Barnes & Noble Bookstores (retail stores)

Review: I paid for a Barnes & Noble (BN, here on out) membership in early March of 2013, and as part of the membership I am supposed to receive exclusive offers/coupons via email. Additionally, I am supposed to receive regular emails (usually weekly) regarding special promotions, sales, etc. At first there were no issues...I received all the emails I wanted, including my email-only coupons. However, right around Christmas of 2013, the emails stopped arriving. I checked my spam folders and made sure that all of BN's email addresses were added to my contacts. I even changed my email address in my member profile and subscribed to the emails again. I use Gmail so I know there are no filters (unless I choose to put them there, which I didn't) and there is virtually no quota on the amount of emails I can receive.

After not receiving any emails for over a month, I looked online to see if anyone else was having the issue. Apparently yes! Here is the link to others who had the same issue:

I tried some of the tactics suggested by other users, but when that didn't change anything, I contacted BN directly. I contacted BN via live chat twice, and neither customer representative was helpful. They simply told me that the issue was on my end and that it could be my email software and ISP blocking their emails. However, they did not understand that I use Gmail, which is web based and not a software. There is no ISP to block any emails. One representative even had the audacity to tell me there no emails have gone out from BN since Christmas, so I should just wait until I start receiving them again. This is nonsense because BN would not simply stop sending out all communication to their customers!

After their live chat representatives failed to solve my problem, I emailed their membership customer service department and explained the issue. No one responded to my initial email. I had to send a follow up before someone responded. After providing all of the personal information they needed, they advised me that they would look into it and respond in 24-72 hours. After 5 days (way more than 72 hours), I followed up with them and asked if they had a response for me. Again, my email went unanswered and I had to follow up again. When someone finally responded, they suggested that I add all their email addresses to my contacts, which I already did. Not only does this not solve my problem, but they had to ask for my personal information AGAIN. They should be keeping track of this and following up for me. I should not be chasing them!! I responded to the email, but (surprise) no one has responded to me.

Fed up, I decided to call them. Long story short, the customer service representative was not very helpful. Not only was she unable to solve my issue, but she simply told me that I still have other membership benefits to take advantage of, like free online shipping. At this point, I'm livid because if I'm going to pay 100% of the membership fees I should be getting 100% of the benefits. Asking me to settle for just free shipping is not only a bad business, but rude for the customer service representative to suggest.

To add insult to injury, they have already charged me to automatically renew my membership, which expires early March. They are charging me one full month before my membership ends, and they should not be doing that. They should not charge me until right before my membership expires. And what is the purpose of renewing when I don't receive the email exclusive offers, which is one of the best perks of being a member?

Please note that I can provide written documentation of all the conversations I've had with every BN customer service representative, excluding the phone call. I will happily provide this information.Desired Settlement: 1. Fix this email issue so that I start receiving BN's email only exclusive offers/coupons. I am happy to work with BN on my end but they cannot keep telling me to add their emails to my contacts or to check my spam box.

2. Reissue me any coupons that have been sent out to members between Christmas 2013 and now (and until this email issue is solved). My membership is paid in full and I am entitled to these coupons. I know at least 2 have been sent out since then because I have a friend who is also a member and she has received both of these coupons.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Barnes & Noble Bookstores (retail stores) regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,

Review: Here is the letter that I sent Barnes and Noble via their Facebook page, it explains the situation in detail.

Dear Barnes & Noble,

I’m writing to tell you how very disappointed I am in your treatment of your loyal customers. I bought one of the original Nooks when they came out in 2009 and it still works, but I wanted one with a glowlight so I could read in the dark.

I bought a Nook SimpleTouch with Glowlight in December of 2012. By February it had developed a hole in one of the underlying screens that caused a beam of light to shine through onto the page. It was very distracting. So, I called customer service and they replaced it, with a used Nook. I wasn’t thrilled about that. That one lasted a few months before the same thing happened. It had a little beam of light shining through on the page. So, I called customer service. This time, I asked to be upgraded to a different device and offered to pay the difference in price. I was told they couldn’t do that so I asked to talk to a supervisor who reiterated the scripted answer, though she said she would check with upper management and call me back – which she never did. I called back a week later inquiring about the status to find that no one had done anything with my inquiry. I finally agreed to them sending me a new device, not refurbished. This one worked for approximately 2 months before the exact same thing happened to this one; this time when I called customer service I was treated disrespectfully and rudely. In all of these instances hole appeared between one reading session and the next; I put the book down and picked it up a couple of hours later and the hole had appeared.

I have again called customer service and was hoping to have this device replaced with the new Nook SimpleTouch with Glowlight that was released yesterday (10/**/2013) because it supposedly has a screen protector so the hope was that it will just be more sturdy in general. Again, I was told that it was a ‘different model’ even though it is still a SimpleTouch with Glowlight. After talking with a supervisor I was offered a replacement of a new “old style” SimpleTouch, but I declined. Why would I want another defective model? Do you not think that three (3) defective devices in 10 months is enough to turn anyone off of a product?

Unless Barnes and Noble makes this right by issuing me either a newly released SimpleTouch or upgraded to the HD tablet or issues a refund, I will not be returning to B&N. My experience has been so negative that I really don’t think there is much that could be done to salvage my view on your company or your customer service.

Sincerely,

[redacted]Desired Settlement: I would like the defective item to be replaced with a different product; I have no desire to get another (number 4) of the same product. I have asked about the Nook HD and offered to pay the difference in prices (which is only about $10). I was told that once the warranty runs out in December I could purchase a new Nook for a slightly reduced price - which will not be happening.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, my complaint, ID [redacted] regarding Barnes & Noble Bookstores (retail stores) has been resolved.

I hope this issues has been resolved. They sent me the new version of the Nook that they say is improved. We will see.

