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Barnes & Noble Reviews
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Reviewed Aug. 18, 2020
If you want to buy a book Barnes and Noble is fine. If, however, you need to return an item as we did with a Nook because we can't use it without WiFi, think again. All I wanted to do was return this item, just as I do on Amazon, and it was a nightmare. It has taken three days and I don't know how many phone calls. In the end we are paying for postage and shipping it registered mail. This experience was like trying to steal gold from Fort Knox. It's not the people so much and it is the system. Stick with Amazon.
Reviewed Aug. 13, 2020
Like many people, I have waited YEARS for midnight sun to be written and sold. So on May 6th 2020 I pre-ordered the book as soon as I found out she finished it. Today is August 12, 2020 and I was suppose to receive the masterpiece 3 days ago. I go online to check the status and it said that the book was sold out and I would receive mine after they got more. I pre-ordered it! Months ago! I was so upset, I emailed the company, and a few hours later I get on to check the status again and now it says I can't see it because I never ordered the book. I check my bank account from May and turns out they never charged me (even though I checked right after purchasing it, it was pending and I had plenty in the account).
Now this was definitely partly my fault as I didn't make sure it went through but I've never had a problem like this and I did not find it necessary to check my bank more than the once because barns and noble sent me a confirmation email that said I purchased it! They did not send me a cancellation email, or anything of the sort. So I had no clue that they cancelled my order. So I ordered a new book from Amazon for half the price. This is why Barnes and Noble is going out of business, I was trying to support them but what a waste of time. Oh, and I never heard back from the company from my email, and I had tried calling several times and spent a long time on hold before I gave up. I'm not going to sit on the phone for 30 minutes to talk to someone that's just ridiculous.
Reviewed July 31, 2020
If you order any book from them and give an honest review on it, they don't seem to like it. Whatever happened to Freedom of Speech? My review about that book was written by a "medical professional" who's telling people in this book that it's okay to take showers without soap. I completely disagreed with this "medical professional's" advice (and I'm also in the medical field too, I'm an LPN) and even wondered what kind of person would tell other people that, especially in this age of Covid-19.
So I expressed my concerns on their review section on their website, and they sent me an email saying that they didn't publish my review because I was in violation of their terms and conditions for posting comments on their website, although I never said anything derogatory about the author of the book (except did they get their medical license from the back of a cereal box, which is a harmless statement). I basically compared this book telling people not to use soap when they take a shower to telling children to go ahead and eat those laundry detergent pods. Apparently, Barnes and Noble hated that but WELCOMED me to write other reviews on their site. I guess as long as you don't tell the truth, they'll publish it.
Reviewed July 24, 2020
I ordered books on July 2. As of July 24, they have not arrived. I got the order numbers from my receipt and typed the order numbers into my account. They no longer show up in my order list. They lost the orders. I can get the same books from Amazon within a week, with no problems, because Amazon doesn't lose orders. I can understand why B&N is going out of business. "B&N" must stand for "BROKE AND NO GOOD." I have had many bad experiences with BROKE AND NO GOOD in the past of a similar kind. I will never order from them again.
Reviewed July 9, 2020
Don't sign up for automatic renewals! If you aren't using the membership you'll still be charged without a renewal reminder letter or email. LOL — have been put on hold 25 minutes ago by a supervisor... Guess this is Barnes & Noble's brand of "customer" service!
Reviewed June 23, 2020
I made the mistake of buying three nook books online. When the books arrived two of them were in German. I have been trying very hard for the past week to correct this problem. Going to their store did not work. I tried to call them many times but to no avail. They are hiding under the covid-19 for not being able to keep enough staff. I now understand why they are going under. This is why such businesses fail. They are super fast getting your money but when it comes to give you service they cannot be reached. I strongly recommend against anybody dealing with them.
Reviewed June 11, 2020
This is pretty much my last straw. Look, I’m a forgiving person. Delays of 1, 2,3,4,5,6,7 days... ok. But when a company is MONTHS late and has no recourse to cancel an order they need to be sued. Unethical and disgusting greedy slime. Chat is disabled. Emails bounce back as u deliverable. Broken links in emails leading to never ending loop on website. Calling? HA! I waited 30 min on hold only to get someone who didn’t speak English, contradicted herself and ultimately said it was a “bad connection”. Click. I’ll fight you greedy corporate pigs for every dime you charge me for merchandise I never got because you do this every time.
Reviewed June 10, 2020
My 86 year old mother has had 2 previous NOOK readers from Barnes & Noble. In April NOOK #2 dies. I went online and purchased an early Mother's Day gift of the newest NOOK product. My mother had difficulty transferring information from the old unit to the new one. Due to COVID 19 the local store was closed. She waited patiently for almost two months to get help from an associate.
Today, June 8, 2020 she takes the new unit, in the original box, to the store. The associate at the Pensacola, FL location refused to touch the unit due to the virus. It is a hard surface. The CDC has said that COVID 19 does not live well in hard surfaces. If you are concerned wipe it down. Don't give an 86 year old woman a phone number and "gee sorry".
The unit cost me almost $200 and all my mother has is a phone number and nothing to read. She will have to get someone to help her with calling and setting things up. Shame on your associate and shame on management for not training their employees how to show a bit of compassion. Barnes and Noble has gotten their last dollar out of me.
Spencer **Cape Canaveral, FL
Reviewed May 22, 2020
We enjoy bookstores, but whenever we've ordered or pre-ordered books or merchandise we have problems. We ordered Christmas gifts and got emails about delay, delay, delay -- then an abrupt "we cancelled your order." We did NOT get a full refund for items they cancelled! We pre-ordered the new Hunger Games book because someone gave us a gift card. Same story: delay, shipping delay, shipper has given up, BUT nobody has fixed the issue, tried to start a new shipment, or refunded the order -- 5 business days after the date it should have ARRIVED (8 days after shipping started - it is lost). I've been on the phone for over 30 minutes with no help, and likely won't get it resolved AGAIN (or they will "forget" to give us all our refund, like last time, and since you have to wait for an email, it takes a new phone call -- an hour or more -- to get the rest of the money).
Please don't buy your friends and families gift cards unless you think they will go to a store and leave with products in their hands. If you can't leave with an item in your hands, then I hope you get all your items shipped to you, because otherwise it is a part-time job to get "customer service" from this company. While other businesses have tried to do a better job with COVID-19, B&N has used it as an excuse to carry on the same, poor, slow, sloppy, incomplete "customer service" that they always had. Now they can wave the virus excuse around and pretend it is the cause. Nope!
I can't wait to dump these gift cards and shop elsewhere where I won't get the runaround and incomplete refunds. Mistakes are OK, but lies on delays (when in fact they never had the product), lack of trying to help without me spending 1-2 hours on the phone for their mistakes, and incomplete refunds after I've spend a couple of hours on the phone are just not OK. Please don't buy a gift card & torture someone you care about!
Reviewed May 14, 2020
Do these people know what they're doing? I recently attempted to purchase a B&N gift card. Two weeks later it still had not arrived. I tried again. After ten minutes on the phone B&N still did not have all the info it needed. I gave up.
Reviewed April 25, 2020
Unbelievable the nightmare I'm going through with this company. I ordered 6 books March 31 2020 and received an EDD of April 14 2020. That date passed and they sent another EDD date April 21 2020 and guess what another EDD date of April 23 2020. I sent 2 emails to Mr. Daunt the CEO and first response was that he would look into it. I contacted customer service 3 times and was told the books are there and ready for shipment the past 2 weeks. I was told they twice sent a request to the warehouse manager to release books for shipment that was April 21 2020. I requested cancellation as the EDD has past and their system only showed that date though I received an April 23 2020 EDD. I was told by 2 supervisors that I could not cancel because the books are in queue in the warehouse again.
I called April 24 2020 and talked to customer service rep who sent another release the shipment request to the warehouse manager. I was told if I still didn't receive shipping status to call back in 3 business days using the reference number they gave me. I again sent the CEO another email with the order number and a snapshot of the status all showing processing shipment which it has been for 2 weeks. I received no response from him I have been a member for a long time and this truly is terrible to be treated like this I filed a dispute against them to refund my money which they stated they couldn't. Waiting results of the dispute from 3rd party. I will no longer be subjected to this kind of stress with a company who clearly has no desire for customer satisfaction. I will be cancelling my membership and ordering from now on through Amazon.
Reviewed April 21, 2020
I only shop here so Barnes and Noble stays in business as its competitor, Amazon takes over the world. However, I am definitely picking Amazon from now on. I ordered some books and 2 candles. The candles came in broken and in huge chunks. It was a mess. I went to email customer service to let them know. Barnes and Noble does not have a customer service email address. I went to do a live chat next. That feature is also inactive. My only option is to call.
I sat on hold yesterday for 25 minutes, then finally hung up. I called again at 8:30, they said they were not taking any more callers. Even though they say they are open until 9pm EST. I am currently sitting on hold for the third time. I am at minute 40 with no answer, and I have not been updated on any kind of wait time. This is awful. Get with the times, B & N. Provide an email address or some kind of chat. We are past the era of sitting on hold for hours at a time. This is the last time I will shop here. I hope Amazon shuts them down. :)
Reviewed April 1, 2020
I have had the worst time trying to order from B & N. First I signed up for the newsletter to get 10% off. I never got the discount code emailed to me. After calling the customer service line three separate times and being told it would be emailed immediately I finally got the code sent on the third call. Then I used to the code and scheduled a pick up only to discover my order had been canceled when I was on my way to B & N to pick up. Then I tried to reorder online and it said my book qualified for free shipping.
When I went to checkout there was a charge for shipping. I figured I would just let it go and order the damn book at this point. I went to put my discount code in and it wouldn't take it because it had already been used. It was used on the order that was canceled. I reached out to B&N at this point for the fourth time, after devoting hours to ordering this book and asked them to remedy the situation. They never responded. It seems like they advertise the coupon code to get your info, but do not want people using it to me.
Reviewed Feb. 20, 2020
I ordered a book from B&N that was supposedly in stock. Because my daughter needed it for school, I paid the extra $15 on top of the regular shipping fee for it to be expedited. It's five days later, and the book order is still being "processed", whatever that means. When I contacted their service dept I was told it can take several days for the order to be processed and the book shipped from the warehouse. I now understand why B&N is failing, as their ability to service their customers in a timely manner is unacceptable. Sorry, B&N, but I'm going with Amazon for future orders.
Reviewed Feb. 13, 2020
I have been shopping at B&N for years. They sold me on their membership, which I had to pay for. They told me since I shop there so much that the discounts and benefits would pay for itself. BS, I went there over the summer to get my daughter a bunch of books for summer reading and grabbed a few for myself. I had a coupon sent to me by email that would have been great to use since my bill was close to $300. When I went to upload the coupon their internet was too weak to bring it up. Of course the cashier was like "so sorry, maybe you can print it out next time before you come in, our internet sucks here". I even showed her the coupon to see if she would just honor it but she looked at me like I was crazy and said "the ONLY way to apply the discount was from the bar code when you load it." Great. So there goes 60 bucks that would have paid for the membership.
