Barnes & Noble Reviews
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- Wide selection of books available
- Quality products and merchandise
- Membership offers significant savings
- Poor customer service experiences
- High shipping costs and fees
- Inconsistent order fulfillment
Barnes & Noble Reviews
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Reviewed June 6, 2017
Ordered a package and paid for expedited shipping which should have been 3 days. Got a shipping notification 4 days later. On the 5th day called about it. Customer service said it just shipped and will now take 3 days to ship. My tracking info says it didn't ship. I asked if they could call UPS to expedite shipping. They said "We have no way to contact UPS." WHAT??? So, I called UPS. They confirmed it did not ship yet. It's still at Barnes & Noble. These books were needed today for a class and now I can't even guarantee we'll have them for our second class. Once we get them they'll be foolishly late it will certainly make our program look bad.
Reviewed June 2, 2017
I bought two books on Barnes & Noble, not realizing that one of the two was a 3rd party shipment. The items said it would take 5 days and when the 5th day came and my book had not arrived, I called Barnes & Noble, who told me that it basically was not their problem, even though they falsely advertised the delivery date and that I had to wait two weeks or more for my item to be shipped and then I can return it to get a refund. This is absurd and I should have known better to order from Amazon or even Ebay, who are far more reliable and cheaper! I will NEVER order from Barnes & Noble ever again and others will know what happened here. This is very bad business on their end, very bad!
Reviewed May 20, 2017
I have NEVER been so disappointed. I have been an Amazon customer for years and now I know why. I ordered a law school book on May 4 for a May 18 delivery. As of May 20, the tracking information on the website said, "estimated May 18". Being two days later than when the book was "estimated," I called the customer support line and they said they "sent me an email on May 17 saying they were having troubles processing my payment."
First: I have NO RECORD of said email. I am not an idiot. I know how to check spam. The email was not sent. Second, their best business practice is to notify a customer one day before it was supposed to be delivered that there were processing problems?!! I relied upon the delivery of these books as my law school class starts on the 22nd. There was ample time to contact me as I ordered this book two weeks ago... I relied upon the status of my order as reported by Barnes and Noble locator to my detriment. I am owed recourse but the rep simply said that "we need to just replace the order." I needed this book two days ago!!! I asked if the book was in a store near me... or if there was a digital version that I could access while my order was being "reprocessed..." and nothing. This is a disgrace of customer service. People will know about this. DO NOT RELY ON BARNES AND NOBLE!!!
Reviewed May 19, 2017
I rent a cheap book in January online and make the mistake to do it for 60 days. When I realize that I need to cover my semester I went back. Their website is horrible, so I contact them and told them the time I need to rent. Now I get it mail. They trying to charge me over 100 dollars because according to them is past due. Though they have all the information that I contact them to change days it is their mistake and can take the charge off. Customer service are very rude and it seems like their phone lines are not clear either. I never have any problem with Amazon. One of the customer lady refused to give her name and threat me to sent it to collection.
Reviewed May 18, 2017
I first rented the books in January at Barnes & Noble. I forgot which site I've rented the books from and I was waiting for a reminder email for the return of my books. However, there was no email sent to me. When I finally found out where I've rented the books from by going thru all my credit cards and laptop history - It was too late. They've already charged me for the extended fees, and the full price of the books. I called them and explained to them that I never once did received an emails in regard to the charged of the books nor do I remember where I rented the books from. Their response: "You can check our site for the due date of your books" and we did send you an email. If I have received an email from them, I don't think I would want to let the books sit on my table, and get charged with a full price. Bottom line is to stay away from this company. They will not able to resolve anything and will blame everything on you.
Reviewed May 17, 2017
I placed a small order for a violin book (total order $7.40 w/ shipping) needed for my son's violin lessons on 4/25/17 and received a shipped notice on 4/26/17 with info on the 3rd part vendor. I contacted Barnes and Noble customer service on 5/15/17 since the book had not been received. They informed me that I technically had until 1pm on 5/16/17 and would not issue a refund. I contacted Barnes and Noble again on 5/16/17 around 5:45pm in reference to the book that still had not been received. I was informed by customer service that I had to wait until after 7 pm as the book could still be delivered. I work from home and know when all the mail and package carriers deliver in my neighborhood as I work from home and informed the customer service agent of this.
I called back after 8 pm upon returning home again to no package (surprise, surprise) and again called Barnes and Noble to request a refund. I requested an incident number to document the call. The CSR states that they will request the refund from the 3rd party vendor. If they won't send a $3 book, do I really expect them to refund the purchase price plus shipping? No, I suspect they are banking on people not following thru with refund requests etc. on small dollar purchases. I will be contacting my credit card and disputing the charges on my card. Game on Barnes and Noble and your crappy 3rd party vendors.
Reviewed May 16, 2017
I have worked with both textbook rentals. The customer service at Barnes and Noble is a ** show! They don't help you with anything! They only want your money!! If there are too many highlights they classify it as "damage" and charge you the whole book. If you are late they also charge you for the WHOLE book!! Never had that problem with Amazon in fact, when I was late and they charged me they refunded it with no hassle. Bottom Line: RENT FROM AMAZON or YOUR CAMPUS BOOKSTORE (eFollett). DO NOT GIVE BARNES AND NOBLE YOUR MONEY!!! They do not treat consumers well!
Reviewed May 9, 2017
I ordered a book from Barnes and Noble's Marketplace seller, Media Neat on 26 Feb 2017: Interconnections Second Edition - Bridges, Routers, Switches and Internetworking Protocols. When I received the package, I found that the book is seriously damaged, and contacted Media Neat in email, attached some pictures, and asked them how we can resolve this issue. They offered a partial refund (did not mention a percentage), but I rejected that because the book was completely useless, I had to buy a new one. We agreed on that I will return it to them, and that they will reimburse the return shipping on top of the full refund (I informed them about the cost of return shipping before). However, they refunded my original payment (USD 38.70 for the book and USD 19.95 for shipping), they did not reimburse the return shipping (USD 55.00).
I tried to contact them multiple times directly but they did not respond. I also contacted Barnes and Noble multiple times but they sent only template messages without actually reading my email. I am extremely annoyed with Barnes and Noble and Media Neat. If I knew in advance at least that they lied and will not reimburse it, I would not have sent it back because now I have a loss of USD 55.00 on this deal (not to speak about the work of doing the packing, finding a carrier, going to the post office many times, waiting for the tracking information, and communicating with the seller). At the same time, they are making a profit of USD 41.35 on this deal as they insured the package for USD 100.00! This makes me really angry. Due to this over-insurance the package had to be processed in the customs office which took a lot of time and could be avoided if the seller declares the price I paid (USD 58.65 is below the limit of USD 60.00) on the package.
Reviewed May 5, 2017
I feel like the fees and rules for membership should be stated in one location so that people understand that a. Free member shipping does NOT mean membership is free. b. Once you sign up for membership if you order even one item, they charge your card and you cannot cancel that membership and c. They will continue charging your card every year until you cancel, but they make it hard to cancel. I admit, I was duped mostly because I didn't read carefully enough and that's on me, but the info they provide on the membership is all over the site-very convoluted and confusing. I think they prey on consumers. Now I can't find a "membership” number on file to cancel my membership, so I'm in the process of having to cancel my bank card and have a new one reissued so they don't charge it every year. Buyer beware!
Reviewed April 19, 2017
I submitted a complaint due to received book condition. If a used item with black magic marker on the cover is considered good condition, something is wrong here & it is NOT what I expected. THIS IS NOT STAINING!!! WE DID NOT WRITE THE NAME ON THE COVER IN BLACK MAGIC MARKER & WE DID NOT WRITE IN THE BOOK!
Reviewed April 14, 2017
Do not purchase the membership they try to push. You will not get most of the benefits they claim. They claim members get free express shipping, however it is anything but express. They actually ship UPS ground and it takes 5-10 days. I asked how they consider that express, which most of the civilized world would define express as 1-3 days, but they could not give a reasonable explanation. You are better off getting your books on Amazon. I am also going to ask the NJ Attorney General's office to investigate Barnes & Noble for fraud as they are not providing the service they advertise. I will be looking into a class action lawsuit. So all of us who have been duped can be compensated.
Reviewed April 13, 2017
The format for displaying new authors and books was changed around January and February from having a section with the new books at the beginning of each section to having them mingled in with the old books. There is a table that displays some of the new hardbacks in no certain order and a spinner rack that displays some of the new books but not all of them! This is very bad business! All you had to do was consolidate the original format down from 4 books wide of the same title to 2 books wide and this would have given you more display room. Now you are making new authors and customers inconvenienced and probably losing money. I have really tried to use this new system but, trust me IT IS JUST TOO INCONVENIENT to find new books. I will be looking for a new venue.
Reviewed April 10, 2017
I ordered 2 books online for my brother-in-law's birthday with 2 day air. When I checked to see if it had be delivered on the day it should have been UPS stated it would not be delivered for 2 more day. I did online chat with Barnes & Noble and they could not give me a reason for the delay in shipment even though I paid extra for 2 day delivery. I tried to get them to contact their store close by the address of shipment and they said they could not do that. I will not be ordering online from them again and probable will not buy anything from their store again. Amazon has better customer service.
Reviewed April 5, 2017
I recently ordered 2 books in which my debit card was charged. I got an email immediately after placing my order. It showed on my bank statement. I have autopay for my monthly bills and 1 didn't go thru because Barnes & Noble charged me again. I'm very dissatisfied with outcome and I will NEVER order from them again. I only rated them 1 because the rates don't go lower. I am a senior citizen and I do not have money to throw away like that. Bad business Barnes & Noble.
Reviewed March 19, 2017
I have an e-mail address plus a membership with Barnes & Noble. For some reason they cannot correct my e-mail address so I can't order online using my membership card. I've tried through the internet and even in person to have this corrected, it has been going on for several years now. Also their website will say a book isn't available at this time yet when I go to Amazon I can get a book within a couple of days. Time to get rid of the membership card and get a PRIME card through Amazon.
Reviewed March 10, 2017
Just received an email that from Barnes and Noble that states "Due to an error, which has been rectified, multiple authorizations may have been posted to the payment method used on this order. Any pending authorizations will be removed within several business days, depending on your bank." I called and inquired 1) how many orders were affected in the same way, 2) what caused this error (?hacking, ?stupidity, etc), and why it is up to my bank to determine how many days the authorizations remain posted. I understood the B&N person I spoke with to say that she did not know of any press release regarding the problem nor did she know how the problem occurred. Every minute that the "extra" transactions go against my account means that my credit card is limited by the amounts of each "extra" transaction. I don't think B&N can afford to have any screw-ups lest it go by the wayside like Borders! I don't plan to order online from B&N anymore.
Reviewed March 6, 2017
I hope nobody is buying from this disgusting company anymore, they need to go bankrupt. I homeschool and ordered a big amount of workbooks that they shipped somewhere else. Calling customer service the guy acknowledged that they shipped it to the wrong address but told me, I can't be credited unless the items are returned? How can I return something I didn't get? DISGUSTING service, now I need to dispute with credit card. NEVER BUY FROM THEM!
Reviewed March 5, 2017
My daughter is in college so we could have several books rented or purchased at one time. I tried Barnes & Noble. BIG MISTAKE. They did not contact me with info about returning the book. I did not receive an email about the due date and or access to shipping labels etc. Other companies do this. The only notification that I received was when they charged my credit card for the purchase of the book. When I called customer service there was no flexibility - I had bought the book. The charge did not go through on the credit card - I notified customer service but again no flexibility just advising me I purchased the book. Again with no notification the "account" was sent to a collection agency for the cost of the book. We rent a lot of books during the school year and I will never use Barnes & Noble again. It is not worth the trouble and negative mark on my credit.
Reviewed March 4, 2017
I rented a textbook I needed for a college course thru barnesandnoble.com. I received the book by mail in terrible condition. It was falling apart literally, sections and binding of the book were coming apart. My mistake was not calling in to complain, I assumed they knew what condition they sent their books out to renters. Well, I returned the book on time by mail, and received an email a few days later of them trying to charge my card again but for the full price of the book! They accused me of ruining the book and that it was in bad condition. I spend some time over the phone with one of their CSRs who was obviously outsourced working out of another country. He assured me the issue was resolved and I would not be charged and that my credit card would also be refunded.
Little did I know he was just saying that and lied, because I received no refund and I am getting billed by a collection agency for the full price of this book that is not in my possession and worse part about it, now this is on my credit report! Do not rent from barnesandnoble.com. They send you trashy books, accuse you of destroying them, and besides charging the rental fee, attempt to bill you full price for the book after returning it, and then report you to collections. I will never do business with them again and will advise my college peers not to either. Get your textbooks elsewhere, never online, and especially not with rip off con artist like B&N!!!
Reviewed March 4, 2017
I have been charged for a magazine subscription that I did not renew and had set to end for 2 months in a row by B&N. In an email, I was reassured that I wouldn't be charged for anything till 04-03-2018 if I followed all the steps to check my account, but the content of the email was clearly meaningless and meant to mislead rather than assist. As a college student, barely making minimum wage, it's quite unfortunate to see a company pull tricks through subscriptions. I used to love going to Barnes & Noble as a kid. I got most of my Harry Potter books there at the release parties but now, it's not a place I can trust, let alone a place where I can conduct business. I'm really upset about how my, and I imagine many others, situation has been managed. I won't be using B&N products and services any longer.
Reviewed March 1, 2017
They will charge you extra fees for rentals and will not refund them once you have returned the books before due date. They are really lining their pockets. They also do authorization charges and if not careful, they will tap your pockets double. All of these complaints should be reported to State General Attorney Offices so they can be sued and closed down.
Reviewed Feb. 20, 2017
While the selection of books and DVD/CD materials is excellent at B&N, their card membership is not worth the $25 a year. Here is why: When they send you a coupon for a purchase (such as 20% or 30%), when you apply it, the price of the item goes up the full retail price instead of the advertised price they have. Overall a lot of their advertised price is better than a lot of other booksellers, but when you apply your "membership coupon" you save less than you would if you just bought their advertised price. For example, I ordered the Pimsleur German Level 1-4 Unlimited (current advertised price is $420).
So to circumvent the el-switcho to full retail price (which is $451.21 full retail minus 30%), I ordered as a guest and then applied a 30% coupon and then submitted the order without signing in. The other disappointment is that you pay that "$25.00 USD" so that whenever you order online, your orders automatically get expedited shipping for free. This is a little bit deceitful because like I said, if you sign in, then they take the full retail price so that you can use the coupon and get your expedited shipping basically at your expense (since you are paying full retail.). I do not plan on renewing my membership.
Reviewed Feb. 20, 2017
I tried to order an ebook through the Barnes and Noble Nook Online site. I was using a GIFT CARD to purchase the book. I could not place the order without putting a default credit card on my account. There is NO WAY to order a NOOK book without having a valid credit card on file. If I were to go into the store and buy a hardcover book, I would be able to use my gift card WITHOUT showing them my credit card. They make no apologies and SAY they will pass the information along, but I doubt they will. They are the ONLY BUSINESS that requires you to keep a valid credit card on your account. The reason I DON'T want my card online is for SAFETY. I'm TOTALLY done with Barnes and Noble. I'll have to find a way to use my gift card by buying real books, now - or something else. I'm done with them.
Reviewed Feb. 11, 2017
I went into the store at 7026 Hwy 6, Houston, TX 77095 at around 3:40 pm on 2-10-17. I'm not much of a book reader but my youngest is in National Guard basic training and was told that we could send him books about the military. Well I thought about a book that I read back in the 80's which is called Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy. I saw a three people working behind the counter that is located in the center of the store and I figured I would ask for help.
As I walked up I could see they were in a conversation and I didn't want to interrupt so I waited to be acknowledged and your associate named Alex asked if he could help me. I then asked about the book and he just said fiction under Clancy which would have been fine but I didn't know the layout of the store and it seemed rude how he looked at me then just made the statement about where the books would be located. The other female associate took me but made it clear where fiction was and the Clancy books were located.
Your associates seemed very rude and not wanting to help and I really hope it wasn't the color of my skin that made them act that way or they could be overworked but what really got me is your employee Alex was laughing it up with another customer at the front of the business after I made my purchase. Your store only had one book that I was looking for and I went over to Half Price Books and they were very friendly and helpful and after walking in from being upset from your store. I go to Home Depot a lot and they have an app that you can download that shows you where you can find what you're looking for in their store. Maybe you could look into the same type of system that will help your customers from speaking to rude people.
Reviewed Feb. 1, 2017
I ordered the textbook Focus on Personal Finance with Access Card from Barnes and Noble the same day as I ordered a rental textbook from Chegg. My Chegg book came 3 days earlier than my Barnes and Noble book. When my book did finally arrive it had no access card... I looked through the package and didn't find it. I called customer service and the representative explained that somewhere in the terms and conditions it states that rental textbooks are not guaranteed to come with any "extras" and that I had in fact checked the box that stated I read and agreed to the terms.
When I explained that the title of the book is extremely misleading since it actually says on my packing slip Focus on Personal Finance with Access Card, I was expecting an access card. She just repeated herself until I asked for a supervisor who repeated the same thing until I asked for a manager who then repeated the same thing. He sent me a return label and states that I won't be charged the restock fee once I return the book for a refund. We will see. Overall I don't want to do business with Barnes and Noble ever again. Their product description is misleading and their customer service is a joke.
Reviewed Jan. 30, 2017
My 10 year old daughter received a birthday gift... a board game. It is for 12 and up and a little over her head so we decided to return it. We live in a rural area and went to Walmart, Kmart, Target, some of the local toy stores. No one carried this game. Finally went to the very "uppity" Barnes and Noble in town. Yes they carried it but wouldn't accept the return for a store credit because we didn't have a receipt. Yeah it was a gift and I feel it is rude to ask the person for the receipt. Walmart, Target etc don't require a receipt. I just wanted to get her something else... I didn't want cash. They are the only store in the area that carries this... of course it was purchased there.
I called their customer service line and besides none of them being able to understand English efficiently, they also said they wouldn't take it back. I can't believe in the day and age of Amazon... where customer service is tops that this company can afford to be so tight with their policies. Seems I am not the only one who thinks this... the complaints on this board are unbelievable. The sooner Amazon comes and gobbles this company up... the better.
Reviewed Jan. 28, 2017
Called customer service multiple times due to gift cards having no value. Cards came directly from Barnes and Nobel. Each time the same story. They will send the information to "corporate" and they will be in touch in 7-10 days. 3 calls and 30 days later, same story. The individuals in customer service are unable to resolve problems.
Reviewed Jan. 28, 2017
I have 3 children in college so during any given semester we could have 15-18 books rented or purchased. I usually use Amazon but thought I would give Barnes & Noble a try. Boy was that a mistake. They did not contact me with info about returning the book. All of the other companies do this. The only notification that I was received was when they charged my credit card for the purchase of the book. They also charged double the value of the book. When I called customer service there was no flexibility - I had bought the book. As mentioned before I rent a lot of books in the course of a school year and I will not even consider Barnes & Noble in the future. It is not worth the hassle when there are so many other good companies that actually send you the shipping label as well as email reminders.
Reviewed Jan. 23, 2017
I ordered a book through B&N's Marketplace from a 3rd party. After waiting more than a month for the book to arrive, I contacted the 3rd party. They informed me that the book had been delivered weeks before. They provided a USPS tracking number. I contacted USPS, who informed me that the address on the shipment was not my address. I contacted B&N numerous times over the course of a month in the hopes of getting a refund. I was told they would look into it. A few times, I received the "but the seller said it was delivered" email. Other times I received a "we're looking into it email." Every time I contacted B&N, I asked for a confirmation email, which I never received. I was even promised a refund and was told I would receive a confirmation email of it within 72 hours. Said email never arrived.
I contacted them again today and was told that they needed to wait to hear from the 3rd party seller and for them to 1st issue B&N a credit before I would receive one. That's utterly ridiculous. What's the point of having the B&N brand for their Marketplace if they won't protect their customers and ensure quality service? Furthermore, we're talking about a whopping $14.77. The supervisor told me that they could not even issue this paltry refund sum and override this policy to make a customer happy.
Reviewed Jan. 19, 2017
Although I love my Nook when it's working, I can only say it's a great thing the $90 warranty was purchased with my purchase. I had 1 Nook that would shut down after getting extremely hot, it even had a little picture of a thermometer showing it was hot. I returned and got a refurbished one. The 2nd one I would have to performed a hard reboot all the time since it would just stop working, no reason just stopped working. I returned it and got yet another refurbished one. The 3rd one I just kept even though I had to reset this one all the time too. I figured I'd just get another refurbished one and never get back the several hours of time I wasted having to go into the stores, wait for a manager, for them to "test" it, fill out paperwork and then reset it all back up etc etc etc. I had the smaller HD tablet and my husband had the larger one.
Now the chargers on all of them would break. They would no longer charge the Nook and some you could see the rubber around the part that plugged into the Nook start to separate. The store was kind enough to give us a free charger to replace the last broken on, that one never even worked at all. All in all, I can see why Barnes and Noble decided to change the company that made the Nook, but it doesn't change the fact that this household alone went through 4 Nooks, 7 or so chargers and more money than I care to count. I still have 2 Nooks that I can't use because I can't charge them. I'm disappointed that there is no one I can call and I can't get my money back or even exchange it for the new manufacturer. I'm now stuck with $599 worth of tablets I can't use. If ever a class action lawsuit comes up, I will be at the top of the line.