Sincerely,

Review: I purchased a textbook in April but returned it a week later due to no longer needing it. I followed the company's return instructions as seen on their website and sent the textbook to their warehouse address well before the 30 day return policy had ended. Nearly two months had passed and I had yet to receive my refund. I called numerous times (approximately 15 in the following two months), where I would be told that I would be receiving my refund within the week, yet each time I was told I would be receiving my refund, I would not receive anything and there were times when I would be told that it was not being processed because there were no records of such a call. Finally, in July I was able to speak to a supervisor who told me that my textbook came from an outside seller and they could not issue me a refund (although I purchased it directly from their website and there was nothing in my package saying it came anywhere other than the company itself). They said that instead they could ship me back my textbook since it was at their warehouse and they would contact me when they had done so. I have not received my textbook, my refund, or even an email notifying me of what is occurring. The company now has both my product and money. They gave me a case number: [redacted] and the textbook is Learning and Memory: From Brain to Behavior (2nd edition) by [redacted].Desired Settlement: Because the company has both my product and money and has been uncooperative, I wish the receive a full refund of the purchase price of $110.06

Business

Response:

Dear Revdex.com,

We reviewed the complaint submitted by [redacted].

Barnes & Noble strives to provide clear and accurate information on our website and apologize for any confusion surrounding our return policy. Some items purchased on the Barnes and Noble website may be returned to any of our local retail stores; however, we do advise our customers that item purchased from the Marketplace section of our website must be returned to the Authorized Seller who shipped the order.

Our Marketplace FAQs states:

Marketplace items are shipped directly from our Sellers. ff a return is necessary, the customer must ship the item back to the Seller who provided it at the address listed on the packing slip that came with the item. Returns should not be sent to BN.com or brought to a Barnes & Noble retail store.

In order to receive your refund:

Purchases from one of our Sellers will come with a packing slip. This piece of paper will have the address of the Seller and instructions on how to return the item. Ifyour package did not include a packing slip, you may contact the Seller to request their address. To do

so, sign in to the Order Status page and select "Check Status" next to your item. The detail page will include the Seller's email address.

The seller will process your refund through EN.com if you:

Return the item in the same condition in which you received it. Return the item within 30 days of receiving it.

Note:

P.O. Box 111, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071

We will credit your account once the Seller has processed the return through the BN.com system.

Returns will be refunded in the form of the original payment method

Additionally, our Barnes & Noble Refunds & Return Policies states in part:

Items That Cannot Be Returned

Marketplace Items, Video Games, Audiobook MP3s, and Items from Other Vendors

To view our complete Barnes & Noble Refunds & Return Policies please visit http://www.barnesandnoble.com/help/cds2.asp?PID=8121.

Though Ms. [redacted] provided a USPS tracking# for a package she returned to our Barnes & Noble returns department, we have been unable to confirm the return. The postal service has no information available on their website regarding the delivery of the item and we have no record of the book in our returns department.

In the essence of customer service and to bring this matter to a close, we have made the decision to refund Ms. [redacted] original method of payment as a onetime courtesy. Ms. [redacted] will need to ensure she is following the correct returns process for any future orders she places with us. If Ms. [redacted] requires any further assistance, she may contact me directly at ###-###-#### M-F 9am - 5:30pm EST.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further questions or concerns.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: I ordered a college textbook on Tuesday morning with expedited shipping which was advertised as getting to me in 1-3 business days which would be Friday at the latest and it will not actually arrive according to their customer service department and tracking until Monday the [redacted]. I need the text for an assignment due Saturday! I would have never ordered from them had I known they falsely advertise the shipping dates. I called customer service to ask them to expedite the text by tomorrow as advertised in my order or refund my money ASAP so that I can go out of my way to purchase the textbook which is located at least an hour away from my home! They will not honor either!Desired Settlement: I would like my refund today if I can not have the book by tomorrow, which is not happening they said.

