The Audible Triangle - The Place Where Books Disappear

[Ron]

This Thread is meant for anyone who has had books disappear from there library (or generate an error on the website). Please List the Title, Author, any contact from Audible, and the date that you last checked the title.
This way others can stay informed and / or inform you of other responses received from Audible or if they have found a way to resolve the issue.

[Ron]

Book - Watership Down
Author - Richard Adams
Audible Response - Quality Updates
Last Checked 05/29/18

Book -The Maltese Falcon
Author - Dashiell Hammett
Audible Response - Quality Updates
Last Checked 05/29/18

Book - Six Degrees of Assassination
Author - M. J. Arlidge
Audible Response - Quality Updates
Last Checked 05/29/18

[CatBookMom]

FWIW, my Library still shows that I own *Watership Down*, and it's potentially available for download. I purchased sometime in 2012 (the same date that a lot of books seem to have been changed to); but it's in my 'up-to-2012' directory on my external hard drive, so I can't be more specific about the date bought

[Ron]

I can still download and access all 3 titles from the audible app on devices, but I can't access them from 'My Library' on the Website

[Grumpus, Hearing aide]

Love the name "The Audible Triangle".

[Specs]

Grumpus wrote: "Love the name "The Audible Triangle"."

+1

[Penelope]

I looked at Confederacy of Dunces and noticed that it didn't say "In your library" like all the other books I own, so I went to my library and did a search and it was there with the addition words Free Version in the title. So it was there, but only under the special title.

I don't know if this is relevant, but this is my only experience with a book I thought was missing, but it wasn't.

[Ron]

Good to know, it's information that belongs here most certainly. What I have noticed in all of my cases (as I reported in the other thread) the 3 books I reported were all missing the 'Play Button' and time remaining / finished info from the list on the website.

[Doug]

I found 17 audiobooks in my library that have a missing 'Play Button' on the website listing on my PC. I have been a member for a long time. The number of books in my library matches the number in my spreadsheet and I have downloaded copies of all of them, I play them primarily on my iPod through iTunes. I am confused, are we discovering that these will not be accessible through the app now on a Fire tablet or whatever we are using, and must be all individually refunded to be repurchased? What the heck? If that is the case, I will be canceling my audible membership quickly! I don't want to deal with 17 refunds/repurchases. The books are still in the list in my library on the PC website and it appears that I can download them yet, or the ones I tried at any rate (I did not go through all 17 of them to check). I get the error message page when I click on the title link, but the book hasn't disappeared from the library there.

I'm confused, should I list all 17 titles? Do I need to contact customer support to get 17 credits back? What a mess!

[Linda]

I just went through my list. I don't have very many books because I'm on the one credit every-other-month plan and I have not been a member for very long. But it looks like I have two books that are also missing the play button, and neither one I had downloaded because I always do that when I'm ready to listen to the book. I haven't tried to download them at the moment, though. I'm getting the same error message as Doug described in message 9.

The two that I'm missing are Watership Down and Outlander. Both of these books I received free through one of Audible's celebrations (or something or other). But, I received other books for free at the same time and they appear normal at the moment.

[Doug]

Of the 17 titles, I searched for each one on my Fire tablet and only 3 are not accessible in my library there.

One of them is Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey, and I see that the Recorded Books version I purchased is now available through Audible by Hachette Audio instead.

Abandon by Blake Crouch has been replaced with a revised version.

It by Stephen King is in my library on the PC website, but not accessible on my Fire tablet for an unknown reason, and is for sale on the website with a different cover.

These are the three titles I will be contacting Audible about. I already listened to It long ago, so I am less concerned about that one, although I paid for It and It should be accessible. The other two are downloaded and I could listen with my iPod without an issue, but the principle is the issue at hand here. As Audible goes forward and iPods are now obsolete they need to create a system of notifying customers when books are removed or automatically upgrading the edition that the customer has in their library with the edition that it has been replaced by. To do nothing and let us figure this out on our own is hardly acceptable, Audible.

[Jeanie]

Many of the Agatha Christie titles I own seem to have duplicate versions of the exact same book with different release dates and two separate review systems. I assume this was a rights expired/rights resumed situation, but I'm a little afraid to check all of them. I keep getting recommendations for these titles that I own but that are not in the later release version.

Also, I didn't check the Library to see if I have a Play button for Watership Down, but I asked Alexa to read it and it was there... of course, that means no ability to change the speed it plays, but at least it's there.

[Angie]

They are currently replacing earlier books in the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews with versions from a different publisher. So far, I can still access them. I have some romances, too, that are no longer on the website, and there is a new updated version of Dystance by Mark Tufo for sale. My version is still accessible through my library, but isn't on the website. It has a different narrator now and additional minutes. I may have more, but I haven't done a thorough check yet. I've known about some of these for awhile.

I know that one person awhile back was surprised when an audiobook in her library suddenly had a different narrator and she couldn't access the original audiobook anymore, so that could happen, too.

[Pamela]

I checked my audible library and there are several titles that don't have a "Play" button on the website, but looks like I still have access to through the app on my phone. Most of them are free books that audible gave to me. I downloaded two of them, to hold onto in case they do disappear.