Reviewed Jan. 14, 2017
I recently purchased a textbook needed for school online through Barnes & Noble because it would save me over $130 versus buying from the school Barnes & Noble bookstore. I purchased expedited shipping because I needed the book quickly so I could get started on my reading assignments. The package arrived a day later than what was indicated by the expedited shipping option, but it wasn't the end of the world. Upon opening the package, however, there was a boxed set of Junie B. Jones children's books, even though the shipping order clearly indicated the intended order of the law school textbook. This had turned into a significant inconvenience because I had intended to do a great deal of reading over the weekend, so I called the customer service line immediately.
The woman who helped me with the call was polite and pleasant, but I soon became frustrated as I realized the inflexibility and complete disregard of customer service with regard to their policies. I was offered either a refund for the order or I could send back the incorrect product from a UPS store (which I would have to research where the nearest one is, obtain a return label, and find transportation to it in my busy schedule) and the textbook I was supposed to get would be sent out on the next business day and would take 1-2 days to arrive. Because this occurred on a holiday weekend, that would mean it would likely be several days until I received the correct book (six days after I was initially supposed to receive it). This was not a viable option for me because I had several hundred pages of reading assignments that I couldn't fall behind on.
As the customer service representative informed me of this, I came up with what I thought was a reasonable compromise. The bookstore on campus, where the listed price of the textbook was more expensive than it was online, was affiliated with Barnes and Noble. I inquired whether they would offer me a price match so that I could receive my textbook in a timely fashion and they would still receive payment for the textbook. This was quickly shot down by the supervisor of the customer service representative.
So, my only option then became to accept the refund and keep the book purchased the campus bookstore. This resulted in me paying an additional $130. They also continued to insist that I must mail back the incorrect item from the nearest UPS store, which for me costs additional time and money. I am disappointed that Barnes and Noble expects me, after an error on their part, to go through this inconvenience for the sake of their convenience. I will be looking for other companies to purchase my future textbooks through and I will encourage others to do the same to avoid these headaches that I have experienced.
Reviewed Jan. 11, 2017
I was late returning a book. Charged an extension fee and overcharged for the book. The book was valued at way less than what they charged. This was my mistake however my issue is that the customer service sucks and they are not friendly at all. They have this "it is what it is" attitude when customers have these issues. They are not kind and understanding like Chegg and other places. All they care about is money and they make that clear. Never again. They don't care about students at all.
Reviewed Jan. 9, 2017
I was so proud I had my receipt & the item was pristine in appearance. There should have been no issue. I received a record album at Christmas. Purchased at B&N. Main St. At Exton, sadly it skipped badly & I simply wanted an exchange for the same item or an equal item. The store did not have the same item which was a bummer but with 1000 plus records on hand I could easily get something else of equal value. That was where they got all robotic. Since my wife used a discount coupon they would only credit me the amount I spent not the item price towards a equal product. I bought a $34.99 record & wanted another $34.99 record by the same group or another group for perhaps a few dollars more.
The store manager didn't come close to seeing my point. ** was her name by the way. She insisted she had no override in her computer & it would throw off her count. Why should I have to take a lesser product when I had a receipt & a perfect, clean return. The phone call center for B&H defers completely to the store manager so why do they even exist in having one. It could have been smooth, quick & I probably would have bought another record or at least a more expensive one. Great customer care Barnes & Noble!!!
Reviewed Jan. 6, 2017
All I wanted to do was purchase a few ebooks with the Gift Card I recently received. I created an account for that purpose that includes privacy data that I know from experience they will use to send me UNWANTED advertisements to clutter my email & cell phone - fine I'll live with that temporarily; entered the card# and pin; put the ebooks into the shopping cart. Upon checkout, another pop-up that required me to enter credit card info. Why do they also need my credit card when my total purchases did not exceed the gift card amount?? I can understand if the total was more than the gift card. All I wanted was to use my gift card, they can KEEP the .32 cents balance! I'll never ever use them online again for books and never buy THEIR gift cards for someone else's use because they will have to go through the same **!
Reviewed Jan. 3, 2017
Terrible experience with Barnes and Noble book rental service. Rented 3 textbooks for college. Price seemed fair. I couldn't have been more wrong. I received the books in used condition with some writing/highlighting in them and I didn't think too much on it. College quarter was ending and I mailed them back on time. Received an email from Barnes and Noble stating that the books have been returned and a second email stating they want to charge my credit card for a rental buyout/extension. I never wanted to buy the books and have already prepaid to rent them for 90 days.
I call customer service and ask what's the deal. They verified that they received the books but they are in "bad condition" so now I have to buy them. I answer that I sent them back in the same condition that they were mailed to me. They say that I have to notify them of the "bad condition" within 21 days of receiving the books and it's "in their policy". So now they are trying to charge me $263 to buyout the books when I already paid near $90 to rent them. What is even more disgusting is that they are trying to charge me near the new condition price range for each book when they mailed me a used condition books to begin with.
For example: 1 book I rented called Imperialism in the Modern World: Sources and Interpretations edition 1 sells for $94 new, $57.45 used, and $15.27 marketplace but they want to charge me $82 for it. It's in "bad condition" and yet I'm not even being charged at used price range. They should be well aware of the condition they send out their books to people.
Second book I rented: Patterns for College Writing, Brief Edition: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide Edition 13 sells for $53.87 new, $29.62 used, and $25.80 on marketplace but they want to charge me $46.02. Third book I rented: Traditions and Encounters Volume C: from 1750 to Present Edition 5 sells for $161 new, $79.38 used, and $22.84 on marketplace but they want to charge me $134.31.
This whole system reeks of extortion and is a way for Barnes and Noble to forcefully sell off their old, used and unwanted junk to unwilling customers and use the funds to buy brand new products. Now I'm the fool for not reading through their entire ** "policy" and allow them to exploit me for not doing so. Never, ever, ever shopping there again in my entire existence and warning all friends and family about my awful experience. I'm just in shock that this is legal.
Reviewed Dec. 29, 2016
Even though I've been a customer for over 20 years, I won't shop at Barnes & Noble anymore. They refused to take back rejected Christmas gifts in perfect condition with gift receipts because "the price tag had been removed." Doesn't everyone remove the price tag before they give their gift? Cashier Joel ** said they don't generate the price tag at the store -- it is done at the corporate office -- so they can't take back the item (Store 2995). If you have a gift card, better use it quick -- this company will not be in business long.
Reviewed Dec. 27, 2016
I received at textbook back in September. I did not notice that the spine was damaged until a month into my rental. I did not think anything of it, except for B&N has ** textbooks for rentals. No other problems with the textbook, so why do I care that there is damage on the spine. I recently returned the book and got an email that I'm being charged for the full price of the book because it was damaged. I used the chat feature since I wasn't able to call right away. It was difficult to get the person to understand the situation and then trying to get some sort of resolution. Never got a resolution, just too frustrating to deal with right now. Do not use the chat feature. Plus, the person's name I was talking with was "Bong **" which I thought was unprofessional. That may be his real name, but I do not think B&N would want that as their first impression with customer service.
Reviewed Dec. 19, 2016
They accused me that my order for a Minecraft hardcover book for my son for Christmas didn't pass their verification and that they will refund it. They didn't tell me anything until almost Christmas. These guys are totally unprofessional and insulting. I will buy my books from Amazon from now on.
Reviewed Dec. 16, 2016
Barnes and Noble, Ventura Store has a Hispanic security that stalk on Hispanics customers. When confronted by customers, the security immediately overreact, challenging Barnes and Noble Customers to complain with the manager. When the manager arrived, he openly accepted that he instruct his Hispanic Security to harass Hispanic customers, which make sense because if the case reaches the court, he can argue against any allegation of discrimination, or racism since the Barnes and Noble security is Hispanic. What struck me the most was that other Barnes and Noble employees were congratulating the Hispanic security for "doing a good job." It seems that it is the policy implemented by the manager and that every employee is being instructed on this type of stalking, or harassment by profiling Hispanics. In conclusion, if you want to avoid problems, avoid Barnes and Noble, Ventura, California, if you are Hispanic.
Reviewed Dec. 16, 2016
I recently returned 3 books and received an email that Barnes and Noble is trying to charge me for one of the books. I made my first phone call to customer service and the person was no help, he claimed he was going to transfer me to a management team and lied and just disconnected my call. I called again and spoke to a lady who said she was going to transfer my call to a management team, I waited on the phone for 10 minutes and the call just went blank. I made a third call and the lady told me that the reason Barnes and Noble is trying to charge me for a book is because that the book was returned in bad condition. I then asked to speak to a manager because that was absolutely false. She transferred me to a management team member whose name is "Sean". He refused to give me his last name.
I told him that I returned the book how I received it, the book had a few highlighted pages and a little worn (which is expected for a USED BOOK). I did not consider it in bad condition because if I did I would have sent it back as soon as I received it in the mail. I am not going to be charged for a book I sent back in the same condition I received it. If the book was in such bad condition then why did Barnes and Noble send it out that way. His customer service was awful, Sean started off very nice at first, but then he became very rude. I feel this is unacceptable because someone wasn't doing their job when they sent out the book, because if so you all would have never sent out a book that is considered "bad condition".
Reviewed Dec. 13, 2016
NEVER RENT FROM BARNES & NOBLE. I have never had such a horrible experience with renting a textbook before. I've used Chegg & Amazon and have had zero issues. This is the first time that I have rented from Barnes & Noble, I returned the book and received a confirmation email. Months go by and I receive an email from a collections agency that the textbook was never returned. I contacted Barnes & Noble and they said that the book was returned but it was in poor condition so therefore I had been charged a buyout fee. I never received any emails from Barnes & Noble concerning this. Customer service was very unhelpful on the phone and insisted they could not reverse the charges and even noted that Barnes & Noble had never sent me the "courtesy" email. They insisted there was nothing that they could do and the "system" would not allow them to waive the fee. A $12 rental ended up costing me $104.
RENTERS BEWARE: IF YOU DON'T CONTACT BARNES & NOBLE WITHIN 21 DAYS OF RECEIVING THE BOOK TO NOTIFY THEM IF THERE IS ANY highlighting or underlining in the book, you will be charged the full cost of the book, as they consider this to be "damaged" and in "poor condition". Receiving a book that has highlighting and underlining is NORMAL in a used book. I will never shop at Barnes & Noble again or recommend anyone to use their services. Poor business practices and uncaring customer service.
Reviewed Nov. 26, 2016
I went into a Barnes and Noble store to buy gift cards for family members. I looked for a gift card that stated Merry Christmas. However, the clerk stated that those words might offend someone so they don't have them. Alright, maybe except right next to Happy Holiday cards were lots of cards with Happy Hanukkah on them. Perhaps the Barnes and Noble is not aware that Hanukkah is also a religious holiday! You would think with all the books they sell, they would realize that!!
Reviewed Nov. 22, 2016
A few months ago I discovered that my bank account had been charged nearly $400 through Barnes & Noble's website. I called Barnes & Noble to dispute the charges because I had not purchased anything through their website in months and the card that was on my online account was my CREDIT CARD not my bank card. They refused to help - the first person I spoke to told me it was my problem and they couldn't help me; the second person hung up on me. After 5 weeks of battling with them my bank refunded me the money and was going to take up the problem with B&N directly. In the meantime I had discovered that my credit card was being charged for a membership that I had never renewed. I called to dispute that and was told that I was not going to obtain a refund but they'd "happily" cancel the membership. This was over 6 months ago and I am STILL being charged a monthly fee and a fee for a membership.
I called again today to cancel the membership and was told that I would receive a confirmation email and the highest amount they could refund me was $25. I have not received the email yet and I'm still being charged a separate monthly fee so the first person I spoke to couldn't help with the fee so she transferred me to someone else who said they didn't see any transactions other than the membership fee and they had no way of looking up a charge with the card number that was being charged. He said all he knew was that according to my email address there's no other charges. I was told to keep calling and trying and I may eventually get someone who knows. This is ridiculous!
Reviewed Nov. 20, 2016
Don't rent textbooks from them. They don't even allow you to keep it long enough to get through a full Qtr. They charge another $14.33 for an 15 extra days, which still isn't enough time to get you through the end of the Qtr. So in dealing with them, you may as well purchase your textbook. I was just told that Amazon and other companies are better and there's no extra charge if you need an extension. Therefore, I will never rent with B&N again.
Reviewed Nov. 19, 2016
I received another 15% off coupon for anything on B&N.com. Used said coupon to order one book and one movie. Order placed on the 12th of November and the website said I would receive on the 17th. That day came, no order. I placed an phone call to customer service (a term I use lightly) and was connected with an employee I could barely understand who told me to "kindly wait until the end of the next day". Well, no order on the 18th. The UPS tracking now says the 21st. NINE days after the order was placed. I contacted B&N again and was given the same textbook apology, but no offer of anything other than "be patient". I expressed a desire to cancel my order as NINE days is ridiculous and was told it was impossible as the order is in transit. I asked for a supervisor, same story. Then I asked for that supervisor's supervisor. You can guess the rest of it.
After speaking with 4 employees, 3 of them "supervisors on the management team," all of whom did nothing besides quote company rhetoric, I'm in the same boat I was in yesterday. I can either suck it up and wait or I can suck it up and wait THEN send the order back to them because apparently they cannot communicate with UPS because it's a Friday. In 2016 one conglomerate is unable to communicate with another for 3 days. Unreal. Simply unreal. But wait, B&N will send me a label that I can use to return the package to them once I receive it on... you guess it MONDAY the 21st. I'm not an unreasonable person and I understand mistakes happen: we're human. But when you have a problem as a retailer and it's on your end, it's not the greatest PR to tell your customers there's squat you can do, suck it up and wait, then if you're still annoyed send it back to us because our policies allow for nothing else.
TLDR version of this: I will NEVER, EVER, EVER order from B&N.com again. No compensation, unbelievable inability to address a problem short of waiting 3 additional days, snotty "supervisors" who tell me they've "offered me a solution" and it's my fault that I'm unwilling to accept it, complete misrepresentations on delivery times, a surreal experience that has left a rancid taste in my mouth and still no order. I could've (and most definitely should have) ordered my items from Amazon.com and had them in 2 days. Sorry B&N, but $2.54 off one item isn't remotely worth this headache.
I've shopped at B&N for 30+ years and never had an issue; frankly it's incredibly rare to have an issue like this with any retailer but to be literally unwilling or unable to fix a problem until NINE days have passed is mind-boggling. Never again B&N, never again. Order from Amazon.com ladies and gentlemen. Better prices, better customer service and no employees telling you it's too bad you don't like it, but oh well.
Reviewed Nov. 11, 2016
I am a Barnes and Noble member and ordered a textbook. MA member benefit is free express shipping. My confirmation email said it was being sent standard shipping. I called Barnes and Noble to have the shipping changed and they said they couldn't do anything about it. They said my email wasn't linked and it tells me to link in the "terms and conditions". (I believe that is the small writing at the bottom that no one reads.) Also the coupons I receive don't work on textbooks. I have three children in college and one of the main reasons I signed up for a membership was for the coupons and express shipping. Neither benefit me. I will never sign up for a membership again.
Reviewed Oct. 15, 2016
I am disappointed at customer service of Barnes & Noble at Princeton NJ. The sales person recommended 2 books and promised that after I will pay, they will be nicely wrapped. Of course, the lady at the cash register refuse to do wrapping, because she was too "busy" and advice me to tell the manager to hired more people.
Reviewed Oct. 5, 2016
I have a Nook HD+ that I've had for almost 2 yrs now. Just recently they did an update to 2.2.0 but now my Nook will not work. Called customer support, they tried rebooting but to no avail. Customer support then told me there was nothing more they could do but wanted to sell me an out of warranty product for $119. Do they think people are crazy enough to do that. I think they need to fix the update that caused the problem to begin with. Not expect me to pay $119 for something that also may not work and have no warranty to cover it. Will never purchase another Nook again or purchase from Barnes and Noble again. Seems all they want is people's money and not help them out when it's the company's fault. So so disappointed in B&N.
Reviewed Oct. 1, 2016
I ordered two books from Barnes and Noble with the expected delivery date being Monday (Which I paid extra shipping for), the day my college classes started. One book was delivered that day. The other, I got an email Sunday night saying it was delayed and had not been shipped. On Friday, after still not having heard from B&N and going through a week of class without the book I needed, I emailed B&N and said I wanted to cancel the order because I can't wait any longer for the book. I got an email back saying "Unfortunately, we are unable to obtain a copy of Chemistry: Structure and Dynamics".
If they were unable to obtain a copy of the book and did not even have it in their possession then they should not have accepted my order and given me an expected delivery date. I don't know if I will ever order from B&N again, but if I have to I would just make sure I did not need the book in the near future just in case there are shipping delays because they don't even have the book. Disappointing experience.
Reviewed Sept. 19, 2016
Order a textbook from Barnes & Noble and two days later received a notification that the book was out of stock. I just double checked and the book is not out of stock. The seller had relisted the textbook and has increased the tax. I contacted Barnes & Noble customer service hoping to reach an amicable solution. I stated it was unreasonable to relist the same item and increase the price. I received a message saying it was not their place to intervene. I purchased the textbook from a seller through Barnes & Noble's website. Barnes & Noble should have full authority over their customers' experience on the website, in their stores, anything that involves their brand. Reading the other reports on this site and on Facebook, this type of indifference is the Barnes & Noble customer experience.
Reviewed Sept. 13, 2016
I bought a Barnes & Noble Nook HD+ about 2 1/2 years ago for more than $200, in addition to several other accessories totaling about $100. Not long after, the tablet suffered a 99% boot-up/white screen event, which has already been described by several other Nook HD purchasers in this website. The solution to the problem offered by B & N's online help desk got my Nook going again, but it also made every byte of data stored on the device disappear forever. Not long after that, the charge cord would not work to charge the device, even after being plugged in for days! I carefully checked every connection, and the cord still often wouldn't work. About a year ago, I bought a 32 GB sd card to expand memory, and I never could get that to work despite following installation instructions to the letter and trying every trick suggested by B & N and Nook+ owners who have written in to the company's chat line.
Now my device just sits around with a black screen, incapable of being turned on. Is it any wonder B & N stopped selling these rectangular pieces of **? (The wonder that remains is why the company still sells tablets made by Samsung, which is the outfit that made all Nook devices. Have you heard that Samsung tablets all over the world are erupting in flames? They're now banned from in-flight use by every airline in the world!) Well, so much for B & N electronics. In fact, so much for everything that B&N sells-- I've had enough this company!
Reviewed Sept. 6, 2016
Nook HD does not support movies on their device. They require you to download CinemaNow or Disney movies anytime for movies I've already purchased and thought was downloaded onto my Nook. Major issue: customer support makes you wait 1-5 days for a validation code email to transfer your movies in order to view from your Nook. After 3 weeks, no email and numerous calls to their customer service puts you in a never ending loop of no support. The email address they gave me to send my complaint to is invalid. I reconfirmed the email three times to make sure I got it right and tried different combinations to no avail (**... using variations and periods in between and combinations or name and executive office, etc. They basically gave me a bad email address).
After calling for the 4th time, I finally got a 'supervisor' that gave me a validation code then hung up on me saying her job was done and I now had to follow up with CinemaNow because some of the movies I already paid for did not transfer and they did not provide credit. Disney movies anywhere that Nook support told me to call, sent me an email after a few attempts of email support that they do not have an app that support the Nook. (WTF???) Problem with Nook, no technical support... I can't download CinemaNow on my Nook because I don't have enough memory to download their app on my Nook. I have a Nook HD with scan disk though I should be able to download a whole lot of stuff but then again... no Nook support for viewing movies on my Nook. I have 3 children and I purchase a lot of gift cards as well as receive them as gifts.
I will now ask that no Barnes and Noble gift cards be given to my children. Barnes and Noble does not stand behind their product. I've purchased a few movies with plenty of space on my Nook to view but I can't watch any of them now. You would think if you purchase something for download onto your Nook which is why you pay extra for HD and scan disk option, that when you buy a movie it will be downloaded onto that device and thus be able to enjoy as long as the life of the Nook. This is a crime. Barnes and Noble are misleading in their advertising and promotions and taking advantage of consumers. This is not right. Someone please help!
Reviewed Sept. 4, 2016
Paid four dollars for coffee never received. I was treated with no respect by a cashier at Barnes & Noble bookstore. Was my first visit, his name was Calen **. I paid almost five dollars for two cups of coffee. I never received a rip off right to my face. Yes they're at the Mayfair shopping mall in Wilmington NC. I WILL NEVER GO BACK!!!
Reviewed Sept. 3, 2016
My first experience with Barnes and Noble started out great. I am a college student and decided to rent my textbook from Barnes and Noble because the price was low. I received my book only a couple days after ordering which was very nice, afterwards is where I started to have issues. I bought my textbook as a rental and I went past the due date. It was my mistake but I still needed the book so I called customer service and told the agent I wanted to do a buyout instead of a rental. I paid extra to buy the book, over $100, and I thought everything was great, it was not. The customer service agent forgot to charge me for the buyout even though I gave him all of my card information. I called again and told the next agent what happened and she was nice and charged me to buy the book. I was then charged a fee for a late rental.
