I find it interesting to note the frequency with which I run into certain people. The Phoenix metro area has a large population (over 4 million, which includes two counties). Even if we narrow it down to the suburbs where I do most of my going about, there's a significant population (nearly 500,000 people). So, I find it funny when I keep running into someone I barely know. She's the mom of one of Tink's friend's friends (try saying that fast). The little girl, D., went to the same pre-school Tink did, but Tink was in the afternoon class, and D. and R. (Tink's friend from Kindergarten and 1st Grade) were in the morning class.
When I first met D.'s mom (whose name I still can't remember), Tink and I were at R.'s joint birthday party with D. She said I looked familiar, and I had just learned that the girls all went to the same preschool, so I said it must have been the trip to the zoo with the preschool she was remembering me from since both classes went at the same time.
Fast forward one year, and I'm shopping at Walmart with my toddler boy. I see D.'s mom, but can't remember who she is. She sees me and I see a light of recognition in her eyes. We pass and say hello, but I'm past her before I remember where I've met her. I don't know if she ever realized where she knew me from.
After that we saw one another briefly at another of R.'s birthday parties. We didn't talk much, and we didn't talk about the Walmart run-in. Today I was at Sprouts buying fruit, and who is two people ahead of me in line? D.'s mom. She saw me as she was getting her bags to leave and smiled. I smiled back.
I sometimes wonder at the fact that I keep seeing D.'s mom and not any of her friends' moms. It's kind of funny that we keep seeing one another on our daily errands, isn't it? I wonder if maybe one day we're actually meant to start up a conversation and become friends. Who knows? I mean, I don't run into other people more than once in the course of a year. If I run into them, it's maybe once every five years (this isn't counting planned meetings). I guess only time will tell if it means something or if it's just an odd coincidence.
UPDATE (January 2012): In October, I met this mother at another (L.'s) birthday party. We got to talking about how funny it is that we keep running into one another. It was also funny that this party was for a girl at my daughter's school who went to D.'s school the year before. When D. found out that L. was going to the same new school that R. was moving to, she told L. to seek R. out to become friends. Since my daughter and R. were friends and my daughter and L. were in the same class, L. and my daughter became good friends, too.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
My Barnes and Noble Saga
Once upon a time, earlier this year, I went into a Barnes and Noble store with my daughter because I couldn't find a book at Borders. While there, I was told about the kids club, so I signed up on-line. In doing so, I created an account for myself, and started receiving emails with coupon codes for my first order at BN.com. I ignored these emails at first, as it wasn't worth it when I'd have to pay shipping and most books I can buy cheaper on-line at Amazon.
Last week, a coupon came that made me think I hit the jackpot. "Save 70% on your first order" it said. It also had a lot of restrictions: certain things you couldn't buy; it couldn't be from a third-party seller (duh), etc. You had to sign in using the email address where you got the discount code (easy enough--that's my account). I read all the fine print closely, and then started looking for stuff I wanted. The first several things didn't work, and I thought it might be because BN.com offered them at discounted prices rather than list prices (even though this was NOT in the exclusions list). I found a few items that did not have a "Buy at BN.com" option, so I passed them by as being from a third party. Finally, I found a paperback book at list price with the "Buy at BN.com" option. I clicked the "Add to Bag" button next to "Buy at BN.com" and added the coupon code. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. I tried several other list price items. Again, nothing. So I contacted Customer Service (CS) on Sunday June 12th.
Email 1 (copied directly from my email string, though I re-formatted it so it would look nice):
I received coupon code H8X4L4XXAHQ via email late last night. It says it is good until June 19th, but NOTHING I try to put in my cart qualifies for it. At first I could only find books that are on sale, and they didn't work. I tried several books at regular price, and still nothing works. I did not see any products as having been marked "products marked as not eligible for "coupons or promotional discounts" (one of the disqualifications), but then I wasn't sure where to look, either. Please help me figure out what I can buy with this coupon. Thank you. Corinne Yee
On Monday, June 13th, I received the following (formatted and with the CSR's name XXX'd out but otherwise un-altered)--Email 2:
Dear Corinne Yee,
Thank you for writing to us. We apologize for the difficulties you are experiencing.
