Question for Star Trek Books Editor

Dr. Personality wrote:
>
> Making irrational choices frequently carries some personal cost.

Would you care to explain what is so irrational about how Joey chooses
to make his purchases?

Craig J. Ries
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In article <u6OdnTFdbMGoNNLeRVn-vA RemoveThis @comcast.com>, Craig J. Ries
<silvanthalas RemoveThis @comcast.net> wrote:

> Dr. Personality wrote:
> >
> > Making irrational choices frequently carries some personal cost.
>
> Would you care to explain what is so irrational about how Joey chooses
> to make his purchases?


Not really, since the pedantry light hasn't been lit, but here goes:
Joey can choose to make his purchases however he likes. The fear of
using a credit card online (at a secure site, of course) is irrational,
as there is no risk to doing so. If Joey chooses not to use a credit
card online, that's his business, but making that choice doesn't
entitle him to complain about how Pocket is keeping him from buying
things. The only person keeping Joey from buying things is Joey.

Joey's real complaint seems to be that audiobooks are not being offered
anymore. The credit card thing wouldn't seem to have much to do with
that, since Ebooks <> audiobooks.
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Joey Jolley wrote:
> Has Simon and Schuster stopped putting out Star Trek audiobooks?
> If so,
> why? I notice that the only format besides hardcover that the novels
> are
> available in is Ebook. If that's the case, then that's unfair to those
> of us
> who choose not to use credit cards to purchase stuff over the Internet.
>

It's unfair that you deny them your patronage out of fear of using your
card online. I'd be surprised if they don't come after you.

Many cards allow a single use number generator. i.e. you get a number
good for a small sum, and use it once. all done on line, the number
isn't good for anything else.
JOE
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Can somebody answer my question?
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Joey Jolley wrote:

> Can somebody answer my question?
>

Ok;

Has Simon and Schuster stopped putting out Star Trek audiobooks?

>>> It would appear so.

If so, why?

>>>perhaps ther weren't profitable

I notice that the only format besides hardcover that the novels are
available in is Ebook.

>>> All the Hardcover go to paperback with varying delay between formats

If that's the case, then that's unfair to those of us who choose not to
use credit cards to purchase stuff over the Internet.

>>> This is where a few of us get tripped up. I think I know why. It's
not a question, so in this post, I wont 'answer' it.

JOE
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Can someone answer his question, not try and make fun of him not using his
credit card online?

"Dr. Personality" <affable.DeleteThis@no.com.invalid> wrote in message
news:141020051139205526%affable@no.com.invalid...
> In article <u6OdnTFdbMGoNNLeRVn-vA.DeleteThis@comcast.com>, Craig J. Ries
> <silvanthalas.DeleteThis@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> Dr. Personality wrote:
>> >
>> > Making irrational choices frequently carries some personal cost.
>>
>> Would you care to explain what is so irrational about how Joey chooses
>> to make his purchases?
>
>
> Not really, since the pedantry light hasn't been lit, but here goes:
> Joey can choose to make his purchases however he likes. The fear of
> using a credit card online (at a secure site, of course) is irrational,
> as there is no risk to doing so. If Joey chooses not to use a credit
> card online, that's his business, but making that choice doesn't
> entitle him to complain about how Pocket is keeping him from buying
> things. The only person keeping Joey from buying things is Joey.
>
> Joey's real complaint seems to be that audiobooks are not being offered
> anymore. The credit card thing wouldn't seem to have much to do with
> that, since Ebooks <> audiobooks.
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In article <dirbad$opo$1@nwrdmz02.dmz.ncs.ea.ibs-infra.bt.com>, Chris
McLean <Christopher.McLean.DeleteThis@btinternet.com> wrote:

> Can someone answer his question, not try and make fun of him not using his
> credit card online?

I resent the implication that, in my careful explanation to Craig, I
was making fun of Joey. I do believe his fear is baseless; to say so
is not making fun of him.

Joey's question needs to be more clearly put, I think. He mentioned
Ebooks and audiobooks in one breath, implying that they were, to him,
much the same thing. I think we would need to know what he is
interested in doing. If audiobooks are no longer being offered, as
seems to be the case -- they were expensive to produce and they were
not selling well, so their cancellation would not come as a complete
surprise -- then he cannot buy audiobooks whether he uses a credit card
or not. If he wants to buy Ebooks *instead*, then that would have to
be done online. Buying an Ebook would likely involve using a credit
card, as I'm not aware of anyone who's selling Ebooks by, say, having
you send them a check via snail mail and then they e-mail you the book.
If Joey chooses not to use a credit card online, he's stuck.

