I'd like to return this please ......

[Briar Rose]

Three times, once because the writing was awful, once because I didn't enjoy the book very much and knew I'd never read it again (but the writing was fine), and the third one was a comedy show and the comedian was not funny, just offensive.

[Jeanie]

I returned one book because of the narrator, but only because it was part of a series with two different narrators each having narrated the series. I exchanged the book for one narrated by Simon Vance... I have all Anthony Trollope's Chronicles of Barsetshire and the Palliser series narrated by Simon now.

[✨Susan✨]

Many times but I also purchase many. My library contains a lot of Daily Deals and Kindle Wispersync's. I don't trudge through any that don't hold my attention or has a narrator that grates on my ears.

[Specs]

So far I have only returned once. It was a daily deal and I thought I try it anyway although I already knew by some reviews the problem was in the writing.

It was a tv series, turned into an audio book with a cast. The performing cast was nice, but the bits in between were like the script for the movie.

Just not good enough. A pity, because it could have worked great if there had been a bit more effort put into it.

[Melanti]

I've returned two books - both because of the narrator.

With the first, there were two narrators and the sample only had one. I liked the male just fine but couldn't stand the female voice.

The second was a book where all the dialogue was in thickly accented pidgin and try as a might, I just couldn't understand about a quarter of it.

[Faith]

I just recently started to listen to audiobooks and joined audible. I stupidly neglected to listen to the sample narration of one of the free books I got for joining. Unfortunately, I couldn't understand about 20% of what the narrator was saying, so I returned the book.

[Robin P]

I've returned several but not because of the narrator. I either got partway through the book and really couldn't get interested, or I listened to the whole thing and disliked it. I think this happened to me with Beautiful Ruins, All the Light We Cannot See and Life After Life. They are all books with many rave reviews and the narration was good so I stuck it out through them and then felt I deserved a credit for all the time I had spent disappointed. In different ways I found them all depressing, incoherent and overly long. I know some people feel that if you listened to the whole book, you shouldn't return it, but that's when I feel most compelled to do so. If I started and couldn't get far into it, I'll probably try again sometime.

[Janet]

I've only returned one and that's because I forgot to check first to see if Overdrive had it. They did and so I returned the Audible copy.

[Sandi]

I've only returned one book. It was so extremely boring, I lost interest about halfway through.

[Sarah]

Several times. Almost always because I didn't like the book or the narrator, and stopped reading before finishing the book.
The most recent one I returned I was trying to listen to when I was really sick and listened to the same stuff over and over again and kept falling asleep until I couldn't stand the book anymore. Not audible's fault , but still the book was ruined for me and I wanted something else. Twice I have had narrators voices make me so nuts I was clenching my jaw! But I have a collection of over 150 books , and a BIG reason I feel comfortable buying is that I know that if I really don't like it , I can return it.

[Margaret]

I think I have returned 3. Twice I just didn't like the book. *Beautiful Ruins* was one. Once I couldn't stand the narrator whom others have loved. As we have all noted, tastes vary, wildly.

[Janice]

I can't remember how many books I've returned but it wouldn't be more than 5. I will only return a book that I cannot finish and don't think I'll ever give it another try.

[Ruth]

I finished Beautiful Ruins because I kept thinking something would redeem it - I was not a fan. Only book I ever took back was by Walter Mosley it
Was his first sci fi --- hated so I forgot the title

[Will]

I have not yet returned an audiobook but am I alone in thinking the 5 minute sample we are offered to make a purchasing decision is really insufficient? When I buy a book in a physical store I may read the opening few pages then flick through randomly to the mid way point to sample some more, then make the decision to spend a few quid (dollars!) - or not.

With audiobooks the price is much higher yet we have to make a decision based on a smaller sample, chosen by the publishers to showcase the work. I think there would be fewer returns if a decent percentage of an audiobook was available to peruse - maybe with a facility to fast forward through and stop to sample randomly at any point during the first hour or so.

The only rationale I can think of against this idea is limited server capacity for storing the excerpts, but frankly this is not a genuine reason. Soundcloud will accept up to 3 hours of audio uploaded for free and Amazon have much more capacity than that tiny outfit.

