Barnes & Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com) has a 1.7 out of 5 rating on OK.one, based on 100 user reviews collected here. It is listed under Hobbies & Crafts and its reputation is poor. 72% of reviews are 1 star, a relatively high share; The business has replied to 89% of negative reviews; 73 of them were added in the last 12 months. Last updated 2026-08-10.
What people say
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AngieNYC · 7 reviews · Experienced 2026-08-09 ·
★★★★★
A $30 B&N Gift Card Shouldn’t Be This Complicated
I’m extremely disappointed with my recent Barnes & Noble experience. On Aug. 2, I placed an online store-pickup order using a $30 B&N gift card. The store cancelled the order, claiming the books were out of stock, despite the website showing them as available. When I tried to reorder for shipping, my gift card balance showed $0. Customer Service told me the $30 would be restored automatically within 24–48 hours, but 6 days later, it still had not been credited.
I went to the store, selected the books again, and was told to call Customer Service since my gift card was never automatically refunded. After being transferred through 3 escalation departments, B&N finally acknowledged the error was on its end. However, even while I was in the store with the books, no one could restore the $30 or apply it to my purchase. I ultimately spent over 45 minutes dealing with Customer Service and left without a resolution.
I go to bookstores to escape frustration not to experience it. B&N acknowledged that the problem was caused by an error on their end, yet I am still left to spend my time tracking down a solution. This experience has seriously damaged my confidence in B&N.
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Daniel Hannon · 12 reviews · Experienced 2026-08-01 ·
★★★★★
Flawless shipping and protection!
I ordered a remastered music CD, and the shipping department did a phenomenal job. It arrived very quickly with absolutely zero damage. They used a heavy-duty, flat cardboard mailer that kept the plastic jewel case in pristine, flawless condition. The sturdy packaging actually kept the contents completely private and secure. I am extremely satisfied with this purchase and will definitely be ordering my media through Barnes & Noble again. Highly recommended Kudos to Barnes&Noble for packing Music cd's Disguised as Books pure genius Thank you!
I went to the store to order a copy of We from Yevyeny Zamyatin. The book was not in the bookstore then it was paid and ordered. I got the book by mail. I got the Russian version. I dont speak Russian and since I paid by debit card, I just got store credit. The shipping and handling is not refundable. How I get punished for the mistake of the clerk of the store? I don’t look Russian at all, I am a brown Hispanic woman. How I don't get the money from shipping and handling?. I talked directly with a tall older guy in the store, He requested it from me online. The young lady with a star in her face just said we just ordered for you. And I was like exactly you ordered the wrong language not me? Why I don't get the full refund. It is matter of principle.
Reply from Barnes & Noble2026-07-31
We're sorry to hear about your experience and understand how frustrating it must have been to receive a different edition of the book. Please respond to the accompanying request for more information so we can look into this further.
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Connie miller · 5 reviews · Experienced 2026-07-29 ·
★★★★★
Bought two matchbox cars with remote…
Bought two matchbox cars with remote controls one was $21. The other was 25. They were almost identical didn't offer to match the price. I will not go back to the prices were exorbitant on everything. The things were not even priced.
Reply from Barnes & Noble2026-07-31
Prices are set by the manufacturer. Items sold in Barnes & Noble Retail Stores are sold at the manufacturer suggested retail price. We're sorry for the disappointment.
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SCOTT SCHWARTZ · 2 reviews · Experienced 2026-07-22 ·
★★★★★
B and N logistics are absurdly bad
B and N logistics are absurdly bad. Ordered one book on 7/22. Paid 6.99 delivery. Confirmation says delivering on 8/4. TWO WEEKS! To a major city address. Amazon delivers free in two days. Never again. (At least I used up my gift card).
Reply from Barnes & Noble2026-07-27
We sincerely apologize that you did not have a good experience with your order. It should arrive by the expected delivery date shown to you during checkout. Please respond to the accompanying request for more information so that we can take a closer look.
