Barnes & Noble Reviews

8. Lastly, after doing some research, the barcode number gave it away: 90000.

I am beyond disappointed and shocked that B&N sells AI-generated books, but doesn't mark them as AI-generated, and that there is no transparency whatsoever! Even worse, it seems like they are covering up by providing fake author names. I reached out to customer service, and this was their response: "B&N has not made any announcement and we do not comment on rumors or speculation." I have no words for how deceiving and disappointing this is to me. I wanted to support B&N instead of purchasing from Amazon. I REALLY hope that B&N will be transparent going forward, or better: support HUMAN authors, HUMAN talent and creativity.

I went to the help center and found the chat option, spoke to Vanessa, who had me try a couple things, which didn't work. She was unable to offer anything else. So I wanted to just delete my account, but there is no where to easily delete. I found this option hidden under the Account Info section where you can put in a request to either have all of your info deleted, or request for them not to sell you info. I submitted for both, but you have to fill out separate requests, which asks for all of your info again, both requests! Then you have to confirm the requests in your email inbox, which I did. Then it says you can track the request updates, which I did, and the tracking says it could take up to 45 days to delete. What are they going to do with all of my info in 45 days?? Why is deleting and asking not to sell my info such a ridiculous process? Both should be a simple click of a button, and if it's not, then be aware of this company having free reign over your info for 45 days. Just my thoughts and experience. Felt like a total scam, and definitely a huge waste of my time! Zero stars if that were an option.

I tried to find a way on the website to ask for a refund and removal of the book. I did finally find a phone number, but it was after 6 PM my time, so they were closed. I had to do a google search to find other contact info, as there doesn't seem to be any way to find it on the website. I even looked at the sitemap, no support or contact section I could find. I also found a chat link with google, but it was also unavailable. Google link to email page did work, I sent an explanation, and request for refund. I got a response the next morning, they refunded and sent a brief apology. This worked well, and was the one bright spot in the whole interaction. I tried to send feedback via the email that this was a bright spot, but received reply that this was a no reply address. I'd need to google the page for email again and send another separate email to send a positive feedback.

Since the book I received the night before was not in a language I could read, I decided to look at reviews, then decided to add my own. Took a bit to figure out the place to click, but got that done. Interface is a little clunky, but usable. Review was posted the next morning, apparently after review. So actually, correction, 2 things done better than average! I had forgotten one part of the response I wanted to write, and to make a couple of corrections. No way to do this, including searching FAQ section. That was particularly bad. FAQ search returned a list of books to purchase, most had no discernable connection to the FAQ search "Edit Review" and included no items from the FAQ section.

I did also look again at the entry on the website for the book I ordered. The cover posted says nothing about it not being in English. There's no notes or comments that it the Hungarian edition anywhere, except at the bottom of the page it has a book properties list, and the last one, in about a 3 point font says "language - Hungarian". I'm sure it's a fine language, but it's not one that a lot of people outside Hungary, and the immediate environs, speaks, and I live maybe 6-7000 miles away (ish).. So it's pretty bad, and rather sad. I hope their brick and mortar stores are doing better, but I suspect that's not great either. They probably at least operate better. If they fold, it might at least be good for the local booksellers.

I called on July 25th, 2024 and the rep was unempathetic and tried to hurry me off the phone. I was told that the request hadn't been reviewed yet. What happened to 48 hours in your inbox? I've spent so much money with them individually and tens of thousands with them as a liaison for schools as a literacy coach in Springfield and Holyoke MA. After I receive this gift card they will not receive any more of my money or from any organization I represent. Do better.

Original Review: June 5, 2024

My bulk order is going to be late. I explained I need it in time for a conference. They said due to availability that's not possible...fine. I said they could send my books to my hotel instead...they said that's not possible because they can't change it in the system. Bullspit. I said they need to remedy this with a discount since it is their fault it will be delayed...surprise, surprise they can't change it in the system. I'll be going back to KDP.

I contacted Barnes & Noble again and was told that the two missing gift cards were showing as used. I figured this was due to the original customer service representative who asked for the numbers off the cards I did receive. Perhaps he cancelled the other two cards so they couldn't be used? I was given a contact number for the Sales and Audit Team. When I called to speak with the Sales Audit Team I was told that the original cards were spent in a physical store on the day I originally received them; the same day I called about the missing cards. Because of this they stated they could not issue me a replacement. I responded that I live nowhere near the store on record for the usage, not even in the same state. Again, I was told they would review the situation and contact me by email.