By comparison Amazon's ebooks allow a 10-20% sample, yet the 5 minute excerpt for an Audible novel of 10 hour duration is less than 1%...

[Mara]

I return books when the Narrators are terrible!

[CatBookMom]

I've returned several books, for several reasons. Mostly I return because I find the narrator's voice too highly-pitched for me to enjoy listening. This is a problem I have due to my tinnitus. Some I've returned because I regret the impulse that lead me to buy; these are usually returned within a week or so at most.

[Lee]

One of the nice things about a small publisher I started with -- Iambik -- was that they posted the entire first chapter of each book to give people a chance to get into the story. Of course, this also made it much easier to judge whether or not the narrator's voice would work for you, too.

I should clarify that you were only able to hear the entire first chapter on Iambik's site. Their books also sell on Audible and the samples are cut to the first 5 minutes.

[Tracey]

I've returned several. It's usually because I hate the book, but occasionally the narrator has something to do with it as well. I'm very grateful for Audible's policy.

After liking the first book of one trilogy, I stupidly bought the next two, and ended up hating them with a passion (the Small Change series by Jo Walton). One of the narrators was part of the reason for one of the books, but I simply loathed the books. I wanted to return the edition of Winnie-the-Pooh I had bought because Piglet was read with a deeply annoying snuffling noise, but it was too late.

[Sarah]

Why was it too late for Winnie the Pooh? I did that with the Clan of the Cave Bear series! I love the first book, but after that I found out I am not a fan.

[Melanti]

Tracey wrote: "I wanted to return the edition of Winnie-the-Pooh I had bought because Piglet was read with a deeply annoying snuffling noise, but it was too late. ..."

I'm pretty sure I listened to the same narrator for that as you, and BOY was that snorting annoying.

[Leslie]

Julie wrote: "How many times have you returned an Audible book, and what was the main reason ?

Was it the actual writing, , the book didn't play right on your device, or was it the narrator ?"

As far as I can remember, only once. I returned the first Game of Thrones audiobook as it contained editing errors (for example, there was one part of over 30 minutes which was repeated).

[Kristie]

Leslie wrote: "Julie wrote: "How many times have you returned an Audible book, and what was the main reason ?

Was it the actual writing, , the book didn't play right on your device, or was it the narrator ?"

A..."

Yes! In addition, a sentence repeated about once an hour. I think they recorded it off CD's, and some books on CD repeat the last line of the previous CD as the first sentence of the next CD. I was so surprised that they let that popular book out in that condition.

[Jim]

Kristie wrote: "Yes! In addition, a sentence repeated about once an hour. I think they recorded it off CD's, and some books on CD repeat the last line of the previous CD as the first sentence of the next CD. I was so surprised that they let that popular book out in that condition. "

That is so annoying!!! I just listened to a book that kept telling me to flip the tape & then repeated 3 sentences or so. I wanted to scream in frustration. It would probably take an intern less than an hour to properly edit the files, so there is no excuse. It was a book I got from the library.

[Robin P]

Will, I agree with you about having a larger sample, specifically if there are multiple narrators. Sometimes, what Audible offers you is an Introduction read by the author and you don't hear the narrator of the main book. But I do appreciate the sample, it has made a difference to me choosing a book or not.

[Kristie]

I've returned several for various reasons. I am grateful for the option, as I find myself taking more chances on sale books as a result. Back in 2010 I was a member, and there wasn't a return policy yet, so I AGONIZED over my purchases wanting so desperately to like them!

I probably should have returned Game of Thrones. I alerted CS and also left a review on Audible stating the editing errors. (It has 201 of 218 reviewers liking it.) I'm still amazed they put it out in that condition, given how many months it spent as a best seller.

I also returned The World According To Garp because the sound quality was so bad that I couldn't even hear it at times. It's like someone held a microphone up to someone's boombox that was playing it on casette in order to record it. I should probably leave a review about that one as well... Again, surprising, especially since Irving's a pretty big-time author.