Anyway, recently I went again this time for my daughter's school project. She needed a biography book and I wanted to buy a few new puzzles and a calendar for the new year as well as a day planner totalling another 300 bucks. I had received another great coupon that would have saved me another 60 bucks. Of course I had forgotten about my upload issue last time so when I went to load the coupon, it wouldn't work. Different cashier again said "sorry our internet is crap". Well now I'm aggravated. This place advertises internet, books and Starbucks. Which to me is an internet cafe bookstore. So what kind of internet cafe doesnt have good working internet? She tells me to maybe walk around the store or go outside to see if it would load. So after waiting in a long line I now have to walk around the store searching for a signal even though I show full bars.
Now I get back in another long line and have her get the manager who takes forever causing another long line. He tells me, "Sorry you need the bar code," even though the email shows the coupon clear as day. He said I can go home and print it out and bring back the receipt and he will adjust. Well dont I go home, drop off my kid and my stuff, print it out and go back. This idiot now tells me that, "Sorry you need more than the receipt." They need the 3 bags of crap I bought to return it all so the can rering to give the discount. Great. Maybe he should have made that clear when he told me to go home and print it and he will adjust my receipt.
So I said, "You can take this beneficial membership and shove it where the sun dont shine." I think I'm done with this place. I wouldn't care if it was a small purchase but since I dont live that close, I usually stock up and spend a lot. if they know they have crap internet then they should have an instore coupon they can scan or have a discount key on their cash register.
Reviewed Feb. 8, 2020
I drove 25 miles yesterday to the Calabasas location to purchase a magazine that the website indicated was in stock. It was not. I mentioned my disappointment to the store manager, who shrugged it off and told me the website was not necessarily accurate. No sympathy or offer to help. Disappointing. I'll shop elsewhere.
Reviewed Jan. 26, 2020
About 12/27/2019 I ordered an Ansel Adams calendar at the Bend, Oregon B&N store. After paying for it they said they would can contact me when it arrives. Today, 01/26, I checked the B&N counter for my calendar. They said it had come in and that they had contacted me. They said after I did not pick it up they sold it and it is no longer available. I'm disgusted with their service. How could they sell an item that had been already been purchased? As a B&N customer member since the 1980s I've never experienced such negative treatment. If such customer service accelerates their going out of business, it's understandable. Ron **, in Bend, OR.
Reviewed Jan. 8, 2020
I ordered a book Dec 15, 2019 to be delivered by Christmas. The book traveled from New Jersey by UPS and was dumped at the Des Moines, Iowa post office where it still sits. I called Barnes & Noble. They sent another book December 30, 2019. It has arrived at my house on January 8th. It was supposed to be delivered to Fort Dodge, Iowa by January 6th. Now I have called, once again, they will send a book to Fort Dodge and it should be there in two days - Yeah Sure!!!. I also have to send the book they sent to me back to them. That means two trips to the Post Office. One to pick it up, wait for recall slip and drive to Post Office to return their book. I tried to get compensation for my time and travel. They said it is NOT their fault. Yeah - Sure!!! NEVER AGAIN! Barnes & Noble suck - and so does their customer service.
Reviewed Jan. 7, 2020
I have ordered books from Barnes and Noble several times a year, however, within the past 6 months something changed and their service has declined. I ordered 7 books Dec 20 2019, received no status. After 3 days I called customer service who gave me a promised delivery of 27 Dec 2019. I seen the books were sitting at Latham New York 1.5 hours from my home on Dec 20th. It just sat there not moving. Then the 26th the books finally moved to my local post office for delivery.
The following day Dec 27 2019 I contacted UPS and asked why there are sitting 1.5 hrs from my house. UPS quoted what the site said the package says it's in Latham. I told her I know that why has it not moved in days. I received the books on the 27th of Dec. I also had ordered 11 books Jan 3rd 2020. On Jan 6 2020 I called Barnes and noble to inquire why there's no status, They said the books have been pulled from the warehouse and are boxed for shipment and I would receive an email with edd. I received nothing. I called again and was told the promise date changed to Jan 17th 2020.
I told the supervisor, "That's not right. I'm a member. I ordered them Jan 3rd 2020. They have not shipped but you say they are in a box waiting to go out. Why am I waiting 14 days for my order when the books are waiting to be shipped." I also have tried tracking previous orders and received an not a valid order number or when trying to track previous orders the site would say no such tracking number available. I am very very disappointed with Barnes and noble and have decided with this last order of 11 books with no status for 3 days I'm not going to order books from them like I have been doing. Too stressful for me to constantly call and try to find out what's going on.
Reviewed Jan. 6, 2020
I pre-ordered a book several months ago. I realized I never received it and contacted the company. They stated that because it was 30 days past the expected delivery there was nothing they could do. I hadn't been watching the delivery that closely because it was a pre order months in advance. Even though the tracking info clearly shows I didn't receive the book, they just say there is nothing they can do. I was actually in shock with how terrible the customer service was. Will definitely look elsewhere for future purchases because if there is any problem, they won't help you out.
Reviewed Dec. 31, 2019
On 12/10/2019, I ordered a "new" hardcover copy of a book thru Barnes & Noble. The item was not delivered until 12/31/19. The shipping package consisted of a piece of cardboard folded around the book and bound by a single band of packing tape. Both ends were open and the book was exposed to the elements. Upon unpacking, the product was found to be definitely "used". Additionally, I found it had been fulfilled by "MarketPlace" seller although I had ordered directly from B&N (the web page offer MarketPlace sellers as an option but I did not chose that). And, finally, the book was not hardcover, it was spiral bound and of much lesser quality. Tried to return but MarketPlace. Seller refused to accept. Will never buy thru B&N again.
Reviewed Dec. 27, 2019
I have ordered from Barnes & Noble for years but my wife and I just have had 3 failed attempts to order books for no clear reason. The ordering process has become much more cumbersome somehow. We got an email saying they were ordered first and then a follow up saying it did not go through but did not explain why.
Reviewed Dec. 26, 2019
I ordered a new hardcover book on December 9. I was advised it would arrive by Dec 23. I tried to track my package and received the following response. Status Label Created, not yet in system. A status update is not yet available on your package. It will be available when the shipper provides an update or the package is delivered to USPS. Check back soon. I tracked the package several days only to get the same response. Now that Christmas is past I called Barnes and Noble. I was told that the third party vendor does not use tracking. The package should arrive on or about December 31. What a waste of time. I could have ordered the book from several other places but I chose Barnes and Noble. What a fool am I. I trusted them to deliver and they were a FLOP. I will never order from them again. Third party vendor is a lousy way to do business. Go try Amazon next time.... They do tracking numbers.
Reviewed Dec. 24, 2019
I ordered 3 Christmas gifts Dec. 11, well ahead of Christmas delivery. UPS handed the package over to the USPS, who lost it. On Dec. 24 I had to rush around replacing 3 gifts. All BN would do is refund the purchase. No compensation for charging me UPS shipping prices and then losing the order. For decades I have spent hundreds of dollars annually at BN and have faithfully renewed my membership. Now I will shop elsewhere, both online and in stores. BN does not know how to provide customer service.
Reviewed Dec. 21, 2019
I ordered a set of books as a Christmas present on 12/17, I paid extra to have them expedited, the books were showing as In Stock. I received the confirmation of order, but never received the item. I just spoke to them and they do not have the book in stock, they never bothered to tell me they did not have it in stock. I will never purchase from them again. They have sat on my money for 5 days and never bothered to let me know the book was not available. HORRIBLE Customer service.
Reviewed Dec. 13, 2019
I ordered this 12 book (used) set for my daughter as a birthday gift. Shipping was very slow. When I opened the box, the books were a mess. They were clearly just shoved in the box and some covers and pages were bent/ripped. I did order a used set and wasn’t overly concerned with some bends or normal wear. As I took the books out and fixed the bends, I realized I was missing the 12th book. I contacted customer service and they informed me the order I had made was for 11 books. I showed them the picture they had used in the ad which showed 12. I then saw that nowhere on my order info did it actually say the amount of books that were actually included. Missing one book isn’t the biggest deal in the world but I paid $60 for a used book set that was falsely advertised. Based on the shipping time, packaging, and the misleading website, I won’t be ordering again. Back to Amazon and eBay I go.
Reviewed Dec. 4, 2019
Less than 24 hours after placing my order, I received an email stating that my order would arrive over 1 week later, making it much too late for the gift exchange I intended it for. So I contacted customer service, again less than 24 hours after making the initial order, and they told me that the order had been processed and could not be cancelled, despite the fact that the item would not ship for over a week (estimated delivery time is 2 weeks from now, despite the 3-5 business days I was told at time of order). They offered a return label. The product is scheduled to be delivered the day before my birthday, 6 days before Christmas, and over 2 weeks after I made the order, so I will have to venture out during my holiday break to try and send in this stupid return I should not have to be making. Really bad customer service, I will be done with Barnes and Noble from now on. Plenty of other options out there for books.
Reviewed Dec. 2, 2019
Have good value for books, definitely beats Amazon with prices, I brought a book from them (still waiting for it to arrive). It was reasonably priced because it included shipping, until I looked at the receipt and saw it charged $27.14 USD. Then I proceeded to cry in Australian because that adds up to be about $41.87 AUD. It hurt me on a emotional and physical level. It would have been nice if they converted it before I purchased. But at least it is cheaper than Amazon.
Reviewed Oct. 22, 2019
My order was cancelled for “fraud protection” because my laptops IP is from Maryland and I live in Texas. Did not contact me. Just cancelled my order. Was told by a sales audit representative that he replaced my order and I would receive a confirmation in 30 minutes, 2 hours and nothing... next morning still nothing so I called again and they said I have to place the order myself. Finally placed the order the following Monday because I’m a college student paying my own way through school and don’t have a lot of money and I had to wait for the hold on my bank to void out. They said they upgraded my shipping from the 5-7 day shipping I paid for to 3-4 since I need it for a class and had to wait all that time. Yet again that was a flat out lie.
I got an email saying the promised date was 10/17. 7 pm on 10/17 still no book and tracking number won’t work so I called customer services. They told me it won’t be here until 10/24 a whole week after the promised date I got in an email from them! Ended up not being able to turn in 4 assignments for school and am now failing the class when I’m an A student. Called to talk to a supervisor and all he told me was basically that every single representative I talked to (5 I believe) lied to me and he couldn’t do anything about it. Not even reimburse me the shipping I paid for. Do not listen to customer service/sales audit teams. They have no idea what they are talking about.
I work in customer service and would never lie to a customer, if I don’t know the answer I would call other department until I found the answer. This is no way to run a business. They have just lost a customer who has been shopping with them since I was 7 which is a total of 16 years. Also, ended up paying more for my second time ordering than my first.
Reviewed Oct. 20, 2019
I enjoyed looking through the bargain books. There are always a wide selection of subjects, at reasonable sale prices. I also love the variety of gifts and knickknacks from fantasy movies. Always great customer service.
Reviewed Oct. 13, 2019
Last September I placed an order through Amazon, which went through Barnes and Noble, for the purchase of Nickelodeon’s “Rocko’s Modern Life” complete series DVD. After the order had been placed, I was informed that it would take them almost two weeks to deliver the DVD. I was a little miffed, but I figured that Rocko went off the air in the late 1990’s. I could hold out for two more weeks. Less than a week later I received a package from some company delicately named Blow It Outta’ Here.