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Deborah · 1 review · Experienced 2026-06-28 ·
★★★★★
Fun Place for All Kinds of Books
Great variety of books, helpful staff.
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Jennifer Fridley · 2 reviews · Experienced 2026-07-21 ·
★★★★★
Not impressed at all!
I switched to having my books printed to B&N Press and have ordered twice from them both times I've had issues. The first time the cover wasn't trimmed correctly on the majority of them and took forever to receive the first order. They were supposed to notify me when the new ones were shipped. I received the books never heard a word from them. This last time I haven't received my order at all. No communication not refund nothing. Contacted them they said it was returned due to wrong address. It's the same address I used before and received the delivery for the original and the corrected orders from before. so not sure how it is wrong. they said they will try and get it reshipped but may have to redo the entire order. I have already been waiting a month for this order. I'm very much considering going back to who i was using before. It may cost a bit more but I NEVER had any issues with any of their orders.
Reply from Barnes & Noble2026-07-21
We sincerely apologize for the experience you had with your B&N Press orders and for any disappointment this has caused. We strive to maintain a high standard of excellence in everything we do, and your feedback is invaluable in helping us review and improve our service. We hope that you give us another opportunity with your future orders. Again, we apologize for any disappointment.
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Susan Neyland · 1 review · Experienced 2026-07-12 ·
★★★★★
Barnes & Noble online store is so…
Barnes & Noble online store is so aggravating.
It will confirm eBooks and then slowly in the next 10 minutes cancel them every time. The reason given? They claim I'm not ordering from the US. I AM!!! No I do not use a VPN. The site is confusing and you have to place one order at a time, go back to shopping, go back to book category (i.e. Fiction), go back to eBooks/Nook, order another book and start all over. Then your orders get canceled one by one over the next half hour.
Reply from Barnes & Noble2026-07-13
We sincerely apologize that you did not have a good experience. Please respond to the accompanying request for more information so that we can take a closer look.
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Gordon · 1 review · Experienced 2026-07-01 ·
★★★★★
What customer service?
I've been a ebook customer since they were available. Within the past 5vyears or so I've had glitch after glitch either downloading books that I bought or trying to get a sample to download.
Calling customer service after trying every suggested fix only stumps the customer service person and I'm told that someone else will get back to me to fix the problem. No one has ever gotten back to me. At this point I'm only hanging in because I would hate to use Amazon. BaN clearly seems to have moved away from customers service.
Reply from Barnes & Noble2026-07-02
We're sorry to hear this and sincerely apologize for any frustration this has caused. Please respond to the accompanying request for more information so we can take a further look.
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Isabel Miller · 1 review · Experienced 2026-06-27 ·
★★★★★
I tried ordering twice and it got…
I tried ordering twice and it got cancelled both times. I was confused what was taking to so long because it’s hard to track the order. Ordering online at Barnes and Nobles is awful. Never again.
Reply from Barnes & Noble2026-06-29
We sincerely apologize that you did not have a good experience with your order. Please respond to the accompanying request for more information so that we can take a closer look.
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Louis Tran · 1 review · Experienced 2026-05-29 ·
★★★★★
A Total Disaster: Premium Data Wiped, Refund Ignored, and Zero Customer Respect.
LATEST UPDATE:
B&N Customer service just emailed me refusing a pro-rated refund, claiming I already used the membership in previous months, while completely ignoring that my account has been frozen and unusable for 18 days! They claim the system is "undergoing updates," yet their website is fully operational to take people's money. If it's not ready, why isn't it shut down for maintenance? Telling me my membership is "good to use until 2027" while giving me a blank screen is an absolute farce. Total corporate gaslighting and scam. I am filing an official complaint with the BBB.
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UPDATE (In response to Barnes & Noble's clueless reply):
Look at their automated, completely off-topic response below - it perfectly proves how much they disrespect and ignore their customers. Stop giving me your generic template about adding shipping addresses!
Let me make this loud and clear: I did NOT just lose my address log; I completely lost my paid PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP, my accumulated rewards, and my entire account access. Your customer service acts like they have absolutely no idea what is happening, despite me sending multiple emails with screenshots for over 2 weeks.
