*narrows eyes*

[deird1]

So, I've been enjoying the ridiculously cheap books one can buy through iBooks. And, two days ago, I got the first book in a series.

Today, I went back to get the second book.

...and, sometime during those two days, Apple decided to stop offering that book series to Australians. The whole series; the first book is listed on my laptop as having been purchased, but it informs me sternly that it's "not available in the Australian store". (Thankfully it's still on my iPad.)


This annoys me for a number of reasons:
1) My purchases are being restricted to Australia.
2) I'm not even in Australia.
3) I'm pretty sure this means they're price-fixing so that, once again, Aussies get far more expensive prices than the rest of the world.
4) Why remove a series you were already selling?
5) Why offer me a series in the first place if you're going to remove it?
6) What the hell???

GRRR.

Comments

[draconin]

Plus, I don't know about you, but regard it as simply theft that you've paid for the book and now they won't let you read it. This is *directly* equivalent to a bookstore owner chasing you down the road and yanking the book you've just purchased out of your hand. Yet somehow Apple regards this as legitimate.

They're not unique in this. See here and here. There are many other examples.

[alexseanchai]

Ouch. Sympathy.

(Why make ebooks more expensive in one region than in another? It makes some sense with physical books, because shipping prices to Australia are ludicrous, but there are no delivery costs with ebooks.)

[velvetwhip]

This is why there are currently class action lawsuits against Apple and iBooks.


Gabrielle

[frayadjacent]

Ugh!! I bought all of Season 1 of Xena on iTunes US but hadn't yet downloaded all of the episodes when they removed it. They've since helpfully suggested that I can buy it on iTunes Australia.

It totally is theft! I'm going to look into this lawsuit.

[frayadjacent]

(And BTW, you should be able to get an iTunes account for Germany. I know I could get an iTunes Australia account though I don't want to -- one account with these money grubbers is plenty, thanks!)

[octavia_b]

I don't like the idea of *ahem*ing books because I think authors deserve every cent they can make. But I can honestly understand WHY people feel they need to resort to it:
"I WANT to pay for it.PLEASE take my money."
"No! We don't want your money and you can't have it!"
Ridiculous!

[nimthiriel]

Publishers are the ones who control the distribution rights to books, so it's more likely them than Apple who made this call.