I called customer service back and said "I bought the book. Do I need to pay the late fee," they told me "Don't worry about it. It is a mistake." A month later I get an email from collections saying Barnes and Noble never received payment. I called Barnes and Noble back and was put on a 45 minute hold for them to tell me they will look into it. I called back the next day because I received another email from collections, the customer service at Barnes and Noble said it is a mistake they will remove me from that. Not only did my credit get hit for this order but I had to pay extra late fees for a book I bought out. I will never shop with Barnes and Noble again.
Reviewed Sept. 1, 2016
I rented a textbook from B&N. According to my order, the book would've arrived three days after my class began, which still would've given me ample time to complete my assignment. Well, the book arrived late on a Wednesday night. And, lo and behold, it was the wrong book! It wasn't even a textbook. It's a book about learning how to play the piano.
So, I called customer service and was told that there is nothing that they could do. I told the lady that I wanted a refund. Of course a refund is not possible until the book is returned back to the warehouse. Then I have to wait 1-2 billing cycles until the refund is applied back into my account. And to make matters worse, I was told that I would have to reorder the textbook. I will definitely not be ordering my textbook from B&N. Now I have to take out the time to go back online, search for the textbook and pay full price because I cannot wait for any more days to read my chapters!
I am so disappointed in B&N. I absolutely refuse to utilize their services for any of my textbook needs. I understand that people make mistakes and others have to pick up the slack to try and fix the mistakes. But, there should be some sort of solution for the customer. Especially since this seems to happen quite a bit. I am out of my money (until it's refunded) and still have to purchase a textbook. I wish I had read some of the reviews on this site before I ordered from B&N. Hopefully this will help someone else out.
Reviewed Aug. 30, 2016
I will never order textbooks from Barnes and Noble again. My experience was pathetic. I ordered textbooks from the Barnes and Noble in San Jose, CA. It took two salespersons to enter and re-enter shipping information into a seemingly antiquated computer system. The salespersons were not able to make simple adjustments to my shipping information as they kept making typing errors. This necessitated the employees completely re-entering the required information.
My books arrived 4 weeks later, after the start of school. Despite a US-Postal tracking number and paying for express shipping, the package was lost in the system. I called Barnes and Noble to let them know that the books had not arrived, but at that time, I was informed that the textbooks that I wanted were then "out of stock". The lady on the phone representing Barnes and Noble told me that she would give me a refund as I would have to purchase the books from another store. The attitude of the online personnel was somewhat indifferent. To add insult to injury, the refund was never issued.
In the meantime, my books arrived from another vendor. My order from Barnes and Noble eventually arrived. I took the books back to Barnes and Noble in San Jose who said that they could only offer me store credit. A full refund was not possible because I was returning "textbooks". If I wanted a full refund, I would have to send the books back to barnesandnoble.com. At that time, I decided to cut my losses and accept the store credit. Never, ever will I order from Barnes and Noble online again. Pathetic, incompetent and sad are adjectives that come to mind. It is no wonder Barnes and Noble e-commerce business has been described as "shriveling" by Fortune magazine.
Reviewed Aug. 26, 2016
I wish I had read the reviews here before I ordered. Forget what you know about the old brick and mortar Barnes and Noble stores. Online orders never get delivered. Wait over a month to get your textbooks. Basically, you think you're getting a great price, order your textbooks ahead of time and then they never arrive. You're forced to buy textbooks last minute and end up paying 3 times the amount. Maybe they're working with the textbook publishers to screw students over so they're forced to buy at their local College bookstore, which is always 5 times the price. I'll never use Barnes and Noble for online orders again. The internet didn't kill Barnes and Noble stores, THEY OFFED THEMSELVES WITH HORRIBLE SHIPPING!
Reviewed Aug. 25, 2016
I need to purchase a book for studies. The book isn't available for purchase in stores and I am told to order the book online. I then went online to order the book & again there is no stock available. I contact the customer service department and they tell me that there is nothing that they can do. I must just check back every now and then and order the book when it is in stock. So I asked them, whether there isn't a system in place in their company where I can bring to someone's attention that this specific book isn't in stock and that they should make it a priority to get that specific book. Surely, there is a department or person responsible for ordering their stock from publishers...
Alas to my dismay, in a first world country, where one would imagine anything and everything is possible, there is no such system in place. This is shocking. No customer service whatsoever. I won't support Barnes and Noble anymore, and guess what? They don't care. To loose one customer isn't going to bring their business down, so why should there be any service? I am highly disgusted.
Reviewed Aug. 23, 2016
I have ordered books online through my NOOK for the past 4 years and there has never been a problem with the amounts coming out of my account. Well on the 1st of August, now there has been added a 6% sales tax when ordering all downloadable items such as books, apps and music. I have no problem with that except the people at Barnes and Noble NOOK do not know how to get their act together especially when they overcharge me twice at 2 different prices for the books and I had to contact my bank to stop payment and put a claim on all transactions and investigate till the bank found out the correct amounts and Barnes and Noble has done this to me twice now, overcharging.
And what I mean by that is, for example, if I ordered a book priced at $2.99 and you add 6% sales tax on to it, I should be charged $3.17. Well shortly thereafter Barnes and Noble submitted a charge of $3.23 and I called my bank immediately and they put a stop on the payment and put in a claim. Well 2 weeks later I ordered 10 books thinking Barnes and Noble learned of their error and again I was charged different prices for these 10 books, charged 6% tax and then shortly thereafter Barnes and Noble submitted the charges with 8% tax added. So if I did not check my online banking that day, Barnes and Noble would have received payment for more than double the price of these books.
Before the sales tax was added for all downloadable items, ordering books on my NOOK was not a problem but apparently someone at Barnes and Noble does not know what they are doing. You do not charge a person a 6% State tax for the book, then again recharge the customer again with an 8% tax, so basically 14% tax was applied to each book! I am an avid reader and I think after these 2 experiences, it is highly doubtful that I will be ordering any more books on my NOOK. My bank suggested that if I want to order in the future, I should put a little amount at a time on my card for each book, since I got a prepaid card for ordering anything online so the merchant cannot take out more money than what is on my card.
I told my bank that is long and time consuming if down the road I decide to order more than 1 book; so if I decide to order 5 books, my bank is telling me to order the 1st book and only put the amount of the book with the tax included in the account, then wait the next day to order the other book. So if I want to purchase 5 books, that will take me 5 days instead of doing it all at one time, all because someone at Barnes and Noble does not know what they are doing! My bank tells me they are swiping my account twice! I think after the holidays I will inquire about the Amazon Kindle for all my e-reader books. Maybe the people at Amazon Kindle know what they are doing and when I purchase a book. I will only get charged one time instead of twice and at a higher price!
These past 2 experiences have caused me nothing but a nightmare and a migraine headache because if it wasn't for me checking my online banking and catching this in time my bank would have gave Barnes and Noble double the amount for payment for all these books! And if you call any Barnes and Noble bookstores in your city, all you get from them is they have no control over what customer service at NOOK does! So Barnes and Noble NOOK will not be seeing any future purchases from me because of their inconsiderate mistakes!
Reviewed Aug. 22, 2016
I rented books for my summer semester, gave them everything they needed. Immediate they took the money off of my card and when I asked them why did they take it off and not just put a hold on it they responded by saying it was for insurance invade anything happened to the book but once I return the book the money will be refunded. OK not a big deal. The semester ended, I take the books back, get my email confirmation that the books are in salable condition, I fulfilled my rental agreement.
So now I wait for the refund, the last time I rented books, I received the refund within five days. It's been two weeks, I called numerous times no answer, so I send a email and finally today I get a respond. They tell me, my books were checked in, I don't get a refund for checking books in!? I returned the books to the store as I did my last semester but this time I checked the book in? What a scam. And they send me an email showing me a refund that was processed in the beginning of the summer semester from three books I returned because I didn't take those classes. Nonetheless I will get answers but I don't recommend doing business with them.
Reviewed Aug. 16, 2016
I ordered three college text books on August 13. Two days later I called Barnes and Noble to make sure they were actually going to get my books to me. I was informed that one item is not in stock and I will not receive it at all, and the other two were also not in stock but that they should be able to find the books within a week or two. My classes start this week so I informed Barnes and Noble to CANCEL the entire order as I would just use another seller and not use them ever again. They then canceled the one book they did not have but then CREATED a shipping label for the other two book within one minute of the canceling then told me I could not cancel for the two that they just created a shipping label for.
At no point was I told I could return these other two books with a $5 fee. At no point did Barnes and Noble even contact me to inform me they did not have the book I needed in stock. The entire experience was horrible and I am not finding the same textbooks for cheaper with Amazon two day shipping. I would merely like to return these books to Barnes and Noble and never ever spend a single penny with this company even again. You have been warned.
Reviewed Aug. 11, 2016
So about a year ago I rented a couple of books with Barnes & Noble. I printed out the label a month after they were supposed to be returned and the instructions were to place the books in one box and to return them so that's what I did. I went to my near by UPS to send the books back to them. Then within a few days I got an email confirming that they have received these books, I even checked online and it says that the books have been returned. Then recently almost a year later I get a letter in the mail from a charging agency whatever they're called that I have to pay about 40 bucks worth of late fees because Barnes & Noble didn't receive the books on time. When I turned them in a month after.
And now I'm receiving emails from Barnes & Noble wanting to charge an extension of these books on my credit card. So then I called customer service to get this dealt with because I have returned the books and have received an email confirming they got it. The lady tells me that she needs the tracking number from UPS which I don't have anymore because it's been almost a year since I have returned these books. So she tells me she can't help me until I have the tracking number. I am not going to be renting books here again. They should have a better way of tracking their books.
Reviewed Aug. 10, 2016
Bought 2 nooks for my kids about 2 years ago. Used them for about 1/2 a year. Put them up to not lose them. Tried to charge them last week and nothing. Called customer service. They told me to take them to the store. Did that and nothing still. Well one would come on for about 3 seconds and cut back off. The store told me to call customer service. Did that today. Out of warranty. How convenient. Told me I can buy a replacement. So I am out of not one but two nooks. How can both be bad??? Why should I pay for their piece of crap devices. I have a KINDLE that is older than both of these and fired right back up. And not to mention they don't give these things away. Paid a good bit for them. Never again.
Reviewed Aug. 8, 2016
Paid $25 in 2014 July. I was not told by store associate when I register that this is going to be renewed automatically. But, they did automatically by charging $25. I did not notice in 2015 and I never went to B&N. Again, they charged me $25 this year also. I happened to notice the charge. Called them they returned this year charge. But, they said that they cannot do anything for last year and their senior management team told me to contact credit card company to dispute. I am disappoint to hear that irresponsible response. I at least asked to refund the this year fee $25 and extend my membership because I paid last year but never used it. So, I am highly disappointed. What should be done?
Reviewed Aug. 2, 2016
Approx. 1 year I rented two textbooks from Barnes & Noble. Upon completion of the semester (December 2015) I logged into my account to return the books. On the printed data it stated to place all books in one box and send back via UPS. I loaded both books into a box, affixed a shipping label and sent. The problem arose when they received the box. Since I only affixed one shipping label (each item apparently has its own label) they did not record that both books were returned. Upon numerous phone calls with customer service I was told it was taken care of. Now 8 months later I have been sent to a collection agency for the price of the unreturned book. If they only expected one book in the box and received two, you would think it would have raised questions or would have been reviewed. There should be a better checks and balances system for a company of this size. These books need to have a way to be tracked.
Reviewed Aug. 2, 2016
I have been using this company for years and I have been ok with it. It was expensive and the people who work for the stores are very rude but I loved the buildings. Until today, I learned that even though I have been with this company for years I mean nothing to them. So when after I bought not one one but two devices with them and both just stopped working, the only choice they give me is buy a new one that is worth more than the other two put together. So I just wanted to know what I could do about these. All I wanted was something to read off of. But Since both were older models he could do nothing about it but sell me the newest one. I now know that the next time the newest book comes out or I get an e-reader, it will not be Nook.
Reviewed July 31, 2016
This is not the first time where B&N has played games with me on a pre-order. A few years ago, I pre-ordered a book from their website. Within a few days of the release date, the initial online price was changed, nowhere on the site at the time was I advised that prices for pre-orders were subject to change (at least Amazon had the decency to put that on their site). Well, I decided to give them a second chance and pre-order the new Harry Potter which in an email I was notified that it would be in the store on 7/31/16 and ready for pick-up that day. I go to the store to pick it up on said day, and I was given some c&b story that the shipment was damaged and I would have to call at another day to pick it up.
What they weren't admitting was that they only ordered enough for the midnight party they had the day before and that anyone who did not show up then would not be getting a copy. What's even worse, was that I was NEVER notified either by phone or email of the so-called 'damaged' shipment. Had I been notified like I should have, I would not have wasted my time. This is the FINAL time I will ever pre-order ANYTHING from B&N!
Reviewed July 20, 2016
I received a small marble green owl as a gift. At age 70 yrs., I really do not need another knick-knack and assumed it would go in an eventual garage sale for a dollar. Then saw its price is $16.95 for a 4 inch high owl! For that price I would rather put a book on my Nook. Within days of receiving it I brought it back to B&N store in a B&N bag. There is no possibility of returning for a store credit. None! Reason: Manager said it could have been purchased on website for lower price so the receipt must accompany any return. I requested a return credit toward purchasing a book for my Nook at whatever the lower price now was.
Manager denied my request. I asked if the item was currently being sold in this store, and he replied "yes, it was, at full price", but no credit could be given. When I got home, I checked website and the owl is $16.95 there also. So I don't understand his reason, except to deny any return. So my lesson today: NEVER, never buy a gift at B&N as they do not honor a return. I will soon send my Nook (which works OK?) to electronic recycling as I chose not to do business with a store giving this type of service. I'm buying a Kindle for future use. Goodbye B&N. Bought several gifts there last holiday season, but not this year.
Reviewed July 20, 2016
So apparently I purchased a textbook, but the purchase did not go through. They sent me "emails" about it without stating in the email what the message was about. Therefore, I ignored it thinking it was one of their emails promoting one of their products and such. Now 9 months later, I receive letters in the mail from debt collectors stating that a payment did not go through. Yet on my freakin account on B&N, nowhere on it does it state I owe money. WTF? There is no issue on my account and they vaguely send out emails about it. No phone calls with voicemails regarding the issue, no notification on my B&N account, nothing. I had no idea the charge did not go through.
So today I contacted customer service. Horrible experience. First live chat, I was disconnected. Second time, it felt like I was talking to a freakin robot. They also kept redirecting me to another number or service. First time I called, I had to contact another number but wait an hour because of the high traffic. Second time, couldn't get through. Third time, the agent was horrible and barely answered my questions. She said they contacted me through email but once they couldn't reach me. So why not call and leave a voicemail? Why not try a different approach? Obviously their approach is so you lose money and get in situations that can hurt you. I hate Barnes & Noble. I will leave as many bad reviews and ratings as possible and share my poor experience with them. Never again. Barnes and Noble you're a piece of **. I miss Borders.
Reviewed July 9, 2016
After 6 months the tablet started doing crazy things so I took it into the store. I had purchased the two-year warranty. I was told I had to send it back through the Barnes & Noble cust. support center not thru the store. In very bad English I was told I would receive a UPS label to do so by email. Three days later I got an email. It was a return UPS label. No information, just a label. Ummm. Ok so I trusted this method and sent it out next day. Week goes by... nothing. Two weeks... nothing. I call. Again, very bad English. "We just received your tablet, it will take approx. 10 business days." Ok... great so we have some progress. On the 10th business day I call. "We don't have information on why it hasn't processed yet, may take another 10 business day." "Ummm. Ok, you've now had my tablet a month." So I wait another 10 business days. I call again and I'm told the same thing. It has now been two months without a tablet and I still get no answers.
They do however keep wanting me to give them my credit card number which I refuse to do. They say it's to prove who I am. "Ummm, that's weird. I have a tracking number, serial number, name, phone, email address, and order number. I think that is enough proof. You don't need my c/c number. Just give me back my tablet or send me a replacement..." Never again Barnes & Noble and never again Samsung, which is sad since I have three large Samsung flat screens, a Samsung phone, a Samsung fridge, microwave, oven, and dishwasher. I've always loved their products and never had a problem but this is beyond bad customer service.
Reviewed June 25, 2016
Yesterday I received an email that said, "You previously received an email informing you that you were eligible for an electronic credit as part of the Apple Settlement. We're happy to let you know that your eBook Settlement credit for $74.82 is now in your Barnes & Noble account and ready to spend." Four years ago I stopped using Barnes and Noble. Their prices were higher than other bookstores and Amazon, the customer service was lousy and I had purchased five Nooks that died either before the warranty was expired or within weeks of the warranty expiring. Warranties were not honors. All five sit in a drawer wishing to be used. Need to find out where to dispose of them.
I switched to a Samsung and downloaded the Amazon Kindle app and have been happily reading now for four years on the same unit I purchased all those years ago. Rarely have a problem with Amazon and when I do, customer service is awesome. Went to Barnes & Noble website and verified that I had the money in my account. So, I now have a credit. Books on my "to buy list" so I went through the hoops. Downloaded the app, updated my credit card and address -- even though they had the correct address, they made me reenter it. Attempted to purchase a eBook. THREE TIMES. All three times it was canceled. No online help available. Customer service was closed. So I called today when they were open.
The very soft-spoken, heavily accented person I spoke to, finally got around to being verbal enough to tell me I had to call the "sales audit department" that they are the ones who canceled the orders. They are not open until Monday. Can I use the credit? No. Why didn't the book sale go through even though I have that credit on the account? No idea. Have to speak with them. So -- I will spend another hour of my life trying to get 74 bucks in credit when I have already spent two hours updating apps, banking, address, putting an order through and trying to resolve this.
Is 3 hours of my life worth this idiocy? I don't think so. Decided I will get something physical (Star Trek complete collection, that costs 20 bucks less on Amazon) and delete the dang Barnes & Noble app. Here is hoping they do not go out of business before I get the merchandise. Never doing business with them again.
Reviewed June 21, 2016
I rented a book from Barnes and Noble in November 2015. The book was returned in April it was a few weeks late. However they received a book and I was sent confirmation. I removed my credit card information from my online account which I received confirmation stating a change was made to the account so I am thinking that Barnes and Noble would no longer have access to my credit card. However to my surprise today, June 20th, I was charged $189.30 for an unreturned book that I returned and to a credit card that I thought they no longer have access to.
I spoke to a representative I will receive a credit back to my account in a couple of business days. I was charged in error, but I did learn something very important today, Barnes and Noble is not a company to be trusted with your credit cards. Although you think you have removed your personal information from your online account, they still have access to it and that they can use when the mood strikes them and they do not have to let you know when you will be charged. They don't have to call you, send you an email a letter or a text and that they will keep your credit card information as long as they want and will use it whenever, wherever or however they feel.
Reviewed June 16, 2016
I ordered two rental books last August 5 and received them without problem. I returned the two rental books two weeks before they were due. Guess what! B&N said they did not receive them. After several emails back and forth between myself and B&N, they said that I would have to buy out the books. After much disgust, I called them in April to buy out books. After receiving the buyout amount for the two books, I paid for them and my account was cleared. Today, June 16th, I received a notice in my email that my credit card had been charged $5.99 for a late fee on one of the books that I bought out. After spending 20 minutes on the phone with a "representative" all she could say was "I'm sorry" but the charge is for a late fee on the book. After losing my temper, I closed my credit card and account with B&N. I hope they choke on taking another bite out of the pie.
Reviewed June 12, 2016
Impossible to find the proper links to navigate to the return label. It sets you up to HAVE to call customer service (which is another story - impossible to understand the dialect). This cost me a one day delay in getting the book back which generated a $31 late fee. Whether 1 day late or 15 days, fee the same. THEN they wrote saying they could not get the late charge through my credit card though I knew that was not true) AND threatened litigation in the same breath! I never have a balance on any of my cards and when I called up the credit card company to find out the what the story was they said no charge had been declined or put through by them. Just don't like the way they operate. Watch your step with these people.
Reviewed May 31, 2016
I ordered 3 books on April 21st for my granddaughters Nook. The books acted like they were downloading but they wouldn't open up. But my account was charged $30. I called customer service. Which by the way took at least 15 minutes. They barely spoke or understood English, and you're calling the Philippines so the connection is terrible. They were going to solve my download problem and try again in 2 weeks. Guess what? It didn't work! So I went through the same BS three more times. I finally asked for a refund on May 21st. Guess what? It's May 31st and it still hasn't hit my bank. So I have to call the Philippines again. Get hung up on. Call back and try to talk through a line full of static, and I have been on the phone for 25 minutes and nothing has been accomplished. It's easy people. Refund my $30. What is so hard about that? Barnes & Noble needs to bring all these jobs back to the US. How about some free books for all my troubles???
Reviewed May 31, 2016
I placed a NOOK Books order for 5 Nook books. I always hit the choice for a "Nook" book and never for a paperback or hardback. 3 hours goes by and one of the books doesn't show up for download. I call cust service. They say I ordered a paperback. We disagree. I ask them to cancel the shipment of the paperback and they say that it is already "scheduled" and they can't cancel the order. THREE HOURS AFTER I PLACED IT!!! They say I can refuse shipment. Yeah right!!! I'm supposed to wait at the mailbox everyday!!! NOT. They say I can return it. It's an $8 book. They charged me $4 shipping and I'm supposed to pay another $4 to ship it back. Are they ** crazy!!! Screw this company. They've lost a customer for life.
