User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Wonderful companyby parusski - July 4, 2009
Pros: The largest audiobook collection in the universe and superb customer service.
Cons: I have absolutely no complaints about Audible.
Review: I have been an Audible member since 1997. During that time I have received outstanding customer service consistently. The audiobook selection is tremendous, currently Audible has 60000 ttles available. I have acquired 1150 audiobooks in twelve years and the entertainment provided has been great. You can listen at your computer or on the go. This is a great way to experience more books when you aren't able to read.
User Rating: 2.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Difficult to cancel membershipby myreviewsforcnet - July 3, 2009
Pros: I was able to listen to audible books with one of my several mp3 players
Cons: A phone call was required to cancel membership.
Most mp3 players that I own were not supported.
Review: Its best to avoid companies that make it difficult to cancel memberships. There is no reason other than to intentionally cause inconvenience to not allow the online canceling of their membership.
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Has transformed my life!by safariguy - May 13, 2009
Pros: Very reasonable prices on audiobooks
HUGE selection
reviews and recommendations are very helpful
frequent sales
no problems for me with play on my iPod or TREO.
Good customer service in my experience
Cons: charge for podcasts that can be downloaded free elsewhere
too addictive!
Review: I drive a lot and Audible allows me to keep those drives short. I even look forward to them when I've got a good book to listen too. With business books, nonfiction, and great novels, I can keep learning and just plain enjoying myself.
If you love audiobooks and have at least 20 hours of listening time per month, go for the annual membership which makes virtually every book they have less than $10. You can hardly get a paperback for that!
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Cagey, sneaky, and kind of patronizing to boot.by jzipps - April 29, 2009
Pros: Nice selection.
Cons: They will almost certainly rip you off one way or another, one time or many. Misallocated credits, un-cancellable accounts, misrepresentation at every level. Get some free books at LibriVox to make yourself feel better: http://librivox.org/
Review: A bad service surviving on some good content deals. Publishing industry: we eagerly await the Audible killer. It won't take much.
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
The GREATEST site for downloadable audio!by 30katz - April 1, 2009
Pros: Easy to use, tons of books, podcasts, rss feeds. This site is up-to-date and has it all. Not to mention that it connects to multiple electronic devices or can be downloaded to your computer or burnt on a CD. Great sales and special offers.
Cons: I can find no cons.
Review: Easy to use and navigate website. Fast and easy downloading. The single BEST site for audio downloads!
User Rating: 2.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Good product - Poor Softwareby trigan1965 - March 8, 2009
Pros: Audible provides great audio books at an excellent price. If you have ever bought audio books at a book store you know how expensive they can be. $20/mo for 2 audio books each month is a BARGAIN.
Cons: The Audible Manager and Audible Player software are TERRIBLE. The Manager software often can't sync with my mobile device and the Player software skips, forgets what book I was listening to, and saves bookmarks for books I removed months earlier.
Review: Audible has a great idea but they need to improve their software. There has been only 1 software update in the many, many years I have been with them and the previous version was better than the current one.
Previous reviews claim that the complains are all user error. That is not entirely true. I am a computer professional and spend my entire week working on computers. I rarely have problems that I cannot either fix or ignore. The Audible software is written for the benefit of the publishers, not the end user. It's quirks can be worked around but become very annoying over time.
Consumers should be aware they may have to struggle with the software. Audible would do well to realize they are losing customers and reputation because of easily correctable problems. An improved version of the Audible Manager and Audible Player software is overdue.
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Crappy technologyby Driver12341234 - February 15, 2009
Pros: Really nothing...
Cons: I've tried for almost an our to make my BlackBerry 8300 series to work with this crappy software, and no success. With this kind of s/w quality, I would not bet on this company being in business for too long.
Review: Bad software!
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
A satisfactory experienceby sm5574 - January 23, 2009
Pros: Good selection, stable software and reliable access, broad MP3 player support.
Cons: Restrictive file format, poor transfer to CD, many older titles not available for download, inconsistent pricing/credit system.
Review: I decided to get more reading done, and since I'm often on the go, audiobooks was the obvious way to go. Audible seemed like the most cost-effective solution even though I had to abandon my Samsung MP3 player for a SanDisk to utilize it. Even with that, I have never regretted the decision. I've been able to find most of the selections I've been looking for and even some I had no idea were available (although some books, like unabridged Clancy novels, are conspicuously absent). Still, there are some things I wish would change:
Fitst of all, the file format is annoying. It supports chapter breaks, which is great. Unfortunately, the files usually only have chapter breaks where the tape (or disc) would end. These can occur at the most unusual places -- especially for non-fiction books. Nor is there any way to add chapter breaks to a file, in case you wanted to add any yourself at, say, the beginning of each chapter.
Second, the transfer to CD has much to be desired. Yes, the system adds track stops every few minutes, but almost anything you purchase is going to require multiple discs (usually a very, very large amount), and this is where the system fails miserably. There is no signal to indicate the audio has ended; it just stops. And it stops only when the disc is full. There is no attempt to find a nearby chapter break or a long pause in the audio. The result is usually having to swap discs in mid-sentence! To make matters worse, the next disc will FADE IN, resulting in lost text! Of course, this is not a problem with MP3 transfers.
Finally, and this isn't a big deal, but the credit/pricing system can get weird sometimes. You spend $15/month for a subscription, which includes a single credit. It makes no financial sense to spend that credit on anything that would cost less than $15 to purchase. But some items that cost as little at $1 cost a full credit if you go that route. Of course, there are some $40+ titles that only cost one credit. But then there are $40 serial subscriptions that cost upwards of 4 credits! This isn't so much a complaint as a heads-up. Pay attention to the price before you add something to your cart!
All in all, though, Audible is a pleasant experience and well worth the investment for those who get enjoyment from audiobooks. It may not be as inexpensive as renting them from a store or library, but if you're looking to purchase, it's definitely the way to go.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Software kept crashingby wedunn - November 11, 2008
Pros: None. Software (version 5.5.0.0) crashed repeatedly
How many stars does a product that does not work deserve?
Cons: Download files are in proprietary (.aa) format that requires AudibleManager software which never worked on my machine
Review: The idea of downloading audiobooks is very appealing to me. I would have been a regular customer if only I could listen to the books that I purchased. Audible did not offer any solutions or take note of my experience, but they did agree to refund my money.
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Excellent. Who are these 2 cranks--Statler and Hilton?by seann83 - October 25, 2008
Pros: Terrific service, helpful, nice. It's an excellent thing altogether. The.british narrators are especially nice to listen t0. impressed by Audible on all counts (more! more!) just keep on doing what they're doing.
Cons: i think it's tremendous, only wish is for more British authors, more classics, more lectures in more fields, and more range re hypnosis especially (G.H. -who monopolizes this field-not so much hypnotic/soothing voice as thuddingly dull& tedious
Review: As above
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Paying For Unused Servicesby akathekyd - September 12, 2008
Pros: Good books
Cons: I didn't know I had it
Review: I got an MP3 player with "one audible credit." Sure, get the credit. Cancel the accound. What I didn't know is that for 2 months I was still paying for the service. Lucky for me, I got my name changed and they couldn't run the card anymore. That's how i found out I still had the service - an email saying we can't run your card. I call infuriated, and told to use the credits that I had for these months I'd have to spend another 15 bucks. A lot of money for something you don't need if you're paying your own way through college. Bottom line, they're crooks. Won't tell you that you still have the service unless they aren't getting paid for it.
User Rating: 2.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Lacking in search features, titles, and usabilityby AeolusRME - August 25, 2008
Pros: They have audio books... and they can be bookmarked on compatible devices. Downloads are quick.
Cons: Hard to find an enjoyable "read".... far from a bookstore, it is tiresome searching for a book unless you have an author or a title in mind.
Review: I thought it was a great idea a few years back when I was given an ipod for Christmas. I never really wanted the ipod, was looking at/for something less confined with proprietary road blocks, but I wasn;t going to look a gift 60G ipod in the particulars. I've found hacks and work-arounds for all those little issues that I still find ridiculous, and am very happy to be able to carry a significant amount of my music with me on trips to the market, or across the world. Tried the free audible offer then, and again recently, with the purchase of a new GPS.
Seems like nothing has changed in he last 3 years on the audible.com site, save some new titles.
IMHO, Audible.com is not entirely to blame for its mediocrity. Frankly, their are fewer audiobooks out there than traditional books. The bottle neck typical bandwidth limits what they can/should show on an individual page, and lastly, but in my mind the largest cause, lack of real competition. In fact the only real competition this company has is the bittorrent "culture", which has a greater selection, lower cost, and greater usability... i.e. can be used on any device, without DRM / proprietary shenanigans.
will probably cancel account after I listen to these 3 books and go back to the physical bookstore for paper and audio-books....
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great, with reservationsby egrl2444 - August 25, 2008
Pros: Huge Library, listener reviews, audio previews
Cons: Pricey, restrictive burning policy
Review: I've downloaded dozens of books, podcasts and radio programs through audible. It's a great way to keep current on your "reading" when you spend a lot of time in the car. The preview feature is great - and can keep you from downloading a book with an irritating reader. I do wish they were more flexible with their pricing policies - basic listenership is fairly expensive for what you get - a radio program that is probably available free for podcast, and the chance for a discount if you buy a book. Plus, if you love a book and want to share it, you can only burn it once
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
confusing and awful customer supportby w_charla - May 31, 2008
Pros: lots of choices
Cons: customer support, communication, format
Review: I not only lost the 2 books (that were hard to figure out how to download in the first place) that I purchased from Audible, since they just won't play anymore, I also discovered that they renew your subscription with no notification AND you cannot cancel except by phone. I live in another country and a call to the US costs for me...plus I was put on hold listening to the preview for a negotiations book. Awful experience...I signed up for CNET just to review this product.
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Lost over $100 in their crazy rollover scamby volcanovista - March 13, 2008
Pros: Buying audio books is a good idea
Cons: Read the small print cause they are devious
Review: Unethical for a company to take services you have already paid for. There are other similar services and I would recommend them sight unseen.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
You pay for credits each month and can use these later for books.by atbrau3 - January 2, 2008
Pros: Many books available.
Cons: Poor communication about the ability to lose ALL paid credits.
Review: I was a loyal customer of this site since 2004. This fall, I lost my credit card and got a new one. I forgot to change my credit info on Audible. At that time I had accumulated 8 credits. They never sent me an email, they just took my credits away. After over an hour on the phone they gave me back 2 of them. The six credits they wouldn't give back cost me over $80.00.
They have a good product, but horrible customer support practices.
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Audible charged my card $482.90 and refused to refund allby iconmc - October 2, 2007
Pros: provided some good audio books
Cons: essentially stole my money
Review: I cancelled my membership in December 2005. 22 months later, I realized they never stopped charging my card every month. (My wife handles the credit card bill) When I asked for a refund for the months my account was totally inactive, the best they would do is a six month credit. When I asked if I could at least get credits added to my account for the months that they were charging me, they begrudgingly added a paltry 2 credits. So these two books are costing me nearly $250 each!!! Audible's customer service had absolutely no interest in working with me. BEWARE!!! MAKE SURE YOU GET A CONFIRMATION FOR YOUR CANCELLATION!!
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Too Much Software!!!by JPAndreoni - August 16, 2007
Pros: Fast Download.
Cons: Too many downloadS!
Review: I can't believe how much stuff I have to download! I just want to dwnld the mp3 and that's it! The system has forced me to waste more than an hour in front of the computer downloading all the software for my phone and the site and who knows what other spyware that comes bundeled! This system is ridiculous, I will never purchase another book from Audible.com! I would like to be compensated for all the time I lost downloading!
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Audible downloading format stinks.by zxcvbnm90 - June 27, 2007
Pros: I can't think of any.
Cons: Expensive and doesn't work with most MP3 players.
Review: In Dec. I purchased a $50 book from Audible and couldn't listen to it on my generic MP3 player until just recently. I was able to get around the problem by downloading "Audio Recorder for Free" from CNET. I then played the audio file on my computer using Windows Media Player and turned on the recorder. It will copy in the MP3 format to your PC. Then it's just a matter of copying to the MP3 player. I recorded the book in 45 minute tracks just to manage it.
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
As fantastic as it gets.by homerlly - April 12, 2007
Pros: availability, service fixes when needed an email away
Cons: price could be a problem if you don't buy the large subscription
Review: A great service with the most recent books and quality service, a high-class operation overall!
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Fabulous service, ideal use of the internet, good valueby jackhealey - January 28, 2007
Pros: Vast selection, easy to use
Cons: Limited selection of players will work
Review: Audible is one of the few “Killer Apps” (in my 6th year as a subscriber). Its use has driven my MP3 buying decisions. Audible makes listening to books affordable, and I now listen to books while commuting, exercising and working around the house. They keep your library for you so there is no need to keep the large files locally. Searching the available titles for many different sort criteria is easy. On the rare occasions that I have needed tech support, I talked to a real local person without delay. (I don’t own their stock, but I’m thinking about buying some
)
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Note that all reviews are either 2 0r 10! How Binary!by wablink1 - January 16, 2007
Pros: Works well with iPod, has the appearance of being inexpensive
Cons: CustSVC, billing, AudibleManager,DRM,other players
Review: You will have it work well or you won't.
If you have any problems you're hosed
DRM system gives them a great catalog
at fair prices , if it works.
If it was only a straight shot to a single iPod, it would be good. But...
DRM system makes using other players, multiple players or multiple users a nightmare.
God help you if you use Palm.
Disc burning for backup is poor to weak.
Your account gets changed by them arbitrarily
Customer services takes hours with 50/50 chance the call made any diference. they are nice people when they pick up, but often not empowered, working on buggy software and implementing poorly thought out managerial stategies.
So as the other reviewers have noted: It works well or it doesn't. If it doesn't
it is an unpleasantness that disappoints.
Dump it at the first sign of trouble and try to get your money back.
User Rating: 2.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Good Content - Proprietary Format Sucksby The420Kid - December 13, 2006
Pros: Lots of books, ability to preview.
Cons: Proprietary Format only works with supported devices.
Review: They have pretty good content, what it lacks is a complete library. The fact that the format is propiertary sucks. You have to authorize computers and devices and there is limit to how many each account can have. Merging accounts is not permitted. I would assume Audible will dry up and die when libraries start having greater online content. I think I pay 14.99 for 2 books/month.
Updated
All I can think after looking throught the other customers postings is that Audible is posting their own good reviews. Customer service has always been terrible. I downloaded a book that was not complete on the site once and when I called to let them know I waited on hold for over an hour. Customer service is nonexistant, the 9's and 10's has to be Audible reviewing themselves.
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
a ripoff of all ripoffs; debases web 2.0by elithea - November 14, 2006
Pros: none none none
Cons: ripoff of all ripoffs
Review: audible.com has the worst customer service anywehere, requires that you email them repeatedly to get any almost any service at all and does not live up to its promises in any way. and they're too expensive, with a pricing "plan" that's exploitative and downright thievery: they charge your credit card in advance for future downloads, but they can wipe out the credits you've already paid for at a whim, and they will. i am currently attempting to get them to give back what they've stolen from me and if that happens i will update here. but from past experience, don't hold your breath. buyer beware! this is not any kind of model for web 2.0 commerce.
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
8 years of great service - I've read over 200 booksby jrandvollmer - October 28, 2006
Pros: Huge selection of fiction, non-fiction, & self help
Cons: some MP3 devices work better than others
Review: I have been an Audible subscriber since 1998. I listen to an average of two books a month - primarily during my daily 45 min commutes and workouts - great selection of available titles keeps me relaxed and entertained on the road, and motivated to go an extra half hour on the elliptical. I just don't have time to read the old fashioned way - before Audible, I read only a couple of books a year - what I now go thru in a month. I use a 2GB Ipod Nano which easily holds half a dozen books at a time. The Ipod works great, as do many of the other MP3 players...but ensure that you check the device center at audible.com to ensure that the device you are considering is in fact compatible. I do wish that there were a resource that gave thorough reviews on all audible compatible players. So far I have had to go to multiple sources to compare devices that I am considering. Audible has added tremendously to my quality of life - I give players and subscriptions to my nieces and nephews upon graduation.