Review: I'm contacted B&N around the [redacted] of June to return a device that I was not using. I explained to the Representative that I had purchased two Nooks, but only used the Simple Touch when I registered it. She then transfered me to a supervisor, who listened to my story and spoke to management. They agreed to give me a refund since my return date had just recently expired. At the time, I was ecstatic and very pleased with B&N customer service towards customers. I was told that it would be processed once I mailed the device with details, and I'd receive a refund in the form of a check via postal mail. I received the details, but was not able to send it until about 4 business days later. After speaking with the supervisor I called back to ensure my details were correct. I was later told it took up to 3 weeks to process and learned that I was expected to have the S/N. I wasn't inforned previously, so I printed the label via USPS using Paypal and sent it off on June [redacted]. I called again when the item arrived at the Nook Center on the [redacted] of June to confirm they had received it. At first the representative expressed uncertainty until I pointed out that I had a tracking # (which I didn't have on hand during the call) and that's when she said that she saw it was received. During the first 3 weeks, I called several times, under the impression that the 3 weeks would begin upon mailing the device. I was later told this was not the case. I also asked about the status, since all the representatives, up until that point, had stated that it took UP TO 3 weeks to process/evaluate the Nook. Naturally,. I did not think UP TO 3 weeks was conducive to 3 weeks EXACTLY. I also had reservations about the form of payment the refund would come in. It is less secure and traceable than funds used through my bank. Therefore, I requested a change in terms to recieve it by account. No one had a cut and clear response, and in general, customer service seemed unable to answer unique and specific questions that wasn't specifically referenced through the terms and policies they often recited during my calls. Plus, when they had a problem they would transfer me. This was understandable, but the 40-70 minutes it took for the other person to answer fast became a problem. Orginally this was not the case, but the time increased the longer it took for a final resolution. I recieve a government phone with only 250 minutes. When I call about the status, return for inquires and have to wait over half an hour during transfers, it quickly adds up. I had about three inquires, which I had to wait days for. Responses from employees were often loaded and usually, didn't answer the question, or hid a "no" among a mixture of apologizes, anticipated resolutions, and other excuses. Basically, I called a lot to make sure everything was accurate and on time because of limited knowledge communicated to me, loaded responses to yes or no questions that left me more confused than when I called, and transfers that usually led to little or no resolution. I was nervous about the eventual outcome, and so far, this unease has proven true. After I was certain the 3 weeks were up, I sent an inquiry about the status. I was given the service request# on July [redacted] and was told to call back in 2 days. I did. I spoke to a representative, this time a female again, and gave her the request number. She sent a inquiry as well. I did not pursue why she sent a new inquiry after I had requested the results of the previous one, which had finished, according the statement by the male representative. I was disconnected. I was told by a supervisor to call back in 78 hours, however, so I return the call well over a week later. When there was no resolution, I begin to email for paper trails and accuracy. The first detailed email I sent was on July [redacted], asking about the status of my refund. In 12 to 24 hours, I was emailed that B&N needed "3-4 business days in order to release refunds on to your account." I later received an email that stated that B&N "anticipate that your issue will be resolved within 5-7 business days" on the [redacted] of July. After 13 days of receiving no response, email, deposit, or postal mail, I emailed again on the [redacted] of August. I recieved a response several hours ago saying that I could better resolve my issue over the phone. As a side note, because of little change occurring in the situation, I only needed to copy/paste the email. The represenative and supervisor I spoke with opted to send an inquiry. I rejected it. She opted to forward to management. I rejected. Why? Because I'd tried and waited so many times with their suggested methods. I rejected it as they always ended the same. They went so far as to point out the difference of time between the last email and new on the phone. The reason for the distance is obviously the waiting period which B&N, and not myself, applied between resolutions. The resolutions, I might add, that never came. The only gaps I inflicted were less than a week long and were due to having to purchase new minutes (courtesy of long transfers) and paying postage to send the device itself. After this, would I buy from B&N? Yes, because I haven't had any other problems with their products or help. Would I make any big purchases, like devices? No. This process was more than enough for me. I have had represenatives ask me if I really emailed B&N. They suggest the device was purchased on sale at Father's Day (it was full price and I mailed it + spoke to supervisor before the [redacted]), and have even suggested that I take a gift card as compensation instead of what I orginally agreed to. It's offense and not the sort of assurance I expect when I spend my money. Hopefully, the end can finally be reached.Desired Settlement: I want the full refund for the Nook Simple Touch w/Glowlight, which cost $119 plus tax at the time of purchase. Also, I'd appreciate a store credit or card as well for the trouble. I spent more than money and postage, which is what is expected when returning a purchase. I spent hours of my time and limited resources on what should have been a basic exchange and turned into a two month struggle.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],

We reviewed the complaint submitted by [redacted].

We sincerely regret to hear of the delay which has occurred with [redacted]’s refund for her NOOK return. We would like to look further into the matter; however, we have been unable to complete a thorough research with the information provided in the complaint.

In general, refunds are processed to the original method of payment; however, we have been unable to locate an original receipt for [redacted]’s device purchase. If [redacted] will provide the location where the purchase was made, we will be sure to address the issue immediately.

We have been unable to reach [redacted] at the telephone numbers provided in the complaint; [redacted] is a fast busy signal and ###-###-#### is not a valid number. I ask that [redacted] contact me directly at ###-###-#### M-F 9am – 5:30pm EST for further assistance.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further questions or concerns.

Respectfully,

Sr. Consumer Affairs Advocate

Barnes & Noble

Business

Response:

[redacted],

We reviewed the complaint submitted by [redacted].

[redacted] NOOK device was purchased at an independently operated Barnes & Noble University Bookstore. Unfortunately, we do not have access to the purchase data and therefore our returns department was unable to process the refund in a timely fashion.

We have obtained the information necessary to locate [redacted]'s transaction and have processed the refund accordingly. [redacted] was sent Barnes & Noble Check # [redacted] issued in the amount of $128.52 on September **, 2013.

We are currently working on a process for refunding College and University Bookstore purchases to prevent any further delays for customers like [redacted]. For the inconvenience, we have also sent [redacted] a $25 Barnes & Noble eGift Card as a small token of our regret.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further questions or concerns.

Respectfully,

Sr. Consumer Affairs Advocate

Barnes& Noble

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is more than satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved. It cleared up alot of the misunderstandings that I encountered during the process, and having received a refund+ a gift card, including an unexpected addition of tax/chargers, I am very happy and no longer have any hard feelings. I appreciate the help I received from Revdex.com New York and B&N Complaint Resolution Center in this case. I've already used much of the gift card so, thank you very much. I am glad to hear about the possibility of more collaboration in the future. Hopefully, other customers will not share this inconvenience in the future.

