Barnes & Noble.com

Placed a single order for two books. The content / scope of the books was not what was anticipated. Returned both books in a single box / shipment. I had to contact customer support several times to track down the return. They finally credited me for one book but not the other. This has been going on for over 4 months. I think it's time to contact the Attorney General.

Definitely would not use this site again.

I ordered 2 books on December 18, and was promised "fast and free" delivery within 3 business days, in time for Christmas. Today, 2 days later, I get an email saying "sorry, due to an unexpected error your shipment will not ship for another 1-5 business days." The order status online confirms the items will be shipped on December 26! Now I have to hunt down the books in stores, or pay for expedited shipping on Amazon. B&N has cost me money and time, and I will never shop here again.

Did not meet their guaranteed delivery policy, which was pushed very hard both on their website and through e-mails, despite repeated assurances that the items would be delivered on time. The very worst on-line experience I have had with Christmas shopping this season - will go to other booksellers or order different types of products before returning to Barnes and Noble.

Customer service was sweet as pie when promising to deliver on time (and I still had time to cancel the order), things changed dramatically when they did not comply with their guarantee. All they offered was to discount the shipping price, which shouldn't have been charged in the first place, as the guarantee was free shipping AND delivery by Christmas.

AVOID BARNES & NOBLE. They should be reported for giving false information. When I ordered a calendar and book on Dec 18th, the website stated that it would ship out within 24 hours, in time for Christmas delivery. After I ordered, they told me that these were items that went out 2 or 3 days later. THAT IS NOT WHAT WAS STATED ON THEIR WEBSITE WHEN I ORDERED THESE ITEMS!!!! It said within 24 hours!! Both items qualified for fast free delivery. What a JOKE !! They did not send them out until Dec 21st. I received the calendar on December 27th in a box big enough to hold 10 books. The book I ordered was shipped separately in a different box but I still have not received it. So much for fast free delivery. I will make certain that Barnes and Noble gets free advertising from me (false info when ordering!)

A complete joke. They promise delivery in 24 hours in Manhattan, looking at the site 3 days later and it now says 14 days -- no ability to cancel. In the ordering area the book is still listed for 24 hour delivery.

Even better, B&N.com say one book shipped 3 days ago and give a link to the USPS which shows they were merely notified it was about to ship today -- not even that it had been received.

I was willing to try it, even when having to pay higher prices & tax, but never again!

This review is of the B&N return policy. I received a book as a gift that was a duplicate of one in my library. When I returned it, they would only issue a store credit in spite of the fact that it was paid for with cash and I had the gift receipt. I will no longer do business with them. Amazon.com might take a few days to deliver, but their prices are almost always lower anyway.

There processes don;t work and customer service just copies information from the PC without looking into problems.

The books weren't scheduled to ship for 2 months even though they were in stock and listed as ready to ship in 24 hours. It took 3 contacts to get this resolved.

I used a gift card to pay for all but $3.41. My credit card was charged for the entire amount instead of just $3.41. When I saw this was the case prior to shipping I contacted customer service twice and both time I was told "Please note that when both a gift card and credit card are used to pay for an order, the gift card is debited as the first form of payment and any remaining balance is then charged to the credit card." Yet this didn't happen.

I have contacted customer service again and got the same answer.

I have a membership at Barnes and Noble. I plan on canceling it and either using Amazon or Borders!

On March 19 I ordered a book that bn.com said usually ships in 2-3 days. Six days later, on March 25, I got an email saying it wasn't going to be shipped for another 1-3 business days, which would make it March 30 at the latest. That was the most recent email I received. I then looked at my order online, and it says it is scheduled to ship April 1st, which would make it 13 days instead of the 2-3 that they advertised. I asked them to at least be honest about the availability of that particular book, but it STILL says on the product page that it ships in 2-3 days. My emails to them have been answered with form letters not addressing my questions. In my last email to them, I said that they lost me as a customer. In their reply, they said that they are looking forward to my next visit. Idiots.

