Free audiobook deals discussion

SSUK

This offer is advertsied as "FREE", meaning that you don't expect to be short of money when you cancel.

While the audiobooks are free, audible will not refund the £14.99 joining fee.

So effectively you are paying £14.99 (or £7.99 if you signed up for a single audiobook) to download 2 audiobooks for "FREE".

Seems highly misleading to me. Emailed audiobook, and their reply was "why do you think you are entitled to a refund". I had to explain to them what was meant by the word free.

So do be aware that you are paying something to get those audiobooks. Also, audible does not provide these audiobooks as mp3 format, which restricts the devices you can listen to the books on. I have a Sony mp3 player, and I cant listen to the audiobooks on there because Sony does not have an agreement with audible.

Be careful!

jobbingmusician

I'm rather sad to hear that Audible muck people around when they try to cancel.

I just thought I'd say that I think they are a fab company if you DON'T want to cancel - my husband (who has sight problems) registered about 4 years ago, and the audiobooks have made a tremendous difference to his quality of life. (For complicated reasons he is not eligible for free books for the blind). I also listen to them in the car, and think they are great - I'm about to take out my own subscription

A couple of the downloads we have had have been poor quality, but a call to CS has sorted this out, normally with a free replacement of another book (so an extra poorer quality book free IYSWIM).

No interest in recommending them except as a satisfied customer, btw.

kookaburra

I've taken up offers from newpapers and magazines for free audiobooks which turned out to be a download from Audible. No problem there but beware - keep a note of the email address and password you use to obtain the freebies. If you ever need to reinstall iTunes (or move your iTunes library to another computer) you will need to re-authorise the Audible account using the same email and pwd. I had some audiobooks years ago from them - I can remember the email, but not the pwd and the email service is defunct, so I can't ask for a reminder. It's the DRM hassle that puts me off a paid membership with them.

bylromarha

So can you use this new free trial offer if you signed up during their last free trial?

tigerminxy

Just had same problem as some others. Signed up but then when I try to buy the books it looks like I'm going to be charged. Checking the 'My account' bit, I don't see anything about credits and there's no link to cancel the account. In fact, it looks like I haven't been signed up for any membership plan at all. Very annoying.

I rang customer services but the robot says that all their agents are busy. Possibly because their system isn't registering people for the free trial properly?

Beckipeg

This is probably available at other libraries too - but here's the link for people who can join Bedfordshire Libraries (basically anyone who can get to a Bedfordshire library to sign up - can't just join online). Register with your library card then choose from a range of fiction, non fiction and childrens e-audio books from NetLibrary to download to your ipod/mp3 player. They are 'issued' to your ticket for 3 weeks but actually seem to stay on your player until you delete them.

http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/bedfordshire/vlib/0.books_reading/eaudio.htm

Clowance

Poole borough libraries have also just started this scheme. Excellent.

shaunkerry

You will find a limited supply of downloadable free audio books here
www. audiobooktitles.com/free.html , no need to give your credit card details so you don't have to worry about cancelling.

They also have some useful videos under the help section on downloading and putting audio books onto cd, mp3 and ipod

bennett2kuk

£24.99 for an audiobook? Jeez that's a lot of money, considering I've just bought 3 of Stieg Larsson's books on Play for £11.97.

What scenario would an audiobook be superior to an actual book. The odd ones I've heard have all been read by Americans who's accent would drive me nuts after a while. If they did amusing ones like Homer for example then possibly but how do you know where you are in the book? What if you lose concentration at a critical juncture? Personally I think you should just read instead.

skibster

bennett2kuk wrote: »

£24.99 for an audiobook? Jeez that's a lot of money, considering I've just bought 3 of Stieg Larsson's books on Play for £11.97.

What scenario would an audiobook be superior to an actual book. The odd ones I've heard have all been read by Americans who's accent would drive me nuts after a while. If they did amusing ones like Homer for example then possibly but how do you know where you are in the book? What if you lose concentration at a critical juncture? Personally I think you should just read instead.

Audiobooks are especially useful to people with a long commute (especially if you can't easily read standing in a crush or get motion sickness if reading in a moving vehicle as I do), also good for long driving trips, exercising, listening while doing housework, etc, not to mention people with vision problems or other issues (while looking for book recommendations, I found a thread by someone who had been sick for months and still had months to go before recovery but was too weak and low on energy to even hold a book and wanted audiobook suggestions).

I prefer reading, too, and read quite a bit, but have recently tried an audiobook I got free nearly a year ago and found I really enjoy it while doing housework. I will stick to reading books other than these few free audiobooks I have that may take me another year or two to get around to listening to, but I certainly can see how others could get a lot out of listening to books.