From Amazon's Board: ''Price Guarantee On Books-No More''

[CS]

Just thought I share this with you. Apparently they stopped this as of Sept. 1st.

I found out when I book I ordered Saturday for $5.59 went down to $3.50 within a few hours. I emailed them to ask them about it and was told that that guarantee no longer exists but they would refund me the money on the book this time and I could now purchase it for the lower amount.

I have seen many of the books I have bought drop in price after I purchased them, that is just the way things go. But usually it is weeks or months later. But not usually within a few hours. I found it almost ironic that the one time I ask about it the rule no longer exists.

Don't get me wrong. I love my Kindle and have bought over 300 books just from Amazon since I got it in February. And don't regret buying the Kindle or any of the books. It's just a little FYI.

http://www.amazon.com/Price-Guarantee-On-Books-No-More/forum/FxBVKST06PWP9B/Tx2UN2CN87S1VJR/1/ref=cm_cd_ef_tft_tp?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B000FI73MA

No responses yet. Anyone here know anything more about this?

From my past experience with Amazon price drops (on physical goods, obviously), they would always refund me the difference if I requested it through e-mail.

[Betsy the Quilter]

I couldn't find anything official from Amazon; just comments from customers that they had been told that..  The pre-order price guarantee is still there.

Betsy

[Leslie]

I saw something on the Gold Box discussion forum where they were all complaining bitterly about the change, but I never really looked into it.

L

[Betsy the Quilter]

I saw a lot of comments on the web by web reviewers that the Post Order Guarantee was never a published policy anyway.  I was told once, last year, that once something has shipped they don't typically lower prices (although they did give me the reduced price)  so I was sort of surprised to hear that they were ever doing this...

Betsy

[Kirstin]

personally I've always had a good experience with Amazon's customer service.   If a price dropped a dollar or two I probably would not ask for a refund of the difference but if it was a good amount, I might ask.  It's never happened to me though..

[Leslie]

On May 27th, the Kindle price dropped from $399 to $359. Lots of people (myself included) got a $40 credit if we fell into the 30 day purchase window. That was a wonderful bonus and something I didn't expect. However, they were strict about it and there were many people who missed the deadline by a day or two and were furious. I mean really furious to the point that they were going to return their Kindles, never buy anything from Amazon again, and "stalk" them on prices --if something changed by a penny, they'd call CS and demand a penny credit.

I wonder if Amazon just decided their generous policy wasn't worth the hassle. I had the feeling then that a small group of people were going to ruin it for the rest of us.

L

[Kirstin]

On May 27th, the Kindle price dropped from $399 to $359. Lots of people (myself included) got a $40 credit if we fell into the 30 day purchase window. That was a wonderful bonus and something I didn't expect. However, they were strict about it and there were many people who missed the deadline by a day or two and were furious. I mean really furious to the point that they were going to return their Kindles, never buy anything from Amazon again, and "stalk" them on prices --if something changed by a penny, they'd call CS and demand a penny credit.

I wonder if Amazon just decided their generous policy wasn't worth the hassle. I had the feeling then that a small group of people were going to ruin it for the rest of us.

L

I love my Kindle so much that I wouldn't have worried about the $40 credit if I missed it by a day or two.....   It was worth it to me!!

[Ann in Arlington]

I wanted one when I first saw them. . .but wanted to do some research.  When the price came down in May I accelerated my researching by checking out the "See a Kindle" forum.  Also looked at Sony's reader which is actually cooler looking, but the Whispernet sold me.  Plus books are generally cheaper with Kindle.  Since I also had $25 in a gift cert to spend I decided the time was right and ordered at the end of June.  Got it by the 4th of July and had it for the trips I did in the summer.

Ann

[Leslie]

I love my Kindle so much that I wouldn't have worried about the $40 credit if I missed it by a day or two.....   It was worth it to me!!

I was totally thrilled and surprised. I just squeaked in timewise and I called right away. If I had waited a day or two, I wouldn't have been able to get the credit. And that would have been okay...it wasn't the end of the world.

But the way some people were carrying on...yikes! You would've thought they were talking about $4000, not $40!

L

[pidgeon92]

The price guaranty is gone on everything, not just books. I remember when it was announced, I was kind of bummed. 

[ScottBooks]

I pre-ordered a book that won't be released until next Tuesday; when I ordered the price was $22.80, now it's $9.99. I emailed Amazon to ask what I would be charged when the book showed up on my Kindle. here's the response.

Greetings from Amazon.com.

Thank you for writing us about your pre-order for "Just After Sunset".

Since the price has changed for this item, I would recommend canceling your current pre-order and placing a new one. This will be the easiest way to ensure you get the lower price. I'm sorry for any inconvenience this causes.

It is very important for us to hear about your experience using Kindle and shopping in the Kindle store. Strong customer feedback like yours helps us continue to improve the service we provide, and we appreciate the time you took to write to us.

Thank you for your interest in Amazon Kindle.