Reviewed May 28, 2016
As I liked the ease and look of the Nook software better than that of the Kindle, I purchased a new Nook book for PC on May 25, 2016 and downloaded to my laptop. On the 28th I tried downloading the same book to my desktop but it would not download? Doing an online chat with a representative from Barnes and Noble I was told that they no longer supported Windows 7? "When did this occur?" I asked. The rep could not tell me? "Could I get my money back as it had only been three days since my purchase and in my opinion I did not get a complete download to all my devices?" I was told that once a download happened I was not eligible for a refund. I mentioned, "Well had this been a paperback book there would have been no problem returning it!"
After the chat session I was very upset! And here are my thoughts and conclusion to companies that don't give good service and don't warn consumers of possible problems before they purchase. In the past I've purchased several books, both online Nook, and in store hardcover. I belonged to the discount club for years. But after this experience, I'll never buy another item from Barnes and Noble (either in store or online!). I did an online chat with Amazon Kindle people and they have no problem servicing Windows 7. Guess I'll be purchasing a lot more from Amazon.com from now on!!
Reviewed May 28, 2016
I ordered two textbooks this past semester, one from Amazon and one from B&N. I accidentally returned both textbooks to B&N. This was completely and totally my fault; however, I contacted B&N right away and explained the situation. First off, I kept getting transferred and no one really seemed to understand the issue. Once I was finally able to speak with someone, she had virtually no information she could give me, just that they'll look for the book. I'm informed that I will be emailed once they locate my mistakenly sent textbook. Days go by. I received an email confirming that I returned their textbook, but no word on the one that does not belong to them. I phoned again. "Our warehouses are looking." No further information. They said they will contact me once they find it.
A few more days go by and I called again. Apparently they found it, but did not bother to email me. Additionally, they did not bother to send it back to me. They found it on Wednesday. It's Friday, and this upcoming Monday is a holiday. All of this together apparently renders B&N helpless. I have not been given a date that they will send me the book. Even after being transferred to a supervisor, he says the earliest I would maybe (but probably not) get the book is in a week. Past the date that it was due to Amazon, which costs me an extension fee, in addition to the money B&N will charge me to send me my book.
The most infuriating part of this is the fact that no one seems to care. But why should they? They got their textbook back. Who cares if they never send me mine and I just have to pay a measly $90 to Amazon to own the book. I am not excusing my mistake, which caused this fiasco; however, B&N has handled this situation spectacularly poorly. Through previous customer service interactions with other mega-corporations, I can confidently say that I have never been so displeased. I will rent my textbooks elsewhere. Crossing my fingers that I actually get it back.
Reviewed May 18, 2016
I rented a textbook. I returned it with two other textbooks. B&N acknowledges getting two of them but not the expensive one. I maxed out three credit cards trying to pay for the book. I spent endless hours on the phone with customer service. Finally they said it was resolved. Oh yeah, it was resolved. They sent me to collections and blocked my account. I cannot buy anything from B&N. I spent $300+ on a crappy used textbook that they have and have no doubt rented out and I am going to be battling collections agencies. DO NOT EVER RENT FROM B&N.
Reviewed May 11, 2016
I went online and a website that had Barnes and Noble for name was selling a book I needed for class. I ordered the book which promised 3-5 business day shipping but did not receive the book as specified. When I called customer service (which I had to Google because the confirmation email did not list any contact numbers) I was told that it was indeed a Barnes and Noble website but the book was coming from "a third-party". I became upset because nowhere on the website did it indicate the book was being shipped via third-party and had I known this I would not have ordered the book. The guy then gave me an email address and told me to email the seller because he couldn't provide me with any other information.
I emailed the seller who returned a message the next day giving me a tracking number with instructions to follow-up on the book in 48 hours so the information would update. This told me that they just shipped the book, if that's what they did. This was upsetting again because I should not have had to call/email anybody in order to get the book shipped.
The book was ordered 5/1/16 and today, 5/11/16, when I called to inquire about the book, I was told that the book is scheduled to deliver on 5/20/16!!! Horrible horrible customer service. Books should be mailed once the order is placed. I should not have to wait for a book for 20 days if it is being shipped in the U.S. I requested my money back because the class is a fast paced class and 5/20/16 will be too late, I will no longer have a need for the book. When I asked for a refund from the manager, I was told to contact the seller after the book is received and await instructions. People, if you are in need of a book AND fast, I do not recommend Barnes and nobles. I am thinking now that I will be out of money for a book regardless of use because I will probably have to pay shipping just to send it back. Stay away from this company, the service is unacceptable and customers don't matter!!!
Reviewed May 5, 2016
My daughter and I share a B&N account but each have our own cards on file. Long story short she rented a book and returned the wrong one so B&N disposed of it instead of returning, emailing, calling, or sending a letter. Since she was done with college she closed her school bank account and opened one locally. Well B&N charged my bank account for the book because they marked it as not returned. LEGALLY they cannot use my card without my authorization and since it was not the card that was used to order the book, they can't just decide that they want to charge a different card. It took me an hour of arguing with every idiot that they have in customer service before I asked for a manager. Thirty minutes later and several threats of fraud charges they issued me a refund to my card. However I had to pay the shipping costs and was told that my refund would come when they receive the book.
Reviewed May 3, 2016
Whatever happened to Great Customer Service? The Coffee shop being the worst inside Barnes & Noble, the Kendall location in Miami. I believe closing time is 11pm. The rudest lady on earth (short black hair, very old, wears glasses), starts her closing at 10:20pm. She slams chairs around, makes a huge racket with tables, gives you the mean (leave) glare, and throws dust all over your feet as she sweeps. This woman needs to be put to a stop before I or anyone else slaps a lawsuit for harassment. I told her to please not throw the dust she sweeps at us because my daughter has Asthma. It was only 10:40pm.
When I got up to go to the bathroom, my daughter says that she cursed at her in Spanish. Although I am Spanish, my daughter is not. But she does know when someone is telling her bad stuff. We waited to see what she would do or say to others as time got closer to closing... and she told a couple at the corner to leave so she could clean, and another man as well. Now, as far as I know, the store is open until 11pm and no one is to be thrown out before that very minute. I told the people to complain, and keep in touch with me. This lady needs to be removed.
Reviewed May 2, 2016
Originally, the young lady was very helpful and after paying for it she was going to download my books from my previous. She offered me their card for $25.00 and said that would get me ten percent off the nook but when checking out stated that was not offered anymore. She tried to get on the Wi-Fi but it would not work. She then called her boss who said she could open another one. He then walked over and asked if I had purchased the extended warranty I had just paid for five minutes earlier. He walked to the middle of the store and got the Wi-Fi, brought it back and she tried again. It kept disconnecting. She then opened another one and I went to the register for the exchange. She asked for my credit card and I asked why and she said so she could return it and then ring it again.
I stated that would be charging my card twice and tying up $400.00 instead of $200.00. Manager came over and said he would void the previous sale but that we all know does not make a difference as they had already got an authorization. I called my bank as he was trying and got disconnected. Bottom line, I did purchase another one and when leaving asked if it did not work when I got it home if they would exchange. He said he would troubleshoot. I have not opened and will return tomorrow. I am done with Barnes and Noble. The unit is brand new, why would you troubleshoot? They also removed all except the hard wooden chairs to keep the children and seniors out and said that if you want to sit down go to the Starbucks in the back of the store.
Reviewed April 23, 2016
I received my Barclaycard Barnes & Noble MasterCard back in June of 2015. I was "approved" easily. Yes. I did not use this card at all. I have four 0% interest rate credit cards right now. This card came in at 21.5% interest you see. This was a $2,500.00 limit credit card. Finally on March 9, 2016 I wanted to buy myself a brand new almost leather sofa. I also decided to take advantage of this Barnes & Noble MasterCard 3.9% interest balance transfer offer. This 0% card runs out in June 2016 and I cannot wait in order to receive this offer from Barclaycard either now. The sofa was $509.00. I made three small local area purchases and this balance transfer was $1,747.63. There is a fee here as well. Okay so I used my credit card. My balance was now $2,347.72.
But oh wait! I had the cash for my sofa already now. I was simply "credit building" for myself. I made a payment to this credit card, $475.00. Oh yes! And I waited. Oh yes! And here comes the misery. "Payment returned. Unable to find bank checking account." Yes. The word used was "returned." Okay. This website was already broken when I got there. I called Barclaycard. "Your account has been shut down...(pause of sarcasm) fraud." My Bank of America checking account is good. Of course. "We are unable to locate this bank account." LOL. I started laughing hilariously. This fraud is not on my end. No. These idiots do not realize that someone was probably trying to illegally use my credit card from this shady 'now named in a lawsuit' sofa selling company.
Yes. I just this week took this sofa company to court. They never had my sofa for me. My court case is this: $509.00 + $90.00 court fees. Oh yes. I made my moves. "Joseph just removed all of this debt from this credit card while all of earth just stood here gloating at his sofa buying untimely (fake) demise." I paid this credit card on off in full. Yes all $2347.72. Bang! I called and they are still illegally running their mouths to me. I said "Goodbye for now then." Oh yes! And I hung on up my home phone.
Reviewed April 22, 2016
This place has a low level and unprofessional leadership. Female employee dress up sexy like attendee at Hooters Restaurant. Greg **, the store manager is very rude and unprofessional manner. He screamed at my boyfriend to go away, leave and never come back. He embarrassed him in front of every shopper. How come a respectable place like Barnes & Noble has the stores manager like this ** and terrible person. His crude behavior is not qualified to be a Store manager and not worth to address the issue with. The employee has no name tag or any suggestion for their position. My boyfriend tried to look for help from them. He looked at them to see if they work with Barnes & Noble. Then Greg **, the ** scream at my boyfriend to leave for staring at his employee. What a ** place this is.
Reviewed April 22, 2016
Greg **, the store manager is the worst person that Barnes & Noble can represent for this location. His employees dress up with no name tag or position. I just want to order the book and need help. By just looking at the worker to see if they work for Barnes & Noble or not, this brutal and non educated Greg ** scream at me to go away, leave, and never come back. He embarrassed me in front of the other shopper that I have to leave from his cruel behavior. This type of ** behavior is from Greg **, a Store Manager. Can anyone believe that?
Reviewed April 12, 2016
Don't purchase it! My nook (Samsung Galaxy 7) is not working or charging. I purchase the plan for $39.99. After a year and half, I am now using the warranty. Guess what, they can't send me my return label. After a week of not receiving it, I called back and was transferred 4 times (in the Philippines) and she said I would have to wait another 2 days to get the label via email. I think it's a scam from either Barnes & Noble or the company they hired to assist them. The less they have to refund the more they get in the Philippines. Get an IPAD and Ibooks. If I don't get my label in two days, I want my refund of $39.99 and getting an IPAD and Ibooks.
Reviewed April 12, 2016
PORNOGRAPHIC images at child's eye level, at checkout stand, in Scottsdale, Arizona store. PLAYBOY, Sports Illustrated (cover model suggestively posed in a tiny swimsuit), and more. You can not make a purchase without your children seeing these. I spoke with the store manager who's only comment was that the magazines pay for placement. I will be sharing the photos I took of these magazines in stands placed low enough for any 2 year old child to grab on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Yelp.
Also with the PTO of our elementary school the next time they consider having a book fair here. The business decision to place these pornographic images in front of our children at their checkout stands (obviously at a corporate level since concerned parents from ALL OVER the country are posting similar experiences at BN) boggles the mind. My family has been such a big supporter of BN through the last 2 decades, but as my husband said, "No longer". What in the world are they thinking at BN? They are obviously trying to pull more families in by increasing the number of toys, and then they put pornographic images at childrens' eye level. CRAZY!!
Reviewed April 3, 2016
I have had a nook reader since the original classic was introduced. I have always been happy with the device and the customer service. However my current model the Samsung Galaxy 4 nook tablet 10.1 has been freezing, refusing to charge, and shutting itself off. It is under the extended warranty which everyone acknowledges, but I cannot get anyone at B&N customer service to assist me. I have brought my nook into two different stores, called customer service, spoken to the live chat support, and left my information on the Samsung nook answering machine. The only response I have gotten is an offer to buy a new nook at the sale price. I think I am going to have to replace my nook with a kindle.
Reviewed March 30, 2016
I purchased a NOOK Book using a gift card. There was a 90 cent balance which should have been charged to my credit card. I received the download and began to read. I then got an email that there was an error with my order and I needed to call their customer service. Not wanting to deal with the wait I simply updated my credit card info assuming they would attempt to charge the card again. The book was again available on my NOOK. A week later, after getting half way through the book, I received a follow-up email that my order had been canceled because I failed to resolve the issue. I responded that I had updated my credit card info.
Tonight when I went to read the book was not available to read and I could not reorder it because I kept getting an error message. I checked my gift card balance, assuming it had been credited, to find it hadn't been. I tried to call knowing it was near their closing time. I was put on hold and then transferred to another department. Promptly at 11, while still on hold, I received a message that they were closed. As usual awful customer service! And now that I don't have a book to read I have time to complain.
Reviewed March 19, 2016
I purchased a new release with B&N within the past 11 days. I purchased with a gift card, and signed out as a guest. Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted my receipt??? I called GC services to see if they had info on the ONE transaction made; they didn't and transferred me to regular B&N customer service. THEY checked with my name, address and couldn't find the order. I asked them what was I to do now? The money for the purchase has been taken out making the GC useless. They can't find the order through my address- or name- or both emails I use! They said they were sorry, and that's it. So now I guess I am to wait and see if a package comes for me, or you know not comes, or whatever. The real pill is that I paid for the extra expedited shipping??? Never purchasing at B&N online again.
Reviewed March 17, 2016
DO NOT RENT ANY TEXTBOOKS FROM BARNES AND NOBLE. I have rented textbooks in the past because a few times they have been cheaper than other places but I caution you to not make the same mistake I did. I rented two textbooks from them. When I received them in the mail one of them was completely falling apart making it impossible to use unless you have the time to shuffle through 300 loose pages in a book and keep them in order. After calling them numerous times I received a different excuse every time. The first response was "no problem we will send a replacement out. When you get it send the other back". Weeks passed and I never received a usable book in the mail.
This company is a joke and I will pay higher prices before I ever think about donating my money to this joke of a company again. Nearly $50 dollars wasted to rent an unusable textbook and believe me they aren't willing to fix the problem either. I can't wait until I send them back their box of trash and they try to charge me for damaging it. I will be claiming the charges as fraudulent on my credit card because it is just that. If you're in business and you send someone a product they should get the item in usable condition.
Barnes and Noble is stealing from people and getting away with it. After more than 100 negative reviews about this joke of a company I am quite sure those up the corporate ladder are well aware. The sad part is they do not care and keep swindling money from people. If you see this and attempt to charge me for a book that you sent to me already torn to pieces, you can have a chat with my bank because I will be turning you in for fraud.
Reviewed March 14, 2016
I ordered two books of Command the Morning that contain the devotional and the prayer point book but since then I haven't hear anything from them yet. Neither have I received an email like other businesses will do while the goods is being shipped. This is very discouraging for me and it was just good I didn't encourage others who wanted to buy these books too. I have most of my prayer partners who wanted to buy these books after I told them about it and I had to tell them to wait a while after I received mine then they can put in for theirs because I didn't trust the source until I receive the delivery. Now it is only showing that it is not trusted at all and thanks be to God I didn't get myself involved into more publicity that might just cause me more embarrassment tomorrow.
Reviewed March 7, 2016
24 hours ago I purchased 2 e-gift cards, received confirmation from my payment issuer but none from B&N. A few hours later, I tried to check/track order status online but could not access the order number without setting up a B&N account. Why??? I could not enter a transaction ID (from payment issuer) without setting up a B&N account. Why??? I waited until this morning to see if confirmation would show up in my email. It did not, so I phoned the 800 number.
After answering all verifying questions (last name, address, phone, email), I was told that because I failed to enter my email address when ordering, no email confirmation could be sent. I explained that I got no error message (e.g., when you leave a field blank) and got a "thank you for your order" message. I asked the CS person to verify the email address of recipients; she refused "for security reasons." I had to phone recipients to ask if they received the items; they had, but had not had a chance to let me know. Awkward because I worried they thought I was fishing for an immediate recognition. If a "fill-in" field is missing, flag it like other online vendors do. Don't bully buyers into opening accounts just to get order status, especially when you offer a "sign in as guest" option. No more B&N online purchases.
Reviewed March 4, 2016
My son purchased a record from B&N, went to play it and the record was scratched. I returned to the store to exchange it. It was exchanged for me, got home played it and it was scratched, didn't even get beyond the first second of playing. Returned to the store again, this time I was told that they would need to order the record as they didn't have it in stock. I asked more my money back as it is defective and obviously will have to return to the store for a 3rd time which I'm not happy about. Not once was I told about their music policy. I was told that they could keep my record until I returned which I didn't see how that was going to help me! I asked if they could play it in store next time so I will know if it is scratched before I take it home, not that I want to stay and listen to an LP. The store clerk was not very helpful and the manager really didn't care. I will not be purchasing music from B&N in the future. The least they could do is give a store credit.
Reviewed Feb. 26, 2016
I signed up for a membership at the store December 9th after I was promised $50 worth of coupons in 7 days. I was going to use them to buy some presents for Christmas. As Christmas got closer and the coupons weren't showing up, I contacted them. They told me they were coming. Christmas came and went and I was pissed. Lie number one. The saleslady at the store got her commission for a new sign up and I got screwed. So I cancelled my membership over the phone within 30 days in accordance with their rules for a full refund. It never showed up on my credit card statements. I contacted them and they denied I cancelled with them and now it's more than 30 days so I can't get a refund. Lie number 2. So now my credit card company is involved. Anybody else have these problems?
Reviewed Feb. 24, 2016
I placed an order in January and still have not gotten my book. I emailed them to let them know that I still wanted it and didn't want a refund because I used a prepaid card that I no longer have. They still put a refund on that card & I can't get it.
Reviewed Feb. 24, 2016
Did you know Nook reserves and place a hold for your eBook for 2-3 business days?? What does that mean? According to Live Chat specialist Maria Corazon ** and phone agent Zeth - it's a reserve they place by DOUBLE CHARGING you and once it's been cleared, one of the transaction will disappear. I didn't authorize for two charges, it's supposed to be for one charge. After calling them and chatting online - my charges didn't get resolved. If you chat, I feel like they use a translator, because when I answer the word yes - they take 5-6 minutes to reply back without a definite answer! They'll ask about the order number, then they'll ask about if we're sure if there's more than one charges on the account. If they're following a script, well then - it needs revision as well as staff re-training.
Reviewed Feb. 15, 2016
Bought colored pens assumed were compatible with coloring books since displayed together. Checked for warning about ink bleed. None. Ink bled through page, onto two consecutive pages. B&N refused return because box opened. I feel product misrepresented. Now have $17.00 coloring book with 3 damaged pages and $40 box of pens can't use.
Reviewed Feb. 13, 2016
I used to shop the location in Rogers, Arkansas, but not anymore. Barnes & Noble sells a variety of merchandise but almost nothing I have ever purchased or been gifted can be returned according to the local manager. And don't assume that I must buy primarily e-books, video games, or DVD's from Barnes & Noble. Nope, none. Most of my purchases consist of hard and softcover books, or I receive same as gifts. Even when unopened the store will still not accept these returns. Therefore, as their policy is effectively no returns, neither will I return to Barnes & Noble. Other stores allow returns of full price including shipping. After trying their competition, I definitely prefer to shop elsewhere and will be doing so henceforth.
Reviewed Feb. 10, 2016
I placed an order with Barnes & Noble and the order shipped from overseas, so I had to pay $10.98 in shipping. Normally I get free shipping because I am a member. They shipped my order to Canada instead of Pennsylvania and now am getting a replacement sent, days after I was supposed to receive. They claimed they could not refund the $10.98 in shipping. Very disappointing in this service as I am a good B&N customer.
Reviewed Feb. 5, 2016
I ordered a textbook because it seemed that B&N had the best and most economic price compared to Amazon, among others. The money was deducted from my account within a few minutes. Little did I know the book was scheduled to be delivered within a month. I'll have you know that this was a book that was $99.47 which I found obnoxious to have to wait for that amount of time. So I tried to make peace with it. The scheduled delivery date came by, nothing, waited a couple of days...again NOTHING. A week past the delivery date I contacted customer service, got ONE word responses from them.
Finally they gave me a tracking number. Here, I come to find that A LABEL has been made for my package yet it has not even been shipped. A week after its delivery date, let alone I had been waiting got my book a total of 4 weeks. Tried to cancel the order, no response. Tried to contact Customer Service NO RESPONSE.... Finally got someone to reply via email, a wonderful one word response ''we process refunds''... I strongly encourage anyone to buy their books off of Amazon - got my book shipped and delivered within 24 hours.
Reviewed Feb. 4, 2016
I tried to purchase a rental textbook. The online process to purchase had an issue with my credit card. They sent me an email asking me to update. So I did. But there was no way for me to process the sale again. I called customer service and they could not charge my credit card because the sale was final. Even though I never paid for the book! I tried to pay for a book I had in my possession. I tried to pay for a book I wanted. I tried and tried. I contacted several people to asking them to charge me for my purchase - none of them could.
