BOMC2 Review

Overall 3.50 of 5 view all 2 reviews

AWESOMEMOM88
Montgomery, IL

It was better as Zooba

reading non-fiction, a fiction reader, a book lover, an avid reader, re-reading the classics, a sci-fi buff, into romance novels, value conscious

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Pros

hardcover books/low price, no shipping added, large initial catalog of choices

Cons

sudden out of stock, constant urging to purchase extra, new rules cropping up, reduced availability lists, minimal

JUN

2008

I signed on with Zooba...the premise was great. You researched their extensive catalog of books, selected titles you were interested in, put the titles into order of importance on a wish list, and then, once a month, they took the top title from your list and sent you a lovely hardcover edition of the book for a total of $9.95 with shipping and handling included in that fee. And for the first few months it worked out just as advertised. You have the option at any time of ordering more books than just the next one on your list, and you can go and change the order of your list, or delete titles you may have picked up elsewhere at any time at all....You only have a two book membership requirement in a two year period....So far, so fabulous.....that is until Zooba was bought out by BOMC2 (a division of Book of the Month Club and according to my online research somehow tied to my least favorite online, mail order establishment.....Columbia House) If any of you have recently, or are currently, Book of the Month Club members, you will note that prices on selections are much more in the $13-15 dollar range with a shipping fee added. So why would they be interested in being their own competition online at a lesser price and no shipping charge for the same books that they offer in the other club???? Well, I guess that they don't really, and this is just a way to take a good thing for us readers and run it into the ground. To eliminate the competition from the inside track. Shortly after the changeover, I started receiving e-mails urging me to buy books that were "going to become unavailable shortly" from my wish list, and when I went to my wish list, there was an ever growing list of book titles which had been eliminated as no longer available. We are not talking one or two titles but a listing that reflected probably 20% of my wish list of over 70 titles. I have also noticed that where Zooba was pretty current in offering newer titles pretty promptly, all of a sudden, the coming attractions are pretty much very old news....I guess that the Book of the Month Club traditional members get first crack and BOMC2 get the leftovers (if there are any leftovers) and when we get them, they are well past the expiration date. There don't seem to be the pre-order opportunities in any abundance where hot titles soon to be released can be reserved in advance of availability. And then I started getting e-mails that lead me to believe that not responding and ordering extra titles are like having points against me, and so many strikes and you are out of the club. If my list gets eliminated down to the point that I don't have any viable options for them to send, and that situation continues for three consecutive months, it is implied that you will be dropped from their rolls. HMMMMM...keep telling me my choices are unavailable, and when I can't find suitable choices to take their place, discontinue my membership....what a great way to kill off the competition while seemingly honoring the membership agreements inheritted with the buyout of Zooba. What a shame.

BOMC2 is not recommended by AWESOMEMOM88

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Comments about AWESOMEMOM88’s Review

AWESOMEMOM88, you are on-target with your review of BOMC2. I noticed that BOMC2 has changed a few features in its website - features I do not like. I've also noticed fewer books are available than they were when Zooba was managing it. The arrangement of book categories is too general. For example, I was looking for cozy mysteries, but I had to peruse all the mysteries (there are 620 titles, and I managed to look over about 80 before giving up). Zooba used to have more specific categories so that I wouldn't have to search everything to find what I enjoy reading.
Also, my book list was bare, with the last title being unavailable. and, yes, I too endured the "your book is no longer available" e-mails from BOMC2.

I'm too old to be playing these kinds of games; I think it's time for me cancel my membership.