Over three weeks and still no reply from Barnes & Noble. I called again and was told that it is marked for no replacement or credit. When I asked to speak with the person(s) of the Sales and Audit Team I was told they do not take calls but a request for a callback could be left. I'm doubtful I will receive a callback since they never bothered to follow through by email either. My original three gift cards arrived in a sealed UPS envelope directly from Barnes & Noble. I fear that my missing gift cards were somehow stolen and spent or sold before ever being put in that UPS envelope. Somehow Barnes & Noble seems okay with penalizing their customers for this.

Called customer service again and they said “you have to use the email link sent to change the updated payment information“. Said it didn’t work. “You had to update it in the order”. Told her that didn’t work. “You have to call within 7 days of the order being processed”. Told her I did and what they told me. She said “sorry, there is nothing we can do once the order is cancelled”. I lost my special edition pre-orders, my sale prices. I’m at the point where I might as well just order from Amazon and/or independent booksellers the authors use. This is not the first time I’ve had my orders cancelled. Customer service is a joke and they will not offer any kind of compensation for inconvenience like offering to honor the sale prices on the lost order. Very aggravating.

Original Review: March 29, 2024

I recently ordered an e-book from Barnes & Noble. The book did not show up in my account so I called customer service. Turns out I had two email addresses causing an issue. The representative told me she could resolve it and had me log out of my account. When I logged back in I saw the new book, but the 167 other books in my library were gone. She assured me it could be fixed and the books could be restored in a week. I called back every week with my ticket number and had to start over each time explaining what happened. Finally I was told they had no records of my books. When I requested they restore my account to a previous date (there has to be a backup on their servers), they said they could not.

I asked if I could be compensated in some way as I am meeting the author July 3rd and this book was supposed to be signed by him at that point and I was hoping to have finished it. I paid $19 for shipping. I was told, "Sorry, we don't have any coupons right now." I will never preorder another book from Barnes & Noble and will do my best to no longer shop there after this unless someone is able to own this error and fix it.

I call B&N and the customer service lady tells me that she has no idea why a charge appears in her system $25 and that was already credited. I am very offended by the illegal way this business cheats and steals their customers and does not inform them. I never received any emails, any texts, any correspondence, any contract that I had a membership of $39 first year and $25 AUTOPAY RENEWAL. I sent a letter to them two days ago, I hope they will refund my full amount since 2018 because I have not had any "supposed" benefit from the membership and it is something illegal with the consumer. I would like to attach the screenshot verifying the illegal charges that they are making to me and I want a legal answer.

I will not be returning this book and spending one extra minute within this situation that Barnes & Noble has placed me in. I just do not understand why this company chose to send this book to me in this condition. It is practically unusable. The written statement given is factual. As we all know that Barnes & Noble is a very expensive bookstore and I recommend you choose a different bookstore. This order has changed how I see this company totally. I have never received anything like this in my life and hope to never receive anything like it again. One word describes this situation is disgusting. No explanation or apology can fix this situation.

The shipment arrived on May 25. My elation turned to disgust when I opened the cartons. I specified gloss on the cover, expecting film lamination; I got aqueous flood coating. Apparently, while the coating was still wet, debris had fallen in it, leaving visible specks and lumps. Wrapping of the printed cover sheet over the boards forming the cover was sloppy; the mitered corners had "tags" hanging out and there were several instances of excess glue squeezed out at the edges. 12 of the book covers had dents and/or dog-ears.

Inside, the pages were printed on stock one step above newsprint: grayish and rough. As a result, printing was inconsistent. Photos were dark and muddy or pale and washed out. Text was heavy or faint. I sat with this garbage for 2 days, trying to convince myself the books weren't as bad as I initially thought, and I failed. On May 27, I wrote to B&N Press Customer Support, outlined my disappointment and requested a refund. "Amanda" replied that they don't give refunds, but would do a reprint if I sent photos showing the defects. On June 1, I sent the photos, expressing skepticism that repeating the process would yield different results. After that, I heard nothing. On June 8, I followed up with a status request. The next day, "Amanda" replied that a reprint request had been made. After that, I heard nothing. Since then, I have sent several inquiries, each answered by a different person to the effect of "we're looking into it," followed by silence.

Today is July 25. I have no reprinted books, nor do I have any word from B&N when or if I will ever have reprinted books. If you are thinking of self-publishing a book you've labored over, do not even think of entrusting your work to Barnes & Noble Press!