Updated
Not always as easy to download as I'd like, but a wonderful way to read if you spend much time in the car or gym as I do. I never found enough time to read before 2000...now I am experiencing 25-30 great books a year (over 180 during past 7+ years). I've used half a dozen mp3 players - not all work equally well - but have a 2 gb Ipod Nano now which works well and holds about a dozen unabridged books at a time. Read customer reviews on the huge selection of books and narrators before purchase, buy the gold or platinum plan, and then start to learn and enjoy. You'll never want to give your audible up.
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
good luck trying to cancelby flipfish - June 24, 2006
Pros: There are none
Cons: beware,don't use
Review: audible would not cancel my account and continue to bill, beware of their free offer !
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
I love it!!!by ashorty - May 4, 2006
Pros: Everything except download
Cons: Download instructions in regards to iTunes
Review: Now that I have every iPod accessory their is to mankind, including "drive+play" .....
Keep in mind I just bought it less than a month ago. I had to experience the audio book thing too. I love James Patterson, but I will never READ one of his books again. I will just LISTEN!!!!!
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Works as advertisedby noman442 - May 3, 2006
Pros: Good selection. Save money IF you like audiobooks
Cons: Have to have the right MP3 player and the files are proprietary.
Review: The opinions on Audible vary greatly so every person will have to make their own judgement. My experience with Audible has been great. I got my first iPod through audible ($100 rebate). The website has evolved over the past three years and for the most part has gotten better. As far as customer service et al. I have had no negative issues. They have reactivated my account 4 times over the past three years and I always have heard back via email within 48 hours. Phone support has been good. Just don't call during rush hours. You will have a 30 to 60 minute wait. After peak hours the wait is short. A lot of the issues people have with Audible maybe due to other factors. My sister had carshing problem with their website until she adjusted the settings on Black Ice and Bit Defender. Problems went away. I like Audible and they have improved. Book credits no longer have to be used every month, they can be saved up. This HAS allowed Audible to increase they book credit cost on some books (Chronicles of Narnia. Usually all books no matter how many volumes was one credit. Now some books are up to 5 credits. Granted they are multiple volume books. Overall the service is good. Its worth a try. Just read the intstructions on the website and it will be extremely easy to use. Also You do not have buy before you try. I'm not sure what that reviewer was talking about.
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Excellent Service and Selectionby jaff2005 - May 1, 2006
Pros: Incredible selection of books and newspapers, convenient price plan, great choice of compatible devices including mobile phones and PDAs, great customer service
Cons: Proprietary audio format
Review: The service is incredible. I can find all best sellers, hot items in the bookstore at almost half price. Very convenient when I am downloading the books and newspapers daily on my Windows Mobile Smartphone. At home, at office, in the car or in the subway, listening is the best choice that I can have. I was listening in the past 6 months to more than 35 books. I have a daily subscription to New York Times that comes automatically to my phone during the night. If you call customer service they solve your problem in a matter of minutes. Excellent!
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Greatest service online!by jeromecn - April 5, 2006
Pros: Huge selection of books
Cons: Customer service could be better
Review: First, let me preface this comment by saying that I very rarely post any comment/opinion about things a see/buy/use online.
I have been using Audible for almost 3 years now and that's one of the services with Google and makes me ask the question: what would I do without the Internet?!
I used to not have time to read books at all and now as soon as I have 5 minutes (workout, gardening, walk the dog, chores, etc...) I pop my MP3 player to escape into one of the great titles offered by Audible.
The service is certainly not perfect: customer service, slow download, pricing etc... but they definitely deserve a 9/10.
I recommend Audible each chance I get!
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
The only online audiobook service on the web worth usingby dkg928 - March 24, 2006
Pros: Everything I would want it to be, and then some
Cons: They don't have the Harry Potter books
Review: I have been an audible member for a couple years now and have never had a bad experience. I don't understand the bad reviews, except to think that some people just can't be pleased
. Custermer support has always been good to me.
They have a huge selection, superior audio quality, drivers for many MP3 players. If you subscribe, you get a great discount on books -- much less than any bookstore I've used. The narrators are of superior talent. My computer crashed and I needed an audio book for a trip I was going on, so I went to the library thinking that the reader would be as good as the readers I was use to, only to be so disappointed that I stopped listening to the book. I was surprised, but when I downloaded the same book after I got my system fixed, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a better reader of the same book.
Wow, that was great! It is the most cost effective way to get, keep and enjoy audio books. You can stream audio, download it and put it on an MP3 player, burn onto CD or simply keep on your computer to listen to as you want to.
This is a WINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
I wish there was someone else to buy from - Audible SUCKSby mantikor - December 3, 2005
Pros: Great selection of books
Cons: POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE - Confusing Instructions
Review: I have had nothing but trouble trying to "activate" and "deactivate" devices and make sure I have just the right "device" for their system. I spend $15 per month for a subscription that gives me one book and one periodical but if I miss the one month date and don't select a book I simply lose my money. Their customer service stinks like a sewer - I can't get a clear answer from them. If there were only someone else with as much of a selection I wouldn't look at these people twice. I still subscribe for now but I am seriously shopping for someone else - I'm very disappointed with C|Net's high score for these losers - someone must have paid them off.
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
great service.by emberbence - November 23, 2005
Pros: great selection, easy to use, cheap.
Cons: none so fat
Review: I read the reviews. Some are rather negative and I can't understand why, unless the people are neanderthals, and comuter illiterate. It's a breeze to use.
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE, what a piece of GARBAGEby alpainter - November 23, 2005
Pros: none, zero, zip
Cons: HAVE TO DOWNLOAD EACH NEW FEATURE YOU TRY TO USE, takes way too much time, isn't worth it, doesn't prompt you for a default browser, is impossible to navigate your library on their site.
Review: I cancelled my subscription because of the incredibly annoying multistep procedure to use their software. I have NEVER used a program that is more of a nuscance than this one. I can't believe for EVERY SINGLE STUPID operation I wanted to do, I had to go through the set up wizard time and again.
I have ZERO tolerance for such annoyances. The user interface is abysmally tedious, and requires too many steps to do ANYTHING.
Not too mention I wasn't aware I had to set up a default browser when IT DIDN'T EVEN PROMPT ME TO DURING SET UP.
I couldn't even find the files I downloaded to my library in MyLibrary on their site. Plus, one of the parts of the book I downloaded didn't even show up in their stupid software program.
I will be telling everyone I know to avoid your service. I can't believe people actually put up with it.
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
I keep trying to be taken off their listby Chuck bear - November 21, 2005
Pros: I keep getting juck mail?
Cons: Will never deal with such a company
Review: 3 emails
no phone number to call
and more and more junk mail
coutesy of RCA and audibles.com
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Simply AWFULby gouve - October 31, 2005
Pros: Can't think of a single one
Cons: PIN on Prepaid Card is an unreadable smeary mess
Review: I received a prepaid audiobook card as a gift. I attempted to remove the covering over the pin number on the card, and the resulting pin is illegible, smeary mess. I have tried entering what may be the number, to no avail. If you can find any customer support for this product, you are doing better than me. Stay as far away from this joke as you can.
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
I love it, I don't understand the complaintsby bface - August 25, 2005
Pros: great for walking or exercising
Cons: none I can think of
Review: I don't understand the complaints. I have been a member for over 2 years. I use the next listen feature to save books for automatic purchase. I downloaded the program, open it to download a book, then transfer it to my MP3 player and listen when walking. No problems ever. I understand that you can also burn the books to CD via their program and can listen on any CD player although I haven't tried that yet.
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Very Displeasedby durianman - August 14, 2005
Pros: no positives that I can now think of
Cons: limited use, unknown account deductions
Review: Horrible!!! I bought a few audios from them through Itunes and then later as UI carefully reviewed my credit ststements find that they have been making monthly deductions for absolutely nothing!
I should have been more careful but I hardly use this credit card account so I do not check it. I was not expecting any deductions.
I bought 2 books and have paid a huge sum for them.
I tried to sign into the audible account and it keeps telling me it is the wrong info and then I sent an e-mail and recd a form back asking for info I do not have.
I looked through all my e-mail accounts and can not even find an e-mail from them.
How many have had a similar experience.
I still wonder what the monthly deduction is for??
I think 1 is too high of a number-it should be a negative
Also I got a new hard disk and now can not put the Audible books on my Itunes Library
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
have not used.. will not useby yahudi - July 30, 2005
Pros: ?no idea ?????????????
Cons: have to register a credit card upon using FREE trial
Review: I don't know much about audible.com
However, I do know that when offered a FREE trial membership, you must register a credit card. If that is the case, then it is not actually free, because inevitably, you forget to end your "FREE" membership, and they charge you.
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Easy to use!by kt4112 - July 28, 2005
Pros: able to down load books to mp3's
Cons: there are none
Review: I love audible.com! I have been a member for 1 and half. I have never had a problem finding books that I like. The selection is wounderful!
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Good advise: Avoid this companyby cachi5 - July 26, 2005
Pros: None, you should avoid to contract this company`s services
Cons: It is very difficult to cancel the account.
Review:
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Customer Service NON EXISTENT Fraudulantby SleepyJezze - July 22, 2005
Pros: Is a Great Idea
Cons: Wont answer compaints, NO customer service
Review: Oh it sounds great. And I really love audiobooks for travel. But have a problem whether it is downloading, wanting a refund, wanting to end your subscription, or dealing with a malfunctioning MP3 player they sent to you, THEY will NOT respond. Send multiple emails...get computer generated resonses sending you to the FAQ. Oh, that was sooooo helpful. Try to get them to call you back...don't hold your breath. Here is something to try...GOOGLE audible.com and complaints...you will be amazed....Don't waste your money. Not until they clean up their mess.
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
good,but could improveby sodapop4 - July 15, 2005
Pros: decent selection.. and sound
Cons: do not split into chapters..
Review: Nice site with decent selections.. I did want a radiocast and when I went back to get it they had taken it down..
Does not have enough formats and you need an audible compatablr player or converter to convert the au files to mp3 or other compatable format..
The doenloads are one bg file, not split into chapters.. or sections like ripping from a cd audio book does....
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Should be 10 but gets a 1by anothersite - July 3, 2005
Pros: Excellent products
Cons: Connections are so challenging to make, you wonder if they went out of business
Review: I have used Audible.com regularly for over 2 years. The download service used to be great. In the last few months it has become abysmal. I can rarely even connect to the website, let alone download, from any of the computers in various locations that I can use. There is something wrong with their delivery system.
User Rating: 2.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Too Politically Correctby VanCeltic - July 2, 2005
Pros: I love Audio Books
Cons: A very leftist bent
Review: There is an extreme slant to the left by Audible.com.
I have been an Audible listener for years.
Token Conservatives books are there but not anywhere NEAR the Leftist/Radical selection.
They respond poorly to requests....(read "ignore").
And generally seem "above" their listeners.
I say threaten to cancel or, indeed, cancel.
And LET THEM KNOW WHY!
customer service toll free number call:
1-888-283-5051
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great prices, great books! SALES!by apgoord - June 28, 2005
Pros: Huge selection of books, ease of use
Cons: Not applicable
Review: The best answer for audiobooks. Right now (6/27/05), EVERY book is priced at $9.95!! They often run sales of this nature, quite a bonus to their already affordable memberships! Recommended!
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great site for digital books.by booksalot - June 19, 2005
Pros: Low prices, easy to use
Cons: nothing..........
Review: Seems like a great site, downloading books to my mp3 player is easy. Big selection.
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Agree with Misleadingby msckaren - June 6, 2005
Pros: "Free" samples
Cons: Can't find pricing info until after you subscribe
Review: I went to the audible site based on a link through Amazon. I was interested in their service but wanted to find out how much it cost BEFORE I signed up. Apparently, that is not possible so I came here through a link from their "rave reviews". Thankfully, there are reviews here that do describe very specifically how much the service costs and what you get for it. I might have actually been willing to sign up, IF they had provided this information in their FAQ and not required me to to sign up for the service first. When will businesses learn that tricking customers is just not a good practice?!
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
very easy to download booksby rah126 - May 24, 2005
Pros: large selection of titles & authors
Cons: not enough time to read everything
Review:
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Perfect Idea, Excellent execution! User errors to blame for bad reviews!by ComputerLiterate - May 8, 2005
Pros: Large selection; high quality downloads; software is easy to install/use, provided directions are followed and your own computer is not jacked
Cons: none for Audible.com
Review: The previous user review (and others with similar "couldn't get the software to work" reviews) might want to take a moment to evaluate their own skills at reading directions and evaluate the current state of their own computer. A stable computer (one not infected with viruses, one without every freeware software installed, spyware, etc) runs this software like a breeze. The flaws are in the users, people. Not in Audible's software.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great idea, horrible executionby ConstanceWhedon - May 8, 2005
Pros: Excellent products
Cons: Tech problems abound; tech support nonexistant and/or incompetent
Review: I keep trying to make things work, because I like the books. I can spend a couple of weeks (on and off) and get Audible Manager to behave, but then it starts crashing when opened. Then comes the nightmare of trying to figure out what could possibly be done differently. Customer Service people are nice but clueless. I've been a member for a few months now and when it works, it's the best thing in the world. Unfortunately, it mostly doesn't work.
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
EZ choice for audiobooks, great prices!by alterg - May 7, 2005
Pros: Ever-growing huge amount of books; much cheaper than standard CD/cassette audiobooks; great sounding audio
Cons: only two choices for AudibleListener plans, but still not a big deal
Review: This is the best thing to happen to audiobooks. The software is simple, easy to use and the books are very affordable. Other reviewers must have used audible in its beginning stages because nearly all of the complaints I have read seem to be resolved (software is not buggy, proprietary format is still easy to understand/choose/burn to CD, etc). Read up! Or I suppose 'listen up'!
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Required for audio enthustiasts!by ploddy - May 3, 2005
Pros: Full length (unabridged) books brought to life, good prices
Cons: server busy at times
Review: Audible has been quite a blessing for my long work commute. I have this setup for two mp3 players in our family and it works seamlessly. Transferring books has never been easier. Thank you audible!
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Audiobooks galore. Works with my mp3 player. Sign up today.by digitalize101 - May 2, 2005
Pros: HUGE selection, low prices, lots of book sales, instant access to books
Cons: there is none
Review: The only source for digital audiobooks. Forget the ignorant reviewers who say this site is less than awesome!
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
The best digital library. A best pick!by audio_freak - April 29, 2005
Pros: Portability across multiple devices; large selection; excellent audio quality
Cons: no chapter divisions
Review: Audible is by far the best digital audio source I have found. Since this service can be used with nearly all mp3 players/portable audio devices, I highly recommend it. Downloads are fast and are excellent quality. Customer service is great. No trouble at all. This is really a no-brainer. Sign up!
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Awesome service! Works with all major MP3 players!!!by ipodrockss - April 25, 2005
Pros: Great selection, fair pricing, support for many mp3 players
Cons: none that I can see
Review: The previous user (nomaduser) hit the nail on the head. I am a relatively normal person and have found audible.com to work perfectly for me! As was noted before, read the site first and it's very easy to follow. I see that audible supports more mp3 players than I had imagined. Check em out!
