Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our guides because it has been discontinued. You can still read our original review below, but the top ten reviews no longer update the information for this product.
simply audiobooks offers a great service, fills a specific gap in the market and is a trustworthy company to deal with…so why the three star rating and the vague feeling that something is terribly wrong, like you’re halfway to the grocery store and you’re convinced you left the gas stove on and all your parakeets will be dead by the time you get home? well, it’s about the kind of niche that just works. Instead of offering digital downloads or online rentals like all of its competitors, Simply Audiobooks operates exclusively on physical CDs, which it ships to subscribers each time they place an order by phone or email. there are no late fees and postage is paid both ways, which is a fantastic arrangement. If you want to listen to your books exclusively on CD, this is probably the best audiobook service (opens in a new tab) for you.
You are reading: Simply audio books review
For $19.98 a month, you can choose an audiobook from the audiobook library and the company will ship it to you. if you like to switch books or plan to share your account with other users, the service offers a couple of different membership plans. for around $10 more, you can take out two audiobooks at once, and for an even higher price, you can have three to really max out that multi-disc changer at home. you can keep the audiobooks for as long as you need to finish them dear – there are no late fees and you don’t need to return the package at a specific time.
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It makes sense that the service charges a slightly higher than average membership fee because you receive a tangible product that can be lost or damaged, rather than a digital file. the rental fee also represents shipping costs. the company pays for return shipping, and the audiobook arrives in convenient packaging that’s easy to return by mail.
You create a list of titles you want to read on the service’s site, which is a perfectly preserved bubble of pure 2006 web design. The site recommends keeping 15-20 books on your list at all times and sends you a email to let you know if it’s running low. Simply Audiobooks sends you books from your list in no particular order, which some people may not like, and keeping your list complete ensures that you’ll have something you want to read in stock each month.
The audiobook “list” feature simply fixed a minor issue we had with the other audiobook sites we investigated. Because the company automatically sends the next book in your queue, you spend less time on the site deciding what to rent or buy. perfect for procrastinators. Other than that, the site and lack of digital downloads is a bit disappointing in the year of our lord, 2020.
simply audiobooks has a library of 50,000 books, far fewer than our top pick, audible (opens in a new tab). The number of audiobooks being released on CD is also declining, so don’t expect to be able to find all the latest releases.
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When we tried the service, the main problem we had was finding a place to play the cds. None of the best laptops (opens in a new tab) today have a disk drive of any kind, but most people will have CD players in their cars, unless it’s a newer model. Most people listen to audiobooks on phones, tablets, and other hot tech, but having an in-car audiobook is a great way to pass the time on long drives.
Simply put, the audiobook site is easy to navigate, we’ll give you that, and adding titles to your list is simple. each book’s product page has a summary and reviews from other readers. the site isn’t sophisticated enough to offer recommendations based on your interests or other books you’ve listened to, a feature almost all other audiobook sites offer. the rest of the site is bare-bones and basic, and we didn’t find it pleasant to navigate or use in any way, although it did give us a sudden urge to see lawnmower man on vhs.
Simply Audiobooks offers phone support from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. m. to 8:00 p.m. m. every day, including weekends. it also has a very responsive email system.
You certainly can’t beat the immediacy and ease of downloading audiobooks as digital files, and simply audiobooks just rent books on cd. that is both his blessing and his curse. still, it was great to work with the service. The site has no hidden fees (or anything hidden, really), is easy to use, and saves you from wasting a lot of time searching for new titles with its convenient ‘listing system’. We had no problem getting our book, and it shipped in about six days, which is great if you’re not in a hurry (which you probably aren’t if you’re still using cd). in fact, if you primarily listen to audiobooks on cd, this is definitely the service for you.
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