Having never ordered anything from any company that boasted blowing things out of places, I reluctantly opened the package to find a brand new DVD of the 1974 movie “Zandy’s Bride” featuring Gene Hackman and Liv Ullmann. So, naturally I was confused. This was not the company I ordered my DVD from. This DVD was a post civil war drama about a settler and his mail order bride trying to scratch out a simple living in the harsh American wilderness, not the fun-loving adventures of a 90’s wallaby and his colorful friends. The only thing that seemed remotely similar to my order was the fact that it was a DVD. So, basically, “kudos” to Blow It Outta’ Here for getting that right, I suppose.
After several emails I eventually got Blow It Outta Here to refund my money, provided I return the DVD to them. Being the type of person who likes adventure, I packaged up Zandy’s Bride and promptly returned it to the address they provided. It should be noted that they did pay for the postage, but, as of today, a week later, no refund. But, I’m optimistic. I figure life can throw some pretty weird stuff at you sometimes and the only defense we have against the indifference of massive corporations is good natured optimism. And then I thought, hey you throw a Steer and a turtle in there and I am Rocko! So, refund or no I would like to thank Amazon, Barns and Nobel and Blow It Outta’ Here for helping me pay tribute to Rocko in a weird sort of twisted way.
Reviewed Oct. 12, 2019
❌❌NEVER BUY FROM BARNES AND NOBLE WEBSITE.❌❌ I ordered my book and access codes for school a MONTH ago! $300!! They took the full the $300 for both items out of my account, gave me an arrived date (before ordering) so I ordered them two weeks before I started school back. I received my book within a week, money came out of my account, no problem. My access code on the other hand, the money went back into my account and the site says “being processed”. It was suppose to arrive on October 8 (which is why I ordered it). I get an email the WEEK before the 8th stating it wouldn’t be here until the 14th.
So I call Barnes and Noble to cancel the item since it has NOT been shipped yet because I cannot wait that long. They then tell me they cannot cancel the item and I have to wait until it arrives for me to return it. As well as the money coming out of my account when it ships. I even spoke to a manager. She told me the same thing. So I looked at my account that same day and they took $114 out of my account the same day I talked to them on the phone. I waited and waited, even checked the status online.
The following week, the $114 gets returned BACK to my account. So I call again wondering if they actually got the ordered canceled and they proceed to tell me that they don’t know why it did that but the money won’t come out of my account until it ships. (May I remind you the order status online still says arriving October 8.) So I wait a few more days, I call again today to see where my package is considering online status still say “being processed”. They proceed to tell me they don’t know when it will be shipped at all and I will just continue to have to wait and still no way to cancel the order.
I have never in my life seen a company that cannot cancel an order when it has NOT left their facility yet!! I have no clue when to expect that $114 to come out of my account. And on top of that, it will NOT be here on the 14th like the email had said. I cannot wait because my temporary access code expires in the next few days! Now I have to spend ANOTHER $90 to buy another access code because I cannot wait! Plus I do not know when the $114 will come out of my account again!!! I'M NEVER ORDERING FROM THEIR ONLINE SERVICE AGAIN!!! No one can help you with anything!!! No one can tell you anything!!! And they keep taking money out of my account and putting it back in there!!! If anyone knows anything more I can do, please feel free to comment!!
Reviewed Sept. 13, 2019
I ordered a textbook on the 28th of August and was told it would arrive by the 6th. The arrival time kept getting pushed back (I believe at least three times). I decided to order the textbook from another site. I go to the Barnes and Noble website today, September 13th to cancel my order and it still hasn’t even shipped and come to find out it’s out of stock. Why not notify me of that in your emails? Thank you for at least giving me the option to cancel my order.
Reviewed Sept. 10, 2019
I pre-ordered an item from Barnes & Noble in its limited edition form. The day it was scheduled to ship, BN had some sort of problem processing my card. Instead of calling, they cancelled the order and sent an automated email. I called customer service to un-cancel the order, and they'd already shipped all limited edition items to other people. No phone call, even though a phone number is required with every order. Now the item will not arrive on time, and it's not the version I hoped for. Very disappointed.
Reviewed Aug. 22, 2019
I ordered a book whilst in the States two weeks before I left as it said that it would be a 2-3 day delivery time. As my departure date drew close (1 week), I reached out to them to see whether it would arrive in time. I didn't receive a reply for 4 days and by then they said that the book was already in transit. Reached out again twice with no reply for days. In total the book took almost 3 weeks to deliver and I was gone by the time it arrived.
I contacted them again after this to request a refund. I have now written 5 e-mails over the span of 2 weeks, with every e-mail response requesting the information I had sent in the last e-mail. Just going around and around in circles and still no resolution. It's like drawing blood from a stone to get anywhere with these people. Clearly only interested in a sale and not customer service.
Reviewed Aug. 21, 2019
Don't buy B&N. Barnes & Noble washes its hands of the transgressions of its 3rd party sellers. You can only interface with B&N, but when something goes wrong they shift the blame to some invisible third party. Maybe I can't legally blame them because of what I agreed to when I bought the book, but I can at least come here and say that an 8-14 day shipping window has turned into a month, potentially. I wonder if anybody is even obligated to deliver a book at this point.
Reviewed Aug. 9, 2019
I ordered two pens from Barnes & Noble and they arrived perfectly fine and within a good time frame. I also ordered a 5-piece Body Scrub and Butter set as a gift for my mom. The order kept being delayed and then after about 2 weeks the order was canceled. I was just confused because my other two items arrived fine, but then this just never even delivered. I was pretty disappointed. I even texted a customer service employee, and although she did update me that it would still take time to be delivered, it didn't even reach that stage.
Reviewed Aug. 8, 2019
B&N cancelled my order without contacting me. The only email I received was my order confirmation. Their explanation was that they could not verify my identity. I asked if they had attempted to contact me either by email or phone, they told me it was MY responsibility to contact them and when I didn’t they just canceled my order without notification. Now I have to pay expedited shipping thru another company so that the books are here in time. I brought that up with their sales audit team and they were unconcerned.
Reviewed Aug. 7, 2019
Barnes and Noble is (was) a major player in this field and now they have decided to put customer service as the lowest priority. The customer service reps "Glen, Sam, Sue and etc" are very convincing as the people that lived just down the street from you and me. They are so poorly trained that they do not understand the difference between a P.O. Box and a physical street address. When they screw up they offer to reship the item and even expedite the order, however they fail to tell you that your will take six days to arrive. I thought expedite meant fast, quickly, rush and so on, maybe it is a language thing. The money they are saving by outsourcing will make up for the switch everyone seems to be making to other venues. The majority of the complaints seem to have a similar theme and yet the corporation appears to not care what we think or want.
Reviewed Aug. 7, 2019
I ordered a used paperback for $1.99 with $4.99 shipping. Not a big deal, but the site said I should receive it in 3-5 days. On the third day I checked the shipping number with USPS. It has not gotten to the post office yet. I called Barnes & Noble and they said they can’t cancel my order. Basically they cannot do anything. A waste of time. They couldn't even give me the phone number of the third party they sent the order to. I looked up the third party Owlsbooks. They go under a few different names. They said they shipped it, and it will take up to three weeks to go from Utah to Colorado. I asked for the method they shipped it. The answer was USPS. They didn't ship the paperback first class.
It was a book my daughter needed for a class. I had to order the book full price and pay expedited shipping because they can’t send a book first class. I'll go to Amazon in the future. And B&N wonders why they are constantly on the verge of bankruptcy. If they said 3 weeks when I was placing the order I would have decided than to either go somewhere else, or wait.
Reviewed July 29, 2019
On July 26, 2019 I purchased a book with gift cards totaling $20 and a PayPal payment of $0.08. The Barnes & Noble website lost connection before my purchase could be confirmed therefore I was not given an order number. However, my payment was accepted. Now, Barnes & Noble can't find my order. Furthermore, my gift cards have a zero balance so I cannot place a new order with them. I have spent over an hour talking with a service rep whom I could not understand, chatting online with a very nice lady who ultimately told me to text my issue, and then texting. I have offered "proof" of the transaction via my transaction details report from PayPal. Still no resolution. I have requested either fulfillment of my order or refund of the $20.08 they took in payment. We'll see.
Reviewed July 29, 2019
I ordered a book and shipping was $5! When I went to return the product due to some complications they made me pay shipping then too! They didn't even put shipping on the total when I preordered the book! Never ordering from them again.
Reviewed July 24, 2019
I ordered a book online, and paid $15.43 for expedited shipping (for delivery in 1-2 days). When it didn't arrive I called customer service and was told it would be arriving in SIX days. I asked them to cancel the order because I needed the book today, I was told "we are not allowed to cancel orders". So I spent 26 minutes on a phone call, $15.43 for shipping for a late book, and will now have to spend my time and gas to return the book when it does arrive. HORRIBLE SERVICE!!!!
Reviewed July 24, 2019
I preordered a product in Feb as a guest but my card expired before the product came out. When I was unable to update the info or cancel the order, I reasonably assumed they would simply could it themselves without sending it to me. They sent it and then started emailing me about payment. After I went through the phone tree to no avail and then their text service ignored my problem to direct me back to the phone tree and I had to specifically ask for a way to contact an actual person, I just had to pay for a product before I could return it even though by any good business practice I shouldn't have received it in the first place! I would not recommend ordering online from them ever and they will certainly never get my business again.
Reviewed July 12, 2019
Found a book from a third-party vendor through Barnes & Noble that I wanted to order online. Normally I visit their brick-and-mortar stores when I purchase from them. As I initiated the ordering process, a pop-up screen appeared with an advertisement for "Free Shipping" for B&N club members. I've been a paying B&N member for years; I thought I had just found another good way to benefit from that annual membership fee that I've been paying for. I didn't have my B&N number handy, so I followed the instructions on their website to call their member service center to get the number.
Calling in was pretty easy, but I learned from the representative that I'd have to establish an online account to make the purchase; it didn't appear that there was any way to do a 'guest check-out." So, I figured a few minutes of my time would probably be worth it to save almost five bucks on shipping. Like many other so-called 'secure' sites, they ask for you to provide answers that are at least 8 characters long. Sounds good, right? But the questions are pretty lame, like parents' names. How many of you have parents whose names are not 8 whole characters long? Anybody out there with a Dad named George? That name is only 6 characters long. Any of you out there with a mother named Anne? That name is only 3 or 4 letters long depending on how you choose to spell it! So if B&N's IT department thinks they're trying to help folks by creating easy-to-answer questions, they're mistaken!
So, for example, if your Dad's real name is Rex you'd have to lie and come up with something else to meet their standard. Lies, dear friends, are always much harder to cope with than the truth! Well, having put up with that hassle of creating the online account, I was ready to place the order. Well, surprise, surprise! There was a message on the shopping cart page that said that my order DID NOT qualify for free shipping! Now, the banner at the top of the page said "free express shipping" -- but not from third party vendors. So, on that score they're not any better than Amazon and I would say they're even worse because of the deception involved.
Anyway, I decided that the book and shipping weren't too very expensive, so I'd complete the order anyway. I tried to enter the shipping details and the stupid system wouldn't recognize a phone number. So I contacted online chat. Their advice? Close the order and try again. Duh! That was just what I needed to read to confirm my choice not to complete the order at all. If I choose to continue to do business with B&N at all, it will still be with the brick and mortar stores.
Reviewed July 9, 2019
Ordered a Just the Facts study guide online, and it is useless. It only has definitions and not organized by chapter. It also took twice as long to arrive than as promised. Tried to return it to a store, per instructions, and they would not accept it. I had to pay shipping, not refunded, to send it back to them. Will buy from Amazon next time.