[Bruce]

Will wrote: "I have not yet returned an audiobook but am I alone in thinking the 5 minute sample we are offered to make a purchasing decision is really insufficient? When I buy a book in a physical store I may ..."
I think that's a great suggestion. You know, they do that for music and spoken word albums - you can preview every track just like a music album. FYI my small biz recently released a 6 hr audiobook both on Audible and over on Google Play, and it prices out cheaper at Google Play than Audible (about $9 at Google Play vs. about $20 as an a la carte retail purchase on Audible). At Google Play, you can preview every track on the audiobook and the audio quality's better. But everybody buys on Audible. Both Amazon and Google Play recently capped the price of independently produced mp3 albums at around $10, regardless of length - they used to be much more expensive than the same book at Audible. But I digress.

[Valyssia]

Being a lover of the old and obscure -- er, I mean 'classic' -- I've returned a few due to sound quality. It saddens me to hear of Garp. I've almost bought that book a number of times when I had an extra credit hanging around. I suppose I'll strike it from my wish list.

I can't recall ever returning a book because the narrator annoyed me. Mostly it makes me sad when that happens, but I muddle through. There have been a few that I just couldn't find the ear for. It wasn't that the recording was bad. The one that comes to mind grated because the narrator's voice was too deep. I put it down and vowed to try again later. I'll eventually get around to it.

The last books I returned were three of a series. They had to go because the sexism of the author and the story itself led me to want to throw things. I actually read the first book in its entirety. I need to see how the initial plot threads would be tied before I had a full impression. When I saw that the one worthwhile female character was going to spend the bulk of the second book waiting in the wings bound and gagged by the villain of the piece, having spent one-third of the first book in the same condition, I gave up. That was enough for me. Some male authors have this thing where they believe that women are most compelling trussed up and dangled as bait to add 'emotional impact' and 'impetus' to the story. It makes me want to scream.

I thank the PTBs for Audible. I wouldn't be quite so cavalier to purchase an entire series like that were it not for their kind return policy. I'm not inclined to keep crap. If I deeply dislike a book, I return it. I have no idea how many I've returned over the years. There have been a few, but I buy a lot of books, around 200 this past year. You guys are so bad for me.

[Kristie]

Valyssia wrote: "Being a lover of the old and obscure -- er, I mean 'classic' -- I've returned a few due to sound quality. It saddens me to hear of Garp. I've almost bought that book a number of times when I had an..."

I was so bummed out. I've really wanted to read this, as I love John Irving. If it was even passable I'd tell you to get it, but it's not passable by a long shot. :-/

[Audiothing]

I did return one book that I disliked, I had mistakenly purchased an abridged edition. It was my mistake but they allowed me to replace it with another book. Great service.

[Jessica]

I returned the very first book I got from Audible because I it was full of gratuitous sex and filthy language. I got it because the people in another a group said that it was so amazing. I had to agree that I loved the narrator, but the story was horribly offensive.

[Michael]

If the book made me mad or offended me and I stopped I'd return it. I've done it a few times.

Plus also one when I managed to get two copies of the same book, different / later publication of it...

Yes, some of those cd conversions are annoying with the re-reading. Also the ones where they have mastered it and there are no pauses between chapters. Like John Sandford's first Prey novel., Rules of Prey At least, one edition of it. So basically where the chapters met, it was like the silence at the end of every sentence was trimmed, and the tracks just squished together. The CD version was fine though. Same narrator. I've never returned it for these issues though.

[Grumpus, Hearing aide]

This weekend I returned The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England to Audible. I was about 20% through and found it very hard to follow in audiobook form. I really should give this one another shot in print form as most regard it highly--we'll see.

[MissSusie]

I returned The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great by: Eva Stachniak Narrated by: Beata Pozniak...below is the review I left on Audible
"Could Not Finish"
This started out so slow moving or should I say the narration was so slow moving that I looked in the paper book and after 2 hours of listening I was only on page 47. I didn't like this narrator the cadence of her voice and the slow reading was too much.

I'll read this book in paper form. If you are looking for a good audio about Catherine The Great try the book by, Robert Massie narrated by, Mark Deakins that was a good one that kept my attention throughout!"

[Jem]

Julie wrote: "I guess I was just worried that if we make any negative remarks about a narrator who joins the group , that might cause hard feelings."

