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Monday 9 September 2019

Returning an Audible Book

Some websites are so intuitive, aren't they: completely customer-centric. Each step seems absolutely logical, and we find things exactly where we expect to. When we search, the search returns terms that are in 'normal' language. Items are named in a way that makes sense to us, as the customer; words and terms are not in esoteric, in-house jargon.

And then there are those websites where things are so obscure that it is faster, easier and more productive to search for the particular page, item or function externally, using Google, rather than searching internally, using the website's own search engine.

One of those particularly poorly designed sites is Audible, which is now owned by Amazon. I often cannot run the searches that I want to run on Audible. For example, it is not possible to run a search for free books. Every month, Audible has an "Audible Originals" book selection, free to Audible members. Each month it is almost impossible to find the Audible Originals for that month, unless you have been sent an emailer which links you that month's group (this is such a problem that there is a Reddit page devoted to Audible Originals!). For an Amazon company, we would - and should - expect better search functionality.

Worse, every time I need to return an Audible book for credit, I look for the return function within my library. However, it is not there. I try right clicking, clicking into the book itself, and everything I think of before I give up and Google search "How to return my Audible book", because I simply cannot find how to do it on Audible. And, because (a) the location is not customer-centric, and (b) I returned books so rarely, I simply don't remember how to do it.

Each time, Google tells me that I have to sign into the website on my Desktop:

  1. Go to the "Hi [My Name]!" menu item at the top of the page
  2. Select Account Details from the drop-down menu
  3. Sign in again
  4. Click Purchase history
  5. Find the book from the list in the main pane. Click the "Return" button on the far right hand side of the page next to the book I want to return.
  6. A dialogue box will pop up, where I can select my reason for returning the book
  7. Then I click Return, and I am done.

Audible don't create any problems about us returning a book: the problem is finding how to do so in the first place.

Time for some better functionality, Audible!


Sam

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