There was no way to reverse the sale. No way to credit the book back to the rental. There was no way for any B&N representative to charge me for my purchase. But there was a way for them to email me threatening me that they would take me to a collection agency if I didn't pay. My account has a valid credit card and I have tried to pay. Now 5 months later I receive a phone call from a collection agency. And just a cold call, no idea who these people are harassing me for my checking account information. B and N ** scumbag. I look forward to being next in line to follow - what was the name of that other big box bookstore? Yeah, don't remember.
Reviewed Jan. 31, 2016
I rented a textbook from BN since they offered the cheapest price, only to find out after I received the book that they restrict highlighting. They need to specify this before students place an order. WHAT A WASTE OF TIME. Don't waste your time renting from them like I did and just order your textbooks from Amazon, Textbook.com, Chegg!!!
Reviewed Jan. 30, 2016
I always read books and when I like them a lot I decide to get them off B&N because they can be cheap sometimes and you can qualify for their free shipping which sometimes will be after $25 spent, not bad. Yeah it's not bad until you get their membership. First off it's over $25 when tax comes into play, and you get their "expedited shipping" which is definitely not 1-3 business days and also you get this AMAZING sounding 40% off best sellers (hardcovers usually) which is not that amazing because it's only applied to their bestsellers and online, guess it you don't get the full 40% off you get between 36-39% which is irritating because you just paid over $25 for their membership and it's not honored at all. I even placed an order for 3 textbooks with B&N using my membership card on 1/22/16 which I was hoping for them to come in on Tuesday 1/26/16 THE LATEST and you guess it I didn't get the 1-3 day shipping. Very disappointing.
Still didn't receive my books and it's Saturday 1/30/16, even more disappointing. Aside from the catastrophe of disappointments from the membership which I returned because I felt B&N didn't honor their acclaimed benefits, I also can't understand how I can check the price of a book today just to sometimes see if it's long enough to read because I enjoy long readings. The price would jump up the next time I go to add it to my cart. Newsflash B&N you won't get any business from me with aggressively tracking my consumer behavior and raising the prices of the books I viewed. Amazon hasn't done this to me not one time yet.
How does it look if someone comes to check out a book I'm selling and they just peek it at first and glimpse the price obviously just to know and the next time they see it and decide to purchase it, that same book went up 10-20% in price? Not fair, plus every time I order from you guys my books arrive damaged even with the proper protection inside the packaging. Is it fair to order books and have them come damaged every time? I'm paying whatever price I'm paying for a NEW UNDAMAGED BOOK. People like me who value their products wouldn't mind a $1-5 optional protection fee from you guys when placing orders online as long as it means my book comes in a brand new no bent pages no creases condition.
UPDATED ON 02/08/2016: So I ordered a textbook for school and the purchase online came out to $208.30 and when I received the book today I was shocked to see a different price on the receipt. On my receipt which came with the book it says $191.32 which I can't understand why and clearly I feel overcharged. I decided to call customer service which is the same as trying to call a robot because the answers and tone of the people who answer don't seem to want to help you and just repeat their previous answers after you prove them wrong. It's also amazing when I asked for a refund in the price difference and I got put on hold for 3 minutes so they can check what the problem might be, and when they come back to the line I'm being told they have the right price down and there is nothing they can do.
I kept complaining because what type of service is that? If I got overcharged refund me the difference because they just lost a customer who has been buying books from them for years but I just about had it with this company. Horribly run and bad policies. Btw the customer service lady gave me a 20% coupon for my next purchase which isn't even valid, so go figure what type of honorable people are training these employees.
Another last issue before I finish up my last words, this company will AVOID AVOID AVOID explaining shipping and how it works when you place an order on textbooks (since apparently you can't return them in store) and want to return it because YOU PAY the return shipping which is a real bad business move consider Amazon offers free returning shipping and BETTER pricing as I had to figure it out while I slowly made my way with doing business with them instead of the LET DOWN COMPANY BARNES & NOBLE.
Reviewed Jan. 22, 2016
If I could give 0/5 stars, I would. I have rented textbooks from numerous websites (Chegg, Valor, Amazon, etc). They email you the return label and they also email you MANY times reminding you that your textbook is due (i.e - 1 month before due date, 2 weeks before due date, 7 days before due date). Barnes and Noble never emailed me once about the due date. Customer service said they emailed me 16 times; however, I checked my inbox, deleted messages, junk mail, and spam mail and I never received one email regarding a due date. I forgot these books were rented until B&N emailed me because my credit card on file had expired and they were trying to bill me for a 15 day extension fee. The email wasn't even about the due date!!
I stated I would not pay the extension fee because I was never notified of the due date and I never received an email, despite them saying they emailed me. I even told the representative I would screenshot every folder in my email to show him that I never received an email. Other companies have been far better than B&N and I will never rent or buy a book from here again. I'll stick with Valor, Chegg, and Amazon. They have great customer service and their prices are very reasonable. It would even be worth it to pay a little more money than to deal with B&N! I will be telling my classmates, friends, and family about this incident and poor/lying customer service. I pay all my bills on time and I'm in graduate school, so I know a thing or two about following due dates. Beyond terrible service - definitely not worth it for the price and hassle.
Reviewed Jan. 16, 2016
I rented a book from B&N and two from Valore Books for school. Well, when the time to return them I accidentally placed the B&N shipping label on the books that belonged to VB. Anyway, so I noticed I got charged for the late fees at VB, I noticed about my mistake and immediately contacted B&N. I gave them the tracking number and their answer was that they were going to check the warehouse and I should get an email following up. Guess what? Nothing happened! I called, emailed, chatted with them and every single time I had to give the same information. I don't know if it's the language barrier but they misunderstood everything - it went from wanting those books back to supposedly getting an incorrect item - when did I say that? Ugh.
Now I have to pay $320 for the two misplaced books and I won't even get them back. Please refrain yourself from buying or renting from this place, they act like they will help you but in reality they don't until your patience runs out. Shame on you Barnes and Nobles. I am a broke college student who didn't have that money to buy the books and that's why I had to rent them, but I will make sure to never ever buy anything from you guys. Very poor customer service. I am very disappointed in such a prestigious company.
Reviewed Jan. 16, 2016
I cancelled my automatic membership renewal. Books don't arrive on time. Went to the store to pick up book and it was ordered since they didn't have it in stock. Still waiting for the book even though it was supposed to arrive by now. The store and customer service are useless. Going to shop elsewhere for books.
Reviewed Jan. 11, 2016
I purchased a pop up book to give as a gift for Christmas. It was supposed to be delivered on the 23rd of December, it did not arrive. When I exchanged emails, I was told the book had been delivered and they could do nothing about it. It was sent USPS and was not signed for. When I called to talk to someone, I magically received an email while on hold telling me that I could receive another book since mine was lost or cancel my order. I asked them to send a new book but not to send USPS. They said they could not do this. So I then went with option 2, to cancel and credit my card back to which they then replied that they showed the book had been delivered and they could not issue a refund. I am now disputing the charge with my CC.
Reviewed Jan. 8, 2016
They provide 15 days after rental period expires to return the book or they rush to charge you for the whole book and will not accommodate a return. I used Amazon as well, Amazon grants additional extension time in multiple periods. Went with B&N since this book was not on Amazon. Deeply regret renting this book; what an awful customer experience as well - no attempt to accommodate the fact that I am a student and needed the book for a couple weeks extra to study for finals. Really surprised a company this size is so obtuse with its customer service.
Reviewed Jan. 7, 2016
I ordered three books from Barnes & Noble and paid extra money; $21.46 for next-day delivery. According to their website, I was guaranteed next day delivery as long as I ordered before 12:00 pm; which I did (I ordered the books sometime between 10:00 am and 11:00 am). It turns out that only two of the books came on time but the third book would not arrive until two days later.
I called Customer Service and expressed my displeasure in not receiving the service that I paid for. After a very long wait (approximately 30 minutes) the customer service rep came back and offered me a refund of only $5.00; not even a third of what I had paid for! I then asked to speak with a supervisor; another long wait. When the supervisor came on the phone, I explained to her that they should refund shipping money back to me for the amount it would cost for one book, which is $7.15 and which I felt was a fair thing to do. She agreed and said that she would refund that amount back to my card.
The whole experience was disappointing. Barnes and Noble should not advertise that they can do next-day shipping if they are incapable of doing so, and then to make an annoyed customer wait on the line for several minutes is bad business. I will never order anything from them again. There are plenty of other websites that I can order from and will do so in the future, but I wanted to write this review to warn others about their online services.
Reviewed Dec. 30, 2015
I purchased an electronic gift card from the B&N website for a Christmas gift. When the gift was not received from the recipient, I contacted B&N, who claimed they had not record of my purchase. I explained that I have a receipt of payment from PayPal. They told me to dispute it with PayPal. They would not help me resolve the issue. They were rude and did not care that I wanted to purchase another gift card for my friend. I was told to go to one of their stores to buy my gifts and mail it to the recipient!!! I am in shock how poorly they handled this issue! I will not use this company again!
Reviewed Dec. 30, 2015
I purchased the Nook HD in January of 2013 shortly after it came out. It worked really well, for about a year. Now the item restarts on its own no matter what you are doing with it. It takes a very long time to sync so you can't open anything for about 5 minutes. If you try to open anything, it closes out and brings you back to the nook home page. The battery also will not hold a charge. When I plug it in, it says I have 100% battery. The second I unplug it, it shuts off. I have to plug it back in to restart it and leave it plugged in. This is very inconvenient since I should be able to use it anywhere. BN is very unhelpful because it is not under warranty anymore. I will never buy another Nook. My next tablet/reader will be a Samsung Galaxy tablet. At least I will know what I am getting, I have a galaxy phone and it's awesome.
Reviewed Dec. 28, 2015
I have been trying for the past 2 days to order and I do not get anyone to help me. I have chatted with 4 different people and even e-mailed once.
Reviewed Dec. 27, 2015
Hard to explain really but I will try. The best to describe is the nook had a mind of its own. I would turn it on, then it's like someone took over but yet they didn't know what they were doing. Called B&N. I got nothing resolved. Brand new & I can't even use it. Pretty upset. A lot money out the window.

Reviewed Dec. 26, 2015
I used Barnes and Noble to rent textbooks because the price was lower and I THOUGHT Barnes and Noble was reputable. My son returned his books in 2 packages and B&N charged me for one book saying it was never returned. After hours on the phone speaking to reps from other countries and explaining my problem over and over, books were located and then it took weeks for them to reimburse money.
So I told my daughter to put all 5 books in one box with a note when returning textbooks. SAME issue but they only gave her credit for one returned book and now I am spending hours again trying to straighten this out. I am tired of speaking to the reps from India who read me scripted responses. Reps that say books are found and will give me credit and then never do. WORST TEXTBOOK RENTAL EVER. I don't think the people in the warehouse really check the orders and then it becomes the customer's responsibility to follow up. I also received two emails saying I would be reimbursed the FULL amt because books were returned early and then was told this was a mistake. Too many mistakes. Will never rent from them again and I want the credit for the last 4 books that were in the same box as the one I received credit for.
Reviewed Dec. 22, 2015
I have just gone through the most time-consuming & unsatisfactory experience with a retail company. My local B&N store did not have the book I requested and suggested to order it online for me. I paid for the book upfront and was told it would be shipped to me. When I returned home, I went onto the B&N online store and found the same book at a lower price. I consequently decided to return the ordered book upon reception. That is when the problems started. I brought the book back to my local store and was told that they could not take it because it was not a title they generally carried. They suggested I post it back to B&N customer returns. However, I had received no return shipment slip with the book, the post office would charge me for the return, so they advised me to contact B&N customer service to get one.
I contacted customer service who conceded after much discussion to email me the receipt. Two days later having received nothing, I contacted the customer service chat to investigate what had happened. The service initially acknowledged my question, but then literally went dead! Quite frustrated, I phoned Customer Service who claimed that the email address had not been correctly noted the first time and again confirmed they would send me the shipment receipt. Having still received nothing, I contacted Customer Service a 3rd time and was told (after repeating yet again all of my personal contact information) that my request had been noted and the shipment form would be sent within 24-48 hours!
Clearly Barnes & Noble are employing a strategy to dissuade customers to return orders. I have been forced to waste a ton of time to obtain a simple return shipment paid document which is standard procedure with many merchants for members. I would highly discourage ordering books with this company, especially if your store does not carry them. BTW when I exclaimed to the store that the order in-store charged more for the same book than if I had ordered it myself, they responded that this was completely normal??
Reviewed Dec. 21, 2015
I bought a toy that ended up not being the right one, as a Christmas gift. I went in to return it 2 days from the day I bought it with the receipt. They would not return, stating it was an un-returnable item. I'll never shop with them again. When buying the item, this was never disclosed. Horrible customer service. Amazon shopper all the way!
Reviewed Dec. 18, 2015
My complaint is that Barnes and Noble charged my bank account for a textbook that was returned 12/17/2015 when it was due 12/23/2015. I received an email in reference to one of the books that was returned early would be refunded. Within hours, I receive this: We are writing to notify you that an additional fee of 102.08 was charged to your credit card for your purchase of MyStatLab Student Access Kit (Standalone). The order number for this purchase is **. Note, the original due date of your rental textbook was 12/23/15 and we did not receive your return of this item.
Can somebody please explain to me how on the 17th, it was determined that the book that they received that same day is all of a sudden late and it is not even 12/23/2015 yet?! When I called them yesterday (12/17/2015), I was advised that there was an apparent glitch in the system and they were reversing the charge. Now the charge has posted to the account and has overdrawn the account. So when I called today (12/18/15), they are telling me that they are doing a review and they will not take responsibility of the additional $45 overdraft fees that I have incurred during this.
This is not the first time that this has happened. The other time that this happened, it did not cause any overdrafts, but it's always an excuse. They do not seem to know how to handle their business and just keep passing the blame around to each department. I will no longer be doing any business with this company and will be cancelling my membership and any other correspondence that I have with them.
Reviewed Dec. 17, 2015
Twice B&N has acted unfavorably and did not work sufficiently to satisfy the situation. The first time, a textbook was ordered and the box arrived with the wrong book. Not even close. I called and they admitted the mistake and suggested I simply buy another textbook online and wait for the return to process and the correct book to arrive in 10-14 days! Then, only after not being able to find the required textbooks, we rented 3 from B&N. Despite school not even being finished, B&N charged nearly the entire semester of rental fees to extend the books for a few weeks until school is complete without any authorization. No other textbook rental company does that!!! The customer service at B&N is terrible and this company is very unethical!!!
Reviewed Dec. 17, 2015
I paid extra to have my biostatistics book mailed to me within 4 days and it took two weeks. Then I returned the book but was never financially reimbursed for this. After calling to resolve this issue I was put on hold for over half an hour and hung up on. Barnes and Noble has no soul.
Reviewed Dec. 16, 2015
My friend gave a Barnes & Noble gift card as a birthday to my daughter. My daughter ordered 4 books from via Barnes & Noble online. Order arrived quickly and short one item. Upon I arrived home that I was excited of the order. My daughter said the Marvel Avenger book is not in the box. (Marvel The Avengers: The Ultimate Character Guide 1 May 18, 2015 $12.49). I had an impression it's back order & told my daughter to wait for it. I totally forgot about this until recently my daughter brought me into actual retail store. My daughter reminded the Marvel book never arrived and I requested the store to look up the order. I hoped the store could check the wait time of that item. Since it's have been a few months, the store said we have to call online customer service. So I tried email and call.
Finally today 12/15/15, spent 2 hrs on the phone & talked to rude customer representatives. Two are managers. They refused my request for refund or will ship me the item. I questioned them the weight of the box (the missing item is a heavy hard cover book). They denied for reason of over 30 days of any continuation of help. They keep questioning me why I didn't call & said its my responsibility not them. They said they "invoiced 4 items" and my daughter told me that the Marvel book "-1" on the packing slip. When I requested what that means, the manager refused to go further research. I called UPS immediately that UPS said the label didn't indicate the weight of the package. I really wished no one should go through such as a hassle.
I told my daughter if she ever look for a job that do not ever work for a business like Barnes and Nobles. And I asked my daughter for two options "A - let it go; B - go through the small claim court process & filling out lots of paperwork by herself." I described the feeling will be worse than doing your homework for 2 hrs. My daughter picked option B go to court without a doubt. I will support my daughter decision and help her go through the court system. It's not about the money. And it's the right!
Reviewed Dec. 16, 2015
Their Facebook page is full of complaints and questions that need to be answered, and everyone gets the runaround! My mother ordered a book yesterday and it's been 24 hours and hasn't shipped. Normally I think 24-48 hours is ok, but this is the holiday season! If your warehouse doesn't ship something a day later then that's another day missed on expedited shipping, and that's what she paid for.
Reviewed Dec. 12, 2015
I placed two separate orders on 12/8/15 after shopping Barnes and Noble's 'Buy One, Get One Half Off' sale on their collectible books. On both orders I was not charged the correct price. I have contacted Barnes and Noble by email several times and they have refused to honor the prices advertised on their website. Order #** - this was for two books (Jane Austen: 'Seven Novels' and 'The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe').
Each book was $18.00 originally. The sale would make one book $18.00 and the second book $9.00. When added to the cart, the sale price was not reflected. Both books were still showing as $18.00 each instead of $18.00 for the first book and $9.00 for the second book. I thought the discount would be deducted at the end of the check-out process, so I entered a 20% off coupon (saving me a mere $3.60 on one book). To my dismay I was charged $35.24 total.
Order #** - this was for two books ('The Iliad and the Odyssey' and 'The Inventions, Researches and Writings of Nikola Tesla'). Each book was $18.00 originally. The sale would make one book $18.00 and the second book $9.00. When added to the cart, the sale price was not reflected. Both books were still showing as $18.00 each instead of $18.00 for the first book and $9.00 for the second book. I thought the discount would be deducted at the end of the check-out process, so I entered a 20% off coupon (saving me a mere $3.60 on one book). To my dismay I was charged $35.24 total.
Barnes and Noble did not honor their advertised sale price and refuses to adjust my price to reflect the proper amount. Their customer service representatives (Melody ** on 12/9 and Robert on 12/11) are claiming that because I used a 20% off coupon on each order that I am not entitled to the sale price. However the sale price should have been shown FIRST and then there should not have been an option or ability to enter any coupons or promotion codes. Why would someone want to save $3.60 on one book ($7.20 on two books) when they can take advantage of the sale price and save $9.00 on one book ($18.00 on two books)?!?
This is a problem/glitch with their website that they are attempting to mask as a 'rule' about coupons & promotions in order to charge the customer the maximum price. I even offered to forfeit the coupons (which I shredded anyhow after using online) and they still refuse to adjust my order by crediting me the $18.00 that I am owed. I do not recommend shopping with Barnes and Noble online, as it seems that they advertise books as half off but then charge your full price.
Reviewed Dec. 12, 2015
Can't access the B&N website. There seem to be thousands of the same complaints about the B&N website. When you try to log on to barnesandnoble.com, you get the following message from barnesandnoble.com itself: "This page is unavailable due to either geographic restrictions or other restrictions in place at this time. NOTE: Other restrictions can be a result of our security platform detecting potential malicious activity. Please try again later as the restrictions may be lifted, or contact your service provider if the issue persists." It began happening on my computer last week, and it is continuing now. Off to Amazon.
Reviewed Nov. 30, 2015
Everytime I put a book in my cart or search up a book that I need for my college courses it raises by so much more when I finally have the money for it. I rather buy books from my school than Barnes and Nobles. They are just money hunger and a huge scam! NEVER ORDER FROM THERE AGAIN.
Reviewed Nov. 23, 2015
I ordered 8 different hardback books through Barnes and Noble, which have been arriving in different shipments. I got the first four last week in three different boxes. When I opened all of them, the book were just sliding around in the boxes with a couple of air-filled bubbles on top of them, which gave absolutely no protection to the books and did not keep them in place in the boxes. Needless to say, the books were destroyed. The covers were torn and mangled. So I took them back to the nearest Barnes and Noble, which is 45 minutes away, and they gave me a refund.
Today, the fifth book arrives and same thing. Except this time, the two bubbles they threw on top were deflated and didn't even have air in them. Again, the book was destroyed. I'm sure the next three will arrive in the same condition. You'd think that a company that's going out of business would train their warehouse employees to put some care into packaging items and do everything they can to make sure they arrive to the customer intact and like new. These five books so far, which sell for $40 each, are now garbage and they will never be able to resell them. With the next three coming, that's $320 that Barnes and Noble is just flushing down the toilet. So extremely disappointed and sad.
Reviewed Nov. 20, 2015
On 10/15 I ordered 2 books (1 from an outside seller, 1 from B&N, both in stock per website). The outside book arrived, the B&N still hasn't. Called 11/5, was told tracking couldn't be accessed, then she changed her story & said I already got it 10/26. Similar titles, clearly different books from different places, and she couldn't differentiate! A supervisor then said it would be delivered 11/6 but she couldn't access tracking. Called back 11/6, no book. This clerk also couldn't tell titles apart.
On 11/7 was told it had NEVER shipped. She didn't know why I was told it had. It was in stock and after I made a fuss, was told by the clerk & supervisor that it would ship expedited (1-2 days) free of charge, and a 20% discount would be credited to my gift card (neither has occurred). On 11/12 was told it had shipped but again, they can't provide tracking due to computer update running. On 11/15 the website said, "Delivery 11/15"; on 11/16 it said, "Delivery 11/19." Now it's 11/20 and still no book or credit to my gift card. I've spent over 2 hours talking to 7 Customer Service idiots on 4 different dates. Have never gotten a status e-mail from B&N, only from the outside seller. Called Corporate office today and left message for somebody supposedly on the executive level who's not in today. Will never buy from B&N online again. Pathetic first experience, though I've purchased in-store many times and bought over a dozen gift cards.