We are eager to resolve your problem, but require more information. Please respond to this email with the item you wish to purchase with your coupon.
Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may cause and we thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
XXXXX
Customer Service Representative
Barnes & Noble
http://www.bn.com/
So, I wrote back the same day (June 13th)--Email 3:
I have not yet decided what item I wish to purchase, but if you need an example item, some of the items I tried were "Trace Fever" by Lori Foster and "Just Like Heaven" by Julia Quinn. Again, I am not saying I am going to purchase these particular items, but they are ones I tried just to try to see what the coupon would work on.
Thank you,
Corinne Yee
I never received a reply from them. I checked my junk mail before deleting it in case anything went there, but then I always do that. I did not receive a reply the next day. Or the day after. Knowing I was frustrated, my sweet husband went looking on the forums and found that many people were having trouble with this coupon code. He said a few people got it to work by following the link directly from the email before logging in. I tried that. Didn't work. He also said that people were complaining about non-response from CS on this issue. Well, at least I knew I wasn't the only one who had THAT problem. I tried off and on all week. The expiration date came and went (June 19th). Late in the evening I got really ticked off, so I decided to complain where they might find it hard to ignore--on social media. I tweeted them and posted on their FB page. They both said about the same thing, but this is my FB post: "Why is it B&N sends out e-coupons to use on-line and when they don't work, you never hear back from customer service in time to use them?"
The next morning, I got replies to both. I got a person's direct email address on my FB post and I got the 800 number via Twitter. Well, I hate calling 800 numbers and being on hold for ages. And since a non-working code is more likely a technical issue, it is going to take some time to deal with. I have two kids--I can't stay on hold all day. So, I forwarded my entire email string (including my last reply) to the CSR who answered my FB post with this preface (Monday, June 20th)--Email 4:
Hi,
I complained on Facebook about not having received resolution to a coupon problem before it expired and was told to send it to you. It expired yesterday, but as you can see from the attached below, I tried to get it resolved last Monday, long before it expired. I never heard back after the attached email. There are people complaining about THIS coupon code and non-response from B&N all over the Internet forums. You guys are getting a really bad reputation from this. I've highlighted a few of the pieces of information you will probably find important to resolving the issue.
Corinne
I received this very long reply, which includes the terms and conditions, which I'd read and knew and a claim that they had sent a reply to the previous string with a FALSE explanation for why the code isn't working (see my reply to them as to why it is false). Nothing makes me more ticked than a CSR telling me something that I know is NOT true. I'm going to only post the part pertaining to my complaint as I'm sure those reading this blog do not care to read the entire terms and conditions of the coupon code--Email 5:
Hi Corinne,
We have responded to your email on 06/14/2011 advising that the terms and conditions of this promotion indicate that this coupon cannot be applied to purchases made from third parties accessible from the bn.com website (e.g., used books, PC and video games, etc.). We reviewed the examples that you have provided and it fell under this category at the time.
We regret any inconvenience this matter may have caused you. Please let us know what item you would like to order so we may see if it qualified for this promotion. Also provide us the email address this promotion was sent to.
Please see below details and restrictions for the coupon that you have...
Sincerely,
XXX
Customer Service Representative
Barnes & Noble
http://www.bn.com/
My very upset reply, also on June 20th--Email 6:
First, I never received an email from B&N on 6/14. I check my junk mail for such emails routinely, and pay even more close attention when I am expecting something that could come into my Junk mailbox.