The way to avoid that is to criticize the work, not the narrator. There really aren't very many "bad narrators" out there, and if there are, they are pretty isolated. There are a lot of bad castings, bad productions, bad direction, and poor creative choices. All of the authors and narrators I know are hungry for good criticism, but are annoyed by useless blanket statements like "this narrator is terrible" or "this makes my ears bleed."

[Teri]

I have never returned an Audible audiobook. I didn't know you could, to be honest.

[Hunchback Jack]

Teri, you can if you're on a plan, I think non-members don't have the option to return Audible titles unless there's something wrong with the recording.

[Dave]

I returned one but it was long ago but I think it was because I had mistakenly clicked the wrong button on my iPad.

Once, while listening to Justine, Lawrence Durrell's first volume of his Alexandria Quartet, Near the the end, there was like a 16 page portion missing. It was unabridged, so I called Customer Service. They were apologetic and offered to refund my credit. I told them that was not necessary because Iwas also reading the book. They took down the book, edirion, narrator and missing pages. They refunded my credit anyway and subsequently reissued a corrected version.

[Rebecca]

4. out of the 901 books. Not to bad. 1 was due to narrator being whinny and just could not take it. Had to get the kindle one to finish the book. 2 due to pricing issues. 1 just did not like the story.

[Tracey]

Sarah wrote: "Why was it too late for Winnie the Pooh?"

Sorry, just saw this: you have a year to return a book - which is amazing, as return policies go ... but unfortunately Pooh sat in my library longer than that before I got around to it.

[Tracey]

Hunchback Jack wrote: "Teri, you can if you're on a plan, I think non-members don't have the option to return Audible titles unless there's something wrong with the recording."

Exactly. My plan is on temporary hold, and I just discovered I can't return anything unless and until it goes back to normal.

[John, Moderator]

Perhaps ten to fifteen times since they began allowing returns. I'd say it's been more common that I just couldn't get into the book, although there have been a couple of times where it was definitely the narration that was the problem. I did try to return one via email, receiving a quick response that the purchase was more than a one year earlier, which had been my fault for not having noticed.

As for criticizing specific narrators, there are times where the narrator probably shouldn't have taken the job, realizing later it had been a mistake. Perfectly good narrators can be a bad fit for specific jobs.

[Becky]

As of today, I think it's twice. Once when I realised I'd ordered an abridged book by mistake. Abridged?! Horrors!

And today I returned one that I bought a couple of days ago as a Daily Deal. I was looking at my credit card transactions in my banking app and found a rather larger than it should have been charge to Audible. They charged me full price for the book instead of the Daily Deal price and somehow I didn't spot it. I didn't have a proper look at the order confirmation email, just a glance. That'll teach me to do orders at breakfast time when I'm still half asleep. So that's gone back and of course it's now at full price again, so I'm miffed. I've emailed them to ask what the hell?

ETA: They sorted me out with a free credit to get the book. :-)

[Robin P]

Becky wrote: "As of today, I think it's twice. Once when I realised I'd ordered an abridged book by mistake. Abridged?! Horrors!

And today I returned one that I bought a couple of days ago as a Daily Deal. I wa..."

It's so easy to miss that the website applies a credit when you have one even for a Daily Deal or other special. I'm glad they took care of it for you!

[Powder River Rose]

I haven't returned any and I guess I feel a little weird listening to a story then returning it even if I didn't like it. There's one I really should return because I mistakenly purchased it thinking it was another book with the same title....actually if they'd just take it back I won't even ask for my 95cents. I admittedly did listen to it and reviewed it....a good review actually as the narrator was great.....the story was trashy though and I feel a bit hmmmm....naughty, like if my mother caught me I'd get my mouth (and ears) washed out with soap. ;-)

[Catherine]

A few, mostly because I realized the book was just awful for me.

[Karen]

Returns usually for bad narrator or didn't like the story. I don't feel bad about returning them since they won't be worth much to me if I never want to listen to them. I keep the ones I love to listen to multiple times. I'm glad they started a return policy for that very reason, I can keep the ones I like and not get stuck with a dud.

[Specs]

Manda wrote: "I've only returned a couple when I couldn't get into the story and one where the background noise was terrible, could hear people chatting in the background!"

That's terrible! Wonder if those were"refurbished from old cassette tapes. They were sometimes pretty bad.