Reviewed Nov. 19, 2015
I signed up for the membership and didn't realise it is paid membership charges $25 for a year. I received email about the renewal and then I figured I was charged for the membership. I never used the membership even during the whole time and I asked the customer service rep to refund the charges but she refused to refund it. They just want to take money for free even if you used the membership or not. You are singed into auto renewal of the membership so if you forget to cancel it they keep taking money from your account. Never will be making any purchase from B&N again.
Reviewed Nov. 15, 2015
Last month I made a purchase on $2.99 and under price list and found later that I was charged over $12 for the book. Thinking it was my error I continued to trust Barnes & Noble and made a few more book charges. Once again I have been overcharged for a $1.99 book. When I called customer service I was advised that the fault was mine because I needed to turn my device on and off to update the service. When I tried to explain to the representative that I had turned my device off between the date she determined the price had changed and the date of the purchase she continued to maintain her reasoning despite the fact that it made no sense! So, of course I have researched and find that this is not a rare occurrence with B&N and everyone gets the same story.
But, because I am not yet ready to purchase a new tablet, I made the ill-fated decision to follow their instructions and, the next time I made a book purchase, I turned my Nook on and off (as instructed) and assured myself that the price was correct. ONCE AGAIN I have been overcharged for the book. I again called B&N and was given the same spiel.
When I advised the representative that I had followed those instructions and was still overcharged she advised that I should then try checking the price on the website before I make my purchase. I'm a little confused. Shouldn't your website and the device be synced? I'm really not sure what is going on here but all in all I have been overcharged three separate times with two different stories about why. And then, this last time, the icing on the cake was that I would get my money back but the book I am half-way through would be DELETED!!! Gotta love the customer service! So, B&N you have now officially lost a long loyal customer! I am done!!!
Reviewed Nov. 10, 2015
I asked for just a water, and when I thanked them for it, they offered me other drinks to buy. I told them I had no money on me at the time and they laughed. When I went to put a straw in my water they snapped at me for using one of the bigger straws, whereas the water cups are meant for small straws.
Reviewed Oct. 28, 2015
TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! BUYERS BEWARE! Book was not available even though advertised as available. Had to wait a week until they finally told me it was out of stock. Lost a lot of time when I could have ordered it from another website. Never ordering from Barnes & Noble again.
Reviewed Oct. 28, 2015
So, I've been ordering ebooks from Nook for quite some time now - several years in fact. Last night I purchased a book for $8.99. Purchased it inside the app just like I always do. Today, as I was scanning my bank account transactions, I noticed that B&N Nook charged me twice for the same item. Well, that's never happened before, so I assumed it would be easily cleared up with a phone call. How wrong was I?
First, their phone number is virtually impossible to find on their website, so I had to Google the information. Once I was finally on the phone (I didn't wait on hold for too terrible long), I spoke with one agent and explained my situation to him. Not only was he incredibly hard to understand, but he kept mentioning something about a "pre-authorization" charge. Since I literally could only understand every other word he spoke, I asked to be transferred to a manager or supervisor.
He placed me on hold and a few minutes later, a supervisor picked up. I explained to him that I had been charged twice for one item and that I would like to be refunded the amount. He looked into my account and told me that I was not charged twice, but that my account was "pre-authorized" for the same amount as the original transaction. So, basically, they ran my card for $8.99 to make sure there was $8.99 in the account, then ran it again for $8.99. That makes zero sense.
Who pre-authorizes cards for 100% of the transaction cost? No one. He told me it could be 2-5 business days before the "pre-authorization" charge falls off. I even asked the question, "So you're telling me that if I purchase $150 worth of items from you, you will FIRST pre-authorize my card for $150 and THEN charge me another $150? And I am just supposed to wait 2-5 days to get that $150 back?" When I asked it that way he has no answer for me and told me that it will take 2-5 business days because that's my bank's policy, not theirs.
I hung up with them and immediately called my bank (Wells Fargo). They informed me that NEITHER of the charges appear to be a "pre-authorization" and that B&N definitely charged me twice. I disputed one of them claims and the money was back in my account immediately. It's not even about the $8.99 anymore. It's about the fact that B&N is knowingly double charging customers and then taking zero responsibility for it. (Read up on other reviews - being double charged is a common occurrence apparently with B&N.) Needless to say, I won't be buying from them ever again.
Reviewed Oct. 26, 2015
I pre-ordered 2 books in May, 2015. One, I received on time in July. The second item, All the Stars in the Heavens was never sent out. It was released on October 13. I have tried calling the customer service number several times after I received an email saying that a problem occurred, and the item cannot be delivered on time with no explanations. All of the customer service reps have no explanation as to the delay. I assumed that the problem was with the book itself, and not understanding the delay since the book is available in the stores, on the website and in libraries. Finally, on my last call, I was told that there is a problem with the website, and everyone who ordered before a certain date will not be receiving their items for some time. However, they have my order number, so I feel that this is terrible customer service. I just want my book, and I will be ordering from Amazon in the future.
Reviewed Oct. 25, 2015
With a returns window of only 14 days, BN hampers you by not including helpful info on either their invoice or website, like "What carrier (UPS, USPS, etc.) am I supposed to use?" "Do I affix the shipping postage or does BN pay and then deduct from any refund I may be due?" These are steps Amazon tells you upfront. Further, a call to BN's front-line customer assistance only got me someone reading the same basic info off their website. It took a 20-min talk with a rep and her supervisor to get this necessary info.
Reviewed Oct. 20, 2015
Three years ago, a book I ordered from Barnes and Noble took over 3 months to arrive. Customer Service were very unhelpful & uncaring. I thought I'd try again as they advertised "Free Shipping". After 4 days I discovered that Free Shipping is only if you live in USA, but this is not stated on the B & N site or checkout page. The prices of the books went up, whilst in my checkout basket and I was told this was beyond their control! Any help was given begrudgingly and impolitely and email replies take 4 days (I can't ring as I am outside US). I feel that B & N have little thought or respect for their actual customers. Thankfully, now I have found a website company that delivers free of charge wherever you are and is cheaper.
Reviewed Oct. 16, 2015
I originally pre-ordered three signed copies of Humans of New York - Stories by clicking a link in an e-mail they sent. Several weeks later I received another e-mail offering the same item for a lower price. I contacted them and the price was reduced. A week before the release date another e-mail was sent, again for a signed copy, with yet again a lower price. I spoke with customer service who stated it was a different publisher so they couldn't lower my price. My order arrived yesterday and the books are not signed. Upon speaking with customer service I was told they couldn't find a signed copy listed on their website which is odd because I have the lowest priced signed copy in my cart on their website - currently out of stock. If, as they claim, they don't offer a signed copy they are sending out false advertisements. The offer of a $5 gift card for my trouble is insulting. This is my second disappointing experience with Barnes & Noble's offers of signed books.
Reviewed Oct. 12, 2015
I never signed for for a Reader's Digest magazine subscription on my Nook and I never accessed it. But, B&N charged me $1.49/month for almost 3 years. They would only refund me six months. Changing to use Amazon instead.
Reviewed Oct. 6, 2015
The customer service reps and the supervisors don't seem to want to help or are not at all empowered to provide service. The service is totally the worst experience I have ever had with an online shopping site. I had a simple request to take out a pre-order book since it was holding up the entire order. Instead the service rep on chat canceled the entire order and then since I paid for it via gift card they cannot seem to allow me to order it until they issued a new gift card.
I ordered these books 9/11 and it took until 10/5 for me to get a new gift card after endless numbers of calls. Every time I call they either put me on hold and never come back, tell me they will call me back but do not. Or they get annoyed at me and tell me it was my fault I had a pre-ordered book and I should have known that it would delay my entire shipment until the book came in 2 months later. They make it very hard to buy something from their website.
Do not go to B&N, if you want to buy a book, go to Amazon. I have shopped there for years and their customer service is flawless and empowered to help the customer and I get my books on time without fail! It will be interesting to see when I actually get these books. The whole process for me to get 3 books is now going to be more than a month. It is totally unacceptable.
Reviewed Sept. 30, 2015
I have been dealing with Barnes & Noble for two months on a replacement. I have the 32gb HD plus and it overheats and shuts off frequently. Called in, was told I would get a new one. One week later I got a pre-owned 16gb Nook that didn't work either. I have called them over 45 times on this issue and still haven't received a new Nook. I have been tossed around and lied to so many times by this company, it's unreal. I will never ever do business with B&N again.
Reviewed Sept. 26, 2015
I pre-ordered a book last June and went to pick it up today. It was a signed copy of The School for Good and Evil - The Last Ever After. They had said that they sold it and had no more signed copies. They had also said that 2 weeks after they called & emailed they would sell the book. I never got a call or email and they still sold the book. They did nothing about it! It made me very very mad. I would have told them this but I am just a kid so they wouldn't listen to me. IT MADE ME REALLY SAD! I was one of the few kids that did many chores and hardwork for a book, that I didn't get.
Reviewed Sept. 16, 2015
NEVER RENT TEXTBOOKS FROM THIS COMPANY. I will never ever ever rent a textbook from them again. I returned a textbook within the 14 day period because I dropped a class and had no use for it. A few days passed and I received an e-mail stating that my return was accepted and I should receive a refund to my bank account. Well almost 2 weeks passed and I wanted to see what was taking so long (as refunds usually only take a few days to post to my account). The guy stated that in order to receive my money I had to provide a tracking number for the textbook I returned in order to verify that their warehouse in fact received it. If that's the case why send me an e-mail stating that my return was received and my refund was on the way if it was never in fact verified?
I told the guy this and even sent him the e-mail and he still said I had to have a tracking number. Also it never stated that I would have to have a tracking number in the return/refund policy. Oh and get this! A couple of days before that I spoke with another agent and they said the refund was already processed in their system. Total crooks! I'm pretty sure they just didn't want to give me a refund! I will never do business with them again!!
Reviewed Sept. 15, 2015
Since June of this year, Barnes & Noble has been going through a large-scale upgrade on its website. For sellers on the site who make a living from listing their products for sale on the B&N platform, this originally meant a few days of no sales. However, B&N has been having several problems since then that has been affecting customers' as well as sellers' online experiences.
Problem 1: Seller account site down. What was originally supposed to take a few days up to a week took about 3 weeks to complete. This meant 3 weeks of no sales for sellers and 3 weeks of only B&N listings for customers - which meant full price for everything. This is now back up and running, but see the next problems for more information.
Problem 2: No seller payment. After the site opened back up for business so that individual sellers could re-list their products, Barnes & Noble wasn't sending out any payments for items purchased for about an entire month - even though they had already verified sellers' bank account information back in June. We even placed our account on "Vacation" because we refused to sell without getting paid in a timely manner. This has also now been fixed, but there are other current problems. See Problem 3.
Problem 3: Marketplace sellers cannot add, delete or update listings. This is the current problem and has been going on for about 2 months now. Marketplace sellers normally update their products every so often via an Excel inventory sheet uploaded to the website. However, when this is done, the seller receives an error message that it cannot be processed. As prices of items fluctuate as does inventory, sellers now have no opportunity to update their products. We have had to cancel several orders because Barnes & Noble has the item in stock on their website, but we don't have it, but cannot remove it from the website - neither can other Marketplace sellers... and I am sure this is leading to the dissatisfaction based on Marketplace sales I have seen on the Consumer Affairs website.
I urge all customers as well as sellers to write Barnes & Noble letters about this and/or lodge complaints with the BBB. I have talked to them on the phone several times, but the nice ladies on the phone are unable to help - they just reply with "we are aware of the issue and are working on it". This roll-out of the website is much worse than that of the Affordable Care Act, but we expect that a private company would be able handle this much better than the government.
Reviewed Sept. 11, 2015
I rented a textbook from you guys and unfortunately it wasn't the right one. I called to see if I could get a refund and they said yes. As soon as the book returned to them I called to get my refund back and the representative that helped me informed me that since it was a gift card that was used that I would get my refund right away. I then proceeded to buy the right textbook. I received the book today and my mom got notified that the credit card used was charged for the book. I was not happy at all! I called customer service again and they told me that the refund has not been issued. They barely issued it when I was on the phone with the representative. This is a problem - I am very unhappy with this service and now my mom will have to pay double the amount of what the book costed! I’m definitely not shopping with you guys again.
Reviewed Sept. 10, 2015
I work for California State University San Marcos. I ordered 13 "I am Malala" Books for an event we are having with the founder of the foundation coming to the University. Other departments were going to order as well but I sent them to Amazon after my terrible ordeal. I ordered the books on 9/2 with rush shipping. They charged us $104.20 for the books. On 9/10 I look online with my order number and no status. I call and a lady who barely spoke English said she can't find my order number. Gave her my email she still couldn't find it. I was able to look it up immediately however she couldn't and put me on hold for 15 min then disconnected.
I tried chatting with a customer service Rep, same problem. Then I call back to speak to a manager. On hold for 25 min and got disconnected. Now I finally got someone on the phone who again can't find the order, looks up by email, sees I placed the order but it's just "open" status so doesn't know why it wasn't shipped and can't cancel it or refund my card. I have contacted corporate and am waiting for a response.
Reviewed Sept. 10, 2015
On 9/9/2015 at 8:00 am via the Barnes and Nobel website I purchased a textbook for delivery to my daughter's college address in Manhattan. The website for this purchase showed "Same Day delivery in Manhattan" for orders placed prior to 11:00 am. I marked my purchase for this expedited delivery. The book was not delivered as promised. In fact the order merely showed processing.
That evening I called customer service. I was told that this book delivery would probably not be until 9/18/2015. I asked to cancel the order. Unbelievably they said they couldn't, even though the book had not been shipped and they didn't know when it would be shipped. I explained that I would buy this book from Amazon, since it guaranteed 2 day delivery. I asked for a return shipping label and was told that it would be emailed to me. The person I spoke with (Gail) said that notes would be entered into my record reflecting our conversation.
The following day I called back to customer service since I had not received the return shipping label and the order continued to show processing. The second customer service person (Karen) said there were no notes in my record. I explained what I told the customer service representative previously. This representative committed to email me a return label. As of this writing I have not received it. Amazingly the Barnes and Nobel web site shows that this book is still available for same day delivery in Manhattan!! Barnes and Nobel should not be deceiving customers in the manner.
Reviewed Sept. 5, 2015
Totally unsatisfied with service. Signed up for 2 month free membership and internet and my order bucket said I would get expedited 1-3 day shipping. The date it was supposed to arrive was September 3rd. It is now September 5th. I called and they said it would be here by September 23rd and customer rep first said it was out of stock when I ordered, then changed said "oh wait it was in stock," and now I have to wait on a refund because it shipped. So I have to call them and ship it back so I won't get my refund until October.
Reviewed Sept. 5, 2015
I ordered a book from Barnes & Noble and wanted to track the shipping information since it was taking a long time to receive it. I found out that it shipped from a 3rd party company called Baruch Bookstore. Barnes & Noble provided me with their e-mail address but could not provide me with their phone number. I e-mailed them, but never heard back. I called Barnes & Noble again and they told me that there was nothing that can be done except wait a month and call back for a credit. I called them back a month later and now I'm waiting to get my credit. I will NOT be using Barnes & Noble anymore.
Reviewed Sept. 3, 2015
Processed my Visa on Textbooks.com (B&N Marketplace), paid $158.25 for Campbell Biology AP Edition on Aug.15, 2015. Received confirmation from the Marketplace welcoming a new customer, saying B&N will deliver the book. In three days B&N email said, “Sorry, the Visa wasn't authorized.” Learned the Visa wasn't processed on Aug. 15 on day of purchase, the Visa number was stored for a week 'for pre-authorization in my bank.' (Is it even legal? I thought they have to permission to store your credit card info?) I had no idea about 'pre-authorization' rule.
So, when my husband misplaced his Visa on Aug. 20, the bank while replacing his card, cancelled my shared Visa with same number too on Aug. 20. On Aug. 20 B&N send me email 'Delivery is delayed,' instead of saying 'Call to replace Visa info.' I gave new Visa info on Aug. 24, Aug. 25, Aug. 29, and Aug. 31. My Visa info just wouldn't stick to their computer system. Every time I called, they had my old Visa info. My daily routine changed, every other morning I was on a phone calling B&N about status of the order ** and giving my Visa info. I didn't give them my debit card, they sounded different. The customer service in Philippines, as we know from below comments. In time I wasn't surprised at awkward English or/and unique suggestions such as 'call your bank for authorization of the purchase, or you'll not get the book from us.' One rep simply said, 'I don't know,' and he was smiling, I could tell.
I should just go to other seller, but I was still thinking they wanted to sell the book. It sounded like they tried. On Aug. 22, Aug. 29, Aug. 31, and Sep. 1 Kevin, Sam, Erin told me that book will be shipped. I started to keep a list of my calls and reps names, because each consecutive representative would contradict the previous one. One day one would say, 'book will be shipped in 1-5 days,' the next day another said, 'no, we can't process your Visa.'
Soon, I learned that their new website gives them griefs. Their website/system was offline for updating on Sep. 2 in the middle of business day. Despite this, they were taking in new forms of payment on my Account page. Since my credit cards new info supplied over the phone simply wouldn't stick to their computers. I opened an account and entered my visa info there. I thought it's all. In addition, I got confirmations from my both banks that my cards active and healthy, so their excuse that 'your card failed authorization,' could be used any more.
Today, my Account doesn't show my payment or title of the book. They removed info from my order the order. My Account says, 'You do not have permission to view this order.' This page was a receipt of the order. The phone reps said, the book is out of stock (after confirming shipping yesterday, and 16 days of other explanations). She gave me two alternatives: to keep waiting for the book or cancel. I said 'I'll wait,' and rep said 'No, the book is out of stock,' and hung up. Through this transaction I was exposed to unexpectedly evasive, deceiving business practices not customary used in this consumer market. That was my first and last business with B&N, Textbooks.com, and Marketplace. This is a third world service. If there was a world-wide contest for the worst business, B&N would get a prize.
Reviewed Sept. 1, 2015
I ordered two books for my college classes. It told me they were supposed to arrive the next week. I have been waiting for two weeks and it still says my order is being processed. I am very angry. I will never buy or rent from Barnes and Noble ever again. I am suffering in my classes because of them.
Reviewed Aug. 31, 2015
I ordered 2 books for university through Barnes and Noble in mid-July. They were both used books, and in stock and said 10 days for delivery. 1 turned up 2 weeks later (from one of B&N suppliers). The other was from Eurobooks. It has still not appeared. I have sent 8 emails to Eurobooks and B&N, I have never heard from Eurobooks. Barnes and Noble finally replied yesterday. They are telling me it was shipped a month after the order went in and will 6 weeks. That means it will be 10 weeks from delivery - if it turns up. When I suggested the book is missing and a refund should be given, they said there were no shipping costs on this book as they were all for the other book. This is not true, as when I was considering what to buy I selected one book, looked at the shipping, and then looked at the shipping change when I added a second book. I will have to wait to see if it arrives in another month, but by then I will no longer need the book.
Reviewed Aug. 31, 2015
I've been a loyal Barnes and Noble customer for many, many years. I've bought my books from them for over 15 years. I am even a member. But in the past six months I've become increasingly irritated to the point of giving up on the bookseller behemoth. I purchased a membership with the store because I spend so much money there that the minuscule savings they offer up on purchases adds up. I also love to shop online. The past four times I've tried shopping online they have either a) messed up my order; b) charged me twice for a book; c) their lousy website kicks me off mid-order; or d) made it impossible to use a gift card on their site.
Just today I attempted to order (foolish, foolish me) three books on their site. After being kicked off the website and given some "geographical location restriction" nonsense, I tried again (again, foolish, foolish me). Had to completely clear my cache in order to get back onto their site! By that time I had had enough. So, without further ado, I logged on to my Amazon account and purchased all three books, as well as two extra items! Barnes and Noble is systematically sabotaging their own customers and sales! I obviously would like to give my business to them, however due to their user-unfriendly website and their lack of responsibility to their paying members, they have pushed me away.
I will NOT be renewing my membership for the first time in many years, and I will NOT be shopping with them again. Terrible customer service, terrible website, horrible in-store experiences (won't go into detail here), and many times unavailability of product. I feel cheated and wronged. Barnes and Noble has lost a loyal customer for good. If any of you are contemplating a membership, I implore you...do not waste your time, effort and money. Go to Amazon, get a Prime account, and be done with it. At least Amazon offers two-day free shipping.
Reviewed Aug. 27, 2015
We are in the process of moving so we thought the Nook was just misplaced. Once we received an e-mail of an order placed using the Nook we knew it was stolen. I called Barnes & Noble to get the charges removed and the shipment stopped. With great effort they managed to do this. Then I asked them to "brick" the Nook which they said they can do. However the Nook had been deregistered from our account. So they said there was no way without giving them the serial number of the Nook. (It is several years old and we have no idea anymore what it is.) I asked why they could not look it up from history and their reply is "We do not keep history of the changes like that." So they can do nothing and someone gets a stolen Nook with Barnes and Noble's blessing. This is a big hole in their cyber security since all a person has to do is re-register the Nook to another e-mail.