Corinne Yee
Last week, a coupon came that made me think I hit the jackpot. "Save 70% on your first order" it said. It also had a lot of restrictions: certain things you couldn't buy; it couldn't be from a third-party seller (duh), etc. You had to sign in using the email address where you got the discount code (easy enough--that's my account). I read all the fine print closely, and then started looking for stuff I wanted. The first several things didn't work, and I thought it might be because BN.com offered them at discounted prices rather than list prices (even though this was NOT in the exclusions list). I found a few items that did not have a "Buy at BN.com" option, so I passed them by as being from a third party. Finally, I found a paperback book at list price with the "Buy at BN.com" option. I clicked the "Add to Bag" button next to "Buy at BN.com" and added the coupon code. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. I tried several other list price items. Again, nothing. So I contacted Customer Service (CS) on Sunday June 12th.
Email 1 (copied directly from my email string, though I re-formatted it so it would look nice):
I received coupon code H8X4L4XXAHQ via email late last night. It says it is good until June 19th, but NOTHING I try to put in my cart qualifies for it. At first I could only find books that are on sale, and they didn't work. I tried several books at regular price, and still nothing works. I did not see any products as having been marked "products marked as not eligible for "coupons or promotional discounts" (one of the disqualifications), but then I wasn't sure where to look, either. Please help me figure out what I can buy with this coupon. Thank you. Corinne Yee
On Monday, June 13th, I received the following (formatted and with the CSR's name XXX'd out but otherwise un-altered)--Email 2:
Dear Corinne Yee,
Thank you for writing to us. We apologize for the difficulties you are experiencing.
We are eager to resolve your problem, but require more information. Please respond to this email with the item you wish to purchase with your coupon.
Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may cause and we thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
XXXXX
Customer Service Representative
Barnes & Noble
http://www.bn.com/
So, I wrote back the same day (June 13th)--Email 3:
I have not yet decided what item I wish to purchase, but if you need an example item, some of the items I tried were "Trace Fever" by Lori Foster and "Just Like Heaven" by Julia Quinn. Again, I am not saying I am going to purchase these particular items, but they are ones I tried just to try to see what the coupon would work on.
Thank you,
Corinne Yee
I never received a reply from them. I checked my junk mail before deleting it in case anything went there, but then I always do that. I did not receive a reply the next day. Or the day after. Knowing I was frustrated, my sweet husband went looking on the forums and found that many people were having trouble with this coupon code. He said a few people got it to work by following the link directly from the email before logging in. I tried that. Didn't work. He also said that people were complaining about non-response from CS on this issue. Well, at least I knew I wasn't the only one who had THAT problem. I tried off and on all week. The expiration date came and went (June 19th). Late in the evening I got really ticked off, so I decided to complain where they might find it hard to ignore--on social media. I tweeted them and posted on their FB page. They both said about the same thing, but this is my FB post: "Why is it B&N sends out e-coupons to use on-line and when they don't work, you never hear back from customer service in time to use them?"
The next morning, I got replies to both. I got a person's direct email address on my FB post and I got the 800 number via Twitter. Well, I hate calling 800 numbers and being on hold for ages. And since a non-working code is more likely a technical issue, it is going to take some time to deal with. I have two kids--I can't stay on hold all day. So, I forwarded my entire email string (including my last reply) to the CSR who answered my FB post with this preface (Monday, June 20th)--Email 4:
Hi,
I complained on Facebook about not having received resolution to a coupon problem before it expired and was told to send it to you. It expired yesterday, but as you can see from the attached below, I tried to get it resolved last Monday, long before it expired. I never heard back after the attached email. There are people complaining about THIS coupon code and non-response from B&N all over the Internet forums. You guys are getting a really bad reputation from this. I've highlighted a few of the pieces of information you will probably find important to resolving the issue.
Corinne
I received this very long reply, which includes the terms and conditions, which I'd read and knew and a claim that they had sent a reply to the previous string with a FALSE explanation for why the code isn't working (see my reply to them as to why it is false). Nothing makes me more ticked than a CSR telling me something that I know is NOT true. I'm going to only post the part pertaining to my complaint as I'm sure those reading this blog do not care to read the entire terms and conditions of the coupon code--Email 5:
Hi Corinne,
We have responded to your email on 06/14/2011 advising that the terms and conditions of this promotion indicate that this coupon cannot be applied to purchases made from third parties accessible from the bn.com website (e.g., used books, PC and video games, etc.). We reviewed the examples that you have provided and it fell under this category at the time.
