Another mindbendingly weird reason has emerged for people being denied access to ebooks they have rightfully bought.

Take it away, Nook-user Synimatik:

Yesterday, I tried to download an ebook I paid for, and previously put on my Nook, a few months ago. When I tried, I got an error message stating I could not download the book because the credit card on file had expired. But, I already paid for it. Who cares if the credit card is expired? It has long since been paid for, so the status of the card on file has nothing to do with my ability to download said book. I didn’t see anything in the terms of service about this either, but it’s possible I missed it.

Whether or not there’s anything about this in the terms of service, it’s exactly the kind of cock-up that’s going to make readers pirate ebooks, or strip the ones they’ve already bought of their DRM, or avoid them altogether.

In other words — massive own-goal, Nook.

When you’re selling an ereader at a loss, hoping to lock them in to a lifetime of content-buying with your fancy DRM systems, it’s best not to steal their books back well after the point of purchase.