Random thoughts...

[Dan Hocker]

ALSO I am in a particularly salty mood because I was inspecting my Grant AGE of Little Sisters of Eluria and the book is falling apart! The spine is actually concave and the book doesn't open properly. I swear I only have these problems with my Grant editions. My Wind Through the Keyhole binding is detached from the spine and my Black House page block is detached from the tail band. These books are falling to pieces.

Sounds like most of my TOR trades.

[jeffingoff]

I have heard that about Grant books many times.

Really? That's unexpectedly comforting. I haven't seen anything about trouble with Grant editions.

It just sucks so bad. I have one of the Whelan remarques and it's one of my favorite editions. Well, it was.

I can't open the book without making the spine fold in like a paperback. It's so messed up.

[jeffingoff]

Sounds like most of my TOR trades.

Yeah, it sucks that this beautiful signed edition is no better than a mass market trade edition.

[Martin]

Really? That's unexpectedly comforting. I haven't seen anything about trouble with Grant editions.

It just sucks so bad. I have one of the Whelan remarques and it's one of my favorite editions. Well, it was.

I can't open the book without making the spine fold in like a paperback. It's so messed up.

Bad thing is I can't remember where I heard of issues with Grant books. I do know that I heard enough for it to be a factor in me opting not to buy Little Sisters or The Wind Through the Keyhole.

[RonClinton]

Get ready for a rant...

So I buy a book from Barnes & Noble for the first time in quite a while. An oversized artbook on which that I used a 15% off on-line coupon. Amazon was a bit lower at the time, but I figured at the time, what the heck, I'll give the business to B&N.com. It arrives a week or so later with corners and spine bumped, and the book itself is a disappointment...shoddily glue-bound and surprisingly featured non-glossy pages, very atypical for an artbook at its $65 price point.

I decided to return it.

The instructions both on-line and on the enclosed receipt form indicated I can mail it in or take it in to a B&N store. Wanting to expedite the matter, I took time out of my busy day and drove 30 minutes to my local B&N store to return the book.

Where I was informed that was not possible.

To paraphrase the conversation:

Because I'd paid for it via PayPal, they could not refund my money, but only offer me a gift card in the refund amount. But, I said, my PayPal is linked to the credit card I have with me.

Nope, sorry, can't do that, only a gift card.

But you can see that I paid for it...what difference does the payment vehicle make? You can confirm the money was received by B&N...what difference does it how the money is refunded by B&N?

Sorry, that's our policy.

So, I said, after driving half-an-hour to the store, I have to now package it up, drive it to the Post Office, pay the postage, and the B&N warehouse that I send to it can refund it to my credit card...but my neighborhood B&N can't? Even though the instructions on my receipt say I can return it to any B&N store, with absolutely no mention at all of a PayPal exclusion?

Yes, that's correct.

So I have the packaged book on my counter, waiting for a trip down to the Post Office tomorrow. It'll take a week to get there, cost me more time and $5 or so to send it off, and I have the pleasure of waiting for a week-plus for my refund to appear.

And today's adventure illustrates why Amazon continues to plow their retail asses into the ground. If the new CEO/owner of B&N has any chance to turning around that lost, rudderless boat that is B&N, he needs to fix absurd, bull***t customer experiences like this. If B&N on-line is going to accept PayPal as a valid payment, and then include instructions with the book that says you can return any item to a local B&N store, then there must be a refund process in place at those stores for customers who used PayPal.

Amazon has started to set up return kiosks at retail establishments like Kohl's to maximize the customer experience (and those are only necessary when they don't just tell you on the phone or chat sytem to just go ahead and keep the book along with the instant refund)...you think I'd have received pushback at the Amazon kiosk, that I'd be told I didn't pay via the right method? No way.

I don't buy much from B&N anymore, but unless it's some exclusive edition that I just can't live without (example: their recent edition of a signed Thomas Harris CARI MORA, which, as we now know, we all could well have lived without), it's going to be a cold day in Hell before I do so again.

[Ben Staad]

I have for the most part stopped shopping at B&N. I would love to support them but I don't care for their online experience and the in-store selection is limited and they don't have a "horror" section. This year I've only went to the physical store twice and with a list of books I wanted. Both times went away empty handed because they didn't have them. I don't remember everything on the list but one was Jeff Vandermeer and another one was Paul Tremblay. The didn't have one book from either of these authors...Not one!

Edit: I will add I have purchased more books this year from Dollar General, Winn-Dixie, and Target than B&N.

[RonClinton]

Get ready for a rant...

