Promoting Ebooks Problem - Has This Happened to You?

12 replies
Hi all,

I promote several ebooks on my site as an affiliate and I just received this message about one of them:

I placed an order for what I THOUGHT was a hard copy of your cookbook...ya know like the pictures show. You have no Idea how seriously disappointed I am to find out this is an e-book....For me (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) showing a picture of a hard copy book and asking me to click here to 'place order' is grossly misleading. E-BOOKS ARE OF NO VALUE TO ME. I have requested my bank to cancel my order through order ######## .
I do want your hard copy but am frustrated because I cannot find a link to order a hard copy nor any real way to ensure that I am really sending this email to the correct company.
Please advise me on how to proceed

Has anyone ever had a complaint like this? In my website review where I promote this product, I have the word "ebook" everywhere in the copy including in the title of the page.

And the actual creators of the of this particular ebook refer to their product as an "ebook package" and "digital download" throughout their sales page.

There isn't a hard copy of this book like this person wants. The pictures that this person refers to is the usual 3-d image of the ebook that most of us make when we create a digital product.

Any advice on how to respond to this person?

Thanks!
#ebooks #happened #problem #promoting
  • Profile picture of the author MYDCOM
    Yeah I get a bunch of these complaints as well. People just think they are getting physical products. Sometimes they ask for refunds, sometimes they don't. I guess is pretty common since almost all vendors put up nice looking book images that resembles an actual book. What would an ebook look like?
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  • Profile picture of the author Slate Marketing
    It happens, sometimes people don't read carefully or only look at headlines and images. Not much you can do since it sounds like you made it clear it was an ebook.
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  • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
    Originally Posted by glassgirl View Post

    Has anyone ever had a complaint like this? In my website review where I promote this product, I have the word "ebook" everywhere in the copy including in the title of the page.
    Never had the problem, but then, I wouldn't ever mention the term "ebook" - it tends not to be used outside IM circles. In my experience, if you clearly state that the book/report/document can be downloaded immediately, customers understand what they're buying. It also helps if you include information about PDF files and how to open them.


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    • Profile picture of the author Julius Minor
      Originally Posted by Frank Donovan View Post

      Never had the problem; but then, I wouldn't ever mention the term "ebook" - it tends not to be used outside IM circles. In my experience, if you clearly state that the book/report/document can be downloaded immediately, customers understand what they're buying. It also helps if you include information about PDF files and how to open them.


      Frank
      Even though I never had that problem I do agree.. Make your call to action button "Download Now" so they know it's not a physical product..
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    Make it completely obvious. NOTE: This is a digital product (ebook) and can be downloaded immediately after payment is sent.

    Doesn't seem like a tough fix if you just make it crystal clear what you're actually selling.
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  • Profile picture of the author Declan O Flaherty
    Yes, respond to the person by telling them it's a digital download only. What are they gonna do, take you off their Christmas card list? What's the big deal?

    You should be telling people when they enter their details, the report/eBook/whatever will be sent to their inbox. Cuts down on fake emails too.
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  • Profile picture of the author BradVert2013
    I've never had this happen to me, but it really doesn't surprise me. Many people don't read the descriptions and info about the products they're buying. I sell on eBay and this is a big problem. People don't read the description then are mad when they don't get what they thought they ordered.

    A pain? Yes. But I wouldn't let it get you down. As long as you have it described as an ebook, then it's their fault for not paying attention.
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    • Profile picture of the author glassgirl
      Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I really appreciate the help!
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Guys, read the OP again. Seems like it should be abundantly clear that the person bought a digital product.

        What glassgirl is dealing with is an outlier, one individual who saw an image and then didn't see anything else.

        I see two options:

        1) Reply to the customer and explain that you are an affiliate, that 3D images are customary as ebooks are relatively new, etc.

        2) Forward the email to the vendor and let them deal with it. Add the buyer as a CC: so they know what was done.

        In your place, I'd go with option 2...
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  • Profile picture of the author Raimundas M
    Yes, from 100 you will get 1 or 2 that will send you similar emails.

    As everyone suggested, make sure to mention:
    ebook
    digital product
    .PDF
    .PDF Report
    Download .PDF

    on as many places as you can.

    In fact. You should be thanking him for telling you this. This will save you a lot of headache in the future. And replace the 'hard copy book' with something different.
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  • Profile picture of the author Makabongwe Maseko
    I used to get those kind of emails until I made it clear on the sales page that this is an ebook and is downloaded not delivered my mail.

    I also have some check boxes where a visitor can click that they understand that this is downloaded.

    After I did these changes I no longer get those kind of emails.
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    • Profile picture of the author koocnaed
      Originally Posted by Makabongwe Maseko View Post

      I also have some check boxes where a visitor can click that they understand that this is downloaded.
      This is a good idea... Like it!!
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