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Works With 100s Of MP3 Players, Excellent Service, Poorly Educated User Reviews, Ignore Bad Reviews!by nomaduser - April 25, 2005
Pros: Vast digital library, works with literally 100s of the most popular MP3 players, affordable service!
Cons: None for this service!
Review: It's unfortunate that people give audible.com bad reviews. One ridiculous response is that is doesn't support most MP3 players. WHAT PLANET ARE YOU ON? Audible.com supports over around 100 of the most sold MP3 players in the world. Check it out yourself. Go to audible.com. Click on 'About Audible'. Click on 'Find out if your player is AudibleReady'. There you go! Choose your brand and see for yourself. It even works on some cell phones! Now if only bad reviewers could take the time to actually read and follow directions....oh wait, maybe that's why they were looking for audiobooks in the first place? Who knows, maybe they hate anything that isn't handed to them on a silver platter. "Oh no, it's a proprietary format", "Doesn't work with most MP3 players", "Poor customer service". Give me a break. If you are a relatively normal and fair person that seeks quality digital audiobooks, Audible.com is the answer.
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Awesome service! Ignore bad reviews.by ipoduser101 - April 22, 2005
Pros: HUGE selection to choose from in all genres. Low monthly subscription rates. EZ to use.
Cons: The downloaded books don't have chapter divisions.
Review: I agree with the post from bnsfoster ("Don't Listen To The Bad Reviews..This Is A Good Deal!") From the time I add a book to my cart until I am listening to it either in iTunes or my iPod takes less than 5 minutes. How can you beat that? I am new to Audible, but I used the free downloads to test how it would work with my computer and how easy or hard it was to deal with. I had no problems, so I joined. I have called customer service about 4 times and all calls were answered within 1-3 minutes and each person I spoke with was polite and helpful. They also offered good advice on which iPod to choose. How can you be upset with a service that is so affordable, easy to use and gives you $100 off the price of an iPod?? Be a smart consumer, read the contract BEFORE you sign up. Try out the free downloads BEFORE you sign up. This is a good deal and a good service.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Doesn't work on most MP3 players!by yudansha - April 21, 2005
Pros: Seems like a good idea.
Cons: After you buy your audio book, you find your MP3 player isn't compatible
Review: Well, it seemed like a good idea, and it's recommended by Amazon, but the reality is that Audible doesn't work on most MP3 players. Definitely check the compatibility chart here at CNet before you buy. Otherwise, you'll end up with hundreds of megs of inaccessible book. And, if you do have problems, the customer service is laughable.
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Don't Listen To The Bad Reviews..This Is A Good Deal!by bnsfoster - April 20, 2005
Pros: Large selection of books, quality/size choices for downloads, affordable, frequent sale events
Cons: Customer service is somewhat slow but I have experienced nothing bad in the 5 months I've been with Audible.
Review: Wow. Give a person a keyboard and these reviews are what you get. Do yourself a favor: sample the books, check out the details of the service and see if it fits you. It fits me great, the price is affordable and I have experienced no trouble with Audible. Initially I changed plans in the middle of a billing period and due to some minor confusion, the customer service rep. gave me a free book credit.
POINT: This service is GREAT, but maybe it is not for all. HOWEVER, AUDIBLE DOES NOT DESERVE THE BAD REVIEWS RECEIVED FROM IMPATIENT USERS.
User Rating: 2.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great idea, lousey executionby sfspunkyguy - April 17, 2005
Pros: Great concept, fair pricing, excellent selection of material
Cons: Limited options given proprietary format, poorly-designed software, horrible support
Review: Great idea and catalogue, but caveat emptor: You'll be stuck with a proprietary format and really, really poorly designed software. The tech support staff tries to be helpful, but they're obviously overwhelmed (it can take days to get a reply to email) and mostly clueless: If something goes wrong -- which over time is guaranteed (I'm on my 4th incident in arond 15 months) -- don't expect much help.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Dreadful execution.by gmonro - April 14, 2005
Pros: None really!
Cons: See below...
Review: I had had similar experiences to others here, it's a great idea but the execution is dreadful - no reponse to emails, buggy software, and I gave up waiting on the phone.
My advice - give these people a wide berth, and check out your local library - the range won;t be as large, but it's a lot less hassle!
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Ripped Off, connedby JamesAU - April 11, 2005
Pros: None at all.
Cons: Free trial turns to two month stint
Review: I signed up for a 'free trial', with two free downloads.
I used them, was unimpressed (downloaded comedy content, not amusing) but that's irrelevant.
None the less, the following two months I recieved charges on my credit card of US$21. The first month I ignored it, believing that the 'free trial' wasn't so free, and that I paid for my downloads, and I was ripped off. But what could I do?
The second money I was charged again.
This time I took it more seriously, and found out this so-called 'free trial' was now a monthly subscription fee for downloads. I did not even have a backlog of downloads (two per month), rather this was apprently rolling.
At that point I used my two remaining 'credits' as I knew I had no chance of getting a refund, I had been conned already from a so-called free trial.
And so I was now forced to close my account, and stop making payments. This could only be done by calling their call centre in the United States and their local time. This was done at 1am my time (Australia). They do not accept any closing of account via internet at all.
These people are disgusting, con artists. Do not go anywhere near them.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
No support - do not botherby mventura - April 8, 2005
Pros: Looks nice
Cons: Cannot get usable CD backups
Review: I could not get any usable answer to my problem from the automated HELPLESS desk. My first email went unanswered for weeks. I just wanted CD copies of the book that I PURCHASED. I gave up waiting on the phone for "live" support after having to dig that number out of the site (primary links for the live number did not work). I wish editors would check the support for these products before handing out ratings. Nine out of 10 is way too high.
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
write your own reveiw...bury this rotting rodentby dumb_trucker - March 25, 2005
Pros: u can try it for free
Cons: it doesn't work, it is not worth the effort
Review: email their support they will send you a cut and paste reply. cut and paste this text.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Program is unreliable - and support is a joke!by ziggie - March 25, 2005
Pros: A good idea
Cons: Sets the standard for lame customer and tech support
Review: I joined Audible because it seemed like a really good idea - which it still is. That's why I'm sure some other folks who know how to write and support such a program will eventually come along - and send Audible where it belongs - into the toilet...
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Service going downhill rapidlyby akankelborg - March 24, 2005
Pros: Some good selections and good prices.
Cons: Search engine sucks, samples seldom connect, system times out in the middle of search, sales are fake because you can't access the system because it's overloaded.
Review: This was one of the best services on the net. It's has rapidly declined. If you find a service rep that speaks English they seldom offer any assistance other then to suggest that you reformat your hard drive. The servers are useless during sells and forget hearing samples. The "quick search" seldom works; just go for the detailed search.
Forget credit for signing up new members...it won't happen. The different "Free Players" they offer since after the RIO 600 won't last 6 months and are useless for bookmarks, and you will spend more time looking for where you left off in a book then actually listening to the book.
I had 4 accounts, 1 for myself, 2 for my children, and the wife wanted only the basic account. Were down to 2 accounts and they will be cancelled by August.
We miss the once great service and professionals at audio.com. It's just easier to check out audible books and hardcopy at the library or pay full price else where. However, It's like loosing a good friend after 4 years of the great service they once did offer.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Audible has a regimented computer response designed to outlast the complaintby jchristie - March 6, 2005
Pros: Would not recommend
Cons: Customer no service originated here
Review: My initial experience with Audible was deplorable (after they received my money). A very difficult company to gain any service. They excel only at receiving orders and money - performance is another story.
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Buy gift certificates instead of subscribing!by shawnse - March 4, 2005
Pros: Excellent selection, excellent value. great web site.
Cons: Only works with some MP3 players (see their list before buying one ... I have and love the Muvo TX)
Review: The subscriptions are usually not their very best value ... and reportedly it is difficult to unsubscribe. Fortunately, this is not a problem for the savvy user! Somewhat hidden within the "Gifts" sections is the ability to purchase "10 audiobook credits for just $119!" ... that's just $12 each ... and special sale prices can get as low as 13 books for just $99! These credits can be spent all at once, or at any time for one year. One credit buys virtually any book.
For books cheaper than $12 you can wait until they have a 30 to 50% off sale. With a little patience, you can stock up and get a significantly better deal than the subscriptions offer.
Also, if you want to subscribe to one of their more expensive periodicals (like the Wall Street Journal) then the $15/mo subscription is a pretty good buy ... as long as you remember to purchase your new book every month. And if you don't want to worry about unsubscribing problems you can purchase the subscription as a "gift" to yourself!
It really is a great way to buy audiobooks!
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Excellent service, always improving!by tyarra - March 3, 2005
Pros: Huge selection - their content is always fresh. They seem to have the newest releases before I hear about them on the talk-show circuits. They provide a good deal of Free content as well.
Cons: When you run into problems, it is sometimes difficult to find where to get the help you need.
Review: I've been with this service since June of 2001. In that time, I have gotten well over a hundred items stocked in My Library, ranging from books, subscriptions and their very excellent free content - most of this is of the historically/politically newsworthy: Presidential debates, for example. The 9/11 hearings. Older things as well, such as the Clinton hearings.
I've pretty much given up on portable devices, but that's my own personal preference ... once they got the CD burning added to the Audible Manager, I just burned my titles, since most of my listening tends to be while I'm driving.
I am a little disappointed in their limited ability to burn, however, since I've run into situations where my burner would mangle a disk, and yet it would still count as having been burnt.
Customer service can be a little tricky to get hold of, but they do have an email service that is fairly prompt, if you don't want to spend a lot of time on hold. It still takes longer, but you don't get tied up while on hold. Of course, all of this should be used after you've checked their fairly extensive on-line help. Most of my questions I've had answered by checking there.
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Don't be fooled. Proprietary formatby - February 20, 2005
Pros:
Cons: This is nonsense. They encrypt and hide the content so that you're not able to play it on your favorite equipment. A workaround is to use all your money on CD's and then convert back to a format that is possible to use...and THEN transfer to your device.
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Previous bugs worked out?by - February 17, 2005
Pros: Great selection, especially political and free content (for instance, 9/11 hearings are free). Very fast downloads, easy to use, able to burn to a CD, prices. I was weary at first because I saw some of the cons on the this website and was afraid of
Cons: Depending if it is an old title, the audio can be a little mono or tinny. Newer titles that are offered on CD at your local bookstore, sound just as good when you download them.
Review:
User Rating: 2.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Bunch of cheaters in Billing!by - February 17, 2005
Pros: Good books, good quality, great format and easy integration. I like the service very much. However, as a student, it is too expensive for 21.99 per month. If they had an offer for $9.99 for only one book download a month, I'd buy it!
Cons: I was a member for two months with them. I downloaded only two books in the meantime and only managed to completely listen to one since I am so busy always with schoolwork. So, I decided that it was too expensive for me. so after having been a subscriber
Review:
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great Idea, HORRIBLE SUPPORT!by - January 27, 2005
Pros: Online delivery of audio content.
Cons: Lack of support, you receive an acknowledgement of problem but they do not respond. Only call the help line if you want to line to audio books. Several times I have tried calling and gave up after waiting over at least 90 minutes each time.
Review:
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
The service simply Rocks!by - January 26, 2005
Pros: Reasonable prices, fast downloads, the ability to burn cd's, a varied selection of titles, new titles all of the time!
Cons: Some books and publishers are not available (Harry Potter for instance), but there's more than enough for even the most discerning reader (listener)!
Review:
User Rating: 2.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
How I wish I'd read these reviews before joining. Okay product but terrible customer serviceby - January 24, 2005
Pros: Good selection of books, easy to buy
Cons: not in mp3 format terrible customer service - they kept billing my credit card after I cancelled - which can only be done on the telephone - after at 30 min queue. Their customer service is terrible - they appear to have only 2 people working the phones.
Review:
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Could be simplerby - January 20, 2005
Pros: Good concept
Cons: Could be much simpler, tries to be too sophisticated technologically. Could not cancel when tried to get out.
Review:
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Awaful email set-up & waiting help torture to listin to bookby - January 20, 2005
Pros: hard find,perhaps overwork 'help' personnel
Cons: dreadful colors, too many choices on home page...orginize it. email is impossible to use. worst of all is to listin to some outrageous boring book while waiting to get help!
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
A must have! Get it now!by - January 13, 2005
Pros: Great selection. Great prices. I can have days of listening on my Treo. I love it!
Cons: Requires proprietary player
Review:
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
good product, bad service!by - January 12, 2005
Pros: great package/subscription prices. great selection. You can put your account on a one-time hiatus for 3 months.
Cons: can't cancel/close account without calling in. hold time is over 30 mins !!! can't burn mp3 cd's.
Review:
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
No more exuses of not having time to read, now we can listenby - January 12, 2005
Pros: -Tons of books to choose from -Great Readers -Small devices, fit in your pocket
Cons:
Review:
User Rating: 2.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
how much is it?by - January 12, 2005
Pros:
Cons: I can get a rebate with a year's subscription, but there's no way to find out how much the service is without giving your billing information. This is not user friendly!
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
"The Site" for audio Booksby - January 12, 2005
Pros: Fast and convient access to audio books.
Cons: Little Pricy. Site Search Engine inaccurate. Technical suppor replys to questions via knowledgebase is a joke.
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great Service, Anoying Audio Formatby - January 12, 2005
Pros: This is the perfect compliment to a Digital Audio Device. I have a Muvo TX FM.
Cons: Audio format is such that it will only play on Windows Media Player after downloading a required utility. Sound from desktop is unbearable tinny. However, it sounds ok when played on a portable device.
Review:
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Audible has made my morning commute more enjoyable than ever!by - January 6, 2005
Pros: Great Quality Audio Huge Selection
Cons: None.
Review:
User Rating: 2.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Please give me MP3by - January 4, 2005
Pros: Good price and good selection. Good concept, download and listen.
Cons: Terrible software. Keep locks up and sound quality is bad with my Clie, even with high setting. I quit using after a month. I would rejoin if they offer MP3 format.
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great quality for great priceby - December 21, 2004
Pros: Cheaper than local rental stores & more convenient. Using either CD-writing or selective portable storage devices make this site a great thing.
Cons:
Review:
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Without MP3 FORGETABOUTITby - December 16, 2004
Pros: You can get CDs downloaded to your system.
Cons: Too many freken CDs for unabridged books. A complete waste of my time. I will only use something like this when I can download a data format electronically and by pass the CD format altogether. I spend hours downloading CDs and converting them to mp3s.
Review:
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
major downsides for "international users"by - November 6, 2004
Pros: reasonable selection. fast downloads.
Cons: all offers are only valid in the USA - so international users DONT get the free MuVo. (they don't actually mention this *before* you sign up...and then when its too late, you get a half-arsed apology) many of the books are NOT AVAILABLE to "internationa
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Best selection of audio books and the easiest way to get them!by - November 2, 2004
Pros: Great Selection, Ease of Use, Easy to Download
Cons: Phone support can have long waits.
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
A rarity online - easy to use and cheap!by - October 30, 2004
Pros: As an audio bibliophile, I used to spend $30 - $50 a month on books on CD or tape. I tried to find used when possible, but then I found Audible.com. For $20 a month, I get 2 selections, and can download to the free muvo player or CD. The Muvo is tiny, e
Cons: I've been using it for 3 months and have had no issues at all.
Review:
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Proprietary software stinksby - October 21, 2004
Pros: Great selection of titles
Cons: Users are obligated to use audibles software to manage and transfer files to devices. Do we really need new software to manage MP3s? The software gets in the way and prevents users from burning MP3s to CD for playback in CD/DVD devices that support MP3
Review:
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Technology at it's best!by - October 9, 2004
Pros: Intuitive software that does exactly what it is supposed to do! This is the only way to get audiobooks today!
Cons: Don't try this with a dial up connection. Downloads could take hours.
