I have always found AdultDVDNow to be superb for customer service. I think that the porn retailers are able to put that extra bit of attention to their work because they aren't dealing with mainstream DVDs. They value their customers more than say amazon.com because they know that the customer base is smaller and with many stores selling a similar range of titles at similar prices it's things like good customer service which keeps the customer coming back.

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On another item I purchased in December, they took about 4 weeks to deliver it (this was another in stock item). When it got here, it was defective, and although two weeks have passed since I sent it back, I still have heard nothing from them and my account has not been credited.

I'm not going to shopping at Amazon much in the future.

Snowman

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I preordered a music DVD in August which was to be released about two weeks from the date I ordered it. I never got the item and months went by. In December, I get a package from B&N and it contains the title - but in VHS format! The receipt does not specify VHS or DVD, it only contained the title of the feature.

I called them, and B&N argued with me for about 10 minutes that I ordered the VHS version! To make it worse, the DVD catalog entry had been removed entirely from their system. I guess there was a problem or a change in plans and the the dvd version of this music concert was put on hold. Nobody at B&N knew anything about this and they acted like I was insane and making up the whole thing about an upcoming DVD.

They finally refunded my money and the shipping charges, but only after I argued with them for 20 mins and summoned a manager. THANKS B&N!

I also found out that you can only get store credit if you return a B&N.com item to a brick & mortar store.

In the future, I will not be buying many DVDs at B&N.com!

Snowman

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December 29, 2000

TO:
Leonard Riggio, CEO
Barnesandnoble.com
122 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10011


RE: PLANETFEEDBACK INCIDENT NUMBER 417122

Dear Mr. Riggio,

I want to express my complete loss of confidence in
Barnes&Noble.com after my recent Christmas shopping experience.
In short, on Dec. 18, I ordered three Christmas gifts for my
father, who is out of state. All three items indicated same day
or 24 hour availability and I selected expedited 2-day air
shipment of these gift-wrapped presents with "hold until order is
complete" shipping instructions.

But instead, each of these gifts shipped separately, two by
overnight, and the final one was not shipped until yesterday, TEN
DAYS after it should have left your company's warehouse, by 2-day
air. Because of the timing and the New Year's Holiday, it will
not arrive at its destination until Tue., Jan 2--more than a week
after Christmas.

To make matters worse, your customer service via phone and e-mail
have been completely unhelpful, offering polite apologies but no
remedy or empowered help to resolve this availability and shipping
problem.

Billing on this order has also been a fiasco. The original charge
for this entire order should have been $49.02. Because the bulk
of the shipping cost was charged on the first item that was
shipped, the offer to waive the remaining shipping costs is a slap
in the face. Additionally, although I had already paid $3.00 for
gift wrapping the entire order, I was charged again for gift
wrapping on the third item that just shipped. In total, your
customer service effort has resulted in a net cost to me of
$48.04, a savings of 98 cents for the inconvenience and
disappointment I've experienced.

I'm sure you understand how uncomfortable it is to apologize to a
loved one for a gift that did not arrive in time for a holiday.
That's the reason why I chose Barnes&Noble.com; I believed by the
availability and shipping options, along with the statements made
on your web site about last minute gift shopping, that the
presents would arrive in plenty of time. Had I known that I would
still be expecting full delivery at this date, I would have gladly
paid the higher price and taken my business to Amazon.com, which I
consider my book e-tailer of choice.

I can't begin to express my frustration at this entire situation.
I'm looking to you, Mr. Riggio, to provide some sort of good will
gesture to compensate for your company's complete mishandling of
this order and to give me some reason to shop Barnes&Noble.com
ever again. I believe under the circumstances that a refund of
the entire order amount is appropriate and warranted.

I look forward to your reply; I'm hopeful that I will receive a
reply tailored to my specific circumstance, not just another "cut
& paste" customer service response that comes after a three-day
delay.

And here's the reply (after 3 days):

"Thank you for your comments. We appreciate your taking the time to write to us. We consider customer feedback critical to the success of our business, and we will pass along your comments to our colleagues."

I'm not a big fan of Buy.com either...One time they kept my order for a PDA on backorder for 5 MONTHS before I cancelled the order. The other time, they sent me a DVD in the wrong aspect ratio (because they had two SKUs that both had pictures and descriptions of "Widescreen" but one was apparently for the pan&scan version...obviously they should refund my money, right? Sure, they'd accept my return, but they wouldn't pay for return S&H...I ended up selling it on eBay).

Saki

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