Sincerely,

Review: We have a three year old son that recently discovered a children’s movie called “Spookley the square pumpkin” and have been looking everywhere for a copy of this movie. We found it on Barnesandnoble.com ([redacted]) and saw that it was available for pick up in our area. We were shopping at a [redacted] literally across the street and we were so excited to find it. Only to get to the store and told that the only copy they have is on hold for another customer and that it has been on hold for 2 days and it has one more day on hold. At this point we are devastated that the website would still say that it is available for pick up when it is not. We asked to speak to a [redacted] and got [redacted] (Store [redacted]) of the [redacted] location in Clermont, FL. We explained to her that we have been looking for this we finally found it, our three year old son is with us hollering for square pumpkin and we said we understand but the policy says can be held UPTO three days, and we said we are here now with money with a screaming kid that really wants this movie. We were told she was going try to call the customer that had the hold to see if they would let us have it and order them another copy. After 5 minutes she said why don’t we wait around to see if they call back, okay, we have already been in the store almost a half hour with a screaming kid and you want us to wait more. It was nearly closing time, we were ready to go got outside and our son starts screaming pumpkin again. We go back in and beg and plead with [redacted] and she says there is nothing she can do, we are going out of town tomorrow and wanted this movie for him to watch in the car we don’t have another day to sit and wait for this hold to expire. At this point we are exhausted it has been nearly an hour in the store and we asked for the district phone number, all the time she was rude to us and unhelpful. I work retail and in management and I am sorry but if there is a customer this upset in my store we’d do whatever was necessary to make that customer happy especially in today’s economy. I think a full three days is a long time to hold a popular DVD, and as I stated your policy says up to, which means it can but does not have to. All this fuss over a children’s movie obviously [redacted] does not have children or she would know what we were going through. I think we were very rudely taken care of and [redacted] was mean and spiteful, she didn’t even offer to take our name and if they didn’t come in to call us or if they called back to call us so we could come back in the morning before we left town. If you want to turn down business, keep people from never coming into your stores again and have a reason to slam B&N on social media just keep people like [redacted] in your stores. Then this morning it still says available for pick up, I try again and I get [redacted] calling me that they no longer have that movie and saying it smug, if they didn’t have it why would it still be showing online and I feel she was saying this just because of the incident the night before when we drew attention to her ignoring a crying/screaming three year old.Desired Settlement: Apology from [redacted] via email (we do not want to phusically speak with her again) about how we were treated by her and to get the movie we wanted.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Barnes & Noble Bookstores (retail stores) regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,

Review: I am trying to redeem gift card credit to buy a couple of Nook Books. The credit is more than $30. The books are less than $15. The web site says that you must have a valid credit card registered to use as a unique ID for DRM on the Nook Books. The site also states that it won't charge the card unless the purchase is greater that available gift card balance. I have plenty of gift card balance but when I try to spend my money (from the gift card) it tries to charge my card and fails. The card unfortunately has no available balance. It is a valid card and unique to me (it is of course my credit card) and they specifically say it won't be charged unless it is need for a charge greater than the balance of the gift card. I contacted the web chat support and they claim I must have $2 available on my credit card and just kept trying to push me off to the phone order so I'd have to fight with someone on the phone then. I'm not sure how this is legal as I have valid credit from the gift card and they are holding it ransom and demanding to charge my credit card. Please help.Desired Settlement: I just want to spend my money (gift card balance) on Nook Books. I'm not sure why they make it so hard to buy from them. Of course they already have my money, it makes it more profitable for them if they don't have to give me product in return for my money.

Review: I purchased a book online from barnes and noble in April 2013. I had no choice but to join their membership in order to make this purchase. I was not happy about it, but I joined. The membership had an free introductory period, and then my card would be charged $25 annually after this intrductory period ended. After completing the transaction I contacted Barnes and Noble to cancel my membership. I called the number on their website and spomke to a representative, and asked to cancel my membership. I was asked why, and stated that I had no interest in having a membership, and did not wish to pay a fee to join. The individual I spoke to confirmed cancelling my membership, sent me an email confirming that my membership was canceled, and confirmed that I would not be charged a fee in the future. On June **, 2013, my account was charged $25 for a membership that I was guranteed was cancelled. Additionaly I was charged a fee of $33.50 from my bank for this unknown transaction. I disapprove of Barnes and Noble, and plan to never do business with this company again, because they are dishonest and have poor principles.Desired Settlement: Refund of $25, Payment of $33.50 in fees, additional $100 for my trouble, and public awareness of Barnes and Nobles dishonest and misleading business practices.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],

We reviewed the complaint submitted by [redacted].

We can confirm that [redacted] was refunded the membership renewal charge on June **, 2013. As stated on the Barnes & Noble site in the Member Program Terms & Conditions under Free

Two-Month Limited Membership under the Term and Renewal section:

The Free two-month term of Limited Membership is two (2) months beginning on the date of enrollment. Upon expiration of the Free two-month Limited Membership, the credit or debit card (other than a debit card that always requires a PIN) you provided when you enrolled in the Free two-month Limited Membership will be automatically charged $25 for full term of Membership. The resulting one-year term of Membership (referred to as "Automatic Renewal Membership") will automatically renew each year, for additional one-year periods.

The Free two-month Limited Membership may be cancelled at any time prior to the expiration date of the Free two-month Limited Membership and your credit or debit card will not be charged. In such case, the Free two-month Limited Membership will expire as of the date of cancellation. You can cancel the Free two-month. Limited Membership (i) by notifying Member Services by telephone, at [redacted], or (ii) by electing to cancel your Limited Membership through an authenticated BN.com account.

Additionally, under Cancellation; Termination, we states:

If you cancel your paid one-year term of Membership, you will only be entitled to a full refund of your Membership fee if the Membership was not used to obtain an eligible

discount or benefit, and you cancel during the first thirty (30) days of your Membership term (new or renewal). No refunds will be available after such thirty (30) day period (unless we term. i.n.ate the Barnes &. Noble Member Program in its entirety;

For complete information please visit [redacted]

Our records indicate that [redacted] did speak with a member services representative on April **, 2013 who advised that the trial membership would be cancelled and that he would not be charged a renewal fee. We sincerely regret that the appropriate action was not taken in cancelling the trial membership which therefore caused a renewal fee to be charged on June **, 2013. We ask that [redacted] forward us a copy of his physical bank statement showing the Barnes & Noble charge and the resulting overdraft fee. [redacted] may email or fax this information directly to me in order to be refunded for the overdraft fee.

Mr. Gorr may reach me directly at ###-###-#### M-F 9am - 5:30pm EST. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further questions or concerns.