Reviewed July 4, 2019
After messing up my order, which I therefore returned, I was still charged for the returned item. I was forced to challenge the charge with my credit card. That already lowered their rating for me. But the 1-star rating is because now, years later, I'm unable to purchase anything from their site. Apparently if you fight a charge, they blacklist you. I can use a alternative email and different card to get around their system -- but I'd rather just take my business elsewhere. Shame on you, B & N.
Reviewed June 26, 2019
My online chat note: I am a disgusted online Barnes and Noble Customer, and an adult student at University of Kentucky. Have already been on chat and phone with rep, and supervisor, and was told I would have to contact between 9 and 5 to speak with supervisory management, which I'd like to do now. Concerns order ** which was originally due June 20, was NOT updated online status to tell of delay, now has been removed from order history altogether, and supervisor could NOT tell me why or contact I/T to see what problem was, though the order apparently remains intact on your end. Can you please have manager contact me or give me direct line number? I am 30% into class and need this book. THANK YOU.
PS.. Checked just now, and order is again showing, but with June 20 arrival date. Upon talking to Supervisory manager, she was very nice but could not give any details about why book could not be traced as to expected delivery; THEN informed that now it has been CANCELLED. All I could do was request that complaint be forwarded further to upper management. The system is BROKEN as far as I'm concerned.
Reviewed June 15, 2019
When I stopped by the store this evening to buy a book I was told that the store was closing in 3 minutes. I looked at my phone and checked the time and said “but it’s not even 9pm!” The employee said we cut our hours back about a year ago because we’re losing money at night. I remember when the local Barnes & Nobles would be open to at least 11pm and now they’re closing at 9pm on a weekend, this really hurts the shopping experience. The shopping experience is their real product. I can buy anything in that store for less from Amazon. So when I go to a Barnes & Nobles I go for the atmosphere, being able to sit in the cafe with a cup of coffee and a few books and just relax, and 9 times out of 10 I will end up buying the book and a couple magazines by the end of the night, so don’t give me that late night shoppers don’t spend any money crap! I really think that if Barnes & Nobles isn’t careful they will go the way of Borders and that would be a shame.
Reviewed June 14, 2019
I have had nothing but problems over the last year trying to order via B&N website. It endlessly loops back to user name & password but I can't get to the final checkout. I have contacted Customer Service numerous times and it's always the same thing - clear your History, use a different browser. I cannot possibly consider renewing my membership which is unfortunate.
Reviewed May 26, 2019
Ordered my first “mind blowing science” experiment kit for my kids. We sat down to use it on a Saturday morning and there was maybe 1/3 in the kit that should’ve been in there. We were supposed to be able to do 10+ experiments but didn’t have enough to do even 1. My kids were very disappointed. I called customer service and they put me on hold to see if they had another kit they could send in replacement but came back and said there were none available so I have to send the kit back and they’ll refund me when they receive it. I’m pretty sure they sent me a kit that someone else already used and returned.
Reviewed May 10, 2019
It’s a disgrace that you would put the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition right at eye level at the checkout line. My 8 year old daughter noticed this immediately and wondered out loud why the women were showing their privates. Being a young girl in our culture is hard enough and by putting photo shopped, enhanced, unrealistic body types at their eye level is causing unnecessary pressure and unrealistic ideas of body image. Such a disgrace. Soft ** should be put on a higher shelf. Period.
Reviewed May 8, 2019
Rude bald staff female employee at Cottonwood area. I do not like this bald rude girl. All she does is walk around the store. Not doing anything. She seems to be very lazy. And taking advantage of her position at work. Terrible customer service skills. Very unprofessional. I have observed her doing no work at all! If I had the authority. She would not be employed at Barnes & Noble. I have watched the other employees working. But, she doesn't do a thing. Waste of money paying this unwillingness to work employee! Other people have commented about her work ethics. In a negative attitude. Towards this person. She should work at McDonald's cleaning the parking lot! Probably wouldn't do anything! I just can't stand lazy people who do not do their job. Or just do the bare minimum! Like she does. She needs to find employment elsewhere. That is, if anyone would hire this incompetent lazy employee!
Reviewed May 8, 2019
Barnes and Noble charges $4.99 for shipping that usually takes a minimum of 5 days. Oh, and they tax the shipping as well. Not just a plain old sales tax on what you buy, but they add everything from gift wrapping, shipping and any other fees and taxes the grand total. Do they give all that money to the city I live in? As far as I know, Philadelphia taxes everything but they don't tax shipping or gift wrapping. I think it's just a way for B+N to add a few extra cents to every single order. The epitome of greed.
Reviewed May 6, 2019
Told them a month before my renewal date that I no longer use it and to cancel future renewals. Received a written notification from them on April 16 verifying this. Turns out the charge came through six weeks BEFORE it was supposed to be renewed. My renewal wasn't until May. They will not give me my money back (stated they are reviewing it, but have been "reviewing it" for weeks and calling them back has not gotten any results). This is a scam. Do NOT sign up for any renewal. Make sure if you want the $25 membership that it is for ONE YEAR ONLY with no forced renewal. Having to now go through my credit card company to have the fee canceled. A lot of hassle over $25. Shame on Barnes & Noble. Bet they do this to other people, too.
Reviewed April 25, 2019
The Manager, Anita, at the Bend, OR location was very unprofessional by talking very badly about an employee that wasn't there. She was talking to the girl that was there at the time and she started in on the gossiping. Everyone could hear them and I went up to the counter twice and they wouldn’t help me because their little worlds were seemingly falling apart. I’ve been in customer service for 20 years and I know this behavior to be very bad customer service. If Anita needs me to train her how to professionally deal with employees, I’d be more than happy too. After their inappropriate conversation, the girl up front felt it necessary to comment on "work drama" to every customer that I saw her help, until I left the cafe.
Reviewed April 1, 2019
I had a horrible experience with customer service representatives via phone because they were very hard to understand BUT once I emailed them, within a few hours, I was able to get started on returning my defective Nook e-reader.
Reviewed March 23, 2019
Placed an order last week, received it, no problems. Placed a second order got an order confirmation and a shipping confirmation with tracking, however I did notice multiple charges on my debit card. I called customer service immediately. Did not receive any help! Bottom line is I authorized a one time transaction for my order. I did NOT authorize a third charge, also I don't even know what it is for.
Reviewed March 17, 2019
I purchased a "new" book on Barnes and Noble website on Feb. 18th. Thinking it was a great deal for the book and then $4.00 for shipping for 5-15 days delivery. I didn't receive the book until March 16th. Very disappointed. Though I called on two different occasions (3/5 and 3/11) checking on the delivery date since the status stated only that it was "On its way". I only then found out the book being purchased was by a 3rd party dealer. BnN could not assist in any way and I would have to contact them to get any more information and only by email. Refund could only be done if book not delivered by March 15th. Don't be in a rush. Also, book wasn't new, looked like a library book, cut out of front page also.
Reviewed March 11, 2019
I purchased a folio cover for my nook tablet which cost me about 55 dollars with the shipment. I never received the shipment. So when I called them three months later, they told me there is absolutely nothing they can do. They didn't bother to check on the shipment and they refused to refund me. I received the below e-mail from them:
"Dear Mohammed **, Thank you for reaching out to Barnes and Noble about your December order. I understand and would be frustrated too if I hadn't ever received my order. The agent whom you spoke to did provide the correct information. We extended the Christmas refund period through January 31, 2019 this year to allow for extra time. At this time we are not able to track the item due to time expiration on tracking number so are not able to refund or replace. We apologize for any inconvenience. Sincerely, Malissa Customer Service Representative Barnes & Noble https://help.barnesandnoble.com/ 1-800-THE-BOOK Monday - Friday, 8 am to 11 pm ET Saturday & Sunday, 9 am to 11 pm ET"
Reviewed March 3, 2019
I placed an order with Barnes and Noble online on 2/28. Paid for 3-5 business day shipping. On 3/2 I wanted to double check my order being that I was having it shipped to a hotel and would be leaving shortly. After checking online, I noticed that it stated that my order was canceled. I checked my bank online and noticed that the payment was in pending status. After texting with customer support I was told that my order was canceled from an issue with payment which my bank confirmed was untrue... I was told that I would just have to wait to get my funds back. I was never sent an update and this lack of communication and service is not what I would expect. Big disappointment.
Reviewed Feb. 24, 2019
I travel on a sailboat in winter. Could have ordered book from Amazon & received in 2 days. Wanted to save a few dollars so ordered from Barnes & Noble. After placing order, received verification email from B&N stating delivery will be 13 to 15 business days. This WAS NOT clear while placing order. By time book arrives I will no longer be in Marathon FL. I called B&N customer service to cancel order. They said the order was being fulfilled by one of their market place sellers (AwesomeBooksUSA) & I would need to contact them. Awesome does not have phone customer service so I needed to email. By time I got reply, they said "sorry, too late - already mailed out - economy post - no tracking number." So looks like I just threw out the money. Total run around from both companies. Would recommend steering clear of both. There are better competitors.
Reviewed Feb. 24, 2019
On 2/23/2019 I went to the B&N on 7700 NE 4th Plain Blvd Vancouver, WA 98662. I had contacted the store prior to driving there regarding a Lego item that I was missing from the morning's store event. ** the evening's assistant store manager was extremely rude in my request for assistance. His responses toward me appeared to be racially and sexually motivated. He was not willing to assist me. My husband confronted him and received a completely different response. ** appeared to be at least willing to assist my husband, who is of the same race. When I came up to ** asking for his name and the contact information for his manager, again I was treated in the same racial/sexist manner. I was told that my request was absurd and ** walked away from me mid-communication. When my husband told ** that his behavior was inappropriate and unprofessional, ** admitted to him that he was escalating his behavior towards me.
No person of any gender or racial background should be treated with disdain and disrespect. As an assistant manager ** offered no professional behavior. This is very disheartening. B&N should not continue to hire and promote racist employees and have them the face of a chain bookstore. Seems very contradictory to their desire to have good customer service.
Reviewed Feb. 21, 2019
Ordered an item through B & N Marketplace. I received the wrong item. The seller (25% of this seller's reviews are 1-star...why are they still allowed to sell on B & N Marketplace?) did not include the invoice and therefore I had no return address information. After SEVERAL frustrating phone calls to B & N I finally prevailed in obtaining the address. I sent the item back with delivery confirmation and have yet to receive a refund. I’m now out the money I paid for the item as well as shipping charges to return the item I believe was sent in bad faith. Janet (Supervisor - customer service) promised to follow up. She never did. So tired of their poor customer service. They don’t look out for the customer at all. Caveat Emptor!
Reviewed Feb. 19, 2019
Our youngest daughter got me a Barnes & Noble gift card for Christmas. Ordered on 12/14/18 - didn't get it so she called to let them know - they canceled that one which I got 4 weeks after shipping - supposedly sent a new one which I never received. She called to cancel and get a refund since they didn't seem to be able to get a shipment through and they refused to refund her money. Worst customer service anywhere. We won't be shopping there any longer.
Reviewed Feb. 14, 2019
Tried to buy a NOOK book. I've bought hundreds in the past but B&N wants me to change my password first. Had a choice of email or security question. Email first. They sent me nothing so I tried the security question. But they don't believe me on my Father's middle name. Huh? No place to get help without logging in and of course you can't without changing password first. So I ordered from Amazon.
