Audiobooks discussion

I have been considering subscribing to audiobooks.com. I do a lot of driving and an all you can eat subscription might actually save me more money than my current system of using Audible. I have a concern I was wondering if someone could help me address.

It is a streaming audiobook service, not download, like Audible. I would be listening on my iPhone. Because the nature of my work takes me around different areas of my state, I frequently find myself in occasional spots with no cell service. It usually doesn't last for a long time, but it is noticeably spotty for up to 10 minutes at any one time sometimes. Does anyone have experience streaming books using the cell connection while driving? How reliable is it? Their site talks a lot about how reliable they are using wi-fi, but that doesn't help me :)

Thanks. They give me a 7 day free trial, but that is too short a time for me to try out a service that may not actually meet my needs.

Elie
Why not contact their customer service and request a longer free trial. Explain your situation and see what they say.

I know this is an old post, but I want to warn people away from audiobooks.com. It's supposed to be an unlimited service for a monthly fee, but if you're a heavy listener they WILL suspend your account permanently without a refund.

I joined three weeks ago, but earlier this week a notification on my app popped up to tell me that their systems detected fraud and for me to call to confirm I was a real person. When I called, a representative told me that my account was canceled, I will not be able to reinstate it, but the good news was that my PayPal account will not be charged next month.

It took me four calls to finally get someone to confirm that my account was cancelled because I was simply listening to too many audiobooks. By that point I'd googled around and had found similar complaints.

Apparently this is a new issue with this company. Within the past few weeks they've tightened the reigns on what is considered unlimited.

Very interesting. Thanks for the warning.

Thanks for letting us know, Erica. If there's a limit then it's NOT unlimited! WTH?

I complained on their Facebook page, but they removed my posts and blocked me, which I get. But last I looked there were a few people posting the same issue, so I know I wasn't the only one whose account was canceled.

Googling "audiobooks.com complaint" and stuff along those lines brings up lots of people who all had the same story. But these complaints are only from the last month or so.

Audiobooks.com's TOU states that it offers a "reasonable unlimited audio books that one individual can listen to." What's reasonable is subject to each individual, and because the company advertises itself as unlimited, I think it won't tell the customer what audiobooks.com thinks is reasonable, because, well, then it would be limited.

It may be because of the app. The app is REALLY bad. Like, truly awful awful terrible app. It allows you to download two titles at a time, but the problem is that the app crashes several times a day. I say several times a day because that's how much I listen to audio books. All day every day, if I'm not listening to an audio book I'm sleeping.

When the app crashes the only thing to do is remove it from the phone and reinstall it. Deleting the app deletes the book you were listening to, so you have to download it again. Numerically, that added to my already large amounts of downloads.

However, one complaint I read was from a woman whose children were listening to 15 minute children books streaming from a desktop, so no download. Audiobooks.com suspended her account for excessive use too.

I understand the need for limits, but if audiobooks.com needs limits they shouldn't claim to be unlimited. I think their wanted customer base is someone who listens while driving or when they think about or have some free time. That's the majority of audio book listeners anyway.

Thank you!

Deleting customers complaints from FB is REALLY BAD FORM in Customer Service circles. If I were you, I'd do a complaint to the Better Business Bureau. They shouldn't just cancel your account with no recourse, specially if the app is to blame for the number of times you have to download the books.

but there could also be lanuage in the TOS that defines unlimited use - and if there is a thershold - because, not that you are, but you could be downloading books, burning them and returning them to get more...