We regret any inconvenience this matter may have caused you. Please let us know what item you would like to order so we may see if it qualified for this promotion. Also provide us the email address this promotion was sent to.
Please see below details and restrictions for the coupon that you have...
Sincerely,
XXX
Customer Service Representative
Barnes & Noble
http://www.bn.com/
My very upset reply, also on June 20th--Email 6:
First, I never received an email from B&N on 6/14. I check my junk mail for such emails routinely, and pay even more close attention when I am expecting something that could come into my Junk mailbox.
Secondly, BOTH those books on the date I tried them had "Buy from BN.com" on their listing. I clicked the "add to bag" right next to that wording. If they are not being sold by BN.com, then why do they say they are? How is a customer supposed to find anything that relates to the coupon when things are mislabeled, if that's what this case is: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Trace-of-Fever/Lori-Foster/e/9780373775750/?cds2Pid=17029 and http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Just-Like-Heaven/Julia-Quinn/e/9780061491900/?cds2Pid=17029. Again, this is EXACTLY what the listing looked like on the date I tried it. I also tried at least a dozen other items with the "Buy from BN.com" designation on them. NONE OF THEM WORKED. So, I'm asking ONCE AGAIN, give me an example of an item for which the coupon does work.
The promotion was sent to this email address, which IS my login email address, and I DID login before trying the coupon. It says it is for my FIRST order, and this would be my FIRST order. Again, the coupon has expired, so now I can't use it now. I'm very irritated about this, as are other people who have had problems with your coupon codes. For example from YOUR website: http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Help-Book-Clubs-My-B-N/coupon-code-not-working/td-p/629607.
Corinne Yee
Of course, it is now late in the day on June 21st, and I have not heard back on this. I doubt I will. If I do, I will post it. I bet if I try again later this week, they'll claim they wrote me back today. Bottom line: their customer service stinks. I'm sure you have your own customer service horror stories. I have more for other companies (Qwest stories immediately come to mind). I really don't understand why companies don't have better customer service. That's their front line with the customer, and they should strive to make it as good as possible so customers will continue to come back. As for me, unless they get this code working and extend the deadline for me, I will not order anything from BN.com (ever). I will continue to shop Amazon and Borders (brick and mortar). At least Borders sends me coupons I can use in the store OR on-line, so I've never had this kind of issue with them.
Thank you for reading.
UPDATE 6/24/11: I started following Catherine Coulter on Twitter, and she noticed a mistake in my Tweet (which she had a question about), which set up a dialog being tweeted at BNBuzz (B&N) as well. So, I got a new person to forward the string of emails to. We shall see what happens.
Again, 6/24/11: I received a reply from my Twitter email--Email 7:
Corinne,
Thank you for your email regarding your difficulties trying to use
coupon code H8X4L4XXAHQ. We do apologize for that. At this point, you
would not be able to use that promotion yourself. I will, however,
manually apply the discount to your order; should you still wish to take
advantage of it. After you place your order, please email the order
information(#, item purchased, etc) to XXX@barnesandnoble.com and I will
make the appropriate adjustment. Below are the details of the promo...
So, I will place an order and send the details to the very nice person who emailed this to me. I hope all goes well. Again, I will add updates to this blog when that happens.
6/29/11 UPDATE:
Yesterday I was still confused about what I wanted to buy, so I sent another email just to clear up the question of whether it had to be list price even though the restrictions didn't say so. The friendly customer service rep who has been helping me from my Twitter post said no. So, today I posted my order and sent my order number back to him. He has applied it and I got a confirmation email showing me my final price. So, I am very grateful to him.
In the future, I must remember social networking is a friend to turn to when you don't get replies from CS in a timely fashion.
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