Gift card issue...needs to be fixed!

[Laddiegirl]

I'm also having an issue.  I added at $25 gift card to my Nook Tablet account a couple of weeks ago (I had an issue with the bankcard I have attached to my Nook account so it's on the way and I added the giftcard so that I could continue to buy books in the meantime).  I bought a book about a week ago on the giftcard which left a balance of $12.01 on the giftcard.  Today I tried buying a book for $9.99 and wouldn't let me, saying that my credit card associated with the account was declined. I'm not sure why it tried to charge my old card since it clearly states on the same screen as the balance of my giftcard, that giftcards are charged first, then a CC is charged any remaining balance.  I even tried buying a $6.99 book and a third try buying a $.99 app just to see and it also wouldn't let me purchase those either.  There is clearly enough on my giftcard to buy those items individually as I attempted. 

Also my grandfather has a Nook (first generation) and ONLY uses giftcards to purchase books and has never connected a credit card and has never had an issue so I'm not sure why I'm having this issue.   Otherwise I love my Nook Tablet...I just wish this could be fixed as I'm unable to buy any books till my new bankcard comes (I don't use credit cards so adding another card in the meantime isn't an option for me).

[Ridiculosity]

I had a similar issue about a year ago.  I put a gift card on my account, and bought a book (Drop City, for those curious folks) and it charged directly to my debit card.  I called and a helpful person fixed it immediately, but it took 6 days until my account reflected the change, which meant I couldn't buy anything for 6 days.

I had a much more annoying thing happen after Christmas this year.  I got a pile of gift cards and put 3 of them in my account, like normal.  Then I started shopping.  Once the balance on a card got too low to cover the entire cost of a book, the system just went to my other cards, until I was left with 3 gift cards each with a balance less than $2.  I ended up with a $3 gift card credit in my account spread over 3 gift cards, which meant that I couldn't buy anything without paying out of pocket despite the fact that I had 3 more gift cards I wanted to use.  I had to delete the cards from my account so I could buy more books.

In general I'm getting upset with B&N's Nook systems.  This is just another annoyance on top of the fact that I can't read books in the store anymore, the cafe coupons I used to love are gone, and general support for the damn thing is gone and I haven't even had it for a year.  On top of that, I can't add books to my wishlist from the website and I have to do it manually for each book I want to add