I know there is a scheme where you can use your checking account to pay
for things online, but it seems to me that someone who is worried about
the security of his credit cards would likely not want to use his
checking account online, either.

My own experience shows that it is riskier to mail a check than it is
to pay for something online with a credit card. I've never had a
problem using a credit card online, but I've had a handful of checks go
astray in the mail, or be miscredited by the payee.
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Dr. Personality wrote:
<snip
> I know there is a scheme where you can use your checking account to pay
> for things online, but it seems to me that someone who is worried about
> the security of his credit cards would likely not want to use his
> checking account online, either.
<snip>

A scheme? It's called paypal.

--
CaptJosh

There are only 10 kinds of people in the world;
those who understand binary and those who don't.
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In article <2ud4f.489166$xm3.476650@attbi_s21>, CaptJBelanger
<phantos DeleteThis @phantos.1l.com> wrote:

> Dr. Personality wrote:
> <snip
> > I know there is a scheme where you can use your checking account to pay
> > for things online, but it seems to me that someone who is worried about
> > the security of his credit cards would likely not want to use his
> > checking account online, either.
> <snip>
>
> A scheme? It's called paypal.


Well, fine. I don't use PayPal and wasn't sure they took checks.

I don't know why someone who doesn't want to use a credit card online
would send a check to PayPal, but someone could do that.
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Dr. Personality wrote:

> In article <2ud4f.489166$xm3.476650@attbi_s21>, CaptJBelanger
> <phantos.DeleteThis@phantos.1l.com> wrote:
>
>
>>Dr. Personality wrote:
>><snip
>>
>>>I know there is a scheme where you can use your checking account to pay
>>>for things online, but it seems to me that someone who is worried about
>>>the security of his credit cards would likely not want to use his
>>>checking account online, either.
>>
>><snip>
>>
>>A scheme? It's called paypal.
>
>
>
> Well, fine. I don't use PayPal and wasn't sure they took checks.
>
> I don't know why someone who doesn't want to use a credit card online
> would send a check to PayPal, but someone could do that.

Doc, it's worse than that, my friend. PayPal encourages you to give them
your checking information (which I supose anyone you send a check to
would have) and they keep it on file to debit or deposit to your bank
account. I'm still in favor of the 'single use' numbers many credit card
companies allow you to generate. Steal my number? Fine, it has a $40
credit line, go have a ball......
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In article <oI6dnU6L5rJUA8zeRVn-hQ DeleteThis @comcast.com>, joetaxpayer
<joetaxpayer DeleteThis @nospam.com> wrote:

> Dr. Personality wrote:
>
> > In article <2ud4f.489166$xm3.476650@attbi_s21>, CaptJBelanger
> > <phantos DeleteThis @phantos.1l.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Dr. Personality wrote:
> >><snip
> >>
> >>>I know there is a scheme where you can use your checking account to pay
> >>>for things online, but it seems to me that someone who is worried about
> >>>the security of his credit cards would likely not want to use his
> >>>checking account online, either.
> >>
> >><snip>
> >>
> >>A scheme? It's called paypal.
> >
> >
> >
> > Well, fine. I don't use PayPal and wasn't sure they took checks.
> >
> > I don't know why someone who doesn't want to use a credit card online
> > would send a check to PayPal, but someone could do that.
>
> Doc, it's worse than that, my friend. PayPal encourages you to give them
> your checking information (which I supose anyone you send a check to
> would have) and they keep it on file to debit or deposit to your bank
> account. I'm still in favor of the 'single use' numbers many credit card
> companies allow you to generate. Steal my number? Fine, it has a $40
> credit line, go have a ball......


As you say, the check thing with PayPal is worse than I thought. It
sounds incredibly intrusive. The single-use credit card number you
describe sounds safer than anything.
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I was asking about Star Trek audiobooks, not ebooks.
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In article <1129519551.349327.155020.RemoveThis@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
Joey Jolley <johnmunch.RemoveThis@qwest.net> wrote:

> I was asking about Star Trek audiobooks, not ebooks.


Yes, but you mentioned that the novels were available only in Ebook
format and hardcover (you forgot paperback, of course), and you said
that limiting availability to Ebooks was unfair to people like you who
won't use a credit card on the net. One did not seem to have anything
to do with the other.

As Edward McArdle correctly guessed, the audiobooks were expensive to
produce. They had to pay the writer something to massage the book into
something a much more highly paid actor could read in a reasonable
amount of time. After all that, they didn't sell very well. A shame,
but there it is.

You shouldn't worry about using your credit card at secured sites, but
that's your business.
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