Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Barnes & Noble, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  Barnes & Noble, Inc.

  33 E 17th St Fl 6 New York, NY 10003-2005

• 

  Barnes & Noble

  5183 E Montclair Plaza Ln Montclair, CA 91763-1521

• 

  Barnes & Noble Bookstore

  4700 Calhoun Rd Houston, TX 77004

• 

  Barnes & Noble, Inc.

  5959 Triangle Town Blvd Ste 2107 Raleigh, NC 27616-3302

• 

  Barnes & Noble, Inc.

  5400 New Hope Commons Dr Durham, NC 27707-9716

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/22/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On January 1, **** I placed an online order with Barnes and Noble. The order consisted of 3 *********************** Lego sets and all 3 were listed as available for purchase when I placed the order. The total amount of the order was $251.42. I chose to pay with PayPal credit. PayPal then put the amount on hold for authorization. My package was due to be delivered on January 10, ****. The package did not arrive on that date as expected. On January 11, ****, I received an email from B&N stating there was an unexpected delay and the new arrival date would be January 22, ****. As this was way past the original date and past the time I needed the items, I cancelled the order on Friday, January 19, **** because the website said the items were no longer available. I chatted with customer service and they said the items had been cancelled and nothing was charged. I spoke to PayPal customer services and they suggested I reach out to B&N because they didn't have a cancellation on file and my payment was still waiting in authorization status. I tried again today with B&N telling me they don't give notice to the credit company. PayPal won't release my funds until they hear from B&N. I need this resolved.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/16/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Barnes & Noble, Inc. regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/12/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  So my mother went to the ************ store to buy me some books for Christmas and she accidently bought me books I already had. She lost her receipt but I have her credit card statement of the charge. The online store or local can't do anything about it I have offered to mail those books back at my cost to exchange them for 2 books I haven't read. Both on line and store said I have to drive which I don't get down to one and exchange in person but with out a receipt they couldn't help me. Very frustrating and upsetting to my mother who is elderly.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/06/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Barnes & Noble, Inc. regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/12/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have bought books for many years at B&N. I never had an issue with gift cards until now. I tried to apply two gift cards to my order last night (ending $2.97 **** / **** $50.00). I no longer have the physical cards. It would not allow me to apply my balances. Today, my $50.00 card is gone! Now it will let me apply my $2.97, but again my 50 is not on my account. The 50 was missing after I emailed their service. Someone in *************** wanted the full card number. Luckily I took a screenshot before contacting them. For all I know, they stole it. I called them and reached ***************. She wanted my credit card info. NO! I will add the screenshot again of my attempted order since customer service cannot do anything. Hopefully someone is the US will see this. Once my membership is over, I will only use Amazon.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/06/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Barnes & Noble, Inc. regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/03/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 1/1/24, I placed order number ********** on BNs website for in-store pick up. I used my $5 rewards credit towards this purchase. Soon I was notified by email a BN employee at that store had cancelled my order and that I would not be charged, but it turns out that the company still pocketed the $5 credit and did not provide any information as whether I would get this back or when. I tried chatting with BN customer service on their website but there were 30 people ahead of me!! I then called them and spoke to someone who said she would return the funds right away to my BN account so that I could purchase the book from another location (since I told her it was needed today). But after two hours the funds had still not been returned, so I couldnt use the credit today as I had hoped. I am owed the $5. The company should return the funds it confiscated from my BN account as the phone rep had promised it would do. The company was aware that they would seize the funds but made no effort to inform me the customer as to what I can expect - if they return the credits or not and if they do, when this would happen. BN solely has the ability and responsibility to determine how credits are managed but it failed to do here. Their cancellation email indicates I would not be charged but this was a lie (as it pertains to the BN credits). BN credits are not a credit card or debit card and BN makes up the rules which are not provided anywhere on their website.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/14/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Barnes &Noble has a return policy however they dont inform customers regarding how long it will take for refund to post back to card, account, etc So I asked the store manager and was told 24 to 48 hours. Then I contacted customer service via telephone and was told a month. A month, really and you fail to mention that on the B&N website? Its been past 48 hours since I returned the product to my local brick and mortar store and I still havent been refunded. I ,m wondering whether I need to dispute the charge with my bank? As far as Barnes & Noble, I will shop elsewhere.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/13/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I placed a pre-order on Barnes&Noble's website on December 6th (order #**********) and paid for expedited delivery (1-2 days) because I knew I would be moving to a new house the following week. The order was quickly listed as having "shipped" (image included), though a tracking number was not provided. After several days passed (and it should have already been delivered according to the site's shipping schedule), I reached out to B&N customer service to see what the status was. "****" told me that "her records" indicated it had not shipped, despite the website claiming it had. I asked customer service to change the shipping address, given that the order still had not shipped, and "Fatmah" told me that it was not possible to change the delivery address once an order was "authorized." This is very frustrating and not on par with normal B&N standards, given: 1) The website erroneously listed my item as "shipped" even though it had not, 2) I paid for rush shipping (1-2 days) on December 6th and the order only arrived December 12th, after I'd moved from the house (several states away), 3) **************** could have changed the delivery address as the order had not shipped yet, but made no attempt to rectify this, citing that "only limited changes" can be made after an order is authorized. (How much more basic does it get than to input a new address on the order?) The end result was that my order was delivered to an empty house that's 700 miles away, and I have no way to retrieve them. I am asking for a refund on shipping charges ($39.40). This is a small ask for an order exceeding $200 that was not delivered at the speed that was paid for.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/08/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Barnes & Noble, Inc. regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/13/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Dear Barnes & Noble Corporate Office,I am writing to express my disappointment and seek an urgent resolution regarding a recent issue I encountered with Order #**********.I recently placed an order using the updated B&N app, paying with four $25 gift cards. Prior to placing this order, I had updated my shipping information on the app. However, to my dismay, I later discovered that the order was delivered to an old address, which is no longer listed in my address book on the app. This error has caused significant inconvenience and loss.Upon realizing this mistake, I immediately contacted your customer service team via email and chat, only to be informed that I would not be eligible for a new order or a refund. Following this, I escalated my concern by calling your customer service hotline and spoke with a representative named ***, who reiterated the same disappointing response. When *** replaced the order, they confirmed my new shipping address without me providing it to them. I was able to confirm that they did not need to make any changes and that, in fact, the shipping address used for the previous order is not even available in my address book. *** noted this issue would be escalated; however, they still charged me for the order. As a long-standing member of Barnes & Noble, having never previously requested a refund, I am perplexed and troubled by the handling of this situation. It is disconcerting to know that despite the error stemming from a possible glitch in your system, I am being penalized and forced to incur additional costs. The total loss I have suffered includes $100 from the gift cards and an extra $53 from the initial order, and I was compelled to spend an additional $150 to replace the order.I respectfully request a thorough investigation into this matter and urge you to consider the following actions:A refund of the $100 worth of gift cards and the additional $53 from the misplaced order.A review of your apps functionality to ensure such errors are prevented in the future.Your prompt attention to this matter would be highly appreciated. I have always valued my membership and the services provided by Barnes & Noble, and I hope this situation can be resolved amicably and fairly.Thank you for your time and understanding. I look forward to a swift and satisfactory resolution.Sincerely,************************ B&N Member Number: ********** Email: *********************** Kind regards,****************************, DBH, LCSW, MHSA **** ** Army

