Best mystery section EVER.

  You guys know the BiblioBabes have got themselves a pair of kobos (the "Touch" version, natch).  Well I (Kat) have had a balls-ass time with mine since I got it at the end of 2011.  The goddamn thing wouldn't sync properly, so I would have to load my books over and over AND OVER again before they'd register on my unit.  Sometimes they just wouldn't register at all.  I was pretty bummed:

  So I went to Chapters and told them the problem.  They were kind enough to hook me up with the kobo help number.  I called and they gave me some steps to follow, which they said should fix the problem.  No such luck.  So I called again, and they said, "Well, the system will be updating soon, and one of the updates will fix it.  It might not happen right away, but soon.  Then everything should be fine.  And if it's not, then an update will eventually fix it."  Yeah, awesome.  And of course, the problem was never fixed.  But I sucked it up and just chalked it up to the age-old "Nothing's perfect" adage.
  Well, cut to last week.  My kobo stopped holding a charge.  First it only worked for an hour or two.  Then maybe an hour.  Then less.  So I called kobo again and explained my problem.  The chick asked when I bought it and I told her it was a little over a year ago.  "Oh, your warranty is up.  That's not covered anymore."  Warranty?  What warranty?  I was never told about a warranty!  So she sent me some steps, and assured me that I still had options, even though I was past my 1 year warranty date.
  I followed the steps.  And my kobo got worse.  WAY worse.  I had 15 minutes MAX before it had to be charged again, after charging it for a FULL NIGHT.  Colour me pissed: 

  So I called back the next day and told them what happened.
  You know what the guy told me?  He said, "Well, if you had called before your warranty was up with your issues..." 
  "But I DID call when I had issues, right after I bought it.  I was told nothing about having a warranty and wasn't given the option to send it back."
  "Well, unfortunately, you're past your warranty.  Sorry."
  So I asked to speak to a supervisor.  I explained the whole damn story AGAIN, and added that as a book reviewer, having a working kobo was pretty damn important.  I said, "Look, I work in customer service myself, and I understand that warranties are strict and rules have to be followed, but I also know that sometimes exceptions can be made and strings can be pulled.  Please, is there ANYTHING you can do for me?"
  Her reply?
  "You're past your warranty.  We can't do anything." 
  At that moment, I had a beep and I asked her to hold on for just a second.  I answered the beep and asked said I'd call them back, and then returned to my call with kobo.
  AND SHE HAD HUNG UP ON ME.
  Basically kobo told me to eat a hot bowl of dicks: 

  Obviously, this made me very VERY sad:

  And nearly angry enough to round up my posse and take it to the next level, because you don't mess with a true OG:

  Instead, I resigned myself to my very last desperate hope.
  I took my problem to Chapters.
  I got my favorite dude there, and I asked for a manager or supervisor.  Instead of pawning me off on someone else, he said, "What's the matter?" in the nicest way ever, and that's when I spilled my guts to him. 
  Finally, after explaining it all, I said, "So I just came here to see if there was anything, LITERALLY ANYTHING you could do to help me..."  I was hoping for maybe an extra long cord so I could at least read it while I was plugged in at work, or maybe even a discount on a new kobo, since I had to have an ereader ASAP to get the book I'm currently reading done by deadline.  Instead, he looked me in the eye and said, "Well, normally there wouldn't be anything we could do, but with your extenuating circumstances...  Well, I can exchange yours for a new one.  It would be the same unit though, is that alright?"  I WAS DUMBFOUNDED:

  He was going to help me?!  Just like that?! 
  I almost started bawling, I was so shocked.
  So he hooked me up, and helped me out, and the whole thing was taken care of in less than 5 minutes (unlike the 38 minutes I spent on the phone with kobo WHERE I GOT HUNG UP ON).  He handed me a brand new lilac kobo and took my crappy one, and I was SO FRIGGIN' STOKED:

  Totally the best experience I've ever had at Chapters, and that's saying a lot, as I love Chapters, and would probably marry the place if given the option.
  So, to summarize:
  kobo customer service refused to help me in any way, treated me horribly, hung up on me after having me on the phone for almost an hour, and literally was the worst experience I've ever had regarding customer service EVER.  kobo customer service can eat a hot bowl of dicks.
  Whereas Chapters is an awesome company that took amazing care of me; I will forever shop there and continue to spend all of my money there.  And the white knight who rode in and rescued me from my shitty deal (in less than five minutes!) is, by far, one of the raddest dudes EVER.  I am eternally in your favor, man.
 
            kobo customer service licks sweaty donkey nuts
 
                  Long live Chapters!
 

So last summer Kat was in Calgary to go to this EPIC book sale. She thought it was appropriate to bring her suitcase.

It was the right choice. 

And was filled by the time we left... Life is good.

   ... This is most definitely the dude.
  He may look like your average man, but Hernando Guanlao turned his home in Manila into a public library.  That's right: he allows people to take his beloved books - to keep, to return, to share; but most importantly, for people to READ.
  THAT is a man dedicated to spreading a love of reading, and one to definitely be admired.  The BiblioBabes love you, Mr Guanlao!
  You can find the full article detailing his amazing work HERE.  Read it, and be inspired to share those books that made a difference in your life.

  This is what it looks like when a bookstore closes down.  Depressing as fuck.  Le sigh.