Review:
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Don't Buy it! Lots of bugs and bad device.by - October 4, 2004
Pros: It is a good idea with the books and would love to use a better company for this kind of service.
Cons: The Web page has Bugs. The download software has bugs and is hard to get working. And DON"T buy the OTIS device, it stinks!!!!!
Review:
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
I Love Audible.com!by - September 24, 2004
Pros: I commute 2 hours a day. It used to be a grind, but now it is almost painless. When I am in the middle of a really great book, I hope for a major bottleneck on the freeway.
Cons: None.
Review:
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
I knew that the internet was good for something!by - September 21, 2004
Pros: Excellent entertainment and educational value
Cons: Not so intuative
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Works great for Truckersby - September 20, 2004
Pros: Can download when I'm on the road, great sales like $9.95 for ANY audiobook till Sept? Play direct from laptop to truck radio.
Cons: Can't think of any. Best use of my time behind the wheel. How else can you read a couple of books a day and still get paid?
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
I love this site!by - September 16, 2004
Pros: So cheap and so great to be able to listent to my favorite books on my commute.
Cons: The software for the PALM is buggy.
Review:
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Doesn't work on most MP3 playersby - September 4, 2004
Pros:
Cons: Bought a new MP3 player from Soniqcast (wifi, fm transmitter, very cool) specifically because Audible listed it as one they supported. Ahh, but ... no. You wouldn't believe the excuses they gave me on the phone. Worked well on the free piece of crap 64
Review:
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Don't Sign Up! You can't Cancel!by - September 1, 2004
Pros: You can download books for your audio advice
Cons: The customer service is the worst! I have been trying for 6 months to cancel my account. Do not sign up for it!
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
excellent customer serviceby - September 1, 2004
Pros: Great books with reviews and long previews that help you to determine if you will enjoy a specific reader. There is no need to download everything to your laptop if you are travelling as you can download it whenever you want, even if you have already done
Cons: I only wish more authors would allow their works to be distributed this way and that more of the books were offered in unabridged versions.
Review:
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Be careful of your devicesby - September 1, 2004
Pros: Lots of choices, easy download, good prices.
Cons: Be careful of if your devices are supported for transfer. I have a Sony CD burner, they've never supported, I have an iriver mp3 player, same story. They promised additional support for devices, which never came through. Finally had to cancel membership
Review:
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Good program but hard to find playersby - September 1, 2004
Pros: I have been a club member from the inception. Audible books are great for the commute or long trip and I am almost never without. Every book I have ever ordered is still available for download if I want to relisten and I have an extensive "wish list".
Cons: The modern book selection is somewhat limited. Can only burn 1 cd for an hour of listening - 6 hour book = 6 cds etc. but the price of blanks has come down a lot. My Rio500 is on its last legs and I am having trouble finding a decently priced mp3 player w
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Awesome service. Time-shifting to read more.by - September 1, 2004
Pros: Great selection of audiobooks. Allows you to read more by using "dead" time (commutes, dishwashing, etc). Excellent value at $10/book compared to often overpriced retail audiobooks on CD. Free MP3 player with subscription. Cell-phone like subscriber model
Cons: Required decent bandwidth. Dial-up customers will have to download books overnight.
Review:
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great site has saved me $100's!by - September 1, 2004
Pros: Everything is great. Some people want mp3 downloads but it would make it to easy to share over the net without paying and the service would then cost a lot more.
Cons: No cons.
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
The very best source for spoken word content, by far.by - September 1, 2004
Pros: Very large up-to-date dated library of the best and most popular fiction, non-fiction, and subscription (newspapers, NPR, etc) I have ever seen. After 20 years of various Books-on-tape/CDs and Teaching Company tapes, etc, I like audible the best. Besides
Cons: Only way to be sure to have a compatable player (that plays their .aa format) is to go to audible.com and choose players from compatable player list.
Review:
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
audible memberby - September 1, 2004
Pros: could be an way to get audiobooks
Cons: will not play on most mp3 players, lose your book credits each month, site does not respond with ease
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Best audio book serviceby - August 9, 2004
Pros: Price Reasonable right to use Selections of titles
Cons: Somewhat limited compatible players
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Excellent value for those that want to listen to audiobooksby - July 28, 2004
Pros: Good Selection of titles and this is getting even better.
Cons: Difficult to navigate through books.
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Best value on the internetby - July 25, 2004
Pros: huge selection of audiobook downloads, can burn to CDs, good quality, can work on ipod, cheap with a listener membership
Cons: remaining listener credits do not transfer to next month, hard to find customer service chat links.
Review:
User Rating: 2.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
A really great service - needs a little workby - July 25, 2004
Pros: I've gotten to read so many more books by using this service. Good choice of reading material, but they need more unabridged books. Sound quality has always been good.
Cons: Software is quite buggy. It often crashes my computer and it often takes 2 or 3 attempts to download a book from audible. I have an IPAQ 1945, I usually have to "soft" reset it after listening to a book (it tends to freeze up my device when I stop "readin
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
My current favorite thing in the universeby - July 16, 2004
Pros: (1) Great selection; (2) Fast downloads with DSL; (3) Recently added great promotion, "Free Download of the Week," that lets you sample full programs without extra cost; (4) All customer service people I've talked to were friendly, cheerful, personable an
Cons: More like "quibbles" than "complaints": (1) monaural audio only--kind of odd to hear Richard Sher say, "Team One is located Stereo Right," when there is no Stereo Right in the audio; (2) I refuse to listen to abridged novels, and there are a fair number
Review:
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
I'm cancelling my subscription!by - July 15, 2004
Pros: Decent selection of books. Easy enough to use with iPod.
Cons: No MP3 compatiblity. Very poor support, although I did luck out yesterday after my fourth attempt to resolve a simple issue with Roxio. Some books (like Clinton's My Life) didn't download with tracks! That's insane. I'm outta here.
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
THE exceptional resource, value and friend for the audio book lover!by - July 11, 2004
Pros: Great value, good selection, ease of use
Cons:
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
This program is greatby - July 10, 2004
Pros: I've just subscribed and found this to be a really good program. You can download books fast and painlessly. Selection is really quite good for audible books. Sound quality is excellent. Program software is reliable and easy to use.
Cons: None so far
Review:
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Don't use it!!!by - July 6, 2004
Pros: Nice audio librrary and good selection of books.
Cons: It is almost impossible to end subscription. It is a shame for such a service that the only way to cancell your subscription is to CALL BY TELEPHONE the Company. Once you subscribe even a trial version (online!) you are hooked up. Could you belive that yo
Review:
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
An excellent product, but delivery has issues.by - July 6, 2004
Pros: The product itself can't be beat! Audio books that would otherwise cost a small fortune, are now readily accessible for a very reasonable monthly fee. Being able to listen to choice magazines while commuting or biking is something I'm now almost depeden
Cons: While the quality of some recordings tends to be inconsistent, this is more of the publisher's issue than Audible's. The website and "Audible Manager" software are rather sluggish, but still do the job. The site has been unavailable at times, but never
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Excellent ideaby - July 3, 2004
Pros: Easy way to get a hold of the latest titles in an audio format
Cons: Wish you could download without having to use the audible.com download manager program.
Review:
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Good product, service to be desiredby - July 2, 2004
Pros: Nice selection, multiple formats, fairly dependable. Email service pretty reliable.
Cons: Phone service virtually nonexistent. Interface with with PocketPC sometimes hoggish. Bogs down the PocketPC sometimes
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
great selection and prices.by - June 28, 2004
Pros: best online audiobook selection. good prices and customer service. interface getting better. able to burn cds or put on mp3 player.
Cons: trying to get the software to work well with the audible audio format.
Review:
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Fantastic Service and Savingsby - June 27, 2004
Pros: If you are an avid listener of audio books, you are going to save a fortune! This is the best business I've every found on the internet.
Cons: None
Review:
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Read the 10 pages of legal jargonby - June 26, 2004
Pros:
Cons: The legal gotchas pertaining to this contract are unreal. It basically says if you sneeze the wrong way they can cancel your account and make anything you have purchased inaccessable by locking out you account. For more on Audible's contracts and proble
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
I'm addicted to Audibleby - June 24, 2004
Pros: Honestly, I'm an addict. It governs my MP3 purchasing, and I won't consider a player that doesn't support it.
Cons: Converting to MP3's is painful and annoying.
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
With Roxio Burning, audiobooks are easy & fun!!by - June 20, 2004
Pros: Great price. Great program with easy features and includes labels for those burning books onto cds. Sound is great on Format 4. Great readers for easy listening.
Cons: I have problems with burning from time to time in which my cd rom/roxio freezes up and I have to restart the whole computer, but that is a small price to pay for the times I can just burn cd after cd of great audio books.
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great value on instantaneous audiobooks, but too many abridged books and a clumsy file formatby - June 20, 2004
Pros: Audiobooks the moment you want them; cheap: 2 audiobooks a month for $20/month with a one-year subscription; free ultra-portable 128 MB Muvo MP3 Player with one year subscription (though the flimsy device might not last the whole year).
Cons: Many, many of the audiobooks are abridged. Who wants to read an abridged book? It takes all the joy out of it and you're not getting the author's style. File format: you get the books all in one file, which means you have no way to go to an individual
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
I'm reading now more than everby - May 27, 2004
Pros: Finally I'm making good use of the commuting time to work. I just download to my Otis player and plug into port in my car stereo. People have complained about no mp3 support, but the way I see it, Audible's proprietary format is better anyway. You get
Cons: Once in awhile a book has some garbled parts, so I have to download again, but that's not too often.
Review:
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Bad site and productsby - May 24, 2004
Pros: Lots of selection and ways to buy
Cons: No way to tell if you bought a download book, cd , tape. Very poor ecommerce site . I will never chance a purchase here again.
Review:
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
try to cancel your membership....!by - May 19, 2004
Pros: nice to download books online
Cons: terrible, terrible customer support...
Review:
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
this sucks utterly!!!by - May 17, 2004
Pros: It's your only alternative if you subscribe to audible.com (and that is not a pro)
Cons: -wrote blank CD's then set 'quota exceeded' while i was debuuging -tried to deactivate (per their instructions) to uninstall and can't uninstall -only offset calculation for CD's is user guessing how many minutes into 6 hour book you are (!?!) -YIKES!!!
Review:
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
How can I even consider renewing my subscription?by - May 16, 2004
Pros:
Cons: I have never received a response to any support issues. I was unable for weeks to load the book into my handheld device (this I solved by uninstalling without deactivatin, something they explicitly say not to do). In another incident I was unable (also fo
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
story time, grown upby - May 11, 2004
Pros: a surprisingly large selection of recorded books and periodicals. i go days w/ out watching tv, b/c i'd rather listen.
Cons: use or lose subscription: you don't download w/in a month the credit goes away. you gotta burn a lot of cd's, if you don't have a good mp3 player.
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Four years almost no problems!by - May 8, 2004
Pros: Audible interface is great! Amazing audio compression, hours of books using little memory. Great value, Wall Street Journal everyday and the DaVinci Code for one month of my $14.95 monthly membership! I have had great experiences with customer support.
Cons: The user interface for iTunes is not as great as the audible interface, but its worth it to have iTunes and an iPod isn't it? There has been once or twice when the site was down, or the paper wasn't ready in the morning, but that is VERY rare, especially
Review:
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
LOVE THIS SERVICE!!by - May 7, 2004
Pros: I joined audible in February 2002 and continue to enjoy it immensely. I especially like the capability to burn the audio books to CD so that I can listen using my car cd changer.
Cons: Slight software learning curve for non-technical users.
Review:
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
If you don't own a compatible mp3 player, avoid like the plague.by - April 9, 2004
Pros: Huge inventory of books.
Cons: Poor tech support answers. Burn to disk takes 12 CD-R's for one book. CD-RW's don't play on majority of CD players. The whole experience was very frustrating... sorry I ever stumbled across the cnet reveiew.
Review:
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Technical Support and Audible Manager Software is Terribleby - April 1, 2004
Pros:
Cons: After signing up for a one year membership, I have had nothing but trouble with audible.com's software and technical support staff. The support staff are not only unhelpful, but they can be very unfriendly. The software is not commercial quality, and cr
Review:
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great idea, crap service and softwareby - April 1, 2004
Pros: Wonderful books
Cons: Problematic software Extraordinarily poor customiser service
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great books to listen to!by - March 16, 2004
Pros: A wide selection of audiobooks you can listen to form eiter your PC, Pocket PC, MP3-player or CD. Good quality books and the price is right (19.95 for two books per month)
Cons: Not all books are available for users outside the US. Windows version of Audible Manager tends to crash if you for example click on your inbox while downloading or transferring. When it does just close audible manager and start it up again.
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Makes my 3 hour commute a BREEZE!by - March 15, 2004
Pros: Lots of titles and easy search features.
Cons: Not enough hours in the day!
Review:
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
I love Audibleby - March 9, 2004
Pros: Good prices on audio books.
Cons: I read someone's complaint that they didn't download their books and lost their credits. That happened to me and I called customer service. They gave me back the two credits immediately with no hassle.
Review:
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
You can read all the negative comments while on holdby - February 13, 2004
Pros: good selection
Cons: wow read all the comments! As I sit here on hold with customer service I don't have any problems deciding the next move As they say great concept horrid implementation
Review:
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Just try an figure out how to subscribeby - February 13, 2004
Pros: good selection if you have the right mp3 player
Cons: Limited player support imponderable front end ? better than a record club hard to figure it out without signing up
Review:
User Rating: 2.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Fabulous concept, cursory implementationby - February 12, 2004
Pros: I love being able to listen to so many great books that I would never have time to read. I now look forward to long car trips.
Cons: The software interface is nothing short of horrible. It works perfectly well, but if there were any competing services out there I would switch in a heartbeat for interface alone.
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
perfect accessory for my iPodby - February 11, 2004
Pros: excellent selection of books; great deals with listener plans. superior download policy with permanent download library. i tried the free month that came with my iPod, and liked it so much i started paying. now i listen to books in my car and on flights.
Cons: complicated process to get files onto iPod. since apple is promoting audible, you'd think they could either make an iTunes plugin for audible, or a proper iPod plugin for audiblemanager. also, no bookmarking with the iPod. as a result, i think the files a
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great, but US-centricby - January 28, 2004
Pros: Wide range of content, slick interface, generally reliable
Cons: Many titles not accessible from outside US. Not Audible's fault, but very annoying nevertheless. I'm likely to unsubscribe.
Review:
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great idea - badly deliveredby - January 9, 2004
Pros: Idea itself is great, good range of audio books. I cant wait for another website to do a better job though.
Cons: No MP3 audio, audio delivery only via own software, cant transfer to my ipod, no link on website to close account, very expensive, readers have an american accent, poor customer service.
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Deceptive advertisingby - January 8, 2004
Pros:
Cons: The one thing Audible fails to inform new customers of is that their downloads require you to install their own proprietary audio manager in order to listen to their tracks. They are selling you "right managed" crap that you do not really own (even though
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
I convert to MP3 - shouldn't have to.by - January 8, 2004
Pros: I love audible.com. The content is top notch. Regarding the associated software I've personally not had any trouble understanding their applications - its plenty intuitive for me. I choose to download everything in the highest quality format, format 4,
Cons: On the downside, my mp3 player, a portable cd variety, doesn't support the aa format. Thus, once I download a book, I have the extra effort of either burning it to regular cd or to convert it to mp3. The latter is a process that is not officially suppor
Review:
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
The Best Value in Audio Booksby - January 2, 2004
Pros: Audible provides a wide range of books with many current best sellers. The monthly subscription rate is quite reasonable for the value of the audio books that can be downloaded
Cons: To get the best enjoyment, (ie quality sound and ability to store the complete novel) I found that an i-pod was the best player to use with this service, especially for long unabridged books. I had previously used a Rio 500 and their Otis players
Review:
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Bad sound qualityby - January 1, 2004
Pros: A subscription is cheap and comes with some free stuff.
