An Open Letter to Barnes and Noble Management -- Nook Division

[Radecliffe]

---

went_postal wrote:

I love how everyone jumps all over the OP.

The short version of my post:  Just because you had an awesome experience calling CS... don't begrudge the people that had crappy experiences their chance to voice their opinion.  

---

With regards to the OP I don't have a problem with anyone voicing their opinion.  Where I get bugged, personally is when they start throwing the "we" word around.  Unless there is a committee posting on the boards I don't know about comments should be limited to the first person.  That's my opinion.

[icebike]

Nobody is jumping on the OP.

I simply posted my experience.  17 minutes start to finish.  Mid afternoon call.

Like I said, I just can't get upset about that.

I'm retired.  I post help to a lot of people every day, by looking for threads that no one has answered.

I don't attack people.  I don't even chastise people unless their post is so utterly ridiculous, like the guy last night demanding to know where the ebook help board was, and demanding someone post a URL to it.

But I do call a spade a *&&^$$ shovel.  And I do expect literate people to read a manual. 

Oh, and I don't post under a name like Went_Postal, which pretty much describes every post you've made. 

[AnnSheridan]

@icebike: You call 'em as you see 'em.  And I am grateful that you give your time to these boards.  I've learned that I can rely on your replies and trust that you have no hidden agenda other than helping the newbies along.  Your advice and common sense helped me many times, and reading your posts (and posts of others like you) has made me a Master Nook Owner.  Thank you.

I know you're a big boy and can defend yourself...but I felt I had to speak up.  Wouldn't want you to think for one minute that silence indicates agreement with Went_Postal. 

[illmunkeys]

---

icebike wrote:
There would be JUST AS MUCH bitching on this board if call-backs were the norm.  Which is precisely why call-back are not the norm in the tech industry.  

As per your assertions about cost, all large tech companies have bean counters, and they know what costs more and what pisses off customers.  If call backs were cheaper they would be used more frequently

---

Call-backs are not the norm in the tech industry because most businesses help desks are sub-par afterthoughts.  "Oh, we have to support this now?  Really?  Okay then.  Lets stick 5 guys behind a phone.  That should handle everyone!"  Oddly enough, utility companies pretty much all have virtual queues.  Its amazing how much their customer service has improved.  I used to hate calling AT&T or my gas company for anything.  Now it is pretty pleasant (for customer service anyway).  I don't own a house phone and won't ever again.  All those minutes on hold rack up.

Personal experience time.  The moment we implemented virtual call-back queues, user satisfaction skyrocketed.  Now we get complaints that we don't always return calls back immediately (we have a maximum of 15 minutes to return any call during normal business hours - my teams average is < 5).  This is an awesome complaint for a help desk to have.  We have tier 1 support who resolves about 80% of all help desk calls within the first 5-10 minutes.  If they don't have an answer (in other words, its an issue that goes outside the bounds of a step-by-step walkthrough) or can't provide one in a relatively small amount of time, the user gets placed in a virtual queue for tier 2 support.  This allows tier 1 to quickly bang out resolutions and pass the buck on more serious issues to people more capable of thinking outside of a script.

[Heritage07]

Took me 17 minutes to read the first post.

[LessPaul]

---

Radecliffe wrote:

With regards to the OP I don't have a problem with anyone voicing their opinion.  Where I get bugged, personally is when they start throwing the "we" word around.  Unless there is a committee posting on the boards I don't know about comments should be limited to the first person.  That's my opinion.

---

The word "we" occurs zero times in my original post. The words "I" and "me" occur more than 20 times. 

I did use the word "us" once.

I have made the factual statement that others have voiced dismay. I believe my paper speaks for myself, and I further urged others who disagreed to post accordingly. If you feel my post was not in the first person, I'd appreciate knowing how you came to that conclusion. 

[LessPaul]

---

GeoffreyF wrote:

Not only that, I think that LessPaul is unctious and disagreeable while defining not a single issue despite a ridiculously long screed.

<snipped content>

I Find the original post unpleasant, pointless and disagreeable.  It is subjective and has nothing in it that is even actionable.   It's just subjective silliness and railing against ... what exactly?

---

Thank you for your kind words.

[LessPaul]

---

icebike wrote:

Nobody is jumping on the OP.

---

I agree you did not jump on me. However, I dare say that "Nobody is jumping on the OP" is incorrect. Post #9 is textbook "jumping on the poster." The dear man felt that expressing his opinion about my post was not enough; he also felt it necessary to attack my character.

Lest anyone feel I need additional whipping, there is no need. I can assure you that this is my last public post. I've no motivation to continue my involvement on these boards. I've learned that in this company of gentlemen I am severely outclassed. 

[Hypatia1]

@lessPaul

Sorry to hear that - I'd rather have lost GeoffreyF as a poster.......

[trureader]

 Wow,I must be really,really good! The first post took me less than 20 sec. to read;I agreed with every word .How hard is it to give,or find out, a yes or no answer?

  Yes Went-Postal,Icebike is rude.His advice is usually good(doesn't seem to have my one word answer),he appears tech savy.Posts 24/7,I'll bet a nap would do him some good.Then when he's not so snarly maybe I can get some of that good advice.

    As for GeoffreyF,perhaps the technogeeks could post 2 lines intersecting @ a 45 degree angle,call it a corner and put his name in it.He can come out when he gets a clue!! Stand B&N in with him.They can discuss how to make the answers fit the questions.

     Do not stand Icebike in the corner.After he wakes up from his nap-I need an answer.

