I've been a long time visitor of the deals site SlickDeals.net, so when I heard that HP would be having a fire sale on their 16 and 32GB TouchPad WebOS tablets ( for $99 and $149 respectively ) starting on Saturday August 20/2011, I jumped on it like a duck on a June bug. A number of stores promptly cancelled my orders because they quickly ran out of stock but none aggravated and insulted me more than Barnes and Noble. I've been a Barnes and Noble customer for a number of years but this was the last straw.
Anticipating an imminent drop from the normal $407.95 price, I placed an order for 4 16GB units ( one for me, three as Christmas presents for my three nieces and nephews ) for the full price of $1,752.99 ( Shipment Subtotal: $1,631.80, Shipping & Handling: $21.96, Sales Tax: $99.23 ) on Sunday night Aug 21, 2011 at 7:32 PM. The item was in stock not only at the time but for another 10 hours. Notice I bought at the full price.
Shortly thereafter, I received an order confirmation from Barnes and Noble. I clicked on the order number and checked my order online at the Barnes and Noble site. Monday morning, Barnes and Noble finally conceded having to price adjust the already sold units and the remaining stock quickly sold out. No surprises here.
I checked again online and my order also showed the price adjustment: Subtotal: $407.80, Shipping: $21.96, Total: $429.76 ). A hold was put on my credit card and I anticipated receiving a shipping link soon. Unfortunately, it all went south from there: a few hours later on Mon, Aug 22, 2011 at 5:58 PM, I received an email that my order had been cancelled:
Dear Valued Customer,
We are writing to you regarding your recent Barnes & Noble order for "HP TouchPad Tablet with 16GB Memory".Notice how they mention that inventory was depleted prior to order being processed. My order was placed well in advance of the drop and at the normal price. It was even price adjusted after the drop.
Due to unexpected customer demand for this item, our inventory was depleted prior to your order being processed so we are unable to fulfill this item as requested. Consequently, we have canceled your order and you will not be billed for this amount.
You may see an authorization on your credit or debit card for the order, but please be assured you will not be charged. The authorization will be released in accordance with your bank's policies.
We sincerely regret any inconvenience that this may have caused.
Sincerely,
Barnes & Noble
Customer Service
Needless to say I immediately contacted Barnes and Noble customer dis-service by phone, and was automatically disconnected several times but finally after holding for several hours, I spoke to a rude lady that did not want to indulge in any crucial details but to say I'm out of luck and there's nothing she can do. I explained I was led to believe ( for 24 hours ) I would receive these units and a hold was put on my credit card and that meant I was inconvenienced. For this reason and for being a long time loyal customer, I explained a store credit would go a long way in restoring my faith in Barnes & Noble. She would have none of it an in fact she grew verbally abusive. ( I hope they really do record these conversations for " training purposes ". ) Refusing to honor orders is one thing but abuse towards customers in totally inexcusable. Needless to say, the conversation was over: it's useless arguing with a logically incoherent and abusive individual.
So where does that leave me? Well to be honest, I'm still out of even a single Touchpad and I have no more interest in owing one. But that's not what this is all about. I believe we have to let the monkey suites at top of Barnes & Noble branch know that this is not how you treat a customer. If we allow this behavior to continue, it's all downhill from here. A customer must not be neglected or taken for granted. I hope I'm not the only one who believes this way and I believe I'm not the only one who was treated this way by Barnes and Noble ( in this specific fiasco or previously ).
Now I can write directly to a Barnes and Noble manger, but reading other people's experiences online, one person cannot make any significant change dealing one on one with these corporate types. Only collective action has any significant chance of actually changing their ill behavior.
Which is why I'm asking you to share your negative expediences with Barnes & Noble customer dis-service here by signing this petition:
The undersigned will:
1 - boycott Barnes and Noble or,
2 - notify its sponsors of its sub par customer service or,
3 - spread the word of its sub par customer service or,
4 - give moral support to those working to end Barnes & Noble sub par customer service
In addition, the undersigned demand a store credit equivalent to the reduced price of 1 HP TouchPad 16 GB ( $ 101.95 ), credited to the online account of each undersigned for the inconvenience endured in dealing with Barnes and Noble customer dis-service.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
I believe in collective action through a strong and unified voice. I have no benefit from the creation of this petition other than to make our voices heard to Barnes and Noble top brass. I believe this can be achieved in a democratic fashion that benefits consumers and not rich attorneys and corporate spokespeople. Do you feel the same way? Sign the petition below and make your voice heard.
