Bob sent a message to Ronald D. Boire – Chief Executive Officer of Barnes Noble, Inc. – Email Address that said:
To whom it may concern:
Allow me to reiterate a Barnes and Noble experience that happened to me recently.
I have an understanding that Nook devices of the past had a feature called in store reading. Now, as I understand it, one could walk into a Barnes and Noble Store, connect to the store, then they could read almost any book for free for one hour. Once the hour was up, they could either buy it or add it to their wish list. This feature is explained in the Nook User Guide for the Glowlight Plus on page 46 of 99.
So with this in mind, I found myself intrigued by this feature and purchased a Nook Glowlight Plus. I went to my local Barnes and Noble Store, excited to use the In store reading, connected to the Wifi…then nothing. I contacted the live support chat with my issue. They told me to call the Customer Service Line, to which I obliged. When I called them, they told me to take it to the store for service and that they could call again once I was in the store, because they could not determine if my issue was one with the store or with my device. I took it to the store for service and told them my issue. They told me that In Store reading was an option. When they tried to demonstrate it to me on one of their display devices, they could not get it to work. They then told me that it may have been removed and they were not told about it. So I contacted the Customer Service Line AGAIN while in the store. They told me that my device was probably defective and they would send me a new one and to talk to the service department. So I went to the service department and they told me that Barnes and Noble Readouts had replaced In Store reading. WHAT?! So, I had two conflicting reports of what was going on here. I contacted the customer service line again, and they told me that in-store reading was still around, and they would look into it further. I am waiting patiently to see what is going on here.
So having said this, I have a few things to say. Who the hell is running your Nook division? And who the hell is running your company? Monkeys? Its customer problems like this, your laziness of making compelling devices, and removing features instead of adding them that make it a no brainier as to why your company is operating at a loss, closing stores, and losing customers to Amazon, Kobo, and Apple. I do not blame all of your problems on the Nook division. I blame the problems you have entirely on your lack of care for the customer, which is what I witnessed from this experience. These companies are offering a good experience to their customers. Every Barnes and Noble I have been in lately has not been a good experience. Associates are not nice or knowledgeable, stores are cluttered, and items I look for are not available. This is where e commerce will ALWAYS win. E-commerce has customer reviews from customers for other potential customers, therefore skipping the store employee who may not know or care about an item. E-commerce does not have to deal with space. E-commerce has all items in stock and I can have them ordered, sent, delivered from my computer or mobile device while wearing my underwear. E-Commerce has beaten you in what I believe are basic necessities of a retail environment. You need to accept this. Stop trying to fight something that you cannot win.
But you do want to win. You want to be a successful company. You want to beat those guys? You want advice from a customer? Offer a customer service experience unlike any other. Offer good customer service. I should not have to deal with employees who are not trained correctly. I have seen your four core service principles for your employees: put the book in the customers hand, offer to order, offer the Member program, and fast cashiering. Where is customer service in here? These principles tell me that you want to get the customer out the door and get them to buy a membership on TOP of that? So you want them to leave and spend more money!? A customer is more likely to spend money the LONGER they stay in a store. Go to an Apple store. Go to Wal Mart for crying out loud! Wal Mart puts all the groceries people need in the back. Why? So people spend longer in the store. Why do people go to Apple Stores? Why do people go to Apple Stores? BECAUSE APPLE STORES OFFER A GOOD CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE THAT NO OTHER PLACE CAN OFFER.
Barnes and Noble needs to be an experience. What Barnes and Noble can offer that e-commerce cannot is the experience of being in a bookstore, as in the sights, the smells, the interactions with people. This is why, despite my bad experiences as of late, I keep returning to your stores. THE EXPERIENCE OF A BOOKSTORE CANNOT BE REPLICATED IN ANY OTHER PLACE BESIDES A BOOKSTORE. THAT IS RELEVANT TO YOU BECAUSE BARNES AND NOBLE IS A FUCKING BOOKSTORE. It seems to me that you have lost direction of what is a good customer experience. If you keep doing what you are doing and do not believe in the customer experience, you will find yourselves sitting next to companies who also made the same mistakes such as Circuit City, Blockbuster, Radio Shack, and one that I know hits home for your company, Borders. You need to find that experience and give it to the customer. I know you can find it.
I believe in the bookstore.
I believe in Barnes and Noble.
Sincerely,
Bob