Reviewed Feb. 12, 2019
I was using both B&N.com for book purchases, and press.barnesandnoble.com for publishing my own books. Towards the end of January, B&N forced a password change on me against my will. I changed my password. From that point onwards I have been unable to log into press.barnesandnoble.com. I have traded several emails with B&N and nothing has been done. My last email until I sent another one today, was a week ago and they ignored it. They are effectively holding my published work hostage because I cannot get to it. I am now reduced to filing consumer complaints and trying to contact people at B&N by phone.
This same thing happened to me before, a couple of months ago when I last changed my password, I had exactly the same problem and it took over a week to resolve it. This time they act as if they don't give a damn if it ever gets resolved. This is unacceptable. My advice is not to do any business with B&N. They're incompetent and they simply do not care, period.
Reviewed Feb. 9, 2019
They are the worst online book store I have ever dealt with. I placed an order online and less than ten minutes later I tried to cancel the item and I could not. I have never had that problem with other book stores. And a warning all prices on the website are in America dollars.
Reviewed Feb. 7, 2019
I had ordered a book online for a gift. When it arrived, before I even opened it, I saw it was damaged. The next day I went to the B & N website to contact them. Unfortunately for me, that was a bad choice. The initial text that I sent was at 10:06 am. I gave them the order number and sent a picture of the package. After waiting an hour and getting nothing, I went to the B & N store in St. George, Utah. The manager, Ron, was completely sympathetic and refund all my money including shipping. He said he had no copies of the book in the warehouse, but said the Salt Lake City store had 3 copies. He phoned them and arranged to have the book sent to the St. George store. He said he would call when it came in and decide if I wanted the book. I thanked him and left the store.
I was still at the mall when the chat finally returned my message. Time was 12:14 pm. Waiting over 2 hours for a service is unrealistic. So the two choices the chat offered were: 1. keeping the item and getting a $3.47 credit or 10% off; 2. returning the book using a prepaid label and going to UPS. I said I'd like a credit because I had returned the book to the store. So the next chat message was that I should contact the store to verify the refund. What does that even mean? Verify it to whom? Then I got a message saying, "It should be refunded on our end." Kind of hard to make that happen now. So instead I sent a picture of the receipt for the refund.
I explained how the store was going to replace the item. So then, I got this message: "Kindly contact the bank if the refund is processing." B & N create this problem for me. Their employee did a bad job of packing. Their understaffed chat caused a 2 hour delay in addressing the problem. To inconvenience me more, they expect me to call the bank which would be useless because I used a credit card.
So I say that they are being ridiculous, and all problems could be solved by just sending me a coupon for 10% off for the inconvenience. So coupon code arrives for 15% off one item and it expires on 2/10/2019. I reply with a thanks and say that today is Feb. 6, and I don't know if it will arrive in St. George by Feb. 10. The reply is that if I placed an order using the coupon, the discount would not be removed. Here's the thing. I was at the store at 11:42 am. I didn't get the coupon until 12:59 pm. How I could I have used a coupon that I hadn't even gotten yet? Then the chat response was that I could use the coupon on a future order, not the one they screwed up. I won't be doing that because I'll never use B & N online again.
Then I got this message: "We advise you to wait for the replacement." What other choice do I have. I asked if I was chatting with a person because some of the responses were so ridiculous. I did not get an answer for that question. I also asked to speak to a manager. No response to that either. So my marathon chat came to a close with this message: "We had you enjoyed our new text messaging experience." Dealing with Barnes and Noble online was not enjoyable. I'll just use Amazon in the future.
Reviewed Feb. 2, 2019
I ordered off of the Barnes & Noble website in mid December. I ordered a Christmas gift for someone and assumed with the holiday it may come a little late and that was okay. However I was not told that my item was coming by a third party. I was misled into thinking it was coming directly from Barnes & Noble. When I checked out it said I would receive my order as standard shipping. About a week later I tracked my package. It then told me it would take 13-15 business days. I thought, "Well that's not standard," but with the holiday I thought okay. Then well over 15 days had passed and still nothing. So I then called the customer service department through Barnes & Noble's and they were very rude, acting like I was bothering them.
Then I finally learned I was getting my package from a third party which I had no idea and that there was nothing they could do for me but give me an email address. They allow this third party crap on their website representing it as a business, but can't do anything about it. Then they told me when I should be expecting my package which would now mean a month and a half from when I ordered it. And it has now been 2 months and nothing. Barnes & Noble's is a crappy company that does not care about their customers. They are shady and running a very shady misleading business online. STAY AWAY FROM BARNES & NOBLE!!!
Reviewed Jan. 22, 2019
I ordered three books for my girls all going to three different places so I had to order them all separate. I had a gift Visa card for one. The other two orders were paid on my debit card. Once order was placed they withdrew the money instantly. Three days later they withdrew them both again. No place in the disclosure states they do this. I called my bank as I was not prepared for it to come out 4x so I received overdraft fees. I explained to the bank the other two were not to be taken from my account. They said to call Barnes & Noble so I did. I was told, "Sorry we always do this. We hold the money to be sure funds are there then we hold again once order is shipped. After it's shipped you will get a refund for the remaining amount 7 to 10 business days."
I'm very upset this was not disclosed! Had I known I would have ordered on Amazon or bought another Visa gift card. This has been nothing but misery for me and they will not pay any fees. They said I can send a letter of explanation and a copy of my private bank statement to them and they MAY be able to rectify this. So this should take a couple months to clear up and get my money back. NEVER NEVER WILL I ORDER FROM B&N AGAIN!!!

Reviewed Jan. 20, 2019
I woke up to an email from Barnes & Noble saying that "there were changes to my account." Since I had not made any purchases I went online only to discover someone else had used my CC info and purchased almost $300 worth of books and e-books and was having it sent to THEIR home. FIRST, I called B&N and after 20 minutes of waiting hung up and called my bank. THEN, when I had nothing to do the rest of the day, I called them back and reported what had happened. I said "how did this happen, isn't it required that a 3 digit number (to verify) be put in?" I was told "It's been a long time since I made an online purchase Ma'am so, I don't know." Long story short they took care of it. Today, I go online to look at my bank account and notice 2 more charges (from yesterday) for E Books. I just called my bank. THIS SITE IS NOT SECURE. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR INFO ON IT.
Reviewed Jan. 14, 2019
I had been a loyal customer of B&N for a long time, and a couple of months ago I was sold a membership card at one of their stores claiming that I would get discounts on all B&N purchases. I tried to get a discount on an online purchase today and could not get it. A customer service rep told me not all purchases apply for discount so I requested a refund on the card, since it was sold under false pretenses. She said she could not do it and I asked to speak with a supervisor.
After 1 1/2 hours on hold the supervisor said they would not refund my money and I would have to go back to the store where I got the card. I explained that I bought the card for B&N purchases in general, not just at that particular store. I believe B&N should refund my money and take it up with their store themselves, but instead they refused to make good on my purchase. I guess the cost of a membership card is worth more to them than keeping a customer. It is not how I wanted it, but I guess it's GOODBYE BARNES & NOBLE, HELLO AMAZON!
Reviewed Jan. 8, 2019
Don't waste your time or money with these people. They have a horrible online cancellation policy! You only have 15 mins to cancel an order. They have slipped my textbook ship date from Jan 2 (on time) to Jan 18 (way too late). I asked them to overnight it when they got it; answer was no. I bought an ebook from Amazon so I could start my studies. Now I have been on hold for 15 minutes while I am being transferred to a manager who will probably also tell me no. They will probably never pick up. Barnes & Noble has horrible customer service and horrible policies.
Reviewed Jan. 8, 2019
Horrible. Horrible!!! They renewed my membership again after I canceled it last year. DO NOT GET A MEMBERSHIP. Can't anyone do something to this company for fraud!!! I called company and I needed my old business address to cancel it and my old business phone number - after a few minutes I remembered the info. Horrible.
Reviewed Jan. 7, 2019
Years ago (easily 10 years ago), I was solicited in store to buy a membership at B&N. I did and the following year, it automatically renewed. I called and was told, they automatically renew memberships unless the customer tells them otherwise. Obviously a manipulative and fraudulent practice. I express my displeasure and ask them to credit me which they did. I ask them to stop the auto renewals and they assure me this is done. Each year since, I get this charge on my American Express. Each year, I have to call and explain and get it credited. I logged into my account and there isn't a member number (not sure how my account still logs in?) Nor is there a credit card on file (something I removed years ago). To top it off, my American Express number has changed 3-4 times, since my original membership, yet the charge still goes through. B&N needs to be dissuaded from this behavior! Do not buy a membership!
Reviewed Jan. 6, 2019
Asked for a simple update on an order that was placed the last week of December. Was told that particular DVD collection was coming from a Marketplace Seller and that it should arrive in mid February. This is totally unacceptable and I will NEVER use Barnes and Noble again, for any reason. I can tell those who are interested in contacting customer service by email that you can do so at this address service@bn.com and they will respond with their usual we don't care attitude. Buyers Beware!
Reviewed Jan. 3, 2019
Ordered book on 12/9/18, said 2-3 days it will arrive. Two Days later (12/11) I check tracking and picked up in Waukegan, IL. 12/20/18 it finally arrives in York, PA., then departs from there on 12/22/18. Arrived & departed Las Vegas, NV. on 12/24 two days later. Arrives now in Seattle on 12/25, Christmas Day, no present for my Granddaughter. Now it finally departs to next facility 4 days later on 12/29. Signed up for text notifications on 12/9/18, never received one text. Today is January 2, 2019, guess what? STILL NO BOOK! What poor customer service Barnes & Noble has given me. Never will I order from them online again! Amazon gets things here in 3-4 days, so do other companies. Guess B & N is going downhill with customer satisfaction.
Reviewed Jan. 1, 2019
We ordered a book as a Christmas present on December 15 (Mary Berry's Cooking Bible). We decided to obtain a membership for Barnes and Noble this December, so the book had free "express shipping" of 2-3 days, which would have been in time for Christmas. On December 26, we noted the book was still "processing." The book is now due for arrival sometime by January 11, 2019. We contacted customer service to try to cancel this order, as we could order it from Amazon instead, for a cheaper price and with actual 2-day shipping.
The customer service agent stated the order cannot be canceled because it is 'processing.' Barnes and Noble has had the order processing for over three weeks, which prevents the customer from canceling an order that they fraudulently state will ship with a 2-3 day time frame. Do not waste your money on a membership with Barnes and Noble and do not try to use their online ordering, as the company is unreliable and does nothing to help its customers. We are highly disappointed and will never obtain a membership or shop online with B&N again.
Reviewed Dec. 28, 2018
I ordered a record and toys for Christmas with arrival before Christmas guaranteed. Both shipments were delayed and later marked to arrive after Christmas. Then I discover that somehow when I placed the order, their website only registered the street name for the delivery and not the street number of my address. They said I didn't enter the street number (which is hard to believe), but not sure how (even if that were the case) it would allow me to proceed with placing the order with an incomplete address.
I called several times to say that my order appears to be out with UPS with no street address and asked for help in fixing the order. Their customer service people barely speak English and could not assist me with straightening out the delivery address. They told me I would have to contact UPS and straighten it out with them since they had already shipped the items to the incomplete address. So, now my package is over a week late and I'm on my 3rd call to UPS still trying to track down my delivery. Horrible ordering experience and horrible customer service on Barnes and Nobles' part. I rarely use them anymore, but will definitely opt for Amazon instead going forward!
