although both have happily supplied me with ebooks for about 2 years. Indeed I bought my Sony Reader from Waterstones in the first place. I understand this row is due to Amazon and the Kindle website. What I don't get, but then I'm looking at it from a commercial standpoint rather than a Publishing one, is why Waterstones and WH Smith don't just beef up their websites. I totally get the point about publishers losing revenue, but this is the 21st century and surely these publishers actually want sales. EReaders are really the best idea, but only if books are available. This situation is ridiculous, I have protested to both Smiths and Waterstones, and shall simply download and buy elsewhere in future.

10-29-2010, 04:41 AM	#66
gimmeshelter Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: France Device: sony prs505	Just had confirmation from BooksonBoard that they will still supply me with ebooks, even though I live in France that they can still supply me. Am I being simplistic in thinking that the answer to this is to make the point-of-sale the point of download, not the computer it's being downloaded onto eh!!!

10-29-2010, 12:30 PM	#68
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,552 Karma: 3799999 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Foristell, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3, Kobo Libra 2	Was going through my emails last night, and I just received my email from Waterstones. Too bad they couldn't have announced it before they did it. I'd have gladly went through and started buying stuff. I just guess now I'll buy using a friend's address.

10-31-2010, 10:54 AM	#70
Roger Manley Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: La Vendee (Dept. 85), France Device: Sony PRS 650	I notice that the application of the geographical limitations is very patchy. Here in France I can buy from some non-French sellers on the Internet and not from others. This is restrictive of my rights and I intend to take it up with my Euro MP (for whom, incidentally I must vote in England even though I live in France). I do have bank accounts and credit/debit cards both in France and the UK. I am now looking for a friend in the USA so I can open a bank account in that country! What a stupid rigmarole (and minor deceptions) I must go through to simply employ modern technology. We should all rise up and protest. Roger Manley

11-02-2010, 11:39 AM	#71
flyblown Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: sony	Hi All, This is my first post on here. Sorry to be making my first contribution in such a foul mood. I just received the mail too. I live in France... So my ereader has just become a convenient way of levelling up unsteady tables in cafés rather than being something I can actually read. I'm absolutely furious, and really shocked by the situation. I would have thought that within the European Union this is a totally scandalous restraint of trade. I have sent a stinky email back to Waterstones as, tbh, even though I realize this is most likely the fault of publishers, I am a Waterstones client (bought my ebook from them too) and I think Waterstones should go out to bat for their customers. Ridiculous situation. Interesting to note that "gimmeshelter" is in France and using Books On Board. I guess I'll try there. Has anybody else written to Waterstones ?

11-02-2010, 01:32 PM	#74
flyblown Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: sony	well, here's their reply. total waste of time. Can't even be bothered to write back that repeating the same thing they said in their original mail doesn't answer any of the questions, as it's just a waste of time. I'm feeling really very grumpy "Dear David, Thank you for your email. I appreciate you are disappointed that we are no longer able to fulfil orders that come from outside the UK and Ireland. The reason for this is to make sure that Waterstone's complies with international rights, and so is beyond our control. We apologise for the inconvenience, but hope you are able to find a local eBook supplier that will be able to fulfil your needs. Kind regards, "

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