In the category of books I purchased: The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett doesn't have the "Play" button. I clicked on the title and a page shows up that says this book is no longer available. Nothing shows under the author's name for this book to buy, no other versions. I quickly went to my phone app and found the title and was able to download it.

Another book no longer available that I purchased is The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. I have not tried to download this book, (looks like I could) as I already listened to it and don't want to take up the space on my phone. There is a new version, different narrator available.

I find this very curious. Not sure if I should contact audible since it appears I can still listen to the books no longer available.

[Doug]

I found the book IT when I searched Stephen King on my tablet, but the other two I mentioned do not show up. However, I did download them before as whisper-sync Immersion Reading titles along with the Kindle e-book and when I go to the e-book they are there and they play. They are simply missing from my list of titles in the Audible app.

I emailed the address listed in the other thread where this was discussed and the Audible representative said the books are ours to keep, but I got no response from that address. I tried again on the website and we'll see what they say. This might be a simple technology glitch on the Fire tablet in my case, as the titles are still in my library on the PC website, they just don't show in the list on the Fire tablet and aren't searchable there (without playing them through the e-book reader app where they are linked with the e-book).

Very odd. It seems I should bump these two titles up in my TBR list just in case the content should disappear, as it has been replaced on the website.

[Doug]

They did not address my concern about disappearing audiobook content.

They refunded my credit for Leviathan Wakes so I can repurchase it.

They refunded the original whisper-sync purchase price of Abandon to the original card that purchased it, which has been replaced by my bank a year ago and is now defunct. The cost to repurchase the audiobook is higher than the refund was too. Sigh... I don't care, I still have it downloaded and can listen to it on my iPod. I'm through.

If you wish to pursue these types of issues with Audible customer service don't use email, and proceed at your own risk.

[Robin P]

I have 10 titles that are missing the Play button, although they look like they can still be downloaded. Also most of the short freebies don't have a play button. I never play from the website or the app and I download everything to my computer shortly after I buy it, so I actually have everything, but it's still weird.

The odd thing is that Audible seems to be pushing us to stream rather than downloading. There is a contest now for using the app and there is now a timer in the library that shows the amount of the book left to listen to. Of course mine all show the whole amount of time left because I never listen that way. It could be that the books without a play button would be different on the app or on my phone. But if they want us to stream, why take away the play button? (I'm not planning to change my method of downloading to my computer and putting books on my small iPod until I absolutely have to, but I once said I would never give up cassettes, so who knows!)

[Grumpus, Hearing aide]

I came across this today that may help explain what's happening and some possible solutions.

https://goodereader.com/blog/audioboo...

[Jan]

I had an interesting thing happen. I download all my books to my computer and usually transfer them to my Sansa when ready to listen without a hitch. I went to transfer The Turn of the Screw which was a freebie from audible at one point. It would not let me transfer it to my Sansa though I could listen to it through audible manager. So even if you have downloaded your audios there still might be some restrictions placed on them.

[Robin P]

Hmm, what format are they on in your computer? For instance mine are in iTunes. I did notice that in my library on the Audible site most of the Free books no longer can be played from there. Not a problem as I usually only took the free books because they were free. Usually they are classics I have already read so if they go away I don't really care.

[VNerdbooks]

Book: I Hunt Killers
Author: Barry Lyga

I have it in my library and i'm still able to download, but it doesn't exist on audible OR Amazon anymore as a digital download.

I have downloaded it to my device and also saved the AAX file in my cloud just in case

[Doug]

V Nerd wrote: "Book: I Hunt Killers
Author: Barry Lyga

I have it in my library and i'm still able to download, but it doesn't exist on audible OR Amazon anymore as a digital download.

I have downloaded it to my..."

Because iPods are technically "obsolete" and Audible is moving to the App format for playback, if you contact them about the title not being available in the Audible App for playback any longer they will refund your credit. I have the audiobooks that I complained about downloaded and they play on my iPod still, although they did delete them from my library online and gave me a refund.

The issue to me is that they are forcing us to discover these things on our own, they are not notifying us that our books are disappearing. They are good at crediting us back, IF we find the problems ourselves that is. Not right. I'm scaling back on my Audible purchases because of this issue. I can't just quit as some titles I want to listen to are not available to me any other way.

[Ron]

I can't find my AAX files, where do I find / how do I save them?

[VNerdbooks]

I'm on andriod Ron so i just went into my files and searched.

Doug, but i don't want it to go, it's one of my favourite series, and weirdly not that old, published in 2012

[Ron]

when I search my kindle fire I can't find anything....maybe Amazon hides them?

[Miriam]

You are correct, Audible hides the download location, deep, deep in the User part of your hard drive.
This is what I did.
Go to the new Audible library app on your desktop / laptop. Select the "Settings" option. There's a link to downloads. You'll see there's an option to "open download location in File Explorer."
When you click on that link, you can see the downloads. Click on the location bar and you'll see the path. NOTE: It's not where the previous Audible Manager stored your files.

Re-authenicating and playing older files requires knowing the older username and password. Don't lose those pesky passwords!

[Ron]

I'll give it a look