Yes, there is language in the TOS that defines 'unlimited use' but if the app is causing problems with the number of books downloaded, they shouldn't just cancel the account with no explanation.

true, not arguing that - there should be recourse in that case

its kind of like amazon and their unlimited returns - if you keep returning stuff enough, they will cancel your account (it has happened to several people if you google it)

goign back to Ellie's original question - I like booksfree.com - they have an audiobook section - but I don't know if the files are downloadable or not - I have the CD's sent to me to listen - they are relatively quick turn-around for getting new ones out (normally only about 2-4 days) - but I also live close to the distribution center

I would be leery of any streaming services in general - even on my computer that runs fast, I have trouble getting full issue-free streaming

I don't think I would be able to handle a streaming service for audiobooks. I just listen on my Sansa, which is very mobile with me around the house, but wouldn't work for driving. I love streaming for video, but I'm sitting in one place in my home to do that, not walking around like I do with books. All that "unlimited" does sound fishy, though. Netflix gets around limiting people by you having to deal with x amount of bandwidth. We stream constantly, so we pay the highest amount, but we love the service so we feel we are getting our money's worth. If audiobooks.com had some kind of tiered system like that it might function better. Sounds like they are just too new to the game and haven't worked out the bugs, but deleting negative comments is very bad for business. Not the way to take feedback and make your company better, that's for sure.

The streaming thing was what stopped me from signing up for a long time. But when they updated their app to allow downloads, I joined.

I'm not 100% sure it's the issues with app that's the cause of the bootings. One Facebook complainer claimed his new subscription was cancelled as soon as he reached twenty titles. I have no idea if he had the same app problems many other users were having.

This company clearly has a limit to how many audio books a customer can listen to monthly, but they won't reveal what that limit is. If a user is listening with the download option through the app, the app is so poorly designed that it crashes repeatedly while listening to one title. Downloading the same book over and over again adds to their limit. The problem is that the customer doesn't even know that there's a limit in the first place.

Yeah, that is definitely something I would go to the BBB about. It's one thing if they STATE they have a ten or twenty book limit, or so much bandwidth, etc, but they can't claim they do and then not allow it. That's false advertising and a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Hey guys, I just joined this group so first off...HI!

I also had questions about audiobooks.com. I enjoy listening to audio books because they are convenient and I don't have to listen to the same maddening songs while traveling. I did join auidible but I was disappointed in their price in books. It seems I pay the same price I would if I just bought the CD at the store plus a monthly fee? This is only my first month and the only positive thing is the 1 credit a month I get. I figure that and the monthly cost cancel themselves out.
So That is why I was interested in audiobooks.com. So how many books can you read a month before it cancels your membership? What I have heard so far is enough to make me just skip over it in general but I am still curious. For me if I could listen to maybe 4 books a month for $30 I still think of that as a deal.
I know librivox is free but if I am correct it is only for books before 1925? I think that is great but I would also like to listen to the more modern books. Does anyone know of any more sites that might be good. And I will be checking out books for free. I guess its kind of netflix things for books?

Audra, my first stop is always the library, free is the way to go! Second is paperbackswap.com, they do audiobooks also. It's almost free, you post the books you have that you don't want, someone orders from you and you send to them, you pay shipping. Now you have a credit, you order from someone else, and they pay shipping to you. No sign up or membership fees or anything. You might also like simplyaudiobooks.com. Its a book rental service by mail with 4 different plans depending how many books you want at a time.

No, there's no "fee" at Audible, and books cost less than buying the CD. I think what's confusing you is that listings on Audible include the price you pay if you don't use a credit. The price of an audiobook on Audible is 1 credit or the price listed. For example, on the page of A Game of Thrones, you'll see

Regular Price :$31.50
Member Price :$22.05 or 1 Credit

The regular price is what you'd pay at Amazon if you're not an Audible member. The member price is what you'd pay if you are a member and buy the book without using credits (because you're out of credits, for example, or because it's cheaper to use money). The cost of your 1 credit depends on the plan you're on--the more credits you buy at once, the cheaper each is. For a platinum membership, each credit costs $9.56. The cost you'd pay for A Game of Thrones using one credit bought on the platinum plan is $9.56, saving $21.94.

Sometimes the price of a particular book is lower than what you paid per credit (for example, Audible's $4.95 sales). In that situation, you might want to toggle your payment from 1 credit to the dollar amount when the item is in your cart, in order to save the credit for a book that costs more.