Sr. Consumer Affairs Advocate Barnes & Noble [redacted]

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],

We reviewed the follow up complaint submitted by [redacted].

As stated in our original response, [redacted] was issued a refund on June **, 2013 for the membership renewal of $25 processed on June **, 2013. This is the only refund issued to [redacted] at this time.

We did indicate in our response also that we are requesting that [redacted] forward us a copy of his physical bank statement showing the Barnes & Noble Membership renewal charge and the resulting overdraft fee, in order to be refunded for the additional fee. To date, we have received no communication from [redacted].

[redacted] may email or fax this information directly to me at ###-###-#### in order to be refunded for the overdraft fee. I can be reached directly at ###-###-#### M-F 9am – 5:30pm EST.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further questions or concerns.

Respectfully,

Sr. Consumer Affairs Advocate

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

There is no reason to continue corresponding. I will never do business with Barnes and Noble again, and if this is the way that they choose to conduct their business, then I am sure that many other consumers will be contacting the Revdex.com with the same complaint.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Review: I ordered a book from barnes and Noble online, the receipt said that I got 3 to 5 days, after a week u called them because I didn't receive the book and I was told that the 3 to 5 days shipping starts when they get the book and that may take up to 3 weeks, so I cancled the order

3 weeks later I am checking my mail and the book is there I checked my bank account and they recharged me without my consent and actually put my bank account in the negative which costed me an extra $35 in bank fees and when I called them they said we will refund you the money but you have to send the book back first and we will not refund the bank feesDesired Settlement: I want my money back for the book and the bank fees that occurred because of the unauthorized charge they put on my account

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Barnes & Noble Bookstores (retail stores) regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,

Review: I ordered a book from a store in [redacted] on March *, 2014, and they needed to special order and mail it to our home address in [redacted]. They ended up mailing the wrong book, so at that time I contacted them right away to let them know. They sent me a UPS label and told me to return the wrong book through UPS and that they would send me a credit once the book was received. In the meantime, I ordered the correct book again and paid my own money, and was told I would be sent the refund by mail to the home address. I never received a refund and contacted the company again on Monday, May [redacted] to find out the status of the refund. I was told that they had received my returned book in late April, yet for some reason they said the refund was never mailed out. I was told on that date of May [redacted] that I should expect my refund in about a week and as of this date, May [redacted], I have not received the refund as of yet.

The phone number I have been contacting is ###-###-#### and my original order number is[redacted]Desired Settlement: I was only looking for my original purchase amount for the wrong book plus the amount they charged me for shipping of the wrong book (approximately $11.00) to be refunded, but now that it has been 2 1/2 months that I have been waiting, I believe they should give me at least $50.00 - $100.00 towards store credit/purchases for my time and inconvenience in dealing with this.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have been contacted directly by Barnes & Noble Bookstores (retail stores) regarding complaint ID [redacted], however my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]

I contacted a [redacted] named [redacted] approximately two weeks ago. [redacted] was extremely apologetic and remorseful about what happened and assured me he would track the gift card and get back to me the next day. I never heard from [redacted] against as he is clearly another product of this horrible company and he has no right being a [redacted] and should be reprimanded

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Review: Purchased NOOK HD tablet December 2012 and extended warranty for my son's Christmas gift (then 11 years old). In Sept 2013--Nook was dropped and the screen cracked. Used warranty to replace with no problems. However, I learned now that Barnes and Noble failed to notify me that upon replacement 1) warranty expired despite it is in effect for 2 years and 2) device was replaced with "certified pre-owned" Nook.

Current (May 2014) certified pre-owned device no longer holds an electric charge and does not power on and therefore cannot be used. Upon return to the store, was informed warranty had expired and "out of contract" repair service no longer available.

I contacted customer service via phone and received the same answers--no recourse due to warranty expiring. I requested manager contact and received a return call. Management informed me that I was at fault as I did not read the warranty's details, but they would provide $25.00 gift card toward new device.

This is unacceptable as I have not only lost a device ($200), warranty ($40), adapter ($20) and approximately $200 in apps, e-books and extras that are imbedded in the device. A $25.00 gift card is an insult and there is no reason I would purchase another clearly defective product.

Lastly, it is my 13 year-old son's prized posession and all he has left is a husk of a machine.Desired Settlement: Barnes & Noble should replace their defective product as we did not damage it this time OR they should repair the device

Review: On 2/**/14, I phoned Barnes and Noble and placed and order for 2 books--Peterson's Master the GED (price of $18.14) and Barron's E-Z Business Math (price of $10.12). The CUS SER REP said her name was [redacted]. During this phone transaction with [redacted], I decided to buy a membership, which cost $25. The cost of the 2 books and taxes was $30.31. Two separate payments are noted on my February **, 2014 VISA Card statement: a charge of $30.31 for the books and a charge of $25 for membership. On 3/**/2014 I went online to Barnes and Noble's web site to order 2 books to be sent to my son in Alabama, but decided against placing the order because the web site did not recognize me, even though I had entered my email address. The site was going to charge me shipping fees, though I was supposed to receive free shipping as a member benefit. It occurred to me on 3/**/2014 that I did not receive an email confirmation from Barnes and Noble for the 2/**/2014 order that I placed, and I have not received a single email from them as of today's date. They were supposed to send me emails containing information, coupons, discounts on merchandise, etc. I have received nothing from them and, thus, no member benefits. On 3/**/2014, I phoned the Barnes and Noble store in [redacted] and spoke with [redacted]. He asked for some information, which I gave him. [redacted] said he would have to contact Corporate and he would get back to me in a couple of days. I phoned [redacted] today, 4/**/2014. He said I needed to call the [redacted] store, since I made the 2/**/014 purchase through them. Today, I spoke by phone to [redacted] in the [redacted] store and requested a refund. He told me he could not accommodate me and that I should call Membership. I phoned Membership and was told I needed to talk with Retail, but I was transferred to Fraud Prevention. The man in Fraud Prevention said his office does not handle such matters. I am getting the run-around from Barnes and Noble. I am unable to give more energy and time to this matter.