Cons: Sound is of VERY poor quality: mono, 22.050KHz 32kbps (should be 44KHz 128kbps). Downloads are slow. Software is buggy.
Review:
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
A life saver for some of us...by - January 1, 2004
Pros: Audible has an good selection of books available in a wide variety of genres. Downloading books is the simplest of things. For those of us who need audio texts, it's a life saver (and pocket book saver).
Cons: Going from Audible format to another format is not exactly easy, and loading a book onto "Otis" was a bit confusing. I still mess things up a bit.
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
My favorite toy ever!by - December 20, 2003
Pros: I joined Audible in june of 2001. I have listened on my laptop, burned cds, bought a Rio500, and recenly upgraded to an OTIS. Downloading is reliable and easy. I burn an archive copy and then listen via mp3. I have had excellent experiences with customer
Cons: You must listen to samples before ordering to make sure sound quality is up to par. Many older programs are "cassette tape" quality and audible.com can't fix that.
Review:
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Good idea, bad deliveryby - December 8, 2003
Pros: Good book selection, if you can get to it.
Cons: It simply won't work-- at least not for long. After 5 players on 4 different computers running 3 OS's on 2 different networks, I'm convinced I've done all I can. They simply have bad software. It works for a while, then it just doesn't. Mark my words,
Review:
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Lack Support for new MP3 playersby - December 8, 2003
Pros: Good selection of books.
Cons: Up until a few months ago, I would have rated them as recommend. However, after trying to buy a new MP3 player, and finding they do not support any of the ones on the market under $300, I have changed my mind. When I called them, they suggested I buy thei
Review:
User Rating: 2.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Easy Sign up. Hard to cancelby - November 26, 2003
Pros: I first signed up for audible 2 -3 years ago. I think it is great, until you want to cancel or have any technical problems.
Cons: First, they make it hard to cancel. You can sign up online, but to cancel you must call them, and be put on endless hold, during office hours. Emailing them does not work, even though their poor email support form has a cancellation topic. There chat reps
Review:
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great! They have come a long way.by - November 19, 2003
Pros: Some people complain about tye multiple formats. This is a plus. You can balance between size and quality.
Cons: Not all devices are equal in quality. Palm support seems to be the best.
Review:
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
great concept,poor executionby - November 7, 2003
Pros: I know what i'm doing but found the environment confounding
Cons: customer no service with grumpy attitude
Review:
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great service, rough around the edges.by - October 10, 2003
Pros: I actually read books now (well, you know, listen to books). Before audible, it was hard to find time to ever read. Now I blast through my commute, getting smarter all the while. I've seen complaints around format support. I have to agree, but underst
Cons: The software is reall really lousy. It's ugly, confusing and flaky. I look past it though because I really like the product.
Review:
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Needs too many Cd's and crashedby - October 9, 2003
Pros: Good selection of books
Cons: Didn't know it would take so many CD's to record a book so it tokes alot of time (hours)and CD's (15) to record a title. Tried to set up a record and leave it running and my computer restarted twice leaving me to figure out whereit left off. also had to
Review:
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Best I've Found Yet!by - October 5, 2003
Pros: Vast selection, great quality for most recordings, nice features.
Cons: audios purchased outside of regular members allotment are pretty exspensive - audio format requires users to buy particular models of audio players - only needed customer service help once but it wasn't that great when I did need it - difficult to listen
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
good value,easy software to useby - October 3, 2003
Pros: I've been using Audible for several months now, first with my Rio600 and now with the Otis. I've had no problems downloading books or periodicals. Makes my commute to work much more enjoyable. Not only can you put on mp3 players, but you can burn cds fo
Cons: I wish more mp3 players were supported by Audible, but I've learned that it's often the player's company that won't agree to Audible's terms for copyright protection software, so no real gripe here either. Plus the Otis and Rio Players work just fine, ho
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
I am dyslexic and couldn't do without Audible!by - September 9, 2003
Pros: Catalog is growing daily. Many good subcription plans available. Listen to books on desktop or on players anyware. Really like to unabridged books. Quality of startup program players is vary good.
Cons: Difficulty in getting service and support by phone. The better players i.g. iPod are expensive.
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
There is no better way to get audiobooks!by - September 1, 2003
Pros: I have used this service for several years now, and seen the product mature beautifully. Downloads are a snap, especially if you have a high speed connection. The software is intuitive and the player is built to last. Support has been outstanding.
Cons: They tend to post abridged works most often, since this is what the publishers produce. But their selection of unabridged works has grown steadily.
Review:
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
One of the companies your mother warned you about!by - August 26, 2003
Pros: I like the product. But the delivery, service and eithics of the company are abysmal.
Cons: I have had nothing but trouble with the software. 10 requests for help have gotten NO resonses from the company. Not even the obligitory automated "we got your mail and you are impoortant to us" emails. One thing that seems to work perfectly though i
Review:
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Love this serviceby - August 13, 2003
Pros: I've been with Audible for 2 years - the service and selection keeps improving. Love the fact that I can download my selection as soon as I have purchased it. This was sooo great when I was home sick for 2 weeks. Service may not be the best - but then,
Cons:
Review:
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
One of the best investments I ever made -- I'm not kidding.by - August 10, 2003
Pros: Free MP3 and audible content player. Great selection of books in very compact format. Great price on all audio books compared to purchasing the original CD's, tapes or books.
Cons: No significant cons. I'm very happy with the Audible and my Otis (MP3 player) after using it for almost 2 years. Highly recommend!
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Good product making better use of my time.by - August 9, 2003
Pros: I've been using audible.com since their beginning, and I'm still happy. The selection is outstanding, and it works great with my Rio 600 AND my CD-burner. <p>What some people see as a con, the lack of support for MP3, I believe is one of its great b
Cons: Audible's support is less than great. I've had much better experience since they've implemented their online-chat support service, however.
Review:
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Too many limitationsby - August 5, 2003
Pros: Complicated Too many limitations on something that I've bought for my own use at my convenience.
Cons: Great concept can't wait until another company does it right.
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great Idea, Great Valueby - August 2, 2003
Pros: This is a great service! I have been a subscriber for 20 months and get two books a month for about $16. I only take unabridged titles and I get each for less than half what it would cost to buy the tapes or cds. I have found customer service to be hel
Cons: I have had problems with their software and my Otis stopped working. Even after 20 months, they sent me a new Otis before I even returned the old one. I was only down for 2 days.
Review:
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Good range (in the USA!!)by - July 31, 2003
Pros: Very extensive range. It is also quite easy to rip the audible files to mp3 using TotalRecorder and mp3splitter (there is a FAQ somewhere that shows how to do this) which is what I've done for the last 2 years. Now I'm getting an Audible-ready mp3 player,
Cons: Many many titles are not available to subscribers outside the USA. I wish that Audible would put some pressure on publishers to lift these restrictions. It should not be too difficult.
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
I love this Serviceby - July 27, 2003
Pros: Audible has spent quite a bit of effort keeping their PC AudibleManager up to date. I have an ipod and I love this service because the software allows a user to deliver subscriptions and books upon connecting the ipod. Great Content. Easy Interface
Cons: Previous versions of the AudibleManager were buggy, but they were repaired in the newer versions. A bit pricey, but it's worth it.
Review:
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Buggy software, poor support and NO MP3 add up to NO WAY!by - July 24, 2003
Pros: Large library - albeit mainly abridged titles (arrgh!!). Generally reasonably priced.
Cons: Buggy, confusing and difficult to use sofware. Complex, user-hostile and totally innefectual support system with very poorly trained support-trons. Total lack of MP3 support means you must rip 6-20 CD's for each title you wish to download!!
Review:
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Never a problemby - July 3, 2003
Pros: After downloading books and subscriptions I can immediatly lisen to on Windows or download to my Otis player. Oh ya! When I call customer service I get courtious reps. who will stay with you and fix any problems I may have. I don't know why the others ha
Cons: The only bad thing I have found is that when I try to delete files from the Audible manger it the program locks up.
Review:
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great use of the internet!by - June 18, 2003
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I have been an Audible.com user for two years. I started out using Total Recorder to get books into my non-audible compatible mp3 player. TR is an excellent product but a terrible way to upload Audible books. But it serves as an indicator of how much I was willing to go through to get my Audible books. I have since used RIO mp3 player and the Audible Otis. I now use the Palm Tungsten T which is just awesome! I have a 256MB expansion card which allows me to flip between subscriptions and books as desired. The book selection is incredible: politics, self-help, history, fiction, you name it. Take the time to really peruse the web site. The Audible Manager does take some getting used to. It is not as intuitive as it could be. This is a tough service technology they are implementing. Service and Support: I have experienced good service and not so good service. There is definitely room for improvement here. Especially in view of the customer base partially consisting of technically challenged senior (and not senior) and differently abled people. Their online knowlegebase is barely adeqquate. A recent call to tech support had the support person reset my player activations without telling me. This caused me to make a second call and many frustrating minutes of troubleshooting. Overall it is a great service! I recently converted my girlfriend by buying her an Audible Otis player with service. She now says it is the best gift I have given her.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
GREAT books but HORRIBLE SW & Supportby - June 18, 2003
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Susposedly, AUDIBLE works with many POCKET 2002 PCs -- in reality, you'll fumble & scream & curse trying to get the books to load into your PocketPC! Their phone support is not only worthless, but NASTY! As I tried to figure out how to use their SW with my TOSHIBA e335 POCKET PC, the lady "SUPPORT" person yelled at me: "We don't support Toshiba, so you better cancel!" When I went to the cancellation dept, a guy there spent 20 seconds describing to me a very EASY work-around! So, I can now use Audible, but it takes about 1 HOUR to dl & transfer a book to my pda--& I'm on very fast CABLE! They really need someone to kick butt in their support dept & online help documentation! THIS IS VERY CONFUSING SW TO USE & EXPENSIVE TO BOOT!
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Why no Mp3 Downloads?by - June 18, 2003
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Review: After waiting months to purchase a new iPod (for listening to music AND Audible.com books) I find that Audible offers no support at all for previous iTunes versions. In order for a MAC user to download any file from Audible, a very $$$ OS upgrade is necessary: iTunes 3 and up is only supported by MAC OS X. Upgrading to X isn't that expensive in itself, but all the software I would subsequently then have to upgrade (none of it being supported by the new OS X) which would be a VERY pricy experience. I have over 10 high dollar graphics programs I use everyday and all of them would require upgrades to their $$$ OS X versions (some of them are very buggy I've read) All this just to get ANY of Audible.com's files. I think I'll be trying to get MP3 books from somewhere else than Audible. It's easier and more importantly, CHEAPER than the above mentioned upgrades. Sorry Audible- you don't offer downloads of the most used audio formats- or even software work arounds other than expensive user upgrades- I'll be spending my money elsewhere.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Very Nice Indeed!by - May 8, 2003
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Review: TO - any manufacturer that adds MP3 playback to their product: PLEASE ADD Support for audible. I would like a CF or SD Memory device (highly dislike memroy stick) that has a nice user interface, good battery life, Excellent MP3 playback, and most important Audible.com support, USB or firewire. Oh and I'd like it for under $200
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Good-bye Tapes, Audible Forever!by - May 7, 2003
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Review: I had never been an audio book fan, until I found Audible. Once I did, I've never regretted it. For 2 years I have enjoyed the Audible library and have always found something to interest me. I have read numerous complaints about losing monthly selections due to expiration. All I can say is, "Pay attention!" I get an e-mail every month describing a featured author, which is a helpful reminder to get your books. There was a period of about 3 months that my RIO500 was DOA and I still continued to download my books. Here is the great part, they NEVER expire. Once I got my player running I had a wonderful back log of books to enjoy. My biggest problem now is that I've got so much backed up I'm having trouble finding the time to listen to it all, and I commute on public trans over an hour a day. All things considered, Audible has been a terrific service. I have yet to need customer support so I can't complain about that. For me the next issue is getting my Windows iPod up to speed with audible so I don't have to fragment style 4 books. For you who don't know, the style 4 recording are larger but much better quality. Although, on the RIO500 you only have the choice of 1 or 4, so it's a matter of worst vs. best. I'm sure once I experience the 2 and 3 version recordings I can make a more accurate judgement. Bottom line, if you enjoy audio books and have a compatible player, go for it.
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Catch up on your reading: Time-shifting technologyby - May 4, 2003
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Review: I wasn't a huge audiobook fan until I became an Audible customer over three years ago. Since that time, they have become an *indispensable* part of my life. Once you get over the setup, downloading and managing your audiobooks is very easy. If you are lucky enough to get an iPod, it'll be even easier than my old Rio 500. What Audible gives you: TIME. That's it in a nutshell. The book that you planned on reading but put off can now be "read" while at the gym, doing chores, riding in the car, biking, etc. Why bother with books at the beach when you can listen to one and enjoy the scenery
The selection is massive, the cost is reasonable (much lower than physical products like CDs and tapes), and the 24/7 store means you can buy whenever you want. And you can re-download the purchased books whenever you want. Very highly recommended.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Best Service I've ever usedby - May 2, 2003
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Review: As a long time commuter, Audible has been a Godsend to me. The selection of books, newspapers, and magazines is fabulous. Instant gratification in that I can download what I want, when I want vs the long mail times for tape rental services with occaisional broken cassetes keeps me sane.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Much better then I expectedby - May 1, 2003
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Review: The selection of audible books is covers a wide range of topics. The software works well and the Otis Player is amazing. I Highly recommend Audible.com
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
First Quality Digital Audioby - April 14, 2003
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Review: I'm listening to books I would never have time to read. This is a no brainer!
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Good idea, HORRIBLE SERVICEby - April 14, 2003
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Review: This service is generally fine until there is a problem and you need to contact support. They do not respond to repeated e-mails and their phone support is pathetic with terribly long waits. Also, beware of trying to cancel. You cannot do it online. You have to call in to the same horrible support, wait for and hour and jump through hoops to cancel. They make it as hard as possible. I would say use it on an as needed basis, but don't become a member. My membership is up in June and I am counting the days. I've had three Otis devices that broke in the last year and I just can't tolerate the terrible support anymore.
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Has made me look forward to choresby - April 10, 2003
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Review: I've been an Audible user for four years, and used a promotion to, for a two year period, to gain a Rio 500 player and have two concurrent subscriptions. Complaints - if you subscribe and don't select your books by your 'anniversary date' each month, you lose that month's quota. If you have two accounts and want to play from one account and then the other account, you must remember to deactivate and then activate your device; if you forget the deactivate step, you'll soon need to contact tech support to reset your connection count. I can only listen to formats 1 (poor) and 4 (good); when I started I selected some books that didn't come in format 4 and tried listening with format 1 - virtually unintellible much of the time. Often, my player skips the last 5-10 seconds of a section, although 'rewinding' and then replaying works fine. Praise - I walk for about 45 minutes a day; I workout and do chores for about 5 hours a week. I'm never without my audible player. I would be very upset if I could not grab my two books a month. I also keep some memory set aside for MP3's, which is nice that you can do this. I heartily recommend the unabridged books over the abridged - full stories and more time for the buck. Customer Service - haven't had to call them in two years; they used to be okay.
User Rating: 2.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
This is one of my best investments!by - April 5, 2003
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Review: I have to say that I have always been so happy with the product...it allows me to be so much more productive and educated...this is truly one of my best investments!
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Best subscription service on the Web!by - April 2, 2003
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Review: I bought the first-generation Audible player when they first started up. Since then, I've been through several other players, including their Otis player which I use now. Everyting about Audible.com keeps getting better. The selection is outstanding, the audio quality on the Otis is the best yet, and Customer Service hasn't failed since day one! Bravo!