I guess I'm confused about audible, too, because I'm always getting ads for a "one month free trial" then it's like 6.95/month after that. Yet you still have to pay for the books? Little confusing.

the 6.95 a month is equivalent to 1 credit - so you pay that 6.95 and you get one book - anything over that and you have to buy the book - but you pay the member price (see Osho's post above with the difference)

Hey John, thanks for those tips. Love the library and always up for library trip they just never seem to have what I want when I want it LOL. I have been looking into ebooks so I can get them on my Ipad. I will check out paperbackswap.com.

Osho, Thanks for explaining it. It makes more sense when you talk about the credits the way you did and I see how buying more credits at one can actually be beneficial. Before it just seemed like a lot going on with the credits and the cost of audio books, compared to the claim of "unlimited" audio books on other sites. Sometime you just need someone outside to point things out.

Hello Everyone -- just wanted to let you know that I too just received the whole "call customer service" - "confirm you are a live person" message. I just started my service with audiobooks.com. I listen to about 1 audiobook a day. I don't work and find listening to my audiobooks while doing my daily activities is a wonderful time saver.

There were a couple of books I decided not to continue with after the 3 minute preview. I figured with unlimited downloads, I could listen to just enough of some new authors and decide that it wasn't for me. I guess they consider that suspicious? I'm a little reluctant to call the customer service tomorrow after all of the bad comments I have read. I'll update everyone after I my conversation, but I have a feeling I will not be continuing with my subscription. If they feel the need to limit my books, I'm OK with that. I would gladly pay the membership fee for a larger amount of listening opportunities. I would just be a little more careful before choosing my books.

I will say that I did subscribe to simplyaudiobooks.com. Guess they are the same company? I didn't like not knowing the status of my queue (like Netflix and how they tell me if there is a short wait on my disc). The shipping times were horrible as well. I wait 2 weeks between the date they stated they shipped my discs to the day I received them.

Grace wrote: "Hello Everyone -- just wanted to let you know that I too just received the whole "call customer service" - "confirm you are a live person" message. I just started my service with audiobooks.com. ..."

After talking to someone at audiobooks.com, they told me that it flags their system if people "commit" to an audiobook after the 3 minute preview and then go to another book. I told them that I was afraid they flagged me because of the frequency of which I go through books. I told them that since this was a new service to me, and I was enticed by the whole "unlimited" aspect, that I was looking into books I wouldn't ordinarily and after an hour or so, decided it wasn't for me at the time and went to another book. The rep didn't exactly tell me that the # of downloads was NOT my problem, but I thought she was avoiding that conversation. She told me she could release my account "one time" with a warning.

I guess we will see. Until I find another job, my audiobook frequency will continue to be high since I have little to do but stay at home. If they cancel me again I will report. I do feel that they should be a little more clear about the behaviors that they will "abuse" the system. I'm feeling a little better about the service, but only time will tell if they live up to my expectations.

I think http:// Unlimitedaudiobooks.com is better option just my Opinion take or leave it 19.99 for lifetime pass can't go wrong honey

Audiobooks.com somehow changed my Free trial subscription to $14.95USD per month in September 2013 totaling $330USD before I realised on 20 March 2016! 29 payments went automatically through Paypal although I did not authorize them! I have emailed multiple times and tried to dispute through Paypal but only managed to get 7 payments - about $100USD refunded. Audiobooks.com still owe me 22 months of refunds - that's $328.90USD and they still ignore my emails. It truely is a scam. Thieves I tell you. Absolutely appalling and infuriating!

Audiobookbay.me is great for heavy listening-I buy anything decent so I dont feel too guilty.

There is a lot of tata but also lots of good ones!

I use audiobookstore.com (https://audiobookstore.com/) and like it

Late for the OP, but I also want to tell the community to STAY THE HECK AWAY from audiobooks.com. Grossly overpriced and TERRIBLE customer service.

I can recommend Scribd, 10$/mo. for unlimited listening. Better selection for for e-books than audio though, but good price and I've never had any problems with them.

I have used audiobooks.com for 18 months to get my books, its easy to use and you get lots of free offers. The prices compare with everything else I have seen.