Product_Or_Service: MembershipDesired Settlement: DesiredSettlementID: Refund

I need for Barnes and Noble to either send me a check for reimbursement of the $25 I paid for membership or to put the $25 back on my VISA Card.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have been contacted directly by Barnes & Noble Bookstores (retail stores) regarding complaint ID [redacted], however my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]

As of today's date, May **, 2014, I have not been contacted directly by Barnes & Noble Bookstores (retail stores) regarding complaint ID [redacted]. Four or 5 days after I filed a complaint with the Revdex.com, I received a 20% off coupon in the mail from Barnes & Noble Bookstores, which I will not be using.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Barnes & Noble Bookstores (retail stores) regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,

Review: I called BN because I had a defected Nook Tablet. They told me they would send me a warranty replacement for free. All I had to do was provide my card, incase I failed to return my device back to them. I obliged. Only a day later I noticed there was a charge to my account. Getting the warranty request placed was hard enough. I was transferred countless times to people I couldn't understand. I was hung up when I asked to be transferred to a manager.

I noticed today that my card was charged for almost 100 dollars from BN. When I called to inquire about the charge I got the same run around. I was transferred to multiple people in multiple departments, all of whom I had to repeat what had happened to! They looked and looked, I was put on hold numerous times, and they couldn't find the charge. They were looking for the wrong amount. When they finally corrected themselves with the amount they still couldn't find them. I asked if I could send in a bank statement with the charge on it. I was then placed on hold again to see if I would even be allowed a fax number! I was hung up again. I called back, re explained what had happened for the 10th time and was finally given a fax number. I was told they wouldn't call me and there was no number to speak directly with someone. I would have to wait 1-5 business days.

I never was able to speak with a manager high enough up. But maybe this will get the message across to BN that their customer service is terrible. I had the same types of occurrences with

their online chat as well. They would connect the chat and as soon I would start stating a problem, they would just not answer me! I feel helpless and voiceless. BN should know that I'm spreading the word and I'm encouraging people no matter how great their products are, not to buy for the off chance they would have to deal with customer service!Desired Settlement: I would like my money refunded since it's a fraudulent charge on their part. I did not authorize it and was told I would not be charged. I did give them my debit card number but I did not authorize a charge. They claim they have no record. That cannot be legal!

Review: My Nook displays 20 electronic books, and four of those books are no longer accessible on the Nook. When I touch the book to read it, I receive a prompt to enter the credit card information I used to purchase the books. I no longer have this credit card, so I cannot enter in the information. I emailed the company on four separate occasions for support to access the book, to which the final direction from them was to call the customer service number because they could not figure out why I could not access the books. I called customer service today, and after 20 minutes of working with the rep, I still could not access the titles on my Nook. Through both the email correspondence and telephone conversation, I requested the books in hard copy form and was declined. My complaint is that at this time I have for four electronic books, all purchased through Barnes and Noble, that I cannot access on my Nook, a Barnes and Noble product. Barnes and Noble is not able to identify the problem and has not offered me a resolution. I am also concerned that this same problem will occur- not being able to access my books- when my debit card expires in January 2016.Desired Settlement: Since I already have read the books, it is not fair to request a refund. Instead, I am open to one of the following resolutions:1. Receive a store credit in the full amount of the original purchase price for every book I purchased on Nook/account. I can then use the store credit to purchase the books in hard copy form, even if I need to pay extra for them.2. Receive all of the books in my Nook/account in hard copy form.In return, I will close my Nook account and erase my Nook.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.Sincerely,

Review: I purchased a textbook rental through Barnes and Noble. Before my rental expired, I purchased an extension. After a family emergency, I contacted B&N to let them know my rental was on the way and explained my situation as to not incur any penalty fees. The rep ([redacted]) told me I will not be charged late fees as long as I could send the book and send her the tracking information. I did as she requested. I kept an eye on my account and it says the rental was indeed received BEFORE the due date (returned on 5/**/14 and due on 5/**/4). In December I was alerted that I was being charged a little over $18 for the same book (with a different order number). I spoke to multiple people and requested a refund. B&N reps all redirected me to other reps, with no avail. I was also told to email [redacted] to request a refund. I did --- and I have still not received a response! This company keeps giving me the run around and deliberately ignoring my requests.Desired Settlement: I'd like a refund for the latest charge.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Barnes & Noble Bookstores (retail stores) regarding complaint ID [redacted]. I have had multiple online chats plus I have had numerous attempts to email the company. I have not received any emails or phone calls back, nor have I received a refund.Sincerely,[redacted]

Review: I received "membership" discounts via the US post office from Barnes and Noble. I have not signed up to be a Barnes and Noble member as I do not regularly shop there because the store closest to my home is in Portland and I live in Keizer, an hour away. I phoned to question this and learned that I was a member because 3 years ago, I had signed up for a trial membership that could be canceled after 2 months (I do not recall receiving any type of notice for renewal). I was told that I had been charged a renewal fee of $25.00 per year. I asked that the renewal fee's $75.00) be returned to me, as I had not bought a single item from Barnes and Noble since the original purchase and obviously would not have needed a membership. I pulled my bank statement from January 2013 and there was an entry "BandN renewal" . My husband takes care of our statements and did not know what this was but figured it was a charge I had made for Christmas. That was our mistake but I never extended the trial membership and feel I should have been given a full return of $75.00 but they would only return $25.00. I was told that by signing up for a trial membership, I was giving full permission for Barnes and Noble to charge my VISA each year without me having to be asked if I wanted a permanent membership. I KNOW this was not explained to be when I signed up for the "trial" I only did that because I was told I would get a discount on what I was buying. I think that Barnes and Noble should not charge a fee for membership without consent from the consumer.Desired Settlement: I want the $50.00 refunded to my credit card. I was told they would only do the last one. However, if they acknowledge that they should refund for this past year, they should refund for each year.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Barnes & Noble Bookstores (retail stores) regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],

We reviewed the complaint submitted by [redacted].