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Good idea, poor support and application.by - March 30, 2003
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Review: It's a great idea, but the application is problematic and tech support is terrible. Plus, I've been a member for 6 months and haven't rec'd the 10 free CD-R's that were promised at sign-up. A friend of mine has had the same problem. Not that a dollar worth of CD's is a big deal, but the company is just leaving themselves open for more negativity.
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
I Love Audible.comby - March 27, 2003
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Review: I love Audible.com! I have been with them for almost 3 years. I get the 5 books a month for $29.99--well worth the price! I have changed to their MP3 player called "Audible Otis" which is excellent for books. I only use the Otis for my books. I download books using the Format 2 which is quiet sufficient (and faster on 56k) for a book. I have used their Customer Service because of problems with my Rio player. They are very helpful.The only complaint I have with Audible.com is problems that stem from their office (down times, etc) which can be very frustrating to say the least! If you love books, this is the way to go!!
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
An amazing idea!by - March 21, 2003
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Review: I really have nothing negative to say about Audible.com. It has a wide selection of audio content. My wish list is of audio books is growing day by day. In addition, Audible.com made it possible for me to listen to books that I do not have time to read due to work related readings.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Software crashes constantlyby - March 21, 2003
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Review: Oh my, how could a company let a simple little app that the whole company depends on be so awful? Every piece of software I have from them is glitchy as heck. The windows software crashes. The Ipaq software (both the original and the PC2002 version) crash. Forget to register it? Crash. They're just agonizing to use. Why these problems haven't been fixed after so long I don't know.
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Audible is Great!by - March 21, 2003
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Review: I've belonged to the Audible site for about 4 years now. Ever since they had version 1 of the desktop software. Now they are up to version 2.5 & it's just fine for my needs. Usually I listen to books on my desktop computer although sometimes I'll burn part of a book (one or two CD's) to play in my pickup truck. Plenty of titles to choose from and the price can't be beat as it's usually 1/3rd the price of the same audio book found on cassettes or CD's. I only have two minor problems with them. First the software won't burn CD's faster than 8x unless you buy & install Roxio's EZ CD Creater software. Second if you opt for emails (they come once a month) they all urg you to get a listener plan which is something I haven't done yet but are thinking about doing so since you can get up to two books a month cheaper than buying the books full price from the site. A good thing is every once in awhile they offer free books for download. Take them up on it. One thing I forgot to mention. Try to download books in format 3 or 4 as they sound better than formats 1 & 2. Even though format 4 is twice the filesize of format 3 the sound quality is slightly better if you have high quality (not the cheap speakers that come with a computer) speakers. It does take quite awhile to download longer books on a 56k dialup connection but I think the higher quality sound of formats 3 & 4 is worth the wait. In short I'd recommend Audible to anyone!
User Rating: 2.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
CNet Thinks this ia a NINEby - March 12, 2003
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Review: No way is this a nine. I lost my password and three weeks later no answer. There phone isn't even 24 hours. No othe real competion so there only way. You can't call that nine. Where are the competitors.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Audible is a great site for audiobook loversby - March 5, 2003
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Review: The selection and value at Audible is fantastic. I have had to contact customer service a couple of times and I have found them to be friendly and helpful both by email and in person. I have two technical gripes. Frst, the CD burning feature is not good with all CD writers. Second is that I wish the software supported a wider array of MP3 players -- lately the selection has gotten dated and more narrow.
User Rating: 2.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great way to get books on the go.by - February 25, 2003
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Review: The Otis portable device works great. The variety of available audio wonderful.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Works great on a Tungstenby - February 17, 2003
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Review: I agonized over whether or not to sign up for a year of Audible.com for the last month or so. Finally decided, what the heck and took the plunge. Ordered the Otis, but had no patience to wait for it to arrive. Since the promo material listed the Palm Tungsten as a player that'd work, & since I recently bought a 128 MB card & MP3 software, I decided to go that route & downloaded a book and a periodical right away. Downloaded their software, fired it up, downloaded the book & magazine, synched and I was in business. Flawless execution - no need for customer service (thank goodness, based on the many comments on it here). Went to the gym and the hour went by quicker than ever. I predict I'm going to love Audible.com.
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Another bad companyby - February 14, 2003
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Review: Here is the deal: You go to audible.com and sign up with a credit card. You use it for several months. You decide you don't want to use it so you try to cancel, or suspend your monthly billing. The information to cancel, or suspend your account, is hard to find and buried deep within the web page. WHEN YOU DO FIND THE INFORMATION YOU HAVE TO DIAL A 1-800 NUMBER TO CANCEL! You wait, and you wait, and you wait on the phone. You ask why I need to call to cancel. Why can't I just do it on the internet? you ask. "To be sure it is you." she answers. "Did you know it was me when I signed up?" you ask. "It is just our policy" is her new response. Actions speak louder than words. Keep your $ in your wallet. It is just another bad company with sneaky ways to sign you up and take your money.
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great idea & great implementationby - February 3, 2003
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Review: I have been a customer for 6 months with the regular subscription. I download the audio books to listen to them on an Audible Otis. I have had absolutely no problems the whole time. The books and subscriptions have downloaded easily (I have a DSL connection), and it was then easy to transfer them to my Otis on my Windows 2000 computer. It has made my downtime while driving, doing chores around the house, etc., much more productive. I'm sorry some of the other reviewers have had bad experiences, but based on my own experience, I don't think their problems are representative. Because I have never had any problems, I have never used customer support. I did email a suggestion for a book to add, and received a prompt and polite response.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
rapacious company no interest in customerby - February 1, 2003
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Review: there are enough detailed comments already what I cannot understand is why you give it such a rave review, clearly you have no experience as a customer. You do your credibility as a reviewer no good at all.
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Poor Idea, Poor Implementationby - January 27, 2003
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Review: How can an internet company compete with CD's and tapes? I can take my physical media with me on trips, play it in hotels and rental cars, and then when I am done donate it to the local library. Electronic media is yours and yours alone, have you tried using this in a car, on a boat, or riding a bike? How about buying a book for your child? Does your child enjoy sitting and listening to the computer? I have found CD's at local bookstores to be competitive with their prices also, when Audible sets prices at 1/2 of retail I might go back.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great Product, Horrible serviceby - January 3, 2003
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Review: I love their product, which is why I am so disappointed that their service is so incredibly atrocious. One can only cancel a monthly membership by phone, not online, which entails a lengthy wait on hold. I was told that it wouldn't be "safe" to let customers cancel online. Of course it's "safe" to send them credit card info online. The monthly charge for a book and subscription does not carry over to the next month if not used, and no reminder is sent, so it's pretty easy for those to waste several months subscription fees.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Have loved it for over 4 yearsby - January 3, 2003
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Review: I have been using Audible for many years. I've upgraded my player a few times as technology improved but even the original Audible player worked well for me. I now use a Rio 500. I see some negative reviews here, and I just can't see why these people are having trouble. I've always had good luck from support. And I think the selection is huge and current. Some complaints about CD burning, etc. But I know what part of the service is from Audible and what else is a third party MP3 player or third party CD burning driver. The Audible parts work great even if some of the others don't. And don't think of this as the same as tapes from the library. YOU HAVE TO TRY IT. The convenience of searching the database, downloading right away, and getting to listen to magazines that are not available on tape is just so easy. I could never read all that I do in the conventional way. I love it.
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great idea but site needs more titlesby - January 2, 2003
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Review: I have been a customer for two years and love the site but find it frustrating that so many new titles are late to the site or never make it at all. Still, Audible.com is a wonderful way to read those classics you have always found too daunting. Listening to the superb narration of Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" is stunning. The 3.6 desktop software is a huge step backward for CD burning because Roxio uses a bit of "upgrade to improve" trickery. In fact, the burning of CDs is simply not worth the trouble because of the limited time (just over an hour) each CD will hold. Downloading to a digital player is the only way to go, but Audible has really hurt itself but not making the Windows Ipod Audible-ready. Another problem is Audible's insistence that only one PC can be permissioned to download and load titles. I have a wireless network, but in order to download books to a different computer I must first "deactivate" my player on the previous computer. Very tiresome. Audible.com is a great site that needs to expand its offerings, make great titles easier to find, get the Windows Ipod to work with its titles, and improve its desktop software.
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Good product, good people, good priceby - December 19, 2002
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Review: By avoiding the cost of providing a physical product Audible.com provides great quality audiobooks and periodicals at an affordable price. The customer support is great!
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Love it, with one reservation.by - December 18, 2002
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Review: I've been a subscriber for about two years. I've had no problems with the software or with my new Otis, which represents a great improvement over the Iomega Hipzip that I used earlier. Customer service has been surprisingly good on the rare occasions that I've needed it. My only complaint is the scarcity of unabridged titles. All in all, a really good service.
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Mac friendly with iTunes 3 !!by - December 2, 2002
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Review: No hassle downloads with iTunes 3 and burning cd's are a flash. Even the unabridge, 3 cd, versions are easy to burn by simply placing your time settings for what you want to burn on each cd.. AWESOME!!!
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Ipod and Audibleby - November 18, 2002
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Review: are a match made in heaven. I got my Ipod to listen to music but I am using it more with Audible than music. Really cool!!!
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
5 years of love and frustrationsby - October 7, 2002
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Review: After over 5 years as a subscriber, I will rate them my favorite site and my worth site at the same time! -Great idea, better than tape, better than CD, the only choice in town! Fast download. However, probably due to the limited financials resources, resulting in a poor implementation. A billing system that is unstable, a site that is not well maintains. Incomplete excel listing for advance user. The 1-888-429-5575 hidden support number, they hide the number from time to time; it is however an improvement from the time when the phone support was turn off. When you are a subscriber and for one month, you do not pick your selection, you lose it.... Even, if their site was not working when you try to use it! At one point they had the best chat line for support, today it take them a week to answer you question. Conclusion: Sign up, give them money so they can be the best sites on the Internet, keep pushing for better quality, and try to make them listen to your suggestion. Investors: Buy this stock; it will make a lot of money on the long term! They have no competition, the audio book are gaining share, the cassette is dead, the CD is unpractical, digital download is the only way to go. I believe the management and the Audible team are truly trying their best, but without more capitalization and subscribers, they have to work twice as hard. They should try to listen to their members as much as possible. P.S. Nice support on the phone when you can reach them!
User Rating: 2.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
The only game in town, but mediocreby - October 4, 2002
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Review: I've been a fanatical user of Audible for several years. Customer service is decidely a mixed bag, and I had a brush with a fantastically poorly informed rep just a few days ago. Mistakes in the books are common, and fixes are extraordinarily slow. Selection is only ok, with, for example virtually nothing unabridged by obscure authors like JD Salinger or Norman Mailer or Hemmingway or Mishima or Hesse or... (who knows, maybe they have snuck in some minor work by one of them). They don't know how to use their customers in the way that Amazon does. Unfortunately, if you want this sort of thing, they are the only real choice, and they sometimes improve a bit.
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Best Subscription Value for the Dollarby - October 2, 2002
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Review: I've been a subscriber for almost two years now, and I find it the most valuable service I own. I'm an avid book reader (on average 2-3 books a month), and now with audible my otherwise unused time in the car, mowing the lawn, exercising is now useful. They have most of the books on each of the popular best sellers lists available, NY Times, Business Week, Harpers and so forth. Add that to the subscriptions for the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Forbes, Scientific American periodicals, and radio broadcasts like Morning Edition and All Things Considered, you have content that can't be beat. Now I don't have to listen to the prattling of the drive time radio hosts.
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Working out is fun nowby - September 27, 2002
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Review: I never realized how bored I was with my work-outs before. MP3's just didn't hack it for me. I love being able to listen to the Audible's digital audio. I like the interface, I like the content. I am saving a lot of money and keeping up with my "reading." I have only found two problems. The first is that sometimes they post files that have errors. (I think this has happened to me about twice for twenty books.) This can be extremely annoying when out on a run. I recommend not getting the files immediately after they come out in order to give a chance for any mistakes to be caught. The second is that digital audio files are very large and players tend to have small memories. I'd like to find a good player, and Audible has tried to fill the gap but not so much.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
No more tapes and CDs!by - September 26, 2002
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Review: Listening to books on tape has been a fascination of mine for well over 10 years but since subscribing to audible.com about a year ago, I have rarely gone anywhere without a good book with me. With the content selections improving all the time, audible is the only way to go for audio book listeners.
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Lousy software/support ruins a good ideaby - September 24, 2002
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Review: I am an internet administrator and think Audible is a great idea. However, the total lack of decent technical support, buggy software and an overtaxed server makes the experience tedious and frustrating to say the least. No wonder their stock is at 39 cents. If I have time I might set up a similar site but with great service and reliable software.
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
remarkable!by - September 23, 2002
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Review: i'm a full-time student, and being able to read along with an audio book has helped me to retain and involve my brain in more than one type of absorption. it has been invaluable in this aspect. plus it has made house-work bearable (I don't feel like such a drudge if I'm listening to dante's divine comedy while folding laundry!) and my commute less of a 'blank' time. I even use it at the gym! I love it. I don't know what I'd do without my audible player.
User Rating: 2.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Site Navigation problemsby - September 21, 2002
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Review: I was a member a year ago, but cancelled my membership. I just went back to the site, hoping a year's time would have made it easier to navigate -- WRONG! Their book categorization ends after 2 or 3 levels, leaving hundreds of books uncategorized. I looked for Christianity and got 339 books I was expected to page through at 10 per page. If you aren't going to topically subcategorize the 339 books, at least provide some other way of getting at the titles (publish date, author, fiction/nonfiction, etc.) I hope this changes, because their product is great (besides the bookmarking issues in the books addressed by another respondent).
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Better than tapes!by - September 17, 2002
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Review: I once had subscribed to and bought regular audio cassettes of books that I wanted to read. This is so much better! The player is small and can fit into a pocket. Not as bulky for workouts! Have gotten compliments on its style! Would like them to have a larger selection! Categories are good but could expand on a couple of them more! Contacted customer service regarding a problem and they were quick to answer the call and to send what I needed to return. The guy even gave me his name and direct extension for follow-up! Overall I give this an A-
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Limited selections, don't give up your CD/tape playersby - September 13, 2002
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Review: I had listened to audio materials on cassette tapes and CD's for serveral years before using Audible.com. As long as Audible.com has the titles that you are interested in, Audible is a great way to go: you acquire your selection very quickly with just an Internet download and the portable players are very convenient. I you choose your titles by simply browsing Audible's selections, you'll most likely find something of interest. However, when I know a particular title that I want, at least 75% of the time I don't find it with Audible.com. The main cause for shortage seems to be because many content producers give excluse distribution rights to various distributors - Audible.com as well as many others (a practice that definitely doesn't put the customer first). If you want the broadest selection of audio materials, stay away from Audible.com. If you do go with Audible because of the other advantages, hang onto your tape and CD players and learn about the numerous online sources for tape and CD versions of the many selections that you won't find at Audible.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great value for audio booksby - September 12, 2002
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Review: They could still stand some improvements to their website and their delivery software, but aside from some small glitches the idea is great. Couldn't live without it in the car, on airplanes, on the train.
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great content, poor supportby - September 12, 2002
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Review: Member since Dec. 2000. Love the wide selection of audiobooks available for purchase and their website is well laid out and intuitive. They recently added a much needed listener comment section that lets you grade books so that you can try out authors/topics you may not be familiar with without having to go to bn.com etc. to get other readers' comments about the book. Content is added often so that books that you may be looking for and didn't find may be added to their repository within the next few weeks. Prices are reasonable even on a per piece basis although you save much more signing up for a 12-month listener program. Only bad thing is the poor technical support which is ameliorated by having an OK (at best) discussion board. Overall, though, a recommended product.