Reviewed Aug. 27, 2015
I am a college student, who by no means has money to throw away on textbooks left and right. On August 19, 2015, I ordered a precalculus hardcover book with standard shipping. I should state that I purchased a rental for 130 days, and classes start on August 31, so I was thinking that I ordered my book with time to spare. I received it in good time which was on August 27, 2015. When I came home from a hard day of class, I saw that my book was delivered so I brought it in the house to open. When I opened it, I saw the shipping paper bright and center on top of everything that clearly stated my name, address, and that I purchased a PRECALCULUS hard cover book. Then, I remove the paper and see a soft cover book that says Biology, clear as day.
So I immediately contact the customer service number that was on the shipping paper, and there was an automated recording that gave me 3 choices then went silent. I, myself never having to deal with calling them hung up after the 3 choices were given but not an option to speak with a representative. I got back in my car and drove to the nearest Barnes and Noble store, and a gentlemen by the name of Chris helped me to get in contact with the representatives (I should mention that Chris was extremely nice, and helped out 100%). While he was on the phone with them for about 35 minutes mostly on hold, we established that I needed to print out a shipping label and send the book back.
Well, my first problem comes in when they tell me I have to reorder my textbook even though my refund doesn't get returned until 1-2 billing cycles. (This is unacceptable because I have other expenses I need to pay before my refund comes.) While still at Barnes and Noble, Chris had me type in my email and password into the computer behind the customer service desk, then he proceeded to reorder the book. All was good until he realized that he put my shipping address (which is in Windsor, Colorado) the same as my billing address (which is in Texas at my mother's address). He immediately changed the shipping address to the one in Windsor and told me that I should see a change in the next few minutes.
So, thinking that all was good with my book, went back home and called the 1-800-THE-BOOK number to see about getting credit in my account for my troubles. Well, after I finally navigated through the terrible setup of an automated system, was on hold for 45 minutes and transferred through 3 people until I was finally able to get a little bit of help. The lady on the phone was extremely short tempered and treated me like I was a dumb customer who didn't know what I was talking about. After she told me that there was nothing she could do, I asked her to look at my account to make sure that the shipping address was changed. Well, it wasn't and she told me there was nothing she could do, then hung up.
So, I immediately drove back up to Barnes and Noble furious at this point because I had to pay for another book that will get shipped to the wrong shipping address, and because the lady was no help, short tempered, and hung up on me. By the time I got back up to the store, Chris was thankfully still there because if I had to explain the situation to someone else, I would have flipped out. I told him the situation about the book and he was just as angry as I was. He got back on the phone with the representatives and was bounced around to 5 different people until one person told him that in order for him to change the shipping label, it had to be within 15 minutes of the original order. He explained that he changed it immediately after, but the person on the phone said there was nothing they could do. So by this point, no one had told me any new information, which was infuriating.
Chris was transferred to another person who finally told us that the only possible way for me to get UPS to not ship it to the Fort Worth address was to call UPS as soon as I received my shipping confirmation and have them also contact 1-800-THE-BOOK so that we can stop the order. (The reason I absolutely do not want to ship to the Fort Worth address is because my mom is going on a 2 week cruise and would be gone when the book got there, and the last thing I need is a stolen book and no refund.) So then I brought the question of what will happen if I don't call UPS by a designated time that they don't want to tell after I receive my shipping confirmation. Then, no one had answers and just said that it would be shipped to the address anyways.
Then, they suggested that I reorder the book and spend more money on top of the 2 other book orders that I have NOT received my money back for since they know I need the book by August 31. So as you can see, I am highly angry at the fact that with all of this nonsense that started because I received a Biology book instead of a precalculus book. The only thing someone could tell me is that I have to hope that I can call UPS before they already ship it out. It is HIGHLY RIDICULOUS!!!
Reviewed Aug. 27, 2015
My daughter needed to rent a textbook for her college course. B&N offers the textbook rental for $29, or for $52 you can rent what's listed as "Package: [Book title] with Connect Plus 1-Semester Access Card." For $23 more, you're renting a "package," suggesting that you're getting more than one thing, and in the actual website description it states that part of the package is the access card. This package costs more. A normal person would conclude that, for $23 more, you get a rental of the textbook plus an access card.
On receiving the book we discovered there was no access card included. I figured this was an oversight so I called the customer service number (my daughter needs this right away so she can begin assignments). I was immediately told that "supplemental materials" are not guaranteed to be included. After 90 minutes of talking to two agents and a manager at B&N customer service, the gist of their policy is:
Supplemental materials are not guaranteed per their terms and conditions of rental; An access card is a supplemental material, even when it's listed in the actual description of what you're purchasing as part of a bundled item. It's the "customer's discretion" (and this phrase was used so many times I have to believe it was part of a script) to spend more money to get the package, without a guarantee of getting one of the items that is described as being part of the package;All three people agreed that a normal person, using common sense, would probably expect that if the item was listed a "Package: This and That" that you would expect to get both items, but usually you won't get the access card.
All three people agreed that it seemed deceptive, but again, it's "the customer's discretion" to order the more expensive item and maybe they'll get the access card (but probably not); If you order the regular textbook (without the access card) you have about the same chance of getting an access card, but usually they are not returned by customers.
They advertise a bundled product and charge more for the bundled product but don't deliver all the items listed in the bundle and then hide behind a policy of "that's a supplemental item" even when the item is specifically listed as being included. They state that it's the customer's discretion to pay more on the chance of getting something, which sounds like gambling to me, and don't state anywhere on the web page describing the item that the supplemental item described as being a part of the more expensive purchase probably isn't going to be included.
To me, this sounds like deceptive, false advertising, and it's targeting a population of students that are probably not going to fight back against a big company and just roll over. In our case, we were charged an extra $23 for something we didn't get; multiply that by the number of students out there that will just accept things and you can figure that they're probably making a mint off of college kids for misrepresenting products and then hiding behind legalese.
Reviewed Aug. 26, 2015
I have contacted Barnes and Noble several times due to my order and it's not been sent to my friend nor has the money been put back on my account. Midtown scholar refuses to talk to me or email me to resolve this matter, but they had no problem taking money off my bank card. Now due to this incident I am suspicious they would take more off so I will have to cancel my debit card. It was not resolved, no book sent and no money put back. But as you see they promised they shipped. Cannot find and track this book with the order number. The payment was submitted and expedited. Caught in the web. Where is my book? Suppose to be delivered to my friend by august 25th?
Reviewed Aug. 23, 2015
I needed a textbook for classes that started on 8/24, so I ordered them on 8/6 from Barnes & Noble to rent, as it was $35 cheaper than purchasing. I didn't choose expedited shipping because it was supposed to arrive within 2 weeks, so I waited. On 8/21, I realized that I was still missing a textbook. I went onto their website and it still showed "shipped." I went back to an email they had sent me and the tracking number showed delivery on 8/12. I panicked, as I needed the book immediately. I had to purchase it from Amazon and make a note to call BN ASAP for a refund.
My first call this morning did not go well. The rep informed me that I could wait for it to be returned to the warehouse for a refund. I advised him multiple times they had delivered it somewhere and that was an unreasonable solution. I asked for a supervisor and she was no more help, informing me that I should check at my post office. I told her AGAIN that their website shows delivered to my house (not the first time I've had packages delivered to a neighbor, unfortunately), so why would I check with the post office. She told me that I could check with the mailman.
First, I informed her that I had no reason to lie because I had proof of my purchasing the book from Amazon because they never sent it to me. I told her that this was almost two weeks prior and that they were the ones that sent it out and charged me. She then hung up in my face! The only reason they are getting 2 stars is because when I called back, the polite representative offered me either a refund or a replacement copy. The disappointing part is that they have no option for customer feedback on their website, so their employees can treat people however they choose with zero accountability.
Reviewed Aug. 21, 2015
I ordered 3 books online and received only 1 with no tracking for the other 2 then came to find out that I was charged twice. When I contacted B&N, they couldn't locate the other 2 missing books either with the tracking number they provided and their only explanation for overcharging me was that they wanted to make sure I had enough money on my credit card for what they can't explain either since they had already charged me for all the items. Now I have to wait a week for the other 2 books before they can refund me and also still waiting for them to reverse the second unauthorized charge. Their customer service is clueless.
Reviewed Aug. 21, 2015
Terrible experience!!! Tried to use the Educator's Discount, but online order would not accept it & said I have to call the 800 number. The representative spoke very softly & I could not understand her accent. She sounded very unsure of my situation. After 20 mins, I asked to speak to a manager/supervisor. I was put on hold twice, as the representative kept pressing numbers on her key pad (& it was beeping in my ear) to transfer me to the supervisor. She did not know what she was doing. I was finally disconnected. Ugh!!!
It was never explained to me that you can not use your Educator's Discount card on already discounted merchandise. Well, almost everything online is discounted! That's why we go online! I called back and spoke with a supervisor, who merely explained the restrictions on using the discount card. At that point, I really didn't want to hear it. I told her that she needed to manually apply a 20% discount to my order for all my time spent on the phone. She was reluctant to agree. I told her that Amazon.com would never handle customer service the way Barnes & Noble has. She immediately applied the 20% discount. So frustrating!!
Reviewed Aug. 20, 2015
My daughter got an HD nook for Christmas. It kept getting stuck at 99% when loading. Customer service kept telling me to do a factory reset. So I did and the problem would be fixed...until it did it again...and after I spent hours resetting all the profiles and passwords again. So they finally send me a new one. It does the same thing. But it is now out of warranty. They tell me that my only option is to pay for upgrade. I'm like, "I'm not giving you a cent. You keep selling a product with a known defect and then don't stand behind it." Then he tried to tell me, "It's not a known issue. But here are the fixes for said not known issue -- a factory reset." I'm ready to lose it at that point. I felt bad for Barnes and Noble with the death of physical bookstores. I hope they completely fail if their solution is to sell inferior products and not stand behind them. What a joke.
Reviewed Aug. 19, 2015
I ordered a used textbook online using my debit card to pay for my purchase, pick up was to be made at my college store (Bluegrass Community & Technical College). I went and picked up my book the next day. I checked my receipt in the car. They had sold me a new book. I went back to the store. They issued a refund that may not show up on my card for a week!!! So now, I have no book and no money to buy a replacement book. I called Barnes & Noble corporate HQ and was transferred twice. On the second transfer, they hung up on me. I called again and was told per their policy, they could pull a switcheroo, so now I am stuck!!!
Reviewed Aug. 19, 2015
With my daughter going off to college for the first time, I wanted to make sure that she had all of her books on day one. I ordered a textbook from Barnes and Noble on August 13 and paid extra for "expedited shipping" on top of their regular shipping costs to ensure that it was delivered by August 18. I received a confirmation of the transaction the next day. When the 18th rolled around and I hadn't received anything I called their customer service line and was told "sorry," it's not in stock. When I asked why they didn't alert me to the fact that they didn't have the book in stock all they could say was "I'm sorry".
I've been an Amazon Prime member for years and have never had anything like this happen. I am astonished that Barnes and Noble would treat a brand new "member" in such a callous fashion. I am a strong supporter of independent bookstores but anyone consider buying from Barnes and Noble mail order should be aware of the way this outfit does business.
Reviewed Aug. 13, 2015
BUYERS BEWARE: First I want to say, I have been a B&N customer & member for a long, long, long time. I have never had a problem with the store or new online books ever. Anything that came up was taken care of promptly. Except I have bought a used book online, Marketplace. The seller was in VA, I am in TN. I always check to see how close they are along with their rating. I can say I have never ordered from this particular seller before. This started July 19, book was sent out on the 21st. I received a email from seller but no tracking number. I waited, waited and then I started emailing B&N.
I received the usual, wait 14 working days, then contact seller, but I lost the email from seller. I have repeatedly asked B&N for the email or phone number to contact seller that I have not received the book, but I would think seller would have been wondering themselves as if it was tracked. It hasn't been scanned or delivered. B&N will not respond to me with a email address. I got a generic email to contact seller, honestly, for three times, now four. Doesn't anyone READ the emails? I guess I am out the book and the money. I will not ever buy from B&N Marketplace again, if they cannot hold anyone responsible. Amazon here I come. You will get my money from now on.
Reviewed Aug. 11, 2015
When the new website was instituted, one was no longer able to read books online. This has been a part of Nook ownership since Nook became available. No matter what problem you try to contact B&N to resolve, you're kept on hold over 30 minutes only to be told I had the wrong department and needed to be transferred. Agents are polite, but all they know how to say or do is say "Sorry for your inconvenience". Also, because they are discontinuing Nook and replacing with Samsung - they no longer carry needed Nook parts - cords and storage devices.
Another thing, why can't I download my books to my computer? I paid for them. Why can't I lend any book I want to to a friend? I paid for them. If they were paper books I could pay the same price and lend them to whomever I wished. I think it's highly illegal to keep a product hostage when it's already been purchased. B&N is totally unresponsive to customers. I'll upgrade to a Samsung alright, but it will be with Amazon. What happens to the 170+ books I have on my Nook?
Reviewed Aug. 11, 2015
On June 15th 2015 I ordered 1 each Samsung Galaxy tab 4 Nook 7 black. I returned it, insured for the price and it was delivered to Portsmouth, N.H. 03801 by the USPS on June 22, 2015 at 10:56 am. About 5 days later I called customer service and talked to an agent and confirmed they had received the product and they would credit my account in one or two billing cycles. I have called several more times and all I get is promises. My last call was about 5 days ago and the agent assured me my refund was forthcoming. I have found out their customer service is in the Philippines. I want my money.
Reviewed Aug. 9, 2015
Handicap vet husband cannot get up from wheelchair or use bathroom without assistance. Emergency @ 1005 approx time, janitor outside of restroom telling me we could not go in ladies room. Diane walks up from floor and intervenes. She states she understands he is handicap and I should take him in men's room. Asked why I couldn't use ladies room and she advises I could not go in until she checked to make sure no one was in ladies room. She did not offer to check men's room. Proceeded anyway to take husband into handicap ladies room. Diane waited outside bathroom door until we left. Advised Diane that I was tired of the harassment and if she was really concerned she would have checked men's room to see if anyone was there. Advised Diane I was going to report the harassment. She then offered that she checked the men's room and knew no one was in there. Really Diane. We were right next to the men's room. You never left my eyesight.
Reviewed Aug. 6, 2015
I ordered 15 books online to use at a Detroit summer school program on June 6th. The books were delivered promptly. There was no paperwork in the box beyond a very minimal order form (with no information on return policy). I only used 10 of the 15 books due to lower enrollment than planned. I checked their website for a return policy and could not find any policy written. I sent an email on July 20th to service@barnesandnoble.com to inquire of their return policy. I received no response. However I did receive a survey request asking how their customer service was (!?!) which I answered with the fact that they had not responded to my inquiry at all.
I called on August 6th at 3:35 and was on hold three times "to check on my information" and to verify the store policy (!) only to be told after 20-25 minutes that their policy is they will not accept returns after 14 days! I am a long term Barnes and Noble customer. I am unhappy with the fact that their return policy is not transparent and that there was no effort on the company part to communicate.
Reviewed Aug. 6, 2015
This company is the worst I have ever had to deal with. They have the most horrible, worst, unhelpful and unsatisfactory customer service I have ever come across. I called and was very nice asking questions about a gift card worth $50 and they wouldn't honor it and then I started getting upset which to me was completely warranted. So now I am out $50 and they wouldn't even try to help like giving me a coupon for percentage off or another gift card for even half of what the original was or anything else.
I have been a customer of theirs for I couldn't even tell you how long because that's how long it's been. I am unbelievably disappointed with how they handled or should I say didn't handle this situation. I don't even know why they have a customer service number when all they say is, "No I can't help you". The whole point of customer service is to satisfy the customer. I have been in customer service for over 20 years and I have never treated a customer the way they did. I will never go there again or order over the website again ever.
Reviewed Aug. 5, 2015
They simply do not care. You get lots of platitudes from Philippine agents who provide absolutely no help and are only adept at losing your call after waiting more than 30 minutes and requesting a warm transfer. They never call back. Every attempt more frustrating and no one is ever responsible. The epidemic is the worst possible luck if customer service possible. I used to be a great customer. There's a reason the chain is failing and customer service and not caring about their customers is a huge part. Good riddance. You don't take care of customers and simply do not care.
Reviewed Aug. 3, 2015
I ordered an infant car bed a week ago with expedited shipping for a patient. I never even received a confirmation email. I called and was told I would receive one once my item shipped. Well, I never received one and I called every day this past week. Guess what? My order still hasn't even shipped and I was supposed to receive it almost a week ago. I know this was a specialty item (not a book) but still.
Every customer service representative told me that it was scheduled to be shipped and it never was. They just wanted to get me off the phone instead of giving me real answers. After speaking to a supervisor today, I discovered that it has still not shipped. The supervisor said she would put in a special request to ship the item within 24 hours. But even if this does happen (I doubt it), I would still have to wait another 3 days! It is so ridiculous that nobody could even give me a straight answer. I've been waiting around for days! I will never order anything from them again.
Reviewed Aug. 3, 2015
This has been an extremely frustrating and disappointing experience. I would like to first point out that the people at the call service center were nothing but polite and my complaint has more to do with how they seemed unable to help me and not with any way I was talked to. They seemed to only able to offer empty promises and platitudes not any real solutions or help. At this point I feel it would be worth it to take my businesses to Amazon to see if they are better able to keep customer satisfaction. Before I do that, however, I want to share my experience so that maybe changes can be put in place.
In summary what happened was this: In early May my Nook HD+ died and would not turn back on. I would like to put in here that this was a replacement device for my Nook Tablet when that one stopped working I bought the upgrade to the HD+ in the summer of the year before. Since the warranty was still valid I was told that a replacement would be mailed to me and I should receive it in 3 -5 businesses days. After little over two weeks I contacted the service department asking where my replacement was. I was told that there was a mistake in the warehouse and I should expect it in 3-5 business days. A little over a week later it arrived.
Mistakes happen and while I was disappointed that it took so long I was excited when it showed up. I have always had a Nook. My husband bought me the first model for my birthday the first year they were introduced. While I still prefer to read tangible books and I still spend a great deal of my spending money (and sometimes groceries money) in your stores I still used the device daily. I add this to explain that I have spent a lot of money with your company both in stores, online and on the Nook. I truly enjoyed each device I owned and encouraged family and friends to purchase through Barnes & Noble so that Amazon would not gain a monopoly.
This is to explain how one extremely negative experience can change a person's loyalty. After the replacement ND+ arrived it was clear within 24hrs that the battery was faulty, it could not hold a charge over 2 hours along with restarting in the middle of opening apps or books. When I called this time I wanted a new device. If the per-owned ones would not work then I wanted a new one and I was also still upset that it took three weeks for a device that did not work to arrive.
What was the most annoying about this process was how when I was moved up through management, I was still told the same thing over and over. It was a waste of my time and made me feel very unappreciated as a customer. I was told over and over that they could send me another (CP) HD+ or I could buy another upgrade to the Samsung. Because I had just purchased the upgrade to the HD+ less than a year ago and because my warranty was supposed to provide me with a working Nook I did not feel like should be asked to spend more money on this. What is the point of having a warranty if it is not to guarantee a working product?
After getting bumped up the 'line of command' and being told the same thing that the initial level of support told me I grudgingly accepted another refurbished HD+. When I was told 3-5 business days I explained how before it took so long and was there anything that could be done to prevent that this time. I was assured 3-5 days. Two and a half weeks later another replacement arrived and within 24 hrs it was clear that the battery was no good.
It was July 6 when I talked once more the Nook Service Management. This time they told me I could receive a new Samsung and it should arrive in 3-5 days. I told the woman I talked to about the problems I had in receiving my previous devices and she assured me she would personally make sure I revived my device in the time specified. One month later and three phone calls to the service center and I still have not received it. I did talk to Ben in Management and he was the first person to make me feel like he was taking my difficulty seriously.
However three months later and I am still just trying to receive a working Nook per the warranty is unacceptable. In this time I was given two different Barns and Noble gift cards but both times it was after I had to ask and the amounts felt like the minimum amount that could be given out. I can no longer recommend Barnes & Noble to people. When the time comes for me to upgrade again or purchases devices for my children I am going to look elsewhere. I expected so much better.
Reviewed Aug. 1, 2015
Yesterday I ordered a Samsung Nook Tab 4 7.0 over the phone. I was charged $129 because I have a Nook Color whose port does not work anymore and I agreed to mail it back to them once I received the new tablet. They took the $129 out of my checking account. Then this morning there was another charge taken out of my account of $140 and change. I called them up to ask why they took the money out twice and why two different amounts. After being tossed around to different departments and being on hold 15 minutes for each transfer, I was told that the $129 was a pre authorization amount and the $140 was the final amount with sales tax of $11 and change added.
I live in New Hampshire and that is where the device is being sent. We have no sales tax in the state of New Hampshire. I tried to explain that to them and even spoke with a supervisor. I was told I would have to fax them a tax exempt form from the state (never heard of such a thing) in order to get the sales tax removed. I have ordered many items online and over the phone. I have never been charged a sales tax in my life. I was on the phone with these stupid people for 2 hours and got nowhere. I tried to cancel my order, but, because the device had already been shipped I was unable to do that. So, now I either have to refuse the package when UPS brings it or I have to wait for a label to come in the mail (my printer is not working right now) and bring it to a UPS store to send it back.