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/08/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Barnes & Noble, Inc. regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/11/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 11/27 I ordered 3 books from Barnes and Noble in the amount of $50.80. I used a $25.00 gift card and the rest I paid with a credit card. When I entered the gift card information the shipping address reverted back to my old address. Only I didn't notice it at the time. Consequently, the order was shipped to the wrong address. I contacted Barnes and Noble once I noticed the error and explained what happened. The said that once it ships there is nothing they can do. The said that if the order is returned to them then I will be refunded. I then asked what happens if the order is not returned and they said that I am out of luck (in so many words). They also suggested contacting the person who lives at my old address, but it is an apartment complex in ******* (I live in ************* now) and I have no idea who it might be. Thank you

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/04/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Barnes & Noble, Inc. regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/27/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  October: ordered a manga title : Wave Listen to Me vol 10.Called @11:03 Wed 11/22 (release date).Individual tells me it was shipped on Tues.No one calls on ************ the points for Premium members so I missed that)Called 11/25 @12:15.I'm told the book wouldn't be for another week!First person I spoke to purposely lied about the status of the book.Second person I spoke to said it was because of the holiday even after I mentioned that I was informed the book was shipped so I guess he figured the "truck" that the book is "shipped" on has been driving around for four days.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/23/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Barnes & Noble, Inc. regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/27/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am writing to file a complaint against Barnes and Noble ***** Services for breach of contract and negligence. I placed an order with Barnes and Noble on November 1, 2023, for the printing of my book. I was informed that the printing process would take a maximum of 10 days. However, it has been over three weeks since I placed my order, and the books have not yet been printed. I have been checking the status of my order on Barnes and Noble's online portal, and it has been showing me that the book is "printing" since I placed the order. However, when I called their customer service department on November 22, 2023, I was informed that the book is not actually being printed and that they are not sure why. I have also sent two emails to Barnes and Noble expressing my concerns, but I have not received any response. The delay in printing my books has put my business in a very difficult position. I was relying on having the books available for sale during the holiday season, and now I am losing valuable time to market. This is causing me significant financial loss and jeopardizing the success of my business. I have already paid Barnes and Noble for the printing services, and I am extremely disappointed that I have not received the product that I paid for. I have also lost valuable time due to the delay, which is causing me even more financial hardship. I believe that Barnes and Noble has breached their contract with me and is liable for the damages I have suffered. I am seeking your assistance in resolving this matter and receiving the compensation that I am owed.