Reviewed Dec. 27, 2018
I had a membership for a year that I didn't want to renew. This morning I found they withdrew 25.00 from my bank account. An account I don't normally use anymore and to make things worse I'm hoping I didn't incur an overdraft fee. I contacted Barnes & Noble but they make everything so convoluted and confusing that it's hard to cancel or see the membership. I normally purchase from the store and from the store is where I signed up for the membership a year ago. I didn't know and never gave them permission to keep my card information online. Now I have to chase them to get my money back. But here is the kicker, I read that I have to cancel my membership 30 days before it starts. Well My membership begins 1/26/19 and they took my money today 12/27/18 so... effectively nulling the 30 day limit. So now I'm stuck with a membership I don't want nor authorized. Thanks for nothing Barnes & Nobles you screwed me over.
Reviewed Dec. 26, 2018
BUYER BEWARE: I ordered books from Barnes & Noble online as Christmas gifts for my grandchildren. I paid for expedited shipping with a guaranteed delivery date of December 20th. As of today, December 26th, I still have not received the books. When I check the status of my order it shows completed with an estimated delivery date of JANUARY 4TH.
I contacted their customer service rep, Jonah, via chat who told me if the books didn't arrive by the 21st to contact them back. When I asked what they would do when I contacted them on the 21st, his response was "We will ship out replacements." When I asked him how that would put a gift under the Christmas tree for my grandchild, he disconnected the chat. I am reminded of the old adage: A happy customer will tell one or two friends. An unhappy customer will tell everyone! I am EXTREMELY UNHAPPY with Barnes & Noble. If I could give them less than one star, I would. #buyerbeware #brokenpromises #poorcustomerservice
Reviewed Dec. 23, 2018
I ordered two “I survived books” for my 10 year old son. The two I ordered were ones you can’t find on the shelves in store. I paid for them. Received an email confirmation and date to pick up by December 20th. I was very busy and I arrived on the 23d to pick them up. My order had been canceled and refunded “I hope, haven’t checked my card yet”. Of course when looking through store they were no longer available. The employee didn’t ask if I wanted her to check to see if they still had them in store. Or didn’t offer to tell me where I could find them if they had them in stock. I searched around a busy, crowded store for 20 minutes and gave up! I do realize I was late. But it wasn’t like that were just holding them for me. I paid in full. I will purchase from somewhere else.
Reviewed Dec. 22, 2018
I ordered 5 albums on B&N on 12/21 at 6:23 am and paid extra for expedited shipping. The website said that anything ordered before 11 am would arrive on 12/24. All items were in stock online from B&N and not from independent sellers. After 11 pm, I received tracking numbers from UPS that these items would arrive on 12/27 UPS Ground from Louisville and NJ. Anyone knows that UPS ground over the weekend will not arrive on or before 12/24. I tried to contact customer service through the link and got a “Bad Request” message. Other parts of the site said there is no phone support until 9 am on Saturday. So I have to wait until 9 am which I will expect to be an excuse if I can even get ahold of customer service. Very upset and have lost any faith in B&N as their shipping policies are not accurate.
Reviewed Dec. 21, 2018
I purchased an expensive book through Barnes & Noble online. The book was delivered with a damaged spine. I contacted Barnes & Noble and after speaking with multiple supervisors I was informed that it is not their problem. Even though the product was ordered through their website they source the book from a third party company. I was told I would need to contact the other company to address the damaged book. Please do yourself a favor and never order anything through Barnes & Noble.
Reviewed Dec. 20, 2018
I will no longer purchase any item from Barnes & Noble. False Advertisements, Horrible Shipping practices, Terrible Customer Service. I ordered a book on 12/10/18 to be at my home before Christmas, per their online website information. As of yesterday 12/19, 9 days later, this item had not even been shipped out of the warehouse yet, and the book won't be delivered until the 27th?
Called Customer Service, was told sorry our warehouse wasn't "prepared." And then spoke to 2 managers, on 2 different days, asking since the item had not yet shipped out of the warehouse, could I pay for expedited shipping to receive this item before Christmas. "NO. NOTHING can be done, once the order is placed cannot be canceled, cannot be captured for expedited shipping, cannot be changed. NOTHING CAN BE DONE." Basically Barnes & Noble customers are out of luck for shipping and deliveries prior to the Holiday.
I asked if I could place another order with expedited shipping, and the manager said, "You could" but Barnes & Noble CANNOT GUARANTEE that even with expedited shipping, the book would be at my house before Christmas! Is there a need to go through this nonsense to support a company that does not care about their customers, nor their lack of services? No. My business will be done with Amazon instead.
Reviewed Dec. 20, 2018
According to their website items this last holiday week purchased by Tuesday with express shipping will arrive before Dec. 24th. I placed my order on Sunday Dec. 16Th with express shipping. On Wednesday Dec. 19 I check my order status and says expected delivery of Jan 11th. Today Dec. 20 I contact customer service and am told they're sincerely sorry and order no explanation as to why they cannot meet the advertised deadline. I'm told the least they can do is offer a refund on my shipping cost when the item arrives. Never again will I order from Barnes and Noble. For being the top bookstore in the nation, they cannot meet their own shipping standards. "Express shipping" = 3-25 days.
Reviewed Dec. 20, 2018
I placed an order on December 12th, the website says 3-5 days. On the 12th, I received a shipping notification for one of the items I purchased. I have not received that item. Then on the 19th I receive another shipping notification for both books I ordered. SEVEN FULL DAYS AFTER PLACING MY ORDER! I tracked the package still hopeful it would arrive before our family Christmas party on the 22nd, but NOPE, won't be here. The website said yesterday if you placed an order on the 18th they would get it to you by the 24th. That's 6 days, which is what I expected for my purchase made on the 12th. I have tried to reach customer service for 3 days to no avail. THANKS A LOT BARNES AND NOBLE. YOU HAVE LOST A CUSTOMER AND I WILL TELL MY TALE TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE.
Reviewed Dec. 17, 2018
Poor, Poor, Poor customer service. I ordered an item for my son for Christmas on December 9th and I called after 5 days to check on shipping and they said I should be receiving the item on December 17th. I called on the 18th to check and they said the 49.99 item I ordered was not in stock and they would refund my money. What?? I can no longer find this item anywhere online unless I want to pay 80.00 plus dollars since they made me wait 9 days for it. It's a popular Lego set that has increased in price due to the Christmas holiday. They said I could go into a local Barnes & Noble store and find it, where it's available. But they were unwilling to ship me from their in store stock to help a customer that they made wait 9 days to tell them their order would be canceled. I will never shop at Barnes & Noble again.
Reviewed Dec. 15, 2018
I ordered 2 Italian nursery books for my new 5 month old grandson which both grandparents are Italian. I according to my delivery date was to have them by Dec.13 2018. After numerous calls with no help from reps that work at B&N, was told my order is lost. Again, holding on for an hour and telling my same story, I was promised that they were being shipped again, yesterday, Dec.14. Another lie. My email, so they say, has not been updated and they did not ship the lost books. I will NEVER again, order from B&N.
Reviewed Dec. 12, 2018
I ordered a DVD as a present on Nov. 24th, sent via 2-3 day service. I ordered it when I did because the half-off Criterion sale was about to end. The next day, I received an email saying the package had been shipped via UPS Mail Innovations with a tracking number. Several days pass, with no updating on the tracking number, only this message: "Delivery information is not yet available from the carrier. Alternatively, the delivery details provided are incorrect." 11 days go by. No tracking update, no package. I call UPS, they've no record of the number. I call B&N, they say it was never sent by UPS, though their emails to me state otherwise. I had to call back twice to get a refund, because the first time their customer rep in India couldn't even get that right. 5 hours on the phone to get constant contradictions from every rep I talked to... I finally got my full refund after several hours on hold, and 3 days of callbacks.
Fast forward, December 11th: I come home to find the DVD on my doorstep, SEVENTEEN DAYS later. Terrible service, inept customer reps who have never even seen a B&N store in person, reading stock scripts to angry customers. No more... They lost a customer of 20 years with this little charade, and I'll keep the extra copy of the DVD they botched the order on for myself since I ended up ordering one from Amazon, which I was trying to avoid. Next time, I'll order straight from Criterion. Goodbye, Barnes & Noble.
Reviewed Dec. 10, 2018
I ordered a DVD from them and after it had not arrived a week after expected I contacted the company using the online chat. I explained that my package was never delivered and they said according to their records it was shipped and may have been lost in the process. I assume it was stolen off my front porch as it is Christmas time. The representative promptly offered to replace my item at no charge. I appreciated their flexibility and am very pleased with the experience. I will continue to order from them for years to come.
Reviewed Dec. 7, 2018
I returned a Harry Potter box set to the store. The manager issued a return on my debit card. I check my bank the next day and the credit isn't there. I call the manager and he puts in a call to corporate. The manager calls back 6 hours later and told me I now have to wait till Monday to see why I wasn't issued my money. I call the 1800 number and customer service tells me it can take anywhere from 2 days to onwards of "whenever". I told her NOWHERE on the receipt or on Barnes & Noble website does it specify I won't be credited until 2 or more business days. She proceeds to tell me it's my bank that's holding the money.
So I call Chase and she said there has been nothing received from Barnes & Noble. Chase is giving me temporary credit as we processed a claim through the fraud department. Chase asked if there was any more they could do for me and I told the CSR "Yes... Don't buy from B&N! Use Amazon instead!" Her reply... "Well I had a huge problem with my own return and I'll never shop there again!" So I don't see B&N surviving much longer with companies such as Amazon as they are cheaper, customer service is better and all transactions are immediately debited and credited and their return policy... well, they have a great return policy. Bye Bye B&N. Us consumers have Amazon that treats us better and doesn't commit fraud.
Reviewed Dec. 5, 2018
I ordered two books online as Christmas gifts and paid extra for express shipping to have them delivered in 2-3 business days. 20 minutes after placing my order I received notification that my order for one book will not be delivered for 15 days and 5 days later for another. I called customer service to have my order cancelled since those dates would not work and I paid extra to have them here in a timely manner. Customer service said they can't cancel the order or change it anyway. Very frustrating! I will never order from them again! Also, allow an extra day or 2 for processing on time of the days for shipment.
Reviewed Dec. 5, 2018
Just go to the B & N website, imagine that you have an issue with your purchase (because you will!!). Try the "Help" button on their site or maybe try the one labeled "Customer service" - both take you to an error message that is laughingly marked "bad request"! So there are no avenues on the website (believe me I have clicked on everything) to get online customer service. I have now paid for a $1500 collectible book that was sent to Utah (I live in WI). No worries - I used my Discover card to pay for it and they will get my money back - because that is a company that knows that customer service isn't a bad request!
Reviewed Dec. 3, 2018
I ordered the Lego Friendship Hotel on November 24 for my granddaughter in Texas. I needed her to receive this by December 2, eight days later. There was no indication that they did not have this in stock and that they could not ship it within a day. On November 26, I received an email stating that the order had shipped a free accessory toy but not the Lego set. On December 1, I received an email that the availability of the order had changed unexpectedly. On the late afternoon of December 2, I had a message chat with Barnes and Noble in which their person stated that they had the item in the warehouse and it should be shipped soon.