Please let us know if this e-mail resolved your question:

[CS]

Since the price has changed for this item, I would recommend canceling your current pre-order and placing a new one. This will be the easiest way to ensure you get the lower price. I'm sorry for any inconvenience this causes.

That is pretty terrible. I wonder why they did that? At least it's easy to cancel and re-order, but still. (And worst-case scenario, I'm guessing Amazon would probably still refund you the difference if it came to that.)

[Leslie]

Scott, that's interesting.

Alot of people have noticed that when Kindle books first go online, the price is high, then bounces around a bit before finally settling in at $9.99 (or whatever the final price might be). I guess the best plan of action is to just wait and the order when the price settles at an amount that is acceptable to you. There really is no need to pre-order because of supply. Obviously the book is not going to run out. But by pre-ordering, you do get the automatic delivery or reminder when it is available.

L

[Teninx]

To me, Amazon's retraction of 30-day price protection indicates large Holiday shopping discounts are forthcoming.

[ScottBooks]

I had pre-ordered Just After Sunset back in June as a guilty dead tree book. I just switched my pre-order to the Kindle edition after I got one in August. It's a short story collection (not that Stephen King really understands the concept of "short"!) and Amazon sent one of the stories from the upcoming book as a present/surprise/bonus for pre-ordering.

I did switch several pre-orders of mine to Kindle editions...I still have three (another Stephen King, Andrew Vachhs and an Orson Scott  Card) because they don't show up as Kindle. After yesterday and the J. D. Robb book kerfuffle; I have to cancel those pre-orders and mark my calendar with their release dates instead.

[Jen]

Leslie, I wish I was paying attention like you were!  I honestly didn't even notice they dropped the price until months later, so obviously I was way too late to get a credit.  That's great they did that, I just wish I was paying attention!! 

[mompres2008]

  Not only is the price guarantee gone, but the prices we pay on kindle are no longer the cheapest which is probably the reason the guarantee is gone!. For example, Sherrilyn Kenyon's latest, Unleash the Night is $6.99 for the Amazon paperback but $9.99 for the kindle version. Looking back as some recent purchases I overpaid more than a few times, not realizing it. I still love my kindle but after paying $399 for it I was rationalizing to myself that I'd recoup the money with the savings on book prices. Since that isn't the case any longer on many books, I have to go back to being an educated consumer and buying at the cheapest price even it's not the kindle version. With the economy in the tank right now, I can't afford to be wasteful. And like many other people I can't keep overpaying for convenience at the moment. Just my opinion![/color]

[jah]

Not only is the price guarantee gone, but the prices we pay on kindle are no longer the cheapest which is probably the reason the guarantee is gone!. For example, Sherrilyn Kenyon's latest, Unleash the Night is $6.99 for the Amazon paperback but $9.99 for the kindle version. Looking back as some recent purchases I overpaid more than a few times, not realizing it. I still love my kindle but after paying $399 for it I was rationalizing to myself that I'd recoup the money with the savings on book prices. Since that isn't the case any longer on many books, I have to go back to being an educated consumer and buying at the cheapest price even it's not the kindle version. With the economy in the tank right now, I can't afford to be wasteful. And like many other people I can't keep overpaying for convenience at the moment. Just my opinion![/color]

I just check amazon and The Print List Price $7.99 and The Kindle Price: $4.74 & includes wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
You Save: $3.25 (41%) 
 
Just goes to show, you just have to wait a day or two for the price to come down.

Jodi

[Teninx]

I decided when I first bought my our Kindles that we wouldn't pay more than $9.99 for a Kindle title. I know I can buy paperback print volumes for less than that, but I can't buy first-release hardcovers for anything close.

[pidgeon92]

Since that isn't the case any longer on many books, I have to go back to being an educated consumer and buying at the cheapest price even it's not the kindle version. With the economy in the tank right now, I can't afford to be wasteful. And like many other people I can't keep overpaying for convenience at the moment.

For a majority of my reading, the public library continues to be my main source. If I bought every book I read, my house would be stuffed and I would be broke.

[KarenB]

 Before I bought the Kindle, I bought a TON of books at Fictionwise. When I was researching the Kindle I made a "wish" list of books I thought I would be purchasing over the next few weeks and looked at every retailer including Amazon, Fictionwise and ARE. At the time, I found my particular wants were always 25 cents or more cheaper at Amazon than anywhere else. I guess I'm a pessimist but I assumed that wouldn't last and figured I would periodically be switching back and forth between sites for purchases much like I would shop at Borders, B&N and Amazon before buying paper or hardcovers.
   I haven't pre-ordered any books because I figure with whispernet you can get it immediately when it becomes available.

Karen

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

Interesting discussion.  I assumed the pre-order pricing policy would also apply to the Kindle Edition. 

There are only a very few authors that I will buy the hardback.  Actually, now that I think of it, there are no authors left that I would buy the hardback even if the book wasn't available on Kindle.  For me, Kindle continues to be the least expensive and most convenient option. 