[jimcook2]

I love my nook.

I am convinced that for years to come many college business courses will be studying the release of the nook for what not to do and how not to handle the customer on the Customer Service phone line. I hope their studies will end with how well the B&N Customer Service has corrected itself.

[SkeeterHarris]

Dear LessPaul,

You certainly don't speak for me and Amazon customer support does not set a level of benchmark above Barnes & Noble.   Clearly there have been issues the nook had at software version 1.0, but B&N has done a stellar job at resolving the noted issues that were in fact problems as opposed to people just complaining.   

Initially Banes & Noble was not communicating on this board however "they have listened" from when I first go here back in October when the nook was first announced.   Given some of the technical and shipping issues B&N had I don't know too many companies that not only gave people $10 e-coupons, but then people who ordered back on 11/8;  $100 e-coupons for potentially missing christmas arrival commitments.

The wait times people are reporting are just not that bad - I for one think "An open letter to B&N Management" is just completely too much drama here!

In my opinion Barnes and Noble - KEEP UP THE GREAT JOB!

Just just came back to nook from Kindle this weekend and am thrilled with nook!

[CMegalodon]

I totally agree with you.  I bought the Nook because of the possibilities that the Android display at the bottom offered.  Soduko is not what I had in mind.

The Nook still can't sync with its other versions  like the Kindle could over a year ago.

My question is this: How stupid does Barnes & Noble think its customers are to offer a new color Nook to compete with the iPad when they can't even make their simpler eReader Nook version 1 work properly?  Soon, Apple will drop its price on the iPad to within $100 of the Color Nook - whoare you going to trust?  A book company or a software/hardware company?

Comparing the Version 1 Nook to a Kindle is like comparing a go-kart to a race car.  Now we are supposed to trust their software team to write a new operating system when the last one still doesn't work properly?

Unbelievable. 

[Globaltech]

OP is reminiscent of equine excrement.

[chappyMI]

As an early Nook user, neither my husband nor I have any problems with Customer Service.  My husband had some password issues and was walked through in minutes to solve the problem.  We both have had to had our early models replaced as they had cracked.  Mine was replaced in-store and my husband was on the phone less than 5 minutes and had his replacement in 2 days.

[The_Most_Happy]

I thank my lucky stars I've had no problems with my Nook and have never needed to put in a CS call to address them.

I really don't understand much of the negativity and attack on Less Paul's opinion in this thread.  Less Paul is a dissatisfied customer and he wishes to share his experience and urge BN to improve its service standards. Is that so bizarre?

Unfortunately, in this world of instant gratification mindset, I think perhaps some customers entertain unrealistic expectations as to what a customer support/tech support rep can actually do for them in a "reasonable" time. 

Has anyone given much thought to how difficult tech support is?  Consider attempting to advise someone telephonically how to deal with a tech problem.  The rep cannot see or handle the malfunctioning device, only question the customer and make recommendations.  Some customers are more tech savvy, others require a road map to figure out where a power switch is.  It's not an easy job, I know I wouldn't want it. 

If a CS rep could have me "up and running" after a 30-minute or less telephone conversation, I'd consider that very acceptable.

With that said, lengthy, indefinite hold times are completely unacceptable.  BN can and should address that problem. 

[lv2readVS]

I dropped my Nook a few months ago. It developed a crack at the page turner arrow.  I continued using it but it developed a problem with the pages overlapping and getting mixed up.   I called the number for help....talked to a real person within a minute. They are sending me a brand new Nook within three business days and I will return the damaged one. 

I am more than pleased with that!

[Dr_Darkwood]

Sadly Lespaul doesn't have the true grasp of what it takes to run a CS company. And I agree with many other posters that to try and get everyone's phone calls and emails answered within 5 min. Is a laughable goal.

This is not an attack on Lespaul; I just want B&N to know that I too do not like to have to wait on the phone for long periods of time, I just understand when it happens.

Now I do love my Nook and I have only had a few issues with mine. But knowing that I have a very good live person at my local B&n store I always start there if I am having a problem.

[MegSLP]

1) My husband is a consultant for an international corporation--part of what it does is outsourcing which includes those friendly little people that you call when you have an issue.  About 95% of companies do not handle their own call centers--they outsource it.  I wouldn't be surprised if B&N does this also because it is infinitely more cost-effective. To have an issue taken care of 17 minutes is excellent.  Hell, I work in healthcare and every time I have to can an insurance company, I am usually on the phone for at least 30 minutes--and most of it on hold.

2) I wholeheartedly DISAGREE with the open letter.  I have had 1 issue.  I called, was not even put on hold, and was off the phone within 3-5 minutes.  The person I was talking to was beyond pleasant, made sure that I had everything taken care of that needed to be done, and apologized profusely for my issue (which wasn't even B&N's fault but my stupid credit card that freaks out every time my husband leaves the country and shuts down our card). 

[Truth-in-Adver…]

I will never, I repeat, NEVER, purchase anything from B&N again.  I received a Nook as a gift and can't help but wonder if the giver didn't harbor some deeply held resentment towards me at the time of purchase.  What a fricking nightmare it has been dealing with B&N and their customer service support (3 hours on the phone to reverse a $6.45 charge which a representative AND supervisor acknowledged was improper - and IT'S STILL NOT RESOLVED!!!!).  I know people bitch about Apple products, the price, etc., but their products work and the company believes in CUSTOMER SERVICE.  Truth be told, I have never felt this strongly about NOT doing business with a company.