On Monday December 3, I called the service department who was able to check the warehouse inventory and found that they did not have the item. So it was clear that they did not know when they would have this Lego set. I told the person in the service department that I needed my daughter to get gift by the next day and I would go elsewhere. I asked to cancel my order and she was polite and complied. As a retailer in a competitive marketplace, Barnes and Noble did a lousy job of keeping me informed that they could not ship my gift and actually lied to me. I will never again order a toy from Barnes and Noble.
Reviewed Nov. 30, 2018
Was sold a membership and was not told anything about it. I was not told it was a yearly membership fee but that it was a lifetime. Was not told they automatically take money out of your account because it was supposedly a lifetime. If I had known all this I would have never purchased this membership. I don't even know what the membership offered because I was never sent anything about the membership.
Reviewed Nov. 26, 2018
I ordered a book and paid the extra cost for express delivery to get it promised by "Nov 20". By Nov. 26 I had neither a book nor any information except the entry "processing" till on their tracking page. Compare to a recent delivery by Amazon which I could track almost down to the hour. Note that their order number is not recognized under all browsers (poor webpage design).
Reviewed Nov. 24, 2018
After order a LEGO set over two weeks ago, Barnes & Noble still has yet to “process” my order. It was suppose to be delivered on November 20, according to their website, yet at the same time it stated “processing”, with no indication of when or if this item would be restocked. When I emailed the company they responded stating “Despite our efforts, we are unable to ship the item "LEGO The Batman Movie The Scuttler" from your order in the expected timeframe.” The email further states to reply to the email and the order will be cancelled: ”If you would like to cancel this item on your order, you may do so by accessing your Order Status online or by responding to this email.” These are both quotes from their email to me.
So, when I responded requesting cancellation as this item was for a gift I received the following from the company “Once an order has started our fulfillment process, it cannot be cancelled nor are we able to cancel an item from the order. If you received your order and not satisfied, we can send you a label to return the unwanted item. We apologize for the inconvenience this my have caused. Sincerely, Mechelle (11/23/2018 08:51PM).”
This directly contradict their previous email and it is clear the person who responded did not take the time nor effort to even understand the issue- as the order has NOT BEEN FULFILLED, nor is there any indication it will be. So rather than refund my money and cancel as the item is out of stock (as per their website) they have held on to my payment and REFUSE to return my money!!! The legality and ethics of this are highly circumspect and questionable. How is acceptable to take a customers money and deliver no product? In New York State that is fraud!!!
Reviewed Nov. 10, 2018
On October 27, I went online to look for the Funko Harry Potter Advent calendar. After viewing several stores I found the B&N had it about $5 cheaper than the other retailers. I DECIDED to pre-order this product as I knew it would sell out fast. I place two of the calendars in my cart after viewing the listing, it said the calendars would be released on 11/01 and customers would have by 11/07, I paid my total and went to sleep. 11/07 came and went. No email, no order, no nothing. I went to the website and there was no record of my order. I tried to email. I tried to live chat. I tried to search my order. Nothing works! I then went to Facebook and hit message to talk to a live person. This guy knew nothing and had no care in the world as to why I hadn't received my order.
Next I called B&N. The guy on the line told me, "Oh, the warehouse is shipping today." Oh ok great, not. Still 2 days later no tracking, no shipped email, nothing! I called yesterday and was told more lies. The Christmas calendar would be sent to me now by 12/9, bear in mind this is an Advent calendar. I wasn't happy but ok better late than never. I woke up this morning to an email they canceled my entire order!! Now I can't even order of find the calendars anywhere else. I called and talked to some supposed manager, he just told me too bad, nothing they can do!! This is the worst customer service I have ever received. This company should be ashamed of themselves. Sadly thanks to give I won't be able to get the Harry Potter Funko calendar, but best advise - I will never spend another cent in that or online. Terrible!!
Reviewed Nov. 7, 2018
I enjoy going to B&N to find a new book. Something about sifting through the selection to find just the right one. The only issue is that sometimes if I look on Amazon the books are cheaper. It will be sad if books stores disappear someday.
Reviewed Nov. 4, 2018
I ordered my first book online and it ended up being a Nook book by mistake. I called the customer service department and they did refund me my money and I ordered a hardback book but the free shipping was gone so that added for 99 to my order. Originally the phone was disconnected and I had to call back and it took another 20 minutes to get the refund to get the order correct. I ended up paying over $29 for the book to avoid Amazon. I should have stuck with Amazon for less than $19 with free shipping. Won't happen again.
Reviewed Oct. 27, 2018
I teach Adult English as a Second Language and I usually have my students purchase their books on-line from Barnes and Noble. My students have purchased over a $1000+ worth of books for my classes in the last two years. Sometimes, I also buy books for students who have no credit card. Yesterday, I placed an order for five sets of Ventures Level 1 books. The price came out to a mere $166.00 I paid an extra $10 out of my own pocket to have the books delivered within 2-3 business days. Barnes and Noble then sends me an e-mail stating that the books would arrive a week later.
I call Barnes and Noble and the company representative said the website had the wrong information posted. I then call again and ask to speak with a manager who decides to only refund my shipping since the books were not arriving within 2-3 days as stated on their website. He also told me that he could not cancel the shipment. I proceeded to tell him I was canceling my order. He also told me that I could not receive a refund until I had either refused the shipment or returned the books. I go on their website again to research their return policies. It seems like I might have to pay for the return.
Moreover, if I were to take the books back to a Barnes and Noble store, they would not accept them, although on their website it tells us a different story. I will never again buy on-line from this disorganized company; furthermore, I will from now on instruct my students to make their purchases from somewhere else. I have already called my bank and had them cancel this payment. From now on, I am purchasing from Amazon.
Reviewed Oct. 24, 2018
After updating my computer to Windows 10 I was unable to download library books. Called for tech support - their support is out of the US. Some people I could not understand and others were just useless. Called corporate, receptionist very helpful but no technical support. Some head technician stateside sent me written instructions which of course I tried before, by self and with the Philippines "support." Nothing works. Junking the Nook and purchasing a Kindle. It should be noted that I have been using a Nook since they first came out. B&N you lost a customer and advise all of you to avoid the Nook at all costs.
Reviewed Oct. 24, 2018
I made a purchase on 10/19/18 of $31.05 and it showed it pending. It processed on 10/23/18 and I saw that it was still holding the $31.05 dated 10/19/18. I called and was told that regardless of when they receive the payment, their system doesn't release the held funds for 3 to 5 business days from when the order was made. Why they feel the need to tie up money that does not belong to them is beyond me. I have made many online purchases and have never encountered a company that continues to hold funds after payment is processed. The pending should automatically fall off like any other business. Not everyone can afford to have $31.05 tied up after already being charged it on their account.
Reviewed Oct. 18, 2018
Hello, I have had multiple issues with this store (# 2806). My order for two books order number ** for a book placed on 10/1/2018. I clearly went to the store asked the individual to place a late pickup note in the customer comments section. I was showed the data entry on screen by the customer zero representative! Shocked when I went in to pick up my books on 10/17/2018 to find the store not holding my books as requested! As shown by the customer service representative! They reshelved the items! This caused major confusion with the cashier staff! Added to my wait time and could have possibly forced me to reorder! After clearly going and explaining I needed more time to pick up my order, I was honestly not shocked to find my instructions ignored.
This store can NOT preorder a book before its release date without canceling or never ordering the book! I have had that issue crop up so much at this location it’s hard to keep attempting to support a clearly broken system. I will attach my orders and the recite to this review. A new issue today was with a assistant manager named Michael. On 10/18/2018 I went to this High Point Location to use the WiFi and cafe. I was unable to access the WiFi with my iPhone 7 and iPad Air 2. I spoke with Michael who claimed assistant manager level about this issue. Both my devices could see the network but neither could reach the login portal! He was unhelpful here. Stated there was no IT department and after checking and confirming my order moved on quickly and rudely.
I did Reset my network settings on both devices and then did a all setting reset. I was still unable to use this location’s WiFi due to the missing login portal! Went up the street where I could access two other free wifi’s. I returned to the store later today to find I Still could not access the WiFi! Michael is unhelpful and slightly condescending to customers. Please be aware. I was able to confirm others could use the store's WiFi just not me! Odd seeing as I have had past issues with this store!
Reviewed Oct. 18, 2018
My girlfriend and I have lived in Sarasota for a number of years, and one of our favorite places to visit has been (until recently) our local Barnes & Noble. We would do almost all of our book business with them (we are also B&N Members). The associates were always very friendly and helpful, but the same could not be said of the management. A number of times over the years we've had to speak with them, and they've always been curt and a little condescending. I'm not a guy that's easily offended, but our last visit was enough for both us.
So last Saturday we walked in, around 3:00 pm, to a mostly empty store and started looking around at the new books. I soon bought one as my girlfriend continued to browse. She then came to the clearance section where she found a Disney Polystone collectible. She was excited by the lower price and called me over. It was packaged, but not sealed, so we asked if we could look it over first. Two supervisors were talking near the register, and seemed bothered by our asking to take it out, but they did so.
The collectible, to our disappointment, had obviously been opened before, because there was some damage and white paint that had dried down the backside. We asked them if it was supposed to be new or an old display piece (hence the clearance price and damage) and one of the two gave us this nasty look and tone claiming it was new. She became loud and annoyed and repeated herself once more, making it clear in so many words that the price was not changing despite the condition, even though I never asked. Then the second woman added "you could always wait for it to go down to $2 and paint it yourself", with a look that only reinforced the attitude of the first woman.
Recognizing the hostility for what it was, I put the item down and said "no thanks". My girlfriend is not a confrontational person, but she was very disappointed by the way we were treated. Both of us are easy-going, and understand that the workplace is stressful and frustrating at times. But she was upset enough that she put her other items back on the shelves, refusing to purchase anything. I then went back to the register and asked to return the book I had just purchased.We started to leave, but I approached the first manager once more.
Without raising my voice I said, "because you don't value those who shop with you, you've just lost two long-time, loyal customers." We left without a fuss and have no plans to return anytime soon. She and I both understand that the management at this location shouldn't reflect on B&N as a whole, but there are at least three middle-aged managers at the Sarasota location that have given us a lot of grief over very simple things, and we're just moving on. There are plenty of other booksellers available.
Reviewed Oct. 13, 2018
Despite claims all over the place that they back up 3rd party vendors, when one of the crooks they host on their site runs off with your cash, all of a sudden B&N "can't do anything" and won't refund your purchase. Absolute, lying **.
Reviewed Oct. 13, 2018
B&N has been blasting me with requests to use their reliable online ordering system and touting their high rate of customer satisfaction, but the third party sellers they are working through apparently don't share their enthusiasm for excellence, and I'd say their wooden national service department isn't really feeling it either. The B&N call center folks were polite enough in a workmanlike way, but passed the buck on the first call and simply canceled my order after I made a second call following the failures of the third party seller to contact me or provide any information whatsoever.
My local store was much more helpful in ordering the book from B&N's own warehouse. It'll arrive faster, apparently, and at about the same cost, factoring some pricey shipping from this shady third party in my original attempt to find this book (some online reviews mention serious credit issues from this company, Alibris, which sketches me out - perhaps Amoralis would be a better name). B&N, if you want a good reputation, be careful who you surround yourself with. >:( I don't want to support Amazon's vampiric business practices, but seriously doubt I'll order books online through Barnes and Noble again.
