Ya - fill out an online form of complaint to your Attorney General's office - then send a letter of complaint to the Better Business Bureau - send copies to B & N - they will fix the problem real quick!

Go to the customer service desk at your local store and ask for their help in resolving the issue.

I would email the company instead. There is probably a customer service link or address to use. First, your problem is documented. Second, it just seems like often some people work better and produce more from handling emails. Either they are showing it shipped or they are not. You shouldn't have to jump through hoops.

But, I still wouldn't totally rule out that your book is on it's way!

Try this page and scroll down to find the CEO's email, CEO William Lynch email page

It's possible that an email to the big boss would light a fire under the people you called. :)

It might get a quicker resolution too, just saying ;)

A lot of times it's simply a matter of calling back and you likely will have a different rep. If you can't understand them tell them to transfer you to someone who speaks a language you understand. I'm sure it's overseas telemarketers being used. Some are OK, some are worthless. You choice of course, but I wouldn't write off $40+ for fear of making a phone call or two.

I suggest you try again. You got one incompetent employee. I love Amazon too, but I have had issues there as well. So far my experiences with B&N have been good (like when I ordered from them when Amazon finally let me know two and half weeks after I had ordered a birthday gift, that they no longer had it in stock.)

Yes, I would call back and ask a different rep. It could be the numbers on the gift card got entered wrong. Be sure and document all emails (keep copies) and who you talked to. Curious, why are you allergic to people? Just curious.

I would try again too. Some people are just difficult. The next person might just be an angel. Obviously they have your information and can credit your account.
$50 is too much to walk away from.

That's insane, Rosemary. Do Not allow them to get away with this and do not allow that dunderhead of an employee to do so either! Contact them via email and give them heck!

I buy a lot of gift cards from them for customers, I have had to speak with them more than once but was never outsourced, it might be new. Not an excuse, but do give them heck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Customer Service

I wouldn't even put too many specifcs in your email... just tell them it's been a while and ask what the status is and let them figure it out. (Sometimes we say too much and the bottom line gets muddled).

They'll see what's going on; they can't charge you for something you didn't get. I would seriously just spend like 3 minutes on the email and see what happens.

What everyone else said....but here's a tip. If you call an customer service line and you are not satisfied with your agent, you can request a new agent. If you think you're dealing with someone off-shore, request someone on-shore. If the rep refuses to escalate to a supervisor, tell them you know a supervisor is on the floor and you have every right to speak with them. If the continue to refuse, keep them on the line as long as possible. Remain as calm and asn pleasant as possible. If you need to get angry, explain to the rep that you know it's not their fault but you are frustrated and need assistance in resolving the issue.

Some call centers have a time limit for resolving calls. If the time limit is exceeded, a supervisor may have to automatically get involved.

I found no matter how p!ssed off I am, if I tell the rep I understand it's not there fault and apologize for my tone right off the bat, I get great service.

What form of payment did you use? If credit card and you've been unable to resolve via the merchant you can enlist the credit card company's assistance.

I think I would start by filling out the online form on their website though referencing your order number, any proof of purchase, etc. If you're averse to dealing with people in person that should be palatable enough.

If that doesn't work I would then send a hard copy letter with all the details, proof of purchase, etc. to the snail mail address on their website.

I would not give them $50.

I would call back too. Apparently, I had someone on the line who didn't know what they were talking about when I talked to US Bank the other day. They took out my car payment twice from my checking account. Sunday night one of them told me it would be fixed within 3 business days...which would have been today. Nothing...so I called them back and was told they can't give me my money back and I would have to go to my bank and fill out a unauthorized debit form. Pissed me off. Not only did they mess up but then lied or were ignorant about their own policies. Of course, no one called to tell me this even though they saw my request in the system, which someone had to deny.

Sound like you talked to "Peggy". LOL!

Linda

I've been reading that complaints are very, very effective when the complaint is made on Facebook or Twitter. After reading that, my daughter mentioned a problem she was having with a printer on Canon's Facebook page, and almost INSTANTLY, they went over and above themselves to fix her problem. I'd try it with Barnes and Noble. The "social networks" are the way to get issues taken care of these days.

It may seem wrong to some but I refuse to deal with overseas customer service. I always ask to be transferred stateside. I am polite while doing this as I don't want to offend any worse than I already have. I just feel strongly that if we all did that, maybe more of our jobs would be saved here.
I would call tomorrow and ask to speak with a manager and let them have a last chance at resolving this for you. I hope it works out!

Barnes and Noble is known for lacking customer service.
Amazon is known for excellent customer service.

Which is why I own a Kindle instead of a Nook.

Sorry you are going through this. Keep on them.

If B&N has a history of bad customer service dating back to when it competed with Borders, I hate to see how much worse it'll become now.

Keep calling, keep asking to be transferred to a supervisor.

Boil it down to them, repeatedly: You had a gift certificate, you ordered something their computer showed that they had, they could not fulfill it in the end, and you expect your gift certificate to be restored in full.