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Watch out & try before you buyby - September 11, 2002
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Review: Audible.com is a great concept. If only the company had executed on the idea properly, it would have amazing potential. Unfortunately, no one from Audible.com takes customer support seriously. Unless you write them about an issue that relates to them being paid, you most likely will never hear a response from a *real* person. Additionally, it's fairly apparant after using Audible.Com's software, that the company doesn't place a high priority on developing quality tools for their users. Audbile.Com's software lacks basic features, crashes frequently, and has all sorts of quirks surrounding copyright issues. The problem, it seems, is that Audible is so concerned with people being able to steal their audio, they go far overboard in protecting it. If you hoped to download an audiobook and transfer it to your MP3 player, you'll have to look for an alternative (such as buying the CD version and ripping it for yourslef). If you hoped to be able to play an audible file in your preferred audio utility (such as WinAmp), you can forget that too. This is just the tip of the iceberg in issues you will find all as a result of Audible.com's paranoid policies.
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Beats any Audio Boox Club out there!!!by - September 10, 2002
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Review: I am visually impaired and it is often difficult for me to read as much as I'd like. Large print books are okay, but the strain is too limiting. I've belonged to a few different audio book clubs and when I found Audible.com--it was as if someone gave me back the love for books I once had. It is different than reading them myself, but since that is not an option as it once was, it is the next best thing. Cheers to those who made receiving audio books available in such a wonderful, fast and quality way!! I think it is great!!!
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
love the convenienceby - August 30, 2002
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Review: It's so easy to download a new book whenever you need a new one. Plus, with the monthly reminders - you never forget and miss one. I love it.
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
The usual...poor quality and supportby - August 30, 2002
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Review: Audible software frustrating, unable to burn CD's on PC or MAC, Otis faulty. Poor backup. Otherwise no problems.....
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Outstanding Service! Second To No One!by - August 27, 2002
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Review: This service is everything is says it is. I have used Audible for a year now and love it as much now as I did then. Download available in many formats for listening in most any device plus the ability to burn your selections to CD. Those who would gripe about Audible, move on! You don't have a clue!
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
You can use it on your Laptopby - August 26, 2002
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Review: You can use it on your Laptop. I do, all the time. Just install Audible Manager on your laptop and play the programs with Audible manager. You don't have to be online to listen...just to download the audio program.
User Rating: 2.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great Idea/Bad Softwareby - August 26, 2002
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Review: The idea is great, they could be the new Amazon. The problem is the stability of the software. You have to be online to use it (according to their customer help desk) which means you can't listen from you laptop when travelling. At the moment it is working, last week it wasn't, all very odd
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Bad support or illiterate users?by - August 25, 2002
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Review: While I try not to rank a product solely by customer support, as others have done, I will include the fact that I needed to utilize customer support, due to the fact that the standard Audible software did not work with my burner. This was solved within the timeframe specified (as promised!), and accurately. I don't have a subscription, but have purchased a few programs, and am 100% satisfied. The biggest negative (and the only reason "Features" is not ranked as '5') is that I can't easily copy to my MP3 player (Nomad Jukebox) without a few workarounds.
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Can't live without it anymore!by - August 17, 2002
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Review: After trying Audible once, I was immediately and utterly addicted! This is great: in my bed, in my car, on the beach: I download (part of) an audiobook on my Pocket PC and I'm out of this world! I own an 1GB IBM MicroDrive and it's the perfect companion for Pocket PC + Audible! You do the math: 1000 MB and every 100 MB is about 30 hours worth of audiobooks! How could have I ever coped with the past??? Long live the 21st century, Long live Audible!!! (btw: I'm not associated with Audible in any way, I'm just a VERY satisfied customer!).
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Don't be scaredby - August 17, 2002
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Review: Despite some complaints by some here who apparently were displeased with customer support, I wouldn't worry about it. After you use Audible a few times and figure it out, its very simple to use and you very seldom need any assistance. I've been using Audible for over two years and only had to call them once, (and that was because my credit card expired)
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Excellent content!by - August 12, 2002
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Review: Excellent content and Audible listener packages (includes free Audible Otis player) a great value. Almost non-existent customer service is the only black mark against this company.
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
SUCKS!!!!by - August 12, 2002
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Review: good idea. really bad customer service. customer service does not reply to emails, does not answer phone calls (on hold 1.34 hours) does not return calls, does not care if they handle problems as long as they get a valid credit card!! STAY AWAY
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great for iPod users!by - August 10, 2002
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Review: Works seamlessly with iTunes 3 and the new iPods. Check out the Robin Williams selections. That unique content makes a good starter. I like this method of digital rights management. You pay for the content and then you are able to do whatever you like with it, transfer to iPod, burn to CD, stream from desktop. Once you've bought the content it's always yours and you can download it from audible.com long after you lost the original.
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Large selection, convenient downloadby - August 9, 2002
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Review: My husband and I have been enjoying our Audible subscription. I would not recommend the Otis player unless you only want to listen to Audible content, as it is difficult, if not impossible, to transfer MP3s to it (even though it is advertised as supporting them). Customer support on technical issues is horrible, but they respond well on non-technical questions and have a great searchable online knowledge base. Some of the recordings are of too poor quality to be understandable. I have returned these items. I find it more convenient than renting audiobooks, as there are no due dates, plus recordings can be redownloaded at any time. You basically get the convenience of owning for the cost of renting.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Customer service, where?by - August 6, 2002
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Review: I'm only in my second month as a subscriber and I now see what others have complained about. The product is indeed great...until something goes wrong. From now on, I'll only be able to listen to audiobooks via the computer since the Audible Manager software will no longer read the Otis MP3 Player. Guess, I'll have to purchase another MP3 Player for my EMusic songs. My Otis will work should I have a computer crash or I buy a laptop, Audible messed up my Windows 98 when I uninstalled and reinstalled their aforementioned Audible Manager, what a pain. I won't give details about the lack of support, let's just say chewing food on the phone and lying about when they'll call back are two examples.
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Audible.com Worst Customer Service Everby - July 5, 2002
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Review: I requested several months ago to have my AudioListner membership cancelled. IT HAS NOT. I found in the FAQ that the only way to cancel it was via phone. I called your customer service number and was put on hold for over an hour. I finally choose to leave a message. When I did I was told that the voice mailbox was full and wouldn't be able to leave a message. At this point I had no way of getting back in touch with you except to start all over again. This is the worst customer service that I've ever seen. As a result I will be posting this message to all of the major Online content providors.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
good idea poor supportby - June 28, 2002
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Review: If you have any problems and you are sure to have many from poor software billing credit cards twice there is no support. i joined about a year ago and nothing but problems and of cource they blam the victim,
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great product, poor customer serviceby - June 25, 2002
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Review: Audible.com has changed my life, for the better. Let's just say that I was too sedentary before experiencing audiobooks and since the Otis Player arrived I am much healthier for it. No problems with Audible.com but when I've sent them e-mail the automated reply is scary -- basically, it'll be awhile. Tenacity may be needed for some but I love Audible.com -- FYI I'm in my second month.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Hooked on Audibleby - June 20, 2002
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Review: Audible is my favorite website by far. I've been a subscriber for over two years. I got hooked on audiobooks after I started listening to the Wall St. Journal on Audible. From an ease of use standpoint, its pretty simple...about the same as any media jukebox application. Actually, a little simpler than most. The content selection is outstanding. Customer support, the few times I needed it, (due to my own errors), was fine in my experience. I listen to files on the Otis player and also burn to CD sometimes for my car.
User Rating: 2.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
A Good Idea Spoiled By Terrible Supportby - June 20, 2002
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Review: I love audio books. As a visually impaired person they are my primary way of indulging in my love of literature. When I found Audible.com I thought it was a splendid idea. When I experienced a problem, however, I discovered an unresponsive, apathetic, and sometimes even mildly rude customer support department. I raised the issue with other support reps, a VP with Audible and with the President, Mr. Katz himself. What I determined from all this attempt at communication with the company was that this sense of customer apathy comes directly from the top and is pervades the company. I make a point of warning everyone I know about their cavalier attitude toward those who pay their saleries. My experience is not unique witnessed by the vast majority of other respondants here, even those who generally give Audible a "Thumbs Up" rating.
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great idea but frustratingby - June 14, 2002
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Review: There are times that I love this site, but other times I just want to SCREAM. It's a great idea, but the process of download is problematic. My downloads fail at least a third of the time. In order to restart, I need to go in Windows Explorer and manually clear temp files, and then restart. This is doable for me, but for, say, my 70-year old father, who loves books on tape, it would be a nightmare. The selection of books seems amazing at first, but after a year or so, you realize that are quite a few holes. I hope this gets better over time. An aside:it's low-quality high compressed sound file format ("1"), is so digitized that it can be on occasion hard to pick out words. But the real problem is that it is also hard to pick up the emotion of the recorded reader - I found that with this format I started losing track of what was being read, and I grew bored. So, I just upgraded my MP3 player to hold more memory, and I now download the highest quality audio available. I don't think this would be possible with a dial-up connection. Unfortunately, there are some older recordings that are still only available at the "1" format.
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Wonderful Audiobook sourceby - June 14, 2002
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Review: I have been a member for nearly two years. During that time I have listened to dozens of audiobooks. Any time I have had a problem the customer service has been great.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
What a complete waist of time, money, and effortby - June 12, 2002
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Review: The whole thing sounds great, UNTIL, you try to get it to work. There software is buggy, crashes often and won't burn a cd as promised. By the time I was done triing to get it to work, I had plenty of costers to set my drink on, but no book on cd.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Audible is the way to go!by - June 12, 2002
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Review: I've tried several sources of digital audiobooks and Audible is the definately the way to go if you want to listen to books or other spoken word content. I only wish more hardware makers would support their format so there would be more choice in players. But I think Audible's own MP3 player, called the Otis, may be the best choice anyway, especially considering it plays, Audibe files, MP3, WMA, and you can get it for free. For me, it was worth signing up for the subscription plan just to get the free player.
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great Idea that's constantly Improving . .by - June 11, 2002
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Review: It's a Great Idea and I love using it when I can. They have plenty of content to satisfy every imaginable reader. As for the support, it could be better but it's always improving. Not too knowledgable, but they can help with FAQ stuff and that's about it.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Beware - problems cancelling subscriptionby - June 11, 2002
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Review: I have gone back to buying books on tape out of frustration with this product. Unfortunately, this company is happy to take your money and credit card number when you sign up for the light listener subscription but not so happy to take your cancellation. Cancelling your light listener subscription requires long waits on hold on the company's so-called customer service line. Your subscription cannot be cancelled by secure server from their web site. You must call them and wade through their abysmal phone service in order to stop the payments on your credit card. I find that this is very shoddy business ethics and I would not do business with this company again.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
weird, propriety file formatby - June 10, 2002
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Review: Not really an MP3 format. Some software layer added on. Doesn't work on standard MP3 players. Try Books on Tape, Inc.
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
living with audible - 1 month updateby - June 10, 2002
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Review: folks - here's my one month update ... 1. sign-up was a breeze 2. otis player came in the mail as promised and worked out-of-the-box without a hitch 3. otis player still working fine after one month of daily 4 hr use 4. website stable and downloads complete and fairly quick over cable connection 5. sound quality ... leaves much to be desired sure ain't mp3 quality but in all fairness does the trick on the compression front 6. my commute life has been improved dramatically 7. selection of audible material is good 8. company response to e:mail inquiries and suggestions -- poor!!! overall - definitely a keeper for commuters and still of the opinion that the service has the potential to become great if it receives a decent capital infusion from any major company ... back to you in one month's time
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great Siteby - June 6, 2002
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Review: I have been using the service now for over a year and I highly recommend to anyone interested in listening to books on audio. I typically listen the the book on a MP3 player; however, the Burn to CD feature works great.
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
10 times better than tapesby - June 6, 2002
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Review: Great value and very convenient using there Otis player. Batteries run down quickly, but you can use NiMH batteries and that will save you some money. Format 2 sounds good for almost all books. My only complaint is what would happen to all of my downloaded books if audible goes out of business. The downloaded books are in their compressed format. I've had no trouble getting questions answered and they even sent me an extra USB cable for free.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
so far, my otis has met all my expectationsby - June 5, 2002
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Review: So far, My Otis has performed admirably. I did have trouble getting it activated, but only because the documentation that came with it wasn't as clear as it could have been. Luckily, the telephone support was quick,friendly , patient, and quite good. I am enjoying daily Fresh Air and have downloaded the book Fatal. So far, I love My Otis and audible.
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Commuting is Fun Now thanks to Audibleby - June 3, 2002
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Review: With CD burning there are no more issues. You can listen to books in a car or portable CD player. The price is right... a long commute just gives your more time for excellent entertainment.
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great selection at low prices.by - June 1, 2002
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Review: I have an audible subscription allowing me to download new books every months. Since there are so many titles to choose from and new ones appear regularly I've never had any difficulties in finding something interesting, whether it's suspense stories, books on business, economics or buddhism, comedy or novels, I enjoyed all of them. Whereas before my 20 min commute was always annoying to me I now wished it would be longer so that I can listen on. I actually sometimes keep on sitting in my car for a few minutes after I've reached my workplace to listen to my audible books. I've always enjoyed audio books, but was deterred by the high prices. Audible titles are often half or less the offline versions.
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Excellent service!by - May 31, 2002
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Review: It's my favorite online service, supersedeing Amazon.com. Site is easy to use, produce is priced very well. My only complaint is that they do not yet carry some of my favorite authors!
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
So Coolby - May 31, 2002
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Review: My wife and I subscribe to one of their listener plans and fight over who gets the most books each month. It's easy, wide selection and no bulky tapes. You can even burn CD's now (though I rather like my Rio 500)
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
nothing like it ...by - May 31, 2002
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Review: You may argue that some of the features of their player could have been implemented better or that the phonesupport imay be slow. Fact is, there is no other supplier anywhere to be seen with this selection of audiobooks and technology.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Audible is Awesome!by - May 31, 2002
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Review: I've been an AudibleListener for over a year now. I love it. I listen to books, WSJ, politics, just about everything but sports. Its definately the best thing on the web. I also have Audible's Otis MP3 player as well as another brand of player. The Otis is the way to go.
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Digital delivery at it's best...by - May 31, 2002
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Review: I've been using Audible's service for several years now and it does make my life easier. With the many demands I have on my time I cannot enjoy literature as much as I used to, Audible's portability (especially CD burning) permits me to books again.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Excellent serviceby - May 31, 2002
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Review: The ability to listen to books on my MP3 player is unsurpassed in ease of use and portability. I've experienced only minor customer service problems in delayed communications but this has not detracted from my enjoyment of the service. Infinitely better that books on cassette or CD!!!
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
my little professorby - May 31, 2002
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Review: audible is your own personal professor. take the downloadable audio programs with you wherever you go. i finally "read" war and peace while jogging over lunch break. also it's cheap, enlightening and entertaining all at once. just make sure you read the user's manual first to save yourself any head aches (you can find it on the help page)!
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
NO GOOD!by - May 30, 2002
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Review: Really balky service to use. The most terrible customer service imaginable, almost non-existent.
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
poor software and little response to bug issuesby - May 28, 2002
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Review: great idea and I love listening to books but I wish they would get a grip on the software side of things. whenever I turn off my pocket pc, even for 2 seconds, hours of listening have to reload before I can start again and the rest of the pocket pc has to wait until the process in complete. I have asked and asked and asked as to how to resolve this and they near to refuse to help. wish they'd buck up. also, even though they have the best selection on the net, it does not increase at the rate you'd expect or with quality items. alot of their titles are very obscure and are obviously bought on the cheap.