Reviewed Sept. 19, 2018
Just an FYI- I just learned Barnes and Noble will NOT honor lower prices found on their own website if you’re buying something in store. I left my item at the counter, went home and ordered the book from Amazon, and saved myself $6.
Reviewed Sept. 13, 2018
Ordered a magazine through Barnes and Noble's website. Never received the magazine and when customer service at Barnes and Noble was contacted, was informed that Barnes and Noble will not follow up on this issue since they outsource these types of sales to a third party. No refund and no magazine.
Reviewed Sept. 2, 2018
Ordered a book only to discover they never offered the newest edition. When I tried to reach them from their site the phone was out of service, text same, and option of setting up account to email them was "not available". There were no other options. I will not ever buy from them in-store or online. They do not care about customers.
Reviewed July 30, 2018
I've avoided shopping at Barnes & Noble for years due to their policies and prices. Today I found a great deal on a book I was looking to purchase, with the list price of $50 online in "Other Format" 30% of the original price, $72. Deciding against my better judgment, I went to purchase the book in store, because I believe it is better to continue to promote store locations rather than online prices. However, once at the register I was told it was the original price, $72, and the discounted price only applies to online purchases, whether it be in store pickup or delivery. Since there was no way to discern the real price on the website this seems like illegal and shady behavior that the company is doing to promote online purchases and put their on-demand locations out of business.
Reviewed July 20, 2018
Barnes & Noble has always been a great place to just walk around and look for books. However, I've had my issues with the company over the years, chiefly an experience in high school wherein I never received a book I ordered and spent a lot of phone calls and time getting a refund. Today, with all of that behind me, I visited Barnes & Noble again. Great layout and selection. I finally found a book I wanted to purchase. It was a bit pricey, so I downloaded the B&N app to see if there were any coupons. Tip: join their e-mail list two days before you visit because the 15% sign-up offer is not immediately available.
Instead of a coupon, I found the book I was purchasing and discovered that it was $5 cheaper online. There was also an option to purchase the book for the cheaper price and have it prepared for me in-store within an hour. I decided to attempt to price match at the register, but I was told that only members of the B&N club, who pay $25 annually for membership, could price match. I will note again that this is a Barnes & Noble store that can't price match with the Barnes & Noble website. I don't blame the employees in any way; I blame the policy. I returned the book not even a half hour later. When I got home, I found it for $11 cheaper on Amazon with free two-day shipping. I didn't want to be one of those people who denounces a known bookseller in favor of Amazon, but that seems to be the takeaway here. And to think, I would have bought the book at Amazon without even a second thought. If only they had let me price match!
Reviewed July 19, 2018
I own a NOOK HD. Very well used. After I got my laptop I installed the NOOK app on it using the Microsoft store with Chrome. It was wonderful - if I read a book on my NOOK I could go to my LT NOOK and it would get me right to the same page. Then I made a mistake and uninstalled it and then reinstalled it. The support from B&N is terrible. I have been trying to correct this problem, but it is useless. Their customer support is worthless. I can get my NOOK books if I use Microsoft Edge, but not Chrome and B&N doesn't care. I really like NOOK on Chrome, but if they can't figure it out how can I. Sorry but B&N doesn't care about their customers.
Updated review: July 3, 2018
Follow up to last posting. Decided to take my returns to a local Barnes and Noble since the help center was useless. Walked into the Fairlawn Ohio store and went to the info desk. Told the clerk what I needed and he said, "No problem. There is a 30 day return policy on book purchases. Just go up to the cashier counter and they will take care of you." So I grab some new books to exchange for the ones I already had and went to the cashier. She return the books I brought back and rang up the new ones and I paid the difference (new books were a little more money). Cashier was very nice and didn't have an issue with me returning books I purchased at a different Barnes and Noble. I walked out of the store with my new purchase and was very happy. In conclusion don't waste time with the 800 number service desk. Just go to a store direct and they will take care of you.
Original Review: June 27, 2018
I recently went on vacation to Oklahoma to visit family and ended up visiting a local Barnes and Noble Book Store. I purchased a series of books and spend over $100 dollars. I continued to travel and got back home about 2 weeks later. I realized when I got home that the books I purchased were duplicates of ones I already have in my possession. I reached out to Barnes and Noble to see about returning them for a gift card or store credit, but all I got back was, "Sorry. You are past the 14 day return policy." They have refused to help me.
Reviewed June 25, 2018
I received a gift card for this bookstore as a gift. I had never used their services because I have used Kindle for years. So, I attempted to order a book and could not get it to appear as a download. I went into my settings and fiddled around and finally got it to download. It appears that if you don't give them an alternate payment method your orders will not appear in the app. I, again, today attempted to download two books and, again, I ran into problems. I chose for the books to be downloaded into the app, and when I received the confirmation it showed the paperback as the order. It seems for some reason it defaulted to the paperback.
So, again, I went into the site to find out how to cancel the book. Well, guess what? Once ordered, a book cannot be cancelled even though they give you a 15 minute window to do so. It took me 15 minutes to figure out what to do. I contacted customer service and was given a free UPS return label. I still have nearly $30 left on the gift card and they can just keep it!!! I will not put myself through this kind of frustration to order a book. Thank God for Amazon and Kindle!!!
Reviewed May 27, 2018
Compared to Amazon, BN has become far too slow and incompetent. They have incorrect information on their website for some of the listings. I accidentally bought a book written in Arabic (even though title and description were written in English, and there was no notification that the book was translated). When I contacted customer service, "Kristel" told me that they would refund the book but that it would be a "one-time courtesy" since Nook books aren't refundable. That was the first strike.
She informed me a full refund would be put back onto my gift card. I checked the next day, and they refunded $0.78 of the $5.99. I contacted them again to check and see if I missed something, and after 20 minutes of "Kristel" checking into it again, she told me that she'd have to send the request over to the "Gift Card Department," which would take 2-3 days... No. This is unacceptable in today's marketplace. I run a marketing agency, which means I follow the trends of buyer behavior. This kind of thing will take a big business down almost overnight. Customer service is vital, convenience even more so.
Reviewed May 21, 2018
I am extremely upset with these services. I rented a textbook from Barnes & Noble (and several other companies) as well as purchased textbooks. I never received notification that my rental from Barnes & Noble was due and so they continually charged my card (without notifying me) until my card was expired and then decided to notify me because they couldn't take my money anymore. I responded to that email and never heard back from anyone and now I am getting calls from collections. I called Barnes & Noble today and their worker was not helpful in the least bit and I am extremely ticked off. I have never been late on returning textbooks and because of their failure to notify me I am having to deal with this crap!!! Way to take advantage of broke college students. I will never be purchasing books from this company again.
Reviewed May 16, 2018
I received an email from Barnes & Noble confirming a purchase that I had not made, but was being billed for. The email included the title of a book, and the name and address of someone I did not know who had ordered it. I immediately called my bank and canceled my credit card. Barnes & Noble's contact number was not available in the evening when I received the email. But when I called in the morning, they instructed me to change my Barnes & Noble account password. If someone had just stolen my credit card number, they would have used it without going through my Barnes & Noble account. Either Barnes & Noble used my personal account to pay for someone else's order in error, or they experienced a data breach. Regardless of what occurred, I had to cancel my credit card as a result.
Updated review: June 21, 2018
This statement of appreciation is long overdue!!! Just as I wrote a complaint from a previous order, I'd like to use the same energy to say that Barnes & Noble corrected that particular issue with a quickness!!! I sincerely thought I would have to just count my previous order as a learning experience and never deal with Barnes & Noble again, but B & N went beyond the call of duty in customer service.
Stephanie ** assisted me with resolving my dissatisfaction. She made sure that my customer service need was met and that my purchasing experience was a positive one. Her ability to handle the situation with understanding, clarity and promptness is highly commendable! Stephanie ** represented Barnes & Noble brand with care, concern and expertise. B & N I just want to say thanks for having her a part of your Team. Had she not been there I don’t think the situation would have been resolved as professionally efficient as it was. So again, thanks to Stephanie ** for being a 7-star B & N Representative!! #VerySatisfiedCustomer!
Original Review: May 3, 2018
Barnes & Noble charged me for a textbook rental of $121.21!!! They said the rental was for 60 days! There is not a college semester I know during the spring that is 60 days!!! I explained that classes didn't end until May 11th. Basically they told me that the rental should have been renewed! WHAT? They brushed me off and took $121.21 out of my account! And told me even if I returned the book now, I still wouldn't get my money back! Never, never, never again will I use or purchase ANYTHING from Barnes & Noble again!!! And I recommend anyone reading this to do the same! Amazon would have never handled this like that! Amazon stands behind customer satisfaction! Barnes & Noble does not! They need to change the name to Barnes is Fraud!!!
Reviewed May 2, 2018
Last year, I bought a yearly membership for $25. I was told that I would get coupons on a regular basis via email. I've never received one email. When I called, they gave me the runaround, and told me to add BN to my address book, check my spam folder, etc. Did all that, still no coupons. It's a year later, and no drink coupons as promised. Then I went to purchase my first book in store. I ended up paying six dollars more for it with my discount than I could buy it for online with no discount. Needless to say, I am not renewing my membership. $25 bucks down the drain. I wonder how this company stays in business.
Reviewed April 30, 2018
I searched for a book called Siddhartha and I found it. With shipping charge 225% higher than the cost of the used book, it showed me that I would get it by April 13 (which was fine because I needed by 4/16). However, as soon as I paid for the book my confirmation email shows that I will be getting it only by 5/1. I then contacted Barnes & Noble to cancel it. They said, I could not cancel it because it was going to be shipped by third party??? They said I could return the book when I get it to get the refund BUT I have to pay for return shipping. What a crap??? Amazon and eBay make sure that the seller send return label. I had two Barnes & Noble accounts and I am canceling both of them and never use them ever again. Awful place to do business with.
Reviewed April 27, 2018
I rarely go to Barnes & Noble anymore because Amazon is so much more efficient, but I needed a book today. First - apparently you can no longer look up books on their inventory computers to find out if they're in stock and where they're shelved, as I couldn't find it on my own; you have to rely on Customer Service. After a 10 minute wait at the Customer Service counter, I asked a clerk at the checkout desk if someone were available. She made an intercom announcement - another five minute wait. Ask again - she says she will try to help me and leads me back to Customer Service, where it is clear that she has little experience helping customers find books (not her fault, it wasn't her job).
Finally someone shows up who at least knows where to look and found the book, but was totally unconcerned about the fact that no customer service reps were to be found for fifteen minutes. Then having to wait through the slow checkout line... sorry, Barnes & Noble, but you have lost my business for good. I used to like to shop there but things have been going downhill and today confirmed that our relationship is KAPUT!
Reviewed April 22, 2018
I have ordered book through this Shame of a company that I hope will get closed soon!!! They have charged me 160$ for an used book for rental, they have hidden fees and policies and I had no idea that books ordered through them are supposed to be return 2 weeks before finals!!! They have charged me additional money and the price of new book for a rental, I called them and try to talk about it with them but they told me they do not care and they will not refund me!!! I am praying for Amazon to close them soon and I will never ever buy anything or order anything with this stupid company!!!
Reviewed April 10, 2018
I ordered a book and paid for shipping. The book is in NJ, I am in ATL. Why is it going to take 3 weeks to get my book. Even with USPS it would take a few days. The book is not old. Just go to Amazon. Horrible.