I had an issue with a B&N online order -- it was during a one or two week special program in which a percentage of sales would be given to a nonprofit group one of my nephew's is involved in. Ordered a book and a DVD; got the book right away. Had to try to track the DVD, but I was having problems because my computer had "auto-populated" an e-mail address I had long ago created for catalog/junk sites, and I didn't have a clue as to the password.

To B&N, that seemed enough to lock me out and tell me "We can't tell you anything about the order," even tho I had the credit card number/security code it was billed to, address, phone number, etc. I escalated the situation and after a few people did their best to brush me off, finally someone listened--she realized I just wanted to know if B&N really DID have the item they advertised (I didn't care whether it'd be delayed, I just wanted to know!).

In the end, 2 of the DVDs arrived, and I returned one to a store.

So keep calling, keep asking for a supervisor (Here's a script for you: "I'm sorry but I am just not following your rationale about why you can't tell me whether you have the item I ordered and why you will not refund my gift certificate so I can purchase something else, and although I understand that your hands are probably tied and it's not your fault, I would appreciate it if you would transfer me to your supervisor.")

I'm not sure the Better Business Bureau is helpful at all nowadays--from what I've learned, it mediates consumer complaints only against companies that have paid it to have its BBB "mark of approval," and companies that are not members don't have to answer to the BBB. Maybe years ago it got action, but today it's outdated: If someone has something negative to say about a business, there's Angie's List, there's Facebook and Twitter, there are "I hate [store name here]" blogs and websites (just Google some keywords like complaints, cheats, ripoffs + the store name). Yup, social media is what attracts attention -- there are employees whose sole job is tracking what people are saying about their employer.

And it's unlikely an attorney general would give a $50 complaint much attention-- yes, it's important to you, and I wouldn't give up the fight, either! It's just not a "big fish" like tobacco lawsuits and discriminatory housing companies or predatory lenders or web scams featuring a Nigerian tribal chief.

No, the BBB is not helpful. I had a complaint against a local business. What I found out was that the BBB basically served as a cover for member businesses. The real problem was never addressed.

Rosemary, Don't poke your eye out! Just see link below.

Per the link below:
"BBB accepts complaints whether or not the business is a BBB Accredited Business."

snip....

Your complaint will be forwarded to the company within two business days. The company will be asked to respond within 14 days, and if a response is not received, a second request will be made. You will be notified of the company's response when we receive it (or notified that we received no response). Complaints are usually closed within 30 calendar days.

Good luck!

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: filing your complaint with BBB

You can go through the hoops with BBB, but nothing is gonna happen. They are NOT a reputable organization as many people suppose! They provide "protection" for their members similar to organized crime does.

I think rosemary knows she can probably spend numerous hours getting this resolved (with or without BBB).

It sounded to me like she just doesn't want to have to invest any more time or frustration into it. Hopefully, she'll be able to do a quick email and let them find their mistake and correct the problem without involving her.

I had a major problem with my kid's cell phone. I couldn't even get the person to understand the problem... after 3 phone calls and probably 2 hours.. I finally went online, wrote out the complaint and someone got back to me with the resolution without me having to even talk to them. It was so much easier to just handle it this way. I try to stay away from talking to customer service people if I don't have to.

Thanks for the many WONDERFUL responses. And thanks for understanding that this was more than just the $50. It was ONE MORE COMPANY that is hiring non-American workers to take our American dollars and send them overseas, and ONE MORE COMPANY that doesn't understand and/or doesn't care that customer service is an important piece of customer satisfaction.

I have dealt exclusively with Amazon as my online source for 12 years now, and I LOVE doing business with them.

I had a bad taste in my mouth from dealing with Barnes and Noble years ago when they sold my books through their store. It was incredibly frustrating, and I never made any money because there were so many problems and I spent so much time trying to resolve problems, so I was pretty hesitant to do business with them ANYWAY but this really sealed the deal for me.

And then to my surprise and astonishment, I got an email from Barnes and Noble saying they had "refunded" the book's cost ($49) to my gift card.

So now I have a gift card to Barnes and Noble. Sheesh. I'm giving it to my husband because he likes to use their stores, and I really *am* done doing business with B&N.

The accompanying email said that the book had been shipped out but they had no idea what had happened and the tracking feature was not in place and the book was apparently lost. The email said they would refund the cost of shipping and the cost of the book, WHICH IS WHAT I ASKED FOR when I spent those dreaded 36 minutes on the phone with customer service. And it's also what was REFUSED.

It would have been so much easier if that customer-service rep had just said, "Let me see what I can do," instead of, "We don't issue refunds."

And then yesterday, the book arrived at my front door, six days after being shipped via next-day air.

I've now got TWO of this same book, having purchased another one from Amazon.com, AFTER the Customer Rep at B&N told me the book was no longer available.

It's a great book and it's also not available at any of our many local libraries, so I'm going to donate the second book to the Virginia Beach Public Library. They should have one, because this book relates to an aspect of our local architectural history, and it's a new book and an expensive. book.

I'm really disgusted with Barnes and Noble, and I really will never do business with them again.

I've no patience with businesses that make up stories just to get the customer to go away, and IMHO, that's exactly what they did.