Once they receive the device they will reimburse me the $140. Now I'm out almost $300. They assured me that the preauthorization amount of $129 would come out of my account in a couple of days. Who knows how long it will take to get reimbursed the other $140. Needless to say, I will never purchase another item at Barnes and Noble ever again. Beware, if you live in any state that does not have sales tax, DO NOT order anything online or over the phone from them.
Reviewed July 31, 2015
I tried to order a book bn.com this afternoon. The website seemed have some issue that it kept giving me timeout error after I hit the order button. I gave up at the end only to find 4 order confirmations with the same order number, and different charges in my email. My credit card shows 4 pending charges from BN too. Unfortunately, either when I check the order status online or ask the sales rep through live chat to check, no record of my order shows up. I was also told by the live chat rep to check in an hour since it may take some time for order info to show up. I did try to livechat again after 3 hours, but it closed, and I called in.
I was transferred 3 times over the phone to different reps without even explaining my situation, and at the end I was simply put on hold for 15 minutes (with a voice keeping saying wait time would be less than 5 min). The last rep was very nice and tried all she could do to help me track the order issues, but she could not find it either. I am only hoping I will not get 4 copies of the same book next week.
Reviewed July 30, 2015
I spoke to several customer service agents and each one left me on hold for a combined amount of 45-60 minutes. After going round and round about not receiving my initial order, they decided to expedite shipping and resend both books. Thus far, 5 days later we've only received one book, the other one, once again, did not get delivered because there was no room number. Absolutely disappointed in B&N.
Reviewed July 26, 2015
I ordered a set of electronic books online. At 9:14 am I received an email confirming the order and stating that it was ready for download. It is now 8 hours later and I still cannot download the product. In the intervening time I have been subjected to the highest level of incompetence which has resulted in great inconvenience. I started using their chat contact and then their phone contacts. The last "customer service agent" I spoke to apologized profusely, said she would connect me to a supervisor, and promptly connected me to a recording that said their office was closed. I was hung up on (for the second time today) and I still do not have access to the order or a reason why it is not in my library and my credit card has been charged.
Reviewed July 24, 2015
I cannot express in reasonable terms the frustration I am experiencing with my account and your website. A few weeks ago I purchased an iPad and downloaded the NOOK app. I was able to download my library but I was unable to make purchases from the iPad. I would browse to the B&N website, initiate the purchase but it simply would not process. In an effort to end-run the problem, I signed into my account via the browser on my iPhone (no nook app on iPhone) and was able to purchase a Nook Book where it was placed in my "Cloud" library. Likewise, I was able to make purchases via my Windows PC and the "book" again appeared in my "Cloud" Library and did download to the iPad.
I spoke with your Technical Support at length; tried some troubleshooting on the iPad but without any result. I was told by Tech Support this had to be handed off to a higher level and I would hear from someone soon. Two weeks; nothing and problem persists. Now I can't even make purchases from any device (I have tried two PC's and my iPhone). I am always told "to update my account information" which I of course tried; no avail. I tried to delete my card and reinput; no avail. It simply would not delete. Tried to reinput without deleting but was told the info was already there.
Yesterday I spoke again with your Tech Support (who's command of English made it difficult) again and she had me do the things I had already done; no avail. After a total of an half hour (wasted) she told me my card was fine but she could not fix the problem; said it stemmed from a 6/30 update and I should just keep trying. ARE YOU SERIOUS?
Today, I tried entering a new card as default payment; no avail. It is there but I am told to "update my account information" when I try to finalize the transaction. When will this problem be addressed? I have been a B&N customer for longer than I can remember. Offshore customer service and this lack of support is not what I have come to expect. It is as if I am being dared to take my business to Amazon. Can you please see that this communication makes it to at least mid-level management. So far, the individuals I have spoke with have been less than stellar.
Reviewed July 13, 2015
I purchased a Nook Simple Touch GlowLight on June 10, 2013 and it doesn't work anymore. The battery will not charge. I have turned it off and back on and it still doesn't work. I don't think it is fair that this broke in such a short amount of time. I wonder has this happened to others or am I the only unlucky one. I think I should be reimbursed with a new Nook GlowLight for free. Thank you.
Reviewed July 12, 2015
Bought TWO new Glowlights last week (one for my husband and one for me)... and a $5 coupon was included that expired in five days from date of registration. After trying for 5 days to use the coupon, finally gave up (this is after I THOUGHT it was using the coupon, bought a book for $6.99 intending to pay the $1.99) and they never credited my account with the $5 and charged my card $6.99. I could see the amount $5 in my account and it said it used it, but it didn't.
My husband just went to download a book, charged his card already, but it's now been an hour and the order is still "processing". Why doesn't it take that long to process the charge to our credit card??? Paid for their membership card ($25 and they tell you, you will get 10% all future purchases for a year). So I bought a cover for my new reader only to find out that the membership doesn't cover that. What??? What a scam this company is running! I will only be purchasing "free" books from now on and only enough books that I need to read in the sun/outside/at the beach (which is the ONLY good thing about the Nook) in my humble opinion... Certainly the company and the service STINK!
Reviewed July 11, 2015
I have had a B&N account for many years. Recently the did a "system update" and now for over 3 weeks I cannot access any of the books in my library. I have called them many times and always get the same excuse, that they are "updating their system". If it takes them 3 weeks to update their system, they must have clowns for their programmers!
Reviewed July 10, 2015
It's July 9, 2015 and I had a very bad experience shopping at Barnes and Noble online today. The softcover book I had ordered from them on June 30 was supposed to have arrived yesterday, July 8, but it did not. I had paid extra for Express shipping because I needed the book in a hurry. When I called B&N.com this morning I learned the book had never been shipped and there was no known reason. I agreed to have the book reordered and shipped Express with a July 14 delivery date. I would not have to pay for shipping.
A while later I had not yet received email verification so I called again to make sure there was no problem with the reorder. I then found out the book was out-of-stock. I was told the book would be sent when it became available at some undetermined date. When I asked if I could get an electronic copy of the book was told I would have to go back onto the B&E website and place a new order.
The manager was apologetic that:1. I had not been notified when they realized I would not get the book I had ordered.
2. I had then been told it would be reordered and delivered the following Tuesday, even though it was unavailable.
3. My payment could not be released immediately (and 8 hrs later still has not been released).
4. He could not take my order for the e-book.
5. There was nothing they could do to make me a happy customer.
Barnes and Noble could not have conducted itself more poorly. I was misinformed every step of the way. They still have a hold on my money, I do not have the book, and 9 days after my original order I'm back to square one. I will not shop there in the future.
Reviewed July 6, 2015
I purchased a new book online and the book was sent by one of B&N's "marketplace" vendors Green Street Books. When I received the book, there was writing and underlining throughout the book. I emailed Green Street Books directly as instructed in the packing slip to let them know I had paid for a new book. I received an email back stating they had no record of my purchase based on the order number I gave them. I responded by sending a photo of the packing slip with their company name on it. I never received a response to this email. I then called B&N customer service to report the problem. They told me I needed to email Green Street again saying I have informed B&N of the issue. I did this and still got no response and had to call B&N and repeat the entire story because they had no record of the call.
They then gave me their marketplace customer service email and told me to email them the details along with forwarding all emails sent to Green Street and to wait 5 business days for a response. I never received an email confirmation that they were even working on this and after 5 days I had to call customer service again and finally got connected with a supervisor after repeating my story to yet another customer service rep. She looked into the matter and called me back to say that I needed to mail the book back to Green Street and they would refund me and B&N would be mailing me a $10 gift card to reimburse me for shipping costs.
I paid $11 to mail the book back to Green Street plus paying for the initial shipping of $5 that they were not going to refund. I checked the USPS tracking number and saw that the book was delivered and signed for. I waited a couple of days and called Amex to see if there was a refund but there was not. I waited a couple more days to give Green Street a fair amount of time but there was no refund on my Amex. I then had to file a complaint with Amex and received my credit through them. B&N never sent the $10 gift card. This was the worst customer service experience I have ever had with an online purchase and I was shocked that a big name like B&N would not step up and handle the situation.
Reviewed July 5, 2015
I ordered a book from B&N. It was apparently sent by one of their marketplace sellers. The website said to expect 4-14 days. Evidently, even when it does not show up, B&N thinks it is reasonable to make you wait an additional week and a half to see if the book can magically arrive before they will credit you back your money. NEVER buy something from their website!!!
Reviewed July 3, 2015
My first time dealing with B&N online ordering. I called and talked to customer service who tried to guide me through the process of buying books with a gift card. And then decided she had said enough and left me wanting clarifications but told me to go to the web site and I could call back. I asked if I could have ordered directly from a live person and then I find out out I could but she didn't offer to help. So, back to on-line ordering and a day has gone by and I have no email confirmation that my order is being processed. It's back to Amazon for me. Tell everyone to stay away from B&N.
Reviewed July 3, 2015
I was charged a $25 renewal fee for my son's account which had expired and he did not renew. When I tried to cancel the renewal and reverse the charges, Barnes and Noble could not find the membership information in their system. On the other hand, they seem to have no trouble charging my credit card. This represents unbelievably poor business practices and we will not be shopping at B&N in the future.
Reviewed July 1, 2015
So B&N decided to "revamp" their website. In doing so, they removed all info from purchased content except the content itself. Why is this important? Because this morning I went to open a book and it no longer opens, but reads it is on "pre-order" and will be published 2035!!! (It actually came out last year). So I called the rep and explained the problem and she asked me when I purchased it because she couldn't find it (practically accusing me of lying). I told her I didn't know, because B&N REMOVED ALL THAT INFO FROM MY ACCOUNT - ISBN #, PURCHASE DATE, ETC. Finally, after an HOUR she found the book and after speaking with a supervisor, offered to refund my $2.99. Gee, how generous. Considering the fact if I want the book now it's going to cost me another $4.00. How is this fair? I don't know why they changed peoples' accounts, but unhappy customers is bad business. Amazon, here I come.
Reviewed June 26, 2015
I have never had the worst experience! I was waiting my book for 2 weeks and it came damaged. So I can't use it! I paid shipping and they said if I want to send it back I have to pay again. So it doesn't make sense for me! Very disappointed with their service!
Reviewed June 19, 2015
I wasted 9 hours of my day trying to get my Nook Books off of B & N and onto my computer (where they rightfully belong since I purchased them), then "recycling" (cancelling) my account with B & N. I had to wait on the Chat persons at least 2-3 minutes, who would cut the chat if I didn't answer within 30 seconds. I counted after my 3rd try. By the 5th try, I decided to call a person. They were just as bad hanging up on me after simple questions to them such as "can you repeat my email back to me to make sure you got the right email?"
11 people later, lots of dumb remarks such as "you cannot access your books without a valid credit card on file" because it says so in this 2 sentence blurb online. REALLY? WHY in the world is B & N the only place where I can purchase an online book for a Nook I no longer possess, and I cannot read it without a credit card on file? I bought it, it's mine to do as I wish. Because "it remains safe on our servers for you and protect your privacy." No! It is IN YOUR POSSESSION and only private for B & N. Next, because "the publishers are protecting their rights". Well, so much so that even I can't read what they wrote unless someone holds my credit card hostage!
Information should be free to mankind. Especially after a legitimate purchase. I finally got my account deactivated (yes, deleted). Ahh, but I was told my information remains in their database to be pulled up anytime they want and nothing can be done about that. Took all day to squeeze information out of these people. They were not rude, just really illogical, couldn't show me the valid why's of anything, had no sense of right and wrong in the real world with real people.
It's a corporate gig for them and we are pawns in their game. The CS are willing slaves to this way of life. I told them I was glad I am no longer working in Corporate America since it must be a ** to be a robotic thinker, reading from scripts and leaving their brains at the door of the office. (Yes, she hung up on me. LOL). I want NOTHING to do with B & N ever again. I won't even bother with their store. Thank you Amazon for making life easier to read books.
Reviewed June 19, 2015
We rented a textbook for my son. My son, a teenager, was responsible for sending it back. Not surprisingly in spite of several reminders, he didn't get it in the mail on time. First we were charged a late fee of $22.94. Fine, our fault. Then a "purchase" fee of $158.33. The book was listed on the Barnes and Noble for $128.33 used and $171.00 new. The book we rented was used and not in good shape. The spine was broken, the corners were tattered. There were many margin notes and lots and lots of pink highlighting.
I talked to Customer Service and I admitted we were late and should have to pay for the price listed for the used book. She kept saying that the replacement price was $216.60. That is $45.60 more than the price to purchase the book new. By my accounting we have paid $68.37 (plus tax and shipping) and we should owe the difference between that and the price the used book listed on their website of $128.33, which totals $59.96 plus additional tax. I was charged nearly $100 more than that! So now I have paid $226.70 plus tax and shipping for a used book in bad shape. What a complete ripoff!
Reviewed June 15, 2015
I ordered a book and was promised a $25 on the spot discount if I apply for a master card. I did and was approved but could not use it. I called Barclays and I registered a complaint with them as well as they lost that sale. Second complaint is that the system does not recognize my already paid membership number, so I can't apply my discounts. Thirdly - there is no listed number to contact customer service. Unacceptable.
Reviewed June 10, 2015
On May 17 I ordered a book online from Barnes and Noble. I immediately received confirmation. The following day Barnes and Noble charged my credit card and sent me an email stating my order will be delivered in 14 days. (What is this the South Pole, this is the US for pete's sake packages don't take that long.) Any how, to date, I have not received the shipment. I tried contacting Barnes and Nobles online and in order to send inquiry, one has to set up an account. I did not want an account because I did not want Barnes and Noble's junk mail. I contacted the third party seller who has not responded.
I found their 800 # when my credit card bill came so I called. NO ONE PICKS UP. The automated system transferred me to "someone" but the call was promptly terminated. This happened 3/4 times so I was unable to reach anyone. In the end I called my credit card company who reversed that charges. I thought Barnes and Noble was reputable but I found out the hard way it is not.
Reviewed May 31, 2015
I was 86d by the Barnes & Noble at Coronado shopping mall in Albuquerque, New Mexico.. Not only was I 86d but I was yelled at by the barista, and also provoked into committing a physical action in order to deter further brow beating. I did nothing of course and left calling the male barista named "**" a ** and saying that "This was a queer place anyway." They accused me of staring at the baristas during the two weeks that I had frequented the establishment. I'm a grown Caucasian man of 35, gainfully employed, and do not have time to sue them or focus on what has happened in order to receive reasonable compensation from this injustice. When I get around to it, I'll file a consumer complaint but I do not know what that would do in order to contribute to eliminating the bookseller for good.
I know of others who, if they received the kind of treatment that I did inside of the bookstore coffee shop, would not tolerate the way the barista treated me and resort to physical violence. They discriminate against men. There is a previous case where a doctor has been thrown out of a Barnes & Noble for reading in the children's section. I'm sure that there have been other unmentioned incidences where they asked other men to leave for the most mundane reasons. Barnes & Noble should go out of business forever. They treat their customers badly and get away with it.
Reviewed May 14, 2015
I usually purchase my textbooks from Half.com which has always worked out wonderfully in the past. Unfortunately, like most Americans, I have the tendency to shoot my own foot off to save a couple dollars every now and then. I noticed my textbook was 5 dollars cheaper on Barnes and Noble.com and the book was going to be shipped from Antioch, CA which is 80 miles from my home here in Rocklin, CA. A day after placing my order I was emailed a "shipping confirmation" from Barnes and Noble which was encouraging since my class was set to start 10 days later.
Fast forward 10 days later and my book was still not here. Keep In mind that even media mail doesn't take 10 days to travel 80 miles. I called Barnes and Noble Customer Service to get an update on my shipping since there was no tracking provided (what was there to track?!? The BOOK IS ONLY TRAVELING 80 MILES RIGHT!?!). Customer service informed me that the book was sent out by a 3rd party seller, which they never made clear in the first place, and that I should personally email the seller. After emailing the seller, I received what appeared to be automated and poorly written responses such as: "dear buyer, please provide correct order id/nuber (sic). sincerely, customer service".
After many detailed emails to this "3rd party" buyer and calls to B&N customer service line, I have finally accepted that I have been scammed. This whole business loop seems to be entirely comprised of East Indian/Pakistanis and I believe that seller accounts are being created to sell books that don't physically exist and the naive buyers (like myself) are giving money away overseas. I still don't have my book and I ended up purchasing from Amazon to get an online version of the book on my Kindle. I will NEVER NEVER NEVER purchase anything from a Barnes and Noble and I pray that they go out of business.
Reviewed May 12, 2015
This is a load of BS. I got an e-mail from my college telling me the books I rented were due by the 15th of May and they charged my card today on the 12th saying "We had to order a replacement". At the end of the semester, bull. I am not renting anymore books from these cheapskates. I would rather look up cruddy .pdf formats online. I said it once, and will say it again. Never, buying or renting from them again.
Reviewed May 12, 2015
Last Saturday I went into Barnes and Noble Atlanta. I was visiting some friends and decided to go out for shopping for Mother's day. Once at the store, I saw the Nook and asked a rep for some information. I was clear on her that I was foreigner, and I was buying it so I had not to carry real books. The rep said nothing, and I also bought a case for the Nook and a member card, so I could encourage myself to get some nice readings.
Yesterday was mother's day and we decided to go online and buy some books. The experience was one of the worst I have ever had. This people can't sell me a book because and just keep displaying this message: We're sorry, but this product is only available within the U.S. I went to try other stuff, and it is the same. NO EBOOKS ON NOOK IF YOU LIVE OUT OF THE US. We live in a world where this is just unbelievable. I will try to send it back and see what refund I can get. In the meantime, I think they are about to run out of business and they are simply just making the last of it. DEAD TO BARNES AND NOBLE.
Reviewed May 7, 2015
Nook HD that will not keep a charge. I have been having issues with this for a long time, and took back to store a couple of times. Nothing done ever worked. Today I took it again, and clerk at store called 1-800 number to explain issue. He told me to call 1-800-The Book and give serial and model# and they had a buyback plan, and they would pay for me to return my nook and send me the new nook, which was $129 in store. Very conveniently, my nook warranty ran out last year on April. I explained that the original clerk did not explain to me that my warranty was running out in April, or I would have returned Nook before warranty ran out. I can see why Barnes & Noble is having issues, and talk of going out of business, if this is how they treat their customers. Lost Customer!!!
Reviewed May 7, 2015
I've had this problem for over two years. I've used several credit and debit cards, they've never worked! Even when I call customer service, they say "it's not going through." Today, the lady told us it definitely went through. They sent me an e-mail a few minutes later saying it was declined! We've made sure there's enough money on the cards, there's no reason they aren't working. Now, we buy books from the Books-A-Million website instead. It works a lot better.
Reviewed April 13, 2015
On Jan. 7th 2015 I received my college books in the mail. Along with the books was a sheet from Barnes and Noble stating how long each book was rented for. One of the books was rented for 130 days, however, mid-March I received a debit on my checking account for $12.75. I called inquiring about the charge. They informed me that I had only rented this book for 60 days so I needed to extend my rental. I tried explaining I have proof from their very own office to prove that it was rented for 130 days not 60 days! They said I needed to extend it or buy it or I would continue getting $12.75 late fee charges. I went ahead and extended the rental for another 45 days.
Well IMAGINE another 2 weeks pass and I get ANOTHER late fee of $12.75. So I call AGAIN! This time the lady tells me I no longer have the option to extend the rental, the only thing available now is to buy the book! Remember I have paper work from them the whole time stating it was originally rented for 130 days. Not one person I ever spoke with would give me a fax number to show them the proof of a 130 rental. To date I have already got charged $12.75 THREE times and I have already sent the book back to them and now I have rented from Amazon (hopefully this will work better). So in other words once Barnes & Noble gets your debit card number, they will charge you as they please and they do not care if you can back up they are charging you wrong!
Reviewed April 7, 2015
I am very disappointed with Barnes and Noble at this moment. I purchased something to give my son for Easter three weeks ago, but it wasn't something he wanted. They will not return it, not even for store credit. The policy is not written on the front of the receipt, but rather is on the back in paragraph form...absurd!!! I will never shop there again and am recommending that my family not as well. They were very unhelpful!! I expected more from them.
Reviewed April 7, 2015
Now I will NEVER purchase from Barnes & Noble again. NEVER. They better give me back my money. I can't believe they took my money out of my account 3 days ago and informed me of it now. I placed an order in November & I received my product for Christmas & now they just informed me that they forgot to charge me. They have all my banking information in their system. I want it gone right now! How do I know that some ex convict is not going to take my disability money whenever they want??? This is so wrong more ways than one. I recommend that no one should shop with them.
Reviewed April 1, 2015
I tried purchasing a textbook for school back in January, but my payment was rejected after 3 days because it was a prepaid debit card. However, Barnes & Noble felt it was their right to keep my payment and turn it into credit when they should have refunded me my money. On top of this insult they put an expiration date on it! Which this date has already past and I have lost my money (oops I mean credit)! I am busy with college and this credit could have gone toward my books for next semester. Thanks for nothing Barnes & Noble. P.S. Also, if you are going to trying to make your customers settle their credit do it in their time zone! But, I guess that would be too fair for this company!
Barnes & Noble Company Information
- Company Name:
- Barnes and Noble
- Website:
- www.barnesandnoble.com