Original Review: May 29, 2022

Self published author here. I’ve been having some trouble with a few things. I emailed customer service numerous times and two weeks later…still no response. I recently published my 1st book with Barnes and Noble, which is currently listed for sell, however on my account it still shows publishing. Also my mom purchased a hard copy of my book last week and my account still says no sales. I purchased a personal copy which had been showing pending for almost two weeks now. The money for the books have already been taken from both mine and my moms account.

I reached out to find out why my account says no sales and to also get an update on the books, because the tracking number is not recognized in their system but still says pending. Originally I was told I would get my book by June 1st, I’m starting to doubt it as nothing is being updated and I’m receiving no response. I’m second guessing selling my books on bn.com because I’m afraid they wouldn’t report my accurate number of sales.

I’m also afraid of all my buyers near future experience purchasing my books from bn.com. I wouldn’t want them to have to go through this. I also messaged the Barnes and Noble Facebook page, the only time I got a response and I was told to give them time to respond which I already gave them nearly two weeks. Then I was sent a link explaining how to find my sales online, which was obvious but that wasn’t my issue, it still says no sales even though I witnessed my mom purchasing her book. I can’t find help from Barnes and Noble anywhere and it’s very disheartening.

Even more frustrating is the hardcover version of a novel I wrote. I submitted a cover for it 3 times. Each time, they rejected it, saying it didn't meet the specifications, even though I had tried to use the template the provided. I asked for help, pointing out that I have no experience with such things. They responded with their scripted guidelines, which I already had. The template doesn't seem to help at all. So I hired a professional and paid him to make the cover. I sent him the template B&N provided, as well as the specific requirements. The cover he made was rejected. Like each of my rejections, no specific explanation of what the problem was. He tried again. Rejected. I sent him another copy of the template. He tried again. Rejected.

I tried to contact B&N support, practically begging them to tell me specifically what was wrong with the cover. Several days later, still no response. I sent them another message telling them I was cancelling both titles. I'm out the money I paid for the professional cover designer, and probably out the money I paid for the ISBN for the first title.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: If you are an author seeking any form of support during the print process this platform is not for you! I recently self published a book with Barnes and Noble Press. After editing and ordering several copies I am still baffled as to why my interior file though perfect when uploaded on the website keeps printing with an ugly white border at different sections of the page. I've contacted Barnes and Noble Press along with the publisher author inquiry at the emails provided and have yet to receive an email back from them. I have emailed multiple times, possible over 25 emails sent with no reply.

After not getting any help with resolving this matter I had to make adjustments to the illustrations to compensate for the white lines. With this update to the interior file I have now ordered 34 copies and have yet to receive them. The shipping is still pending! I have also submitted the file for approval so my book can be placed back on sale on the Barnes and Noble site however the file has been sitting in "publishing mode for almost two weeks." For time sensitive projects I do not recommend Barnes and Noble Press. For projects that require feedback to facilitate a smooth publishing experience with minimal errors I do not recommend this publishing option. Communication/good customer service is nonexistent and an embarrassment for such an established and prominent company.

Today was the final straw. As background information, my credit card had been hacked recently, and so my payment information was incorrect and was from my old card. I didn't notice until I had tried to purchase the book and it kicked me out saying that my CVV number was wrong. I discovered the error and corrected it and updated the card information. But no....it still would not take the number. Even after rebooting my computer! So I used the customer service chat. The first chat was a waste of time and the service rep basically cut me off. The second chat was better and she was helpful but in the end told me she could not help me and because the site wasn't working and to try back later. Which I did and got the same message. I then tried to cancel my account. I was unable to cancel the account immediately and got a message that I would be sent and email in 7 days but if I didn't respond to the e mail the account would not be cancelled.

Original Review: April 6, 2022

Bottom line up front: Do not pre-order anything that has a chance to sell out everywhere. I placed an order for a record in December that was set to release in February. When the release date arrived, I got an email saying the date had been pushed by two weeks. No big deal. But this continues to occur each time the new date arrives. Customer Service just tells me over and over it will ship on this new date but has no actual insight on if the item ever was or ever will be stocked. At this point, it has sold out everywhere. Taking pre-orders on items that you have no real certainty will ever be stocked, and also not giving your customer service access to this information is a baffling business practice.

Original Review: Jan. 26, 2022

Though I admit I made a mistake when I didn't check the last order address, but as soon as I hit "Submit" I realized it and tried to change/cancel or Modify the order (to either ship to my default address or cancel the order). IMMEDIATELY! I could take no action to do either and was told nothing they could do but wait for the order (going to a jail) to be rejected and come back. If that happens even. Though the website says "a short time to modify or make changes" there was NO time to do it. Very upset long time member out $430 and likely going to Amazon in the future.