We can confirm that [redacted] has been refunded for the current membership renewal charge.

When [redacted] accepted the Trial Membership, the application form advised that in order to receive uninterrupted service, the annual Membership fee would be automatically charged to the credit card on file. That form contains the following paragraph, above the signature line:

"By signing here, accept all the Terms and Conditions of the Bines & Noble Membership Program. I understand that Membership fee will be automatically charged annually to the credit card I'm using today, or to the credit card account I have provided below, 30 days prior to my expiration date".

As stated in the Member Program Terms & Conditions under Free Two-Month Limited Membership under the Term and Renewal section:

The Free two-month term of Limited Membership is two (2) months beginning on the date of enrollment. Upon expiration of the Free two-month Limited Membership, the credit or debit card (other than a debit card that always requires a PIN) you provided when you enrolled in the Free two-month Limited Membership will be automatically charged $25 for a full term of Membership. The resulting one-year term of Membership (referred to as "Automatic Renewal Membership") will automatically renew each year, for additional one-year periods.

The Free two-month Limited Membership may be cancelled at any time prior to the expiration date of the Free two-month Limited Membership and your credit or debit card will not be charged. In such case, the Free two-month Limited Membership will expire as of the date. of cancellation. You can cancel the Free two-month Limited Membership (i) by notifying Member Services by telephone, at [redacted], or (ii) by electing to cancel your Limited Membership through an authenticated BN.com account.

Additionally, under Cancellation; Termination, we states:

If you cancel your paid one-year term of Membership, you will only be entitled to a full refund of your Membership fee if the Membership was not used to obtain an eligible discount or benefit, and you cancel during the first thirty (30) days of your Membership term (new or renewal). No refunds will be available after such thirty (30) day period (unless we terminate the Barnes & Noble Member Program in its entirety;

For complete information please visit [redacted] purchased her trial membership on December *, 2010 which was converted to a term membership on February *, 2011. Our records indicate [redacted] contacted us on August *, 2013 to cancel her membership. As a courtesy, a refund was issued to her original method of payment for the February *, 2013 renewal charge. We regret we are unable to refund the prior years' renewal fees as too much time has passed since the renewal charges.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further questions or concerns

Review: Over the past few years my husband and I have been receiving coupon packets from Barnes & Noble. The coupons come addressed to my husband. We rarely shop at B&N but on a few occasions when I needed a book I made sure to bring the coupons that were sent to the house, and every time I attempted to use them at checkout the cashier told me the coupons were only good for "members". Not recalling us being a member, the cashiers’ would look both my husband and I up in the system by our phone numbers and email addresses and sure enough they confirmed we were not in the system, that we were not members and thus unable to get a member discount or use the coupons for the items we wanted to buy.

We continued to get coupons in the mail and each time we continued to try to use them. Each time we were denied, being told "they are only for members” and as such we would pay full price for the items. The cashiers’ tossed it off as us receiving "mistake mail.” It wasn't until last December that I happened to scan through some charges on one of our many credit cards. I noticed a $25 charge from Barnes & Noble Member New York, NY. I was outraged. I called customer service immediately and STILL no one could find us in the system! I called over and over again trying to talk to someone different, someone who cared and was compassionate. I got nothing but a hamster wheel of unhelpful customer service reps, transferring me to this department, that department; dealing with shady voice-over-IP connections where calls were farmed out to customer service reps in the Philippines or some other overseas country; each rep trained to give the same robotic responses. And on at least 2 occasions my calls were disconnected after lengthy hold times and in the middle of the call by someone from B&N who did not want to deal with my issue. One of these times was with a supervisor, "Lanique", who finally found my husband’s name by looking it up by our address. She was unsure why neither his phone number or email address was in the system. And mind you, she certainly didn't care to add those identifiers to his account for future use either!! She told me my husband became a member on Dec. **, 2011 to receive a discount on the purchase of a Nook. I told the woman he only did it to get the discount for the Nook and never would have opted-in to a lifetime yearly membership with B&N! I asked for a refund of years 2011-2014 for my troubles since I have had to pay full price for books, us unable to use coupons, and, the inconvenience of no one able to find us in the system. She was unable to do that or offer anything for our troubles, of course shortly after that our call mysteriously gets disconnected. I called back on another day and spoke to a woman named Florence and in the middle of telling her everything, again, my call gets disconnected on B&N's end. I finally called back to B&N customer service for the 8th time, Sept **, 2015, and I knew immediately my call was farmed overseas, which she confirmed she was in the Phillipines. I asked the rep if I could speak to a supervisor in the USA. She transferred me to "Tiffany" whom I did not think was a supervisor. After telling her my issue, there was no apology or sense of concern from her at all. What I did get was a lot of “attitude” especially when I asked her for a refund. I said to her, "Tiffany, put yourself in my shoes for a moment. How would you feel if you received coupons in the mail and were continually told you could not use them because you are NOT a member? Nor could you take advantage of membership perks you were paying for!" All she said was "hold on a minute and I will see what I can do for you." She came back on the line and said, "we will cancel your membership and we will refund this past year for you, $25 but that is it." I asked her when she anticipated the amount to be refunded and she told me to hold the line again and she would find out. I knew at that moment she was asking someone else in the office these questions and chances are she was NOT a supervisor. After a long hold time she came back on the the line and said, “yeah sorry but I misspoke earlier, we CANNOT give you that $25 refund I told you about." I was a livid. She gave me no reason why, there was no care or concern in her voice, nothing. She coldly offered me a $5 appeasement. Seriously??Desired Settlement: I would like my husband to receive a full membership refund for the following years:

2011- $25

2012- $25

2013- $25

2014- $25

Total- $100

Even though my husband started the membership in 2011 for a $25 discount off the Nook I would still like that year reimbursed with the other years simply for the inconvenience I have had to endure dealing with hours of hold times and dealing with incompetent customer service representatives and so called "supervisors," not to mention us being told over and over again we are NOT members in the retail stores, including the inability to use the coupons or take advantage of member perks and discounts over the 4 years. The membership has never once been used since Dec. **, 2011.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, my complaint, ID [redacted] regarding Barnes & Noble Bookstores (retail stores) has been resolved.

(By clicking "OK", your complaint will be closed as Resolved.)

Sincerely,[redacted]

Review: I bought a product named "Nook HD+" from Barnes and Noble store in [redacted] WA, on Sep *, 2013, as a birthday present. The store employees lied to me, quote "If anything wrong with it, just bring it back, we'll swap it for a new one".

The unit worked normally for a week, then the charger started hissing, smoking and heating up dangerously. I did research on the Internet and found out that this is a known problem, some Nook chargers actually caught fire and hurt people. I called the store, but the store CHANGED THEIR STORY AND TOLD ME TO CALL CUSTOMER SUPPORT. One lie.

The customer support refused to replace the unit for a new and lied that they would send me a new charger and a new cable. Which they never did. Another lie.

I called CS again and they lied to me that if I send defective Nook back they will send me a new one as a replacement right away.

I did my part of the deal, sent the defective unit back, it has been delivered, but no replacement has been sent to me. Yet another lie: I contacted 3 different CS representative on Oct [redacted] and Oct [redacted], they failed to provide information about a replacement, telling me to wait 1 to 3 weeks for the word back.

I did more research, and found out that a lot of people have the same problem with B&N.

At this point I'd like to undo any business with this crooked company, get the money they swindled from me refunded.Desired Settlement: Full refund and cancellation of my account with Barnes and Noble.

Business

Response:

November *, 2013

Review: I received a gift from my daughter which she bought from Barnes & Noble Booksellers on 9/**/14.She purchased the gifts with her debit card linked to the parent bank account. I returned the gifts with both the gift receipt & the purchase receipt & was told that I had 2 choices, get a gift card for the return amount or have it put back on the card that was used to purchase the gifts. I do not shop at Barnes & Noble because I can never find anything that I like at a price I want to pay. I was not happy with either choice. I understand that they want you to spend money at their store but I will not shop there. The other option of putting it back on the original card that made the purchase was impossible since it was a gift from my child who is away in college. I asked if I could get my daughter on the phone, she could send a picture of her debit card or even provide the information over the phone. [redacted] at the register called the manager, [redacted], for approval while I called my daughter. [redacted] refused to accept my daughter's debit card info over the phone. I am very disappointed at the lack of assistance over a $13.85 refund. I was forced to explain to my little girl that I did not like the gift she bought for me nor was I able to get her a refund for the money she spent. I was forced to take a gift card that I will NEVER use at that store. I am not sure why in the technology age that we live in that they could not refund the money to my daughter's card. Surely Barnes & Noble does not require people to sent their Credit or Debit Cards to their online billing address just so they can swipe the card & return it to the customer.

Product_Or_Service: Gifts (bookmarks & novelty book)Desired Settlement: DesiredSettlementID: Refund

I would like the $13.85 refunded to my daughter's credit card or a refund check sent to my daughter. I recommend that the return policy for gifts be reviewed. I should not be forced to buy something from a store that I do not like. Nor should I have had to call her & tell her that I did not like her gift and the store will not refund her money. [**sentence deleted**]

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Barnes & Noble Booksellers regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,

Review: I purchased two of the same thing. The tags read $12.95, but there is no signage on the display that showed a price for this specific item. There are other items on the same rack had display tags with a lower price. When I went to check out with cashier named [redacted]., I asked her if they rang out at $12.95 (MY MISTAKE, apparently!), just in case they were cheaper and she said, "no...9.95". I said maybe they are on sale? She said, "no they're not". She preceded to change the price back up to 12.95, even though they rang out for less. i'm not trying to whine over a couple of dollars for the sake of complaining, but this comes down to pure bad customer service. I asked her, "so if I would not have said anything, you wouldn't of even noticed" and she said yes I would of. No, she wouldn't of. How would she know they were 12.95 had I not verbally asked her?

I've worked retail/customer service long enough to know that when something scans with that price, that is the price you give to the customer. I know about weights and measures, and I know some tags get mixed up with others, but this was actually the tag for this item and your mistake shouldn't cost the customer. Giving me both items for $9.95 instead of $12.95 wouldn't have made your company go under. It would of ensured that you had a happy customer that would return to make more purchases in the future, which I won't be.

Very upset with this store and I won't be coming back if you won't stand by the prices that ring out at the register.

Store number: [redacted] - Register: [redacted] - Transaction: [redacted]Desired Settlement: My $6 refund would be great.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have been contacted directly by Barnes & Noble Bookstores (retail stores) regarding complaint ID [redacted], however my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

I called corporate, as I was told to do by the Official Barnes and Noble [redacted] page. I talked to a lady who I expressed my concerns to, and she said she had to escalate it. This was a few weeks ago and I have not heard anything since. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Barnes & Noble Bookstores (retail stores) regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,