This is the absolute worse web site I have ever experienced! I bought a text book, It took 9 days to process the order. They sent and email saying it was shipped but USPS picked it up 3 days later and I still have to wait 5-8 business days. Tracking is impossible, they don't give you an estimated delivery date. Classes have started and I still don't have my book and I don't know when I will get it. I had better luck dealing with normal people selling books on Half.com. I will never use them again and will not shop there anymore. Go Borders!

They are terrible! I ordered a $13 book, not only did they deliver it to the wrong place, but they told me I was going to have to wait 3-5 days for an investigation and then they'll contact me to notify me of their findings. Too bad I ordered the book 2 & 1/2 weeks ago and the birthday is in 3 days. When i told them I was dissatisfied, they told me I could dispute the charges. I am mortified to have used them. It would have been much quicker to buy the book, put it in a box and send it to the recipient myself. The situation is embarassing anyways, but their customer servie response just aggravates the situation. The Customer service agent actually told me I could buy another book to send or dispute the charge with the credit card company. Amazon, who I just placed a $180 order with I know wouldn't treat me like that over a $13 book. DON'T EVER USE BARNES & NOBLE. AMAZON IS MUCH, MUCH BETTER.

I received a gift card for Barnes and Noble and used it to purchase a book that I had always wanted. The book, which is very heavy was sent in a larger box with no protective packaging. There was no possibility that this book could have arrived without damage to the corners and jacket. They agreed to send another one. This time, a piece of bubble plastic was placed on top of the book, but still nothing at the sides to prevent the book and jacket from bouncing around. Needless to say, this book was damaged also. Barnes and Noble doesn't want to send another one (and I don't want to receive a third damaged book). They just want to credit the gift card, which is apparently only usable to order damaged books. I have filed a report with the Better Business Bureau to try to get a refund of the price of the gift card, but I'm not holding my breath.

After many years of patronizing Barnes and noble.com, I have had an unfortunate experience and feel I must warn others. I've ordered many textbooks and been satisfied overall with their service. However, I recently placed an order and used a coupon. After I submitted the order and authorized a certain total, they emailed to tell me that my credit card was invalid. I dutifully provided the information again. Only after submitting this did I find that they had removed the coupon, and charged my card an amount that I had not authorized. When I saw this, I immediately attempted to cancel my order and was told this was not possible.

BEWARE! They will charge you any amount they please, and will not let you cancel your order.

It's faster and probably less frustrating to walk in a real store than to order from them online. I ordered the box set for Lemony Snickets, The Trouble Begins on 12-30-04. Stated it usually ships in 24 hrs and then when checking account later said it would ship on 1-17-04. This has been the same experience with their so called "free shipping" everytime. It's obvious they give these customers last priority even though they spend the $$$ to take advantage of free shipping offers.

My advice, buy from another seller or walk in a store and make your purchase. Save yourself the frustration.

Update: 1/17/04 and still not shipped. This is positively the worst service I have experienced online from ANY seller.

I had a terrible experience with Barnes and Noble.com. The customer service person I spoke to when I had an issue with my order was rude and terribly unhelpful. Never again will I order from this company.

The worse! I placed an order for 11 items on Dec. 3. One item was a pre sale and after I placed the order I realized they were not going to send my entire order until Dec. 14. So I canceled the pre sale item. I contacted customer service via email and was told my order would be shipped shortly. Two days later I wrote again and was told my order would be expedited. Dec. 14, the day everything was to be sent to begin with, still no shipment! Contacted by phone and was told not only was my order not going to be shipped on time, but one item is no longer available. The customer service rep. refused to let me talk to a supervisor but after an hour on the phone she told me all my items were located and they would be shipped out that evening. Dec. 15 and still no shipment scheduled. Finally contacted a supervisor who is trying to get my items shipped, but order status now says Dec. 28 for shipment. Worse experience ever. Avoid at all cost. They lie through their teeth. Will be hearing from BBB! .