Amazon has been too good to me, especially allowing me to purchase the Kindle at $100 off, and I can't complain.  If it wasn't for that offer, I wouldn't have this wonderful device. 

[pidgeon92]

Down from $9.99 to $4.39.... Just bought it on the 2nd.... Haven't start it yet... Lesson learned. 

[Leslie]

Down from $9.99 to $4.39.... Just bought it on the 2nd.... Haven't start it yet... Lesson learned. 

Call customer service, return it, and buy it again at the new price. You are still within the 7 day purchase period for returns.

L

[pidgeon92]

Call customer service, return it, and buy it again at the new price. You are still within the 7 day purchase period for returns.

I called them and they were more than generous, giving me a gift certificate rather than doing the refund.  However, he suggested this was a one time offer. I don't blame them, I could read a book within 7 days and return every book I buy; that would not be fair at all.

[Leslie]

I called them and they were more than generous, giving me a gift certificate rather than doing the refund.  However, he suggested this was a one time offer. I don't blame them, I could read a book within 7 days and return every book I buy; that would not be fair at all.

Yes...

I posted somewhere else...here in Maine, we have LL Bean with the most generous return policy in the world: return anything purchased from Bean's at any time. Unfortunately, people abuse that. Folks will go to yard sales and buy anything with an LL Bean label (Bean boots are popular) and return them. Bean's takes them back but they have a registry of "return abusers" whose return privileges are revoked. They don't talk about it but they are very aggressive about keeping returns under control. I am sure Amazon does the same thing.

L

[sharyn]

I bought the latest J. D. Robb book the day it came out (the 4th), for $20.76 -- unheard of for a Kindle book, but I paid it anyway because I love the series.  The *very next day* the price was $14 and change.  I emailed Amazon asking for the difference to be credited to my card and they emailed back, saying they couldn't do that but I could return the book and buy it again at the new lower price.

So I returned the $20.76 book (well, deleted it from my Kindle and YML)...but in the meantime my mother had already bought the book in print edition so I'm reading hers instead.

Sharyn

[CS]

I bought the latest J. D. Robb book the day it came out (the 4th), for $20.76 -- unheard of for a Kindle book, but I paid it anyway because I love the series.  The *very next day* the price was $14 and change.  I emailed Amazon asking for the difference to be credited to my card and they emailed back, saying they couldn't do that but I could return the book and buy it again at the new lower price.

So I returned the $20.76 book (well, deleted it from my Kindle and YML)...but in the meantime my mother had already bought the book in print edition so I'm reading hers instead.

Sharyn

Great to see another J.D. Robb fan on here!

I'm waiting for the new J.D. Robb to go down in price as well. My guess is it'll be $9.99 soon enough.

[ScottBooks]

In my email this evening was a notice from Amazon that my order had shipped (Obviously I didn't check all of my pre-orders!). This particular book Ender in Exile doesn't yet show a Kindle version. They also pointed out that I had saved $x.xx because the price had dropped since I ordered it.


"Pre-order Price Guarantee

Amazon.com's price for not-yet-released items sometimes changes between the time the item is listed for sale and the time it is released and shipped. Whenever you pre-order a book, CD, video, DVD, software, or video game, the price we charge when we ship it to you will be the lowest price offered by Amazon.com between the time you placed your order and the end of the day of the release date. A pre-order price guarantee message will appear on your Order Summary during the checkout process. If you use 1-Click ordering, pre-order price protection will be automatically applied. The order summary in Your Account will reflect the lowest price within 24 hours of the price change.

Terms and Conditions:

    * Pre-order Price Guarantee applies only to items sold by Amazon.com, and not to items (or prices) offered by other sellers on our site. Does not apply to any products purchased at Amazon.com's other sites, including Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.co.jp, Amazon.ca, or any other web site operated by Amazon.com or its affiliates.
    * Pre-order Price Guarantee applies only to not-yet-released books, CDs, videos, DVDs, software, and video games sold by Amazon.com. It does not apply to other product lines or to items that have already been released.
    * Pre-order Price Guarantee applies only to qualifying items displaying the offer message on their product detail pages. Items that do not display the offer message do not qualify, regardless of the nature of the items.
    * If your order enters the shipping process before the release date and the price is lowered before the end of the day of the release date, we will automatically refund your credit card for the difference between the price you were charged and the release-date price. If you did not use a credit card to pay for your order, please contact Customer Service."

Now I'm more confused than usual (which is saying something!). And I have no conclusions to make or points to add.

[Betsy the Quilter]

If the price drops before it is actually "shipped" (I have quotes around "shipped" as they mean when the shipping notification is generated.) they will charge you the lower price, since they don't charge your CC until the item is shipped.  What has changed, apparently, is an unofficial policy Amazon had to refund money within 30 days, I think, if the price dropped after shipping

[mompres2008]

After yesterday and the J. D. Robb book kerfuffle; I have to cancel those pre-orders and mark my calendar with their release dates instead.

  Kerfuffle is my new favorite word!!!! And it's perfectly used here since it makes as much sense as the pricing policy!!! Thanks.