Barnes & Noble
Expedited Shipping Fraud Seattle

I purchased a book from Barnes & Noble online through one of their third party sellers. The book was listed on their site as being shipped from Seattle, Washington which is the reason why I purchased the book from this particular site - I needed it asap, and I am located in Seattle as well so it seemed like the quickest way to receive the book.

I also paid double the regular shipping cost to have the order sent via an "expedited" shipping method. I waited and waited for the book to arrive. It didn't arrive, so I contacted the third party seller's customer service (Abraxus Books). They told me via email that the book had shipped on May 22nd via priority mail and that it had shipped from somewhere in the midwest (NOT Seattle). I had made the order on May 19th. So I waited some more.

I finally received the book on May 29th. It had been shipped via media mail (the slowest means possible) and cost the shipper less than $2 to ship. Not only that, but it hadn't been shipped until the 23rd.

So they took 4 days to ship the book after I ordered it, it did not ship from where they had advertised it from shipping from, it was sent via the slowest means possible, and their customer service lied to me about how and when it was shipped.

I asked Barnes & Noble for a refund (since that is who I had paid) of the shipping costs via email. They have refused three times, each time giving different excuses as to why. First it was because the book had shipped within 1 day of my order being placed (it took 4 days). Then it was because the book was used (it was new) and they only ship used books via media mail. Then it was that they had shipped it via "expedited" media mail (which does not exist).

I know it's small beans, only $7 for the shipping, but it seems like a fraud to offer customers an "expedited" shipping method for double the regular shipping cost and then not ship the item in an expedited manner.

Company: Barnes & Noble
Country: USA
Site: www.barnesandnoble.com

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