So I buy a book from Barnes & Noble for the first time in quite a while. An oversized artbook on which that I used a 15% off on-line coupon. Amazon was a bit lower at the time, but I figured at the time, what the heck, I'll give the business to B&N.com. It arrives a week or so later with corners and spine bumped, and the book itself is a disappointment...shoddily glue-bound and surprisingly featured non-glossy pages, very atypical for an artbook at its $65 price point.

I decided to return it.

The instructions both on-line and on the enclosed receipt form indicated I can mail it in or take it in to a B&N store. Wanting to expedite the matter, I took time out of my busy day and drove 30 minutes to my local B&N store to return the book.

Where I was informed that was not possible.

To paraphrase the conversation:

Because I'd paid for it via PayPal, they could not refund my money, but only offer me a gift card in the refund amount. But, I said, my PayPal is linked to the credit card I have with me.

Nope, sorry, can't do that, only a gift card.

But you can see that I paid for it...what difference does the payment vehicle make? You can confirm the money was received by B&N...what difference does it how the money is refunded by B&N?

Sorry, that's our policy.

So, I said, after driving half-an-hour to the store, I have to now package it up, drive it to the Post Office, pay the postage, and the B&N warehouse that I send to it can refund it to my credit card...but my neighborhood B&N can't? Even though the instructions on my receipt say I can return it to any B&N store, with absolutely no mention at all of a PayPal exclusion?

Yes, that's correct.

So I have the packaged book on my counter, waiting for a trip down to the Post Office tomorrow. It'll take a week to get there, cost me more time and $5 or so to send it off, and I have the pleasure of waiting for a week-plus for my refund to appear.

And today's adventure illustrates why Amazon continues to plow their retail asses into the ground. If the new CEO/owner of B&N has any chance to turning around that lost, rudderless boat that is B&N, he needs to fix absurd, bull***t customer experiences like this. If B&N on-line is going to accept PayPal as a valid payment, and then include instructions with the book that says you can return any item to a local B&N store, then there must be a refund process in place at those stores for customers who used PayPal.

Amazon has started to set up return kiosks at retail establishments like Kohl's to maximize the customer experience (and those are only necessary when they don't just tell you on the phone or chat sytem to just go ahead and keep the book along with the instant refund)...you think I'd have received pushback at the Amazon kiosk, that I'd be told I didn't pay via the right method? No way.

I don't buy much from B&N anymore, but unless it's some exclusive edition that I just can't live without (example: their recent edition of a signed Thomas Harris CARI MORA, which, as we now know, we all could well have lived without), it's going to be a cold day in Hell before I do so again.

I have for the most part stopped shopping at B&N. I would love to support them but I don't care for their online experience and the in-store selection is limited and they don't have a "horror" section. This year I've only went to the physical store twice and with a list of books I wanted. Both times went away empty handed because they didn't have them. I don't remember everything on the list but one was Jeff Vandermeer and another one was Paul Tremblay. The didn't have one book...

All accurate, and this returns fiasco was for me the last straw in a very sad bale of hay.

[Martin]

Get ready for a rant...

So I buy a book from Barnes & Noble for the first time in quite a while. An oversized artbook on which that I used a 15% off on-line coupon. Amazon was a bit lower at the time, but I figured at the time, what the heck, I'll give the business to B&N.com. It arrives a week or so later with corners and spine bumped, and the book itself is a disappointment...shoddily glue-bound and surprisingly featured non-glossy pages, very atypical for an artbook at its $65 price point.

I decided to return it.

The instructions both on-line and on the enclosed receipt form indicated I can mail it in or take it in to a B&N store. Wanting to expedite the matter, I took time out of my busy day and drove 30 minutes to my local B&N store to return the book.

Where I was informed that was not possible.

To paraphrase the conversation:

Because I'd paid for it via PayPal, they could not refund my money, but only offer me a gift card in the refund amount. But, I said, my PayPal is linked to the credit card I have with me.

Nope, sorry, can't do that, only a gift card.

But you can see that I paid for it...what difference does the payment vehicle make? You can confirm the money was received by B&N...what difference does it how the money is refunded by B&N?

Sorry, that's our policy.

So, I said, after driving half-an-hour to the store, I have to now package it up, drive it to the Post Office, pay the postage, and the B&N warehouse that I send to it can refund it to my credit card...but my neighborhood B&N can't? Even though the instructions on my receipt say I can return it to any B&N store, with absolutely no mention at all of a PayPal exclusion?

Yes, that's correct.

So I have the packaged book on my counter, waiting for a trip down to the Post Office tomorrow. It'll take a week to get there, cost me more time and $5 or so to send it off, and I have the pleasure of waiting for a week-plus for my refund to appear.