User Rating: 2.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Needs more attention to detailby - May 25, 2002
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Review: What a great idea audible is and the cost is so reasonable: where can anyone go and get two audible best sellers per month for less than $16? But that is where the kudos end. I have found their response to the few questions I have put to them to be very slow to downright no response at all. And when they do give you a useless response, if you write back for additional help, they completely ignore you...so basically, if they have a solution for a problem, you "might" hear from them...if they haven't yet figured out the problem, their idea is to "just ignore you til you go away!" It is a real shame to see such a good idea left in the hands of a staff that chooses the easy way out...their customer neglect will put them out of business..
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great Product ...Poor Deliveryby - May 24, 2002
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Review: Everything about Audible is great.... except AudibleManager. My problem being downloading subscriptions... it doesn’t work. (For me that is). I can go online and check my library and see that a new subscription is available. But audiblemanager wont download it.. I have yet to have this feature work. If I tell AM to download the latest version, it will tell me that there isn’t one available. Support suggested that I clear my browser cache and delete any log or error files from AM. This worked one time. If I have to do the above every time to get my subscriptions to download then something is wrong. I love the content on audible, but AM has been a huge disappointment for me personally.
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Geat Service!!!by - May 22, 2002
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Review: A+ Customer service!! Geat content, they add new stuff every week. Beats "books on tape" by a mile!
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great Changeby - May 22, 2002
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Review: This company within the last few months has dramatically improved. Top notch service and complete satisfaction. Worth every penny of my money.
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
WHEN it works...by - May 20, 2002
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Review: WHEN it works, it's pretty nice, but getting it to work is a nightmare. When my hard drive crashed, I had to reload everything, starting with downloading the active setup program and all the various plug-ins. Still can't get it to download to the desktop or find a way to get my library back....Can't download at all; just get error messages saying there is 0 space available. Online help on the site is basically useless. If the software has any help files, I've yet to find them. The e-mail password reminder function did work, though.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
De-stress your commuteby - May 18, 2002
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Review: Audible.com provides audiobooks without the hassle of tapes or CDs. I have been a member for over a year and it has really made a difference in my life. I now 'read' books every day during my daily commute instead of listening to NPR and stressing over traffic jams. I highly recommend Audible.com.
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
One of the best sites on the webby - May 18, 2002
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Review: I have been a 5-book-a-month member for over a year and absolutely love it! How did I live without it??? Audible has allowed me to finally get to the books I have always wanted to read and to new books I would have never had time to read. I also love the ability to listen to current periodicals like the Wall Street Journal, All Things Considered, Fortune, etc - in digital form I can get through a newspaper in 15 minutes by skipping things I don't need to hear. Oh, and Audible is a good deal too! I still READ books and magazines but Audible allows me to LISTEN while I commute, do errands, walk around, etc. I definitely recommend Audible to anyone that has the time and opportunity to try it. I do experience some minor listening glitches with my Rio 500 and am thinking about getting a new player. Any suggestions? PS: A fast connection helps.
User Rating: 1.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Good selection, great valueby - May 17, 2002
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Review: I've been listening on my PocketPC for about a year now. I'm on the Light Listener program, where you get 2 books a month for $12.95. I used to borrow tapes from the library but the selection at Audible is so much better, it's well worth the price.
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Best application since ICQby - May 17, 2002
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Review: Wonderful range of books to select from, the players are great. If you love to read but are busy like everyone else, try an audio book from Audible while mowing the lawn, commuting, working out or even just lazing in the sun. One book will get you hooked!
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
not to shabby for the money...by - May 16, 2002
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Review: folks - this one is a good idea struggling to become a great service - capital poor this company is doing as well as it can delivering on its promise to its customers - i enjoy the content but i recommend that you exercise patience with their service and software interface - if only someone would pour a few more million dollars into this co. they may actually survive and become a meaningful provider - all in all - very decent for the money and it sure comforts me during my 3.5 hr round-trip commute
User Rating: 5.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
The best thing on the webby - May 15, 2002
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Review: I've been listening for over two years. I found it especially helpful for school. I could listen to books on every subject; econ, lit, business, history, science, etc. To be honest, I probably listened to a lot of books that I would have never even read. I've had no trouble using the service. Its easy and has always worked well for me. If it weren't for Audible, I wouldn't even need a broadband connection.
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great content, problem playersby - May 14, 2002
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Review: I have been a subscriber to the Light Listener program for about 2 years now. I have been able to catch up on many business/science books. While the content selection and sound quality is excellent, and wonderful, the device players' ability to deliver has been fair to awful. I understand that the device players are largly out of Audible's hands. But it can sure defile your listening experience and want to smash the little player with you fist and foot a 100 times over!!! It doesn't look like the device problem is going to be solved soon, so here are some of my suggestions. The best way to listen is right on the PC or laptop using Audible's own Audible Desktop Player. All the functions, ff, rev, bookmark actually work consistently. It also remembers where you have stopped on the book, every time! With a headphone you get great sound. With a casette adapter and enough battery in your laptop, you can listen in the car. Rio500: has problems with firmware. Downloading a book may crash the player, and require reloading of firmware. Does not play well with MusicMatch, and may again crash firmware. It may be a good idea to dedicate one player for books and another player for music. Occassionally loses my place in the book, then it's difficult to find my place, so it's a good idea to take note of chapter numbers(or elapsed minutes) every 1/2 hour. Digisette: EXTREMELY difficult to find my place if lost. Do not seem to remember where I stopped listening most of the time. Has no "fast" forward or reverse, (only very slow versions) so takes forever to navigate. PocketPC with audible loaded on to CF card: seems to take 5-10 minutes to load a book after I hit play. Takes eqully long to switch to a different book. HipZip: skips often when used in a car. Difficult to go back to just before the skip. Makes noise when disc spins and may disturb spouse in bed. Hope this helps. The content selection, so far, are GREAT!
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Long term valueby - May 14, 2002
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Review: I have been using Audible for many years. I get two books a month and two magazine subscriptions. You can do real time education tailored to your own interests. It's great!
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great product needs upgrade to serviceby - May 10, 2002
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Review: Wonderful product. I love not having to mess around with cassettes. The only thing I wish they would do is take the cd burning option one better and let me download an entrie book as an mp3 so I could play it on my cd/mps player in the car. Having 10 or 15 cds to play a book is no better than cassettes.
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Couldn't drive without it.by - May 10, 2002
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Review: I've used audible.com for over 3 years now. Yes there have been some problems, but they are all fixed now. A super way to listen to audiobooks. Use digital rewind & FF and you'll never go back to cassettes.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great value for Audio Booksby - May 9, 2002
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Review: Why rent and go to the store? Costs the same as renting, but you own the books and can even burn them to cd-rom. Better yet, subscribe for a year and get a free 64 MB MP3 player! I've been a subscriber for 3 years now and I love it! Only downside is that my rio 500 only plays formats 1 and 4. So, it's an extreme choice of quality vs. quantity. Get a player that supports format 3 or at least 2, and you'll love it.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
An extensive warehouse of mediaby - May 9, 2002
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Review: I've been subscribing to Audible.com for some time now, and have found them to be a good online company. The only problems I've ever found were with a few audio programs that were taken from cassette tapes (i.e. those narrated by actor Roddy McDowall), thus the quality is not as good as most of their other products.
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Lame-o format, blah content, service with a shrugby - May 8, 2002
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Review: Take me, the ideal tech-addicted consumer: I got the first digital cam, mp3 player, laptop, you name it. I set up networks, install cards, drives, and any software that comes down the pike. And I love NPR, Fresh Air, books on tape. So why shouldn't I be in Heaven in Audible? Because it is sheer H[filter]ll to manage. The Barney Fife security system is utterly intolerant: you get one download of Audible manager, and if you have to re-install for any reason, Audible shuts you out of your own library. I have 5 paid-for titles sitting in "My Library", accept I'm not allowed to check them out of "My Library", by streaming or download. And no, you can't download just the audio files through another means. They have to go thru Audible Manager, which didn't work for me on an IBM Thinkpad and a Gateway desktop. The help department is somewhat responsive - friendly, accommodating - but ineffective. You can get credits for alternate choices, which would be great, were you able to hear them. When it comes to fixing it, the service department sent one of those nice cut/pastes of online help basics from the web site. It's a great idea, a great concept. (But let's not get carried away with the content, OK? Comedy with no Chris Rock, no Al Franken? ) Unless you have good luck and an unquenchable thirst for Tom Clancy and Marriane Williamson, you're better searching for MP3's and reading on paper.
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Wonderful service, good prices, poor supportby - May 7, 2002
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Review: I have been using Audible for approximately three years and I love the service. I download my programs every day to my computer, and then upload them to my Rio 500. I primarily listen to their NPR programs for daily news (however, they used to have an even wider NPR selection; I hope that they bring those programs back.) There were a couple of glitches with their desktop software which they finally took care of. Their customer support, at least as of all of last year, is simply bad. If contacting by e-mail, they take several days to reply; and, when they do they are usually unknowledgeable of the problems and how to solve them. I finally had to resolve the problems myself. However, I have not had any problems for almost one year, and have been able to enjoy the programs offered day-in and day-out. I highly recommend it. (I also wish that they had a Linux version of their desktop software.)
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great service!by - May 6, 2002
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Review: I have been using audible.com for over a year now. I subscribe to a few magazines and the Robin Williams interview program. I have a Pocket PC that I load the programs on and listen to on my way to work. Very convenient ! It is a good time saver.
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Audible Rocksby - May 5, 2002
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Review: Audible is simply awesome. I used to rent audio cassettes for trips from a restaraunt with a country store. Audible takes this one step further by eliminating the rental/drop-off hassle.
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
No customer service, buggy softwareby - May 5, 2002
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Review: After several attempts to get through to customer support, I have given up. E-mail support turn-around time is about 3 weeks! Phone support is poor. Read the "fine print" before you sign up. Downloads have frequent drops. The subscription prices are too good to be true for a reason.
User Rating: 4.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
2-year veteran user highly recommends serviceby - May 1, 2002
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Review: I have been a greatly satisfied user of the service for about 2 years now and have nothing but good things to say about audible. The Rio 500 player I have used is another matter altogether. I have had the need to use technical support on two occasions, both for problems with my Rio 500, and have been pleasantly surprised by the quick response times and knowledgeable support. Software updates over the years have shown me a dedication by the company to improve its offerings and respond to consumer requests. CD burning ability is a case in point. Content is varied and extensive. I have yet to use the subsricption features, but will try the WSJ and NYT in the near future. All in all, it is a pleasure to be a subscriber, and I recommend it to all my family, friends and co-workers who have to battle long commutes in the Bay Area. Audible has allowed me to catch up to/with my reading list.
User Rating: 1.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Won't Burn CDsby - April 21, 2002
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Review: After several tries and system crasches, I finally got the software installed. But it won't recognize my CD burner, even though it is a very common HP model and is on the list of supported drives.
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Awesome selection!by - April 17, 2002
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Review: The Listener membership is definitely worth it, if you have the time to listen to two audio books a month. The selection is fantastic, and I'm finally getting to all the books on my reading list.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Best value for audio contentby - April 16, 2002
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Review: I've used Audible for about 3 years now - since before they had MP3 player and Pocket PC support! The quality of their site, the selection, the software, etc. has steadily and greatly improved over time. If, for whatever reason, you don't like what you see now, check back every few months. And they really do have the best value for audio content that I've seen anywhere.
User Rating: 2.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
A must have service!!!by - April 16, 2002
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Review: I have been a subscriber for well over a year now. Every morning I download the New York Times onto my Rio 500. I listen to it on my commute through a cassette adapter in my car. If it was not for Audible then I would never get a chance to know what is going on in the world. I listen to Forbes magazine, the economist and I used to listen to audio books. The software & support could be improved but considering the problems that internet companies are having at the moment, I think that Audible are doing a great job supplying what they have. This is a must have service to me and a bargain at the price.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great for long tripsby - April 16, 2002
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Review: Excellent readers, good book selections, and great software. Support is a little slow and sometimes not responsive to the specific problem, but well above average.
User Rating: 2.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Great idea, poor implementationby - April 16, 2002
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Review: Listening to audio books via my pocket PC is great. The only way that makes sense is their monthly plans. For 12 to 15 per month you get 2 books. If you go piece meal, the books will cost your 2 to 5 times as much. You can get them on tape for cheaper. They have lots of software problems, many of which have been ignored despite numerous customer complaints. As an example, you can insert bookmarks while listening to books, so you can go back to a particular spot. Unfortunately, if you load a second book onto your PPC, all your old bookmarks are erased and you have to hunt for the spot where you were listening. If you have two books loaded on you PPC, it doesn't go to the spot where you were listening. It goes to the start of the last book loaded. There are many other problems like this. This problem has been around ever since I joined, about a year ago. The real problem is that their tech support is almost useless, and they don't address these long standing problems.
User Rating: 2.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Don't expect help from them if you have a problem.by - April 15, 2002
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Review: While the idea is good and the product is useful, the service offered by Audible is non-existant. I've contacted them several times regarding my password, alas, they have never contacted me - only email confirmations but no more. I can't get access to the books I have purchased! This is a sad way to run a company.
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Good so far, but lots of room to growby - April 15, 2002
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Review: From the tedious interface with my Rio 500 to the delights of Car Talk whenever I want, Audible runs the gamut from ridiculous to sublime. I derive immense pleasure from listening to books on my PC. My preference is for unabridged books. I like to hear the whole story. Audible's selection is limited, but acceptable. They manage to cough up one or two each month that I am interested in reading. Their list of available radio programs is tolerable, as well, including Fresh Air, All Things Considered, and lots of other NPR-type programs that carry compelling content. But the Rio500 player I obtained through Audible is less than good. The buttons work sporadically, when they work at all. The screen is hard to read and truncates sentences so that I never know the complete thought. It rewinds without warning, starts at places of its own choosing, and simply shuts off without notice when the battery expires. The icon indicating battery strength is indecipherable. The service has been better since 9/11 and the upgrade of facilities. I have found the ease of downloading books and programs contrasting with the difficulty of using the Rio500. I am not an MP3 user, so I trusted Audible's suggestion regarding players. I would not do that again. I subscribed to the Light Listener program, which gives me 2 books per month for $12.95. I also subscribed to Car Talk, $30 for the year. I am happy with both purchases. For book and program availability, ease of access and downloading, I rate 4 out of 5. The Rio500 I rate 1 out of 5.
User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 292 user reviews
A definite winnerby - April 15, 2002
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Review: Despite spotty technical support at times (not needed often) I find this an incredible sevice for those who can listen to books rather than reading. Great for commutes!
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 292 user reviews
Excellent idea, needs some workqby - April 15, 2002
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Review: I love audible, in general. I listen to audio books just about every day. The value for me is tremendous. I pay a paltry amount per month and get two full (often unabridged) books. The selection is good (if not superb), and I certainly will never run out of books that I want to listen to. I don't use the subscription services (WSJ, etc.) so I have no comments on this aspect of the service. The sound quality is very acceptable, even at lower bit-rates (smaller files). My gripes I think are mostly related to a general lack of funding (I assume that they just need more subscribers). Tech support is pretty bad, honestly. E-mail response time is slow and phone support might as well not exist. While the software is generally good, it is quirky and requires a bit of TLC. My biggest complaint is the proprietary audio format that requires support for playback be built into the player (greatly limiting playback options). This problem is manifested for me in the PocketPC version of their player. While the player is generally full-featured (though lacking some options like button customization and screen blanking), it has a very annoying problem in that it can take two to three minutes to start when loading a large audio file, and "starting" happens whenever the player is switched to or the unit is powered on. Still, despite the downside, Audible is providing a wonderful service and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading.
Canon Puts Efficiency On Press
