Why Won’t Audible Let Me Return Books? (Explained)

Audible has it covered when it comes to audiobooks. Their enormous library is home to an incredible genre-spanning selection of quality content.

However, not every book will be to each individual’s liking and you may find yourself in a position in which you need to make a return.

In this article, we look at why and when users cannot return their Audible audiobooks and explain the reasons for this issue.

You’re Not Currently an Active Member & are Therefore Ineligible to Make Returns

Having the necessary membership is crucial in order for a user to return an audiobook that they are not happy with back to Audible.

Unfortunately, there is no workaround – you must be a user with an active Premium Plus membership plan.

Audible can be accessed and used for purchasing audiobooks irrespective of whether you are a subscriber or not.

Users can simply use their Amazon login details and purchase any audiobook they like from Audible’s ever-growing collection of content.

However, many users have found that there are massive benefits to becoming a monthly subscriber and signing up for one of Audible’s membership plans.

There are two types of Audible members:

1. Audible Plus Members and
2. Audible Premium Plus Members.

Both of these membership plans offer some fantastic perks, such as unlimited listening to the well-renowned ‘Plus Catalog’. Moreover, there are some excellent discounts on books across the entire Audible library.

However, when it comes to returning titles, Premium Plus members are the only users who have the option to return books.

The Premium Plus membership is Audible’s highest tier of membership and grants users Audible credits to use in place of their credit card to purchase books to keep forever.

Credits are an Audible-only currency and are used exclusively for purchasing content from Audible’s app or website.

Books purchased using credits can be returned so long as the specific return meets the criteria in Audible’s terms and conditions.

However, it is essential that the account holder making the return has an active subscription to one of Audible’s Premium Plus membership plans.

If you’re thinking about returning an Audiobook to Audible then you must:

• Be paying a monthly or yearly fee to Audible.
• Be signed up as a Premium Plus membership.
• Bought the book using credits.

When it comes to returning books on Audible, it is important to note that Audible indicates on their help page that the right to return is a ‘privilege‘. This privilege is reserved for members who spend the most on their subscriptions.

365 Days have Passed Since the Purchase was Made

Audible is very clear that returns cannot be made whenever a user feels like it. In fact, there is a specific timeframe that must be abided by in order for a return to be accepted.

Audible states clearly that:

“Returns must be made within 365 days of purchase.”

[Source: Help.audible.co.uk]

365 days gives plenty of time to find a moment to return a book that you’re not happy with. But, remember, these books must have been purchased with Audible credits and returned whilst using an active Premium Plus membership.

You’ve Returned More than Two Books this Year or More

There is some debate about how many books you can return on Audible. However, it is clear that Audible does not want its return policy to be abused by its users.

Audible will track how often you are returning books and can revoke your privilege to return books for a period of time.

It is essential that users understand that purchasing books with credits is not like using a library card. Audible is not a book swap library, and using credits should be seen as an equivalent of purchasing books using cash or a credit card.

However, given that you can only return books if they were bought using an Audible credit, users can get confused, leading them to try to return multiple books.

LovelyAudioBooks.Info points out that if you dig into Audible’s terms and conditions, users will find that there are definite limitations when it comes to how often users can return books:

“Somewhere in the smaller print, Audible talks about two exchanges per year. It’s likely that you’ll be able to return more books, either directly on their website or through customer service. But they definitely won’t let you get more than one audiobook for every Audible credit!”

[Source: Lovelyaudiobooks.info]

This goes to show that Audible will do what it can to ensure that its Audible credits are not susceptible to being abused.

For example, if you’re a Premium Plus member and have bought and then returned a book using one of your monthly gained credits, you’ll be refunded your credit once the return has been processed.

Ensure that you do not try and return another book with that refunded credit, as there’s a likelihood that you’ll get flagged.

Being flagged doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll lose your right to return books, but it may raise concerns that you are abusing the policy and could lead to problems later down the line. We’ll look at what happens if that becomes the case later in this article.

Remember, Audible will monitor the number of returns made per year and will review whether they believe an account holder is abusing their returns policy.

You’re Trying to Return an Audible Book on the App

The Audible app is available on both iOS and Android devices and allows access to Audible’s entire catalog as well as your own personal library.

There’s a wealth of features that users can enjoy while using the app, including the ability to buy audiobooks using Audible credits (credit card payments are not possible). However, it is not possible to return Audible content using the Audible app.

This may come as a surprise to users who purchase audiobooks with their credits via the app and would expect to be able to make returns and receive their refunded credits without ever leaving the Audible app.

The truth is, if you want to make a return with Audible, you need to switch over to the Audible website. Luckily, you can navigate to the Audible website on any device via your web browser.

Here’s How to Make a Return with Audible:

1. Head over to the Audible website.
2. Sign in with your login details.
3. Tap or click on your name.
4. Select ‘Account details’ from the drop-down menu.
5. Next, click or tap ‘Purchase History’
   • You’ll now be able to view all of your previously purchased books.
   • You’ll also be able to tell which books are eligible for return.
6. Select the book you wish to return and tap or click ‘Return this title’
7. Enter a reason for why you wish to return the title.
8. Finally, confirm your return, and you will be brought to a new screen, which indicates that the process has been successfully completed.

Although it may not be possible to return a book using the Audible app, it is very simple to complete the process online using the official Audible website.

Your Right to Return Audible Books has been Revoked

If you’ve purchased your book using an Audible credit and are an active Premium Plus member trying to return the book within the 365-day window but still cannot return the title, then you may have had your return privileges suspended.

As previously mentioned, the right to return books on Audible is a privilege that can be lost. If you suddenly find that you can no longer return books with Audible, then it is worth checking your email to see whether they have contacted you.

It may be that Audible has concluded that you have returned too many books and have temporarily, or permanently, ceased all returns for your account.

Here’s Why Audible may Suspend your Right to Return

Audible is looking out for specific peculiarities when users are returning books and it may be that your activity has been flagged.

Audible pays particular attention to the following:

• The number of returns made within a period of time.
• How long the user listens to titles before they return them.
• Returning many titles simultaneously.

If Audible believes that a user is knowingly abusing their policy, they will protect both the company and the people who worked hard to create the content available on Audible by preventing the user from making any more returns.

Audible explains that:

“In instances where we find return privileges are being misused, Audible reserves the right in its sole discretion to limit the number of returns allowed by each member, including, but not limited to, the loss of return privileges. Customers who cancel or fail to maintain their membership in good standing are not eligible to make returns.”

[Source: Help.audible.co.uk]

If you’ve found that your right to return privileges has been altered by Audible, and yet you believe that you have not been abusing Audible’s policies, then you should contact Audible directly and discuss the matter.

Here’s the Best Way to Dispute the Right to Return with Audible:

1. Navigate to Audible’s ‘Contact Customer Service’ page.
2. Scroll down to the ‘Contact Audible Support’ section.
3. Under ‘What can we help you with’ select ‘Returns’
4. In the section entitled ‘Tell us more’ choose ‘I Cannot Return My Title’
5. Sign in and send them your message explaining the problem with your return.

Sources

Can I Return my Audiobook? | Help.Audible

How to Return an Audible Book

What You Need to Know Before You Return a Book on Audible in 2022