And today's adventure illustrates why Amazon continues to plow their retail asses into the ground. If the new CEO/owner of B&N has any chance to turning around that lost, rudderless boat that is B&N, he needs to fix absurd, bull***t customer experiences like this. If B&N on-line is going to accept PayPal as a valid payment, and then include instructions with the book that says you can return any item to a local B&N store, then there must be a refund process in place at those stores for customers who used PayPal.

Amazon has started to set up return kiosks at retail establishments like Kohl's to maximize the customer experience (and those are only necessary when they don't just tell you on the phone or chat sytem to just go ahead and keep the book along with the instant refund)...you think I'd have received pushback at the Amazon kiosk, that I'd be told I didn't pay via the right method? No way.

I don't buy much from B&N anymore, but unless it's some exclusive edition that I just can't live without (example: their recent edition of a signed Thomas Harris CARI MORA, which, as we now know, we all could well have lived without), it's going to be a cold day in Hell before I do so again.

That is about as bad as it gets for customer service!

[jeffingoff]

Get ready for a rant...

I don't buy much from B&N anymore, but unless it's some exclusive edition that I just can't live without (example: their recent edition of a signed Thomas Harris CARI MORA, which, as we now know, we all could well have lived without), it's going to be a cold day in Hell before I do so again.

THAT'S RIDICULOUS! There are only two things retailers can offer customers: price and service. And considering people will pay more for products if they feel that they are taken care of and treated well, price is a lower priority to service in some cases. So service, the human connection and care, is ALL B&N has to offer over Amazon. The friendly conversations, the immediate resolutions, the instant gratification, the help finding products, these are the things they need to focus on. Because we can get the same trade edition by the same author with the same words anywhere. But there should be only one place to get the B&N experience.

Too bad it was a shitty one for you, Ron.

[Brian861]

I returned an Amazon purchase via Kohl's about two weeks ago. It was absolutely flawless. Kohl's even gave me a 25% off coupon for anything in the store!

[c marvel]

I found someone offering Offspring-an Overlook Connection Sterling Limited edition for $95.00. My question-Do you guys think this is a good deal? I'm unsure since to me there seems to be quite a few versions of Offspring and Off Season.

Cap

[Dan Hocker]

I won't buy anything online from B&N. There's just too many other better online retailers. I will go into a B&N and browse and buy something off the shelf though.

[RonClinton]

THAT'S RIDICULOUS! There are only two things retailers can offer customers: price and service. And considering people will pay more for products if they feel that they are taken care of and treated well, price is a lower priority to service in some cases. So service, the human connection and care, is ALL B&N has to offer over Amazon. The friendly conversations, the immediate resolutions, the instant gratification, the help finding products, these are the things they need to focus on. Because we can get the same trade edition by the same author with the same words anywhere. But there should be only one place to get the B&N experience.

Well put, Jeff, and exactly correct. Instead, I was charged 30 minutes to and 30 minutes from the store — an hour out of my day (plus another 10 miles and 20 minutes today at the Post Office) — with nothing to show for it but a broken return guarantee and a takeaway of horrendous, duplicitous customer service.

I’m usually a prett amenable, low-key kinda guy and tend to shrug stuff off, but this experience has really irked me...beyond the time wasted, perhaps it’s because I tend to be among those who, all things being equal, advocate buying brick-and-mortar over on-line to support the viability and continuing presence of new-book bookstores. It’s disappointing to see that support misplaced and bastardized by B&N subverting that ideal with customer-service practices and policies that are distinctly unfriendly

[Ben Staad]

Exactly. I prefer in person shopping but this one of many reasons brick and mortars are still dying. I go out of my way to support physical stores and specifically try and support local businesses. However service is still king. Amazon service is pretty darn good. Book packaging is suspect but overall they do a decent job.

Well put, Jeff, and exactly correct. Instead, I was charged 30 minutes to and 30 minutes from the store — an hour out of my day (plus another 10 miles and 20 minutes today at the Post Office) — with nothing to show for it but a broken return guarantee and a takeaway of horrendous, duplicitous customer service.

I’m usually a prett amenable, low-key kinda guy and tend to shrug stuff off, but this experience has really irked me...beyond the time wasted, perhaps it’s because I tend to be among those who, all things being equal, advocate buying brick-and-mortar over on-line to support the viability and continuing presence of new-book bookstores. It’s disappointing to see that support misplaced and bastardized by B&N subverting that ideal with customer-service practices and policies that are distinctly unfriendly

[c marvel]

I have a reason to be happy today. I got $65 from my latest comic book trade-in. One hardcover that I expected to be graded in Poor condition was graded as VF and I got $48 for just that book. I was so thrilled when I received the email today for this latest trade. ~Cap