Telling me to "respond to the request for more information" when your team has been ghosting my refund requests for days is a joke. This is gaslighting and a textbook definition of a scam. You took my money for a Premium subscription, wiped out my data with your broken update, ignored my refund, and now you reply with this nonsense. Absolute scammers!
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It has been over 2 weeks since my initial complaint regarding my missing data after their website upgrade, and my account remains completely empty. Despite multiple inquiries, the support team has only provided vague, generic responses without giving any concrete timeline. I requested a pro-rated refund for my Premium Membership and my missing rewards balance 3 days ago, but they are completely ignoring me now.
I did absolutely nothing wrong; this entire nightmare is due to their failed data migration. While their broken website continues to operate and take people's money, they show zero urgency in fixing severe backend errors for existing members. This feels like a scam - they break the system, yet the paying customers are forced to suffer the financial and emotional consequences.
I used to love buying music CDs here, but I will never spend another dime at Barnes & Noble. Absolute worst customer experience. Avoid their Premium Membership at all costs.
Reply from Barnes & Noble2026-06-14
We apologize for any disappointment, With the new update, you will need to add your preferred billing address, shipping address, and payment information. Order history will show the last 14 months of orders, however it may not show at this time. If you are receiving an error message, please respond to the accompanying request for more information so we can thoroughly notate your feedback.
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All That Jam Podcast · 3 reviews · Experienced 2026-06-12 ·
★★★★★
They are selling AI books and you can't…
They are selling AI books and you can't trust anything in their store at this point. They have sold us all out to the machines
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Charles · 10 reviews · Experienced 2026-06-08 ·
★★★★★
Account login goes round and round in…
Account login goes round and round in circles.
No help from customer services.
Cleaning cache or cookies or using a different browser makes no difference as I keep on telling them. A useless organisation.
Reply from Barnes & Noble2026-06-08
We apologize for the difficulties you've experienced. Please try clearing your browser cache and cookies, or try a different browser. Please respond to the accompanying request for more information so we can thoroughly notate your feedback.
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Matt · 1 review · Experienced 2026-06-01 ·
★★★★★
Rip Off
The books take way too long to arrive in the mail. The paperback book quality is bad. Pages fall out, and some pages haven't been trimmed correctly and random pieces hang off the pages. We paid the annual membership fee thinking it would be a good deal, but the long delivery time coupled with the book prices and quality make it worse than just buying from Amazon.
Reply from Barnes & Noble2026-06-02
We're sorry to hear this and sincerely apologize for any disappointment. If you still need assistance, please respond to the accompanying request for more information.
I have been an online customer for a very long time, Nook. A week ago I tried ordering a couple of books. But I couldn't get into the website. I thought I was doing something odd so I stopped at the local store and was told they are launching a new site with a new site builder. Called the customer service number, 3 times since then. Message was be patient, system will be functional within hours or at most a couple of days. More than a week has passed. Today I was able to order three books but wasn't able to checkout. System told me I needed to update my profile. Which I did. Still can't checkout. In fact I can't get into the site at all. First wants me to confirm I'm human and then to enter email address only to be told they don't recognize me. I've never checked their reviews before but I can certainly see why they only garner 2 stars. Come on guys, I only want to order some books to go with the 300 to 400 I've ordered in the past. Fix the system or Amazon may see me buying from them.
Reply from Barnes & Noble2026-06-02
Thank you for your feedback, and we sincerely apologize that you didn't have a good experience. For enhanced security, bn.com accounts no longer use traditional passwords. When signing in, you will now be prompted to enter a unique 6-digit code that we will send directly to your email. Please respond to the accompanying request for more information so we can thoroughly notate your feedback.
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Blake · 1 review · Experienced 2026-05-22 ·
★★★★★
Broken Gift Card Payment System and Poor Follow-Through
A failed gift card transaction resulted in multiple calls, several support tickets, conflicting information from customer service, and hours of my time. After a supervisor manually pushed the order through and it shipped, I later received a notice claiming I still owed money and risked account restrictions.
The problem was not a lack of payment but a failure in Barnes & Noble's internal gift card processing and reconciliation systems. Customers should not have to navigate multiple escalations to resolve a payment issue that originated from the retailer's own systems.
I expect this type of disorganized process from a small business with limited resources, not from a national retailer. Barnes & Noble needs to improve how gift card authorization failures and payment reconciliation are handled because the current process creates unnecessary confusion and frustration for customers.
Reply from Barnes & Noble2026-05-30
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. The amount of effort required to resolve this issue was clearly frustrating, and the feedback you've provided is appreciated. Comments like yours help identify areas where processes and communication can be improved, and your concerns have been shared with the appropriate teams for review. Thank you again for bringing this to our attention.
VERY…VERY..VERY DISAPPOINTED!
okay so everyone can see my reviews by now and they are all 1 star because this company only does 1 star treatment! No one answers my emails! If they do it’s all a copy paste one! My refund is supposedly issued 3 weeks ago! Its a surprise to me that a “supposedly “ trusted American company shows this much low quality service and customer care…what a shame! Give me my money back!!!
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Andre Sonksen · 1 review · Experienced 2026-05-27 ·
★★★★★
I have been a BN customer for decades
I have been a BN customer for decades. I have been a book club member since it came out and have upgraded to the premium membership when it came out. I have never had a bad experience going into a physical store.
All that said, the website is an unmitigated disaster. The latest "upgrade" is nothing more than an excuse to delete all my wishlists without any real improvement to my web experience. I had years of books on my wish list that are now GONE. Their excuse that they didn't delete anything after Sept 2025, is NOT true. Of the 12 different lists I had they managed to "save" 3, all of which predate Sept 2025.
I have clicked on the "deals of the day" many times to see a number of the books at full price. I regularly clicked on the "less than $2.99 ebook" list and it's not usually see many of the books that are at full price NOT $2.99 or less.
I don't know if they have "fixed" this with the new website or not, but when trying to buy books I have gotten the death spiral of having to log in over and over again, having my payment declined (using a gift card that is on my account) and finally giving up after 5 attempts.
Overall my experience with the website is horrible.
Reply from Barnes & Noble2026-05-28
Thank you for sharing your experience with our new website. We appreciate your feedback. We moved bn.com to a new platform, and with that change came some improvements both to the appearance and functionality of the site. Regarding the wishlists, we suggest checking them again in about a week, as updates may become available by then.
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Wes · 1 review · Experienced 2026-05-27 ·
★★★★★
Frustration Regarding Lost Saved Book List After Website Update
I’ve been a loyal Barnes & Noble customer for many years and have spent a significant amount of money both online and in-store. Unfortunately, the recent website update has been extremely frustrating.
I had a large saved list of books built over time for future purchases and references, and after the update, my entire list disappeared. What makes this even more disappointing is that the website states customer lists from September 2025 through today should still be available — yet mine is completely gone with no way to retrieve it.
For long-time customers who invest time organizing their collections and wish lists, this is a major issue. I expected better data preservation, communication, and customer support during such a major platform change.
I sincerely hope Barnes & Noble addresses this issue and improves the experience moving forward because many loyal customers rely on these features.
Reply from Barnes & Noble2026-05-27
Thank you for your feedback, and we apologize for the inconvenience. Regarding the wishlists, we suggest checking them again in about a week, as there may be updates by then.
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Kabir Malik · 3 reviews · Experienced 2026-05-22 ·
★★★★★
Tanner was really nice and sweet brought our stuff out quick and helped us about my allergy please give him a raise he’s a amazing man
Amazing service
Reply from Barnes & Noble2026-05-24
Thank you for sharing your feedback. Our mission is to provide our customers with excellent service, and we always strive to create a shopping environment that is comfortable and inviting. Could you please respond to the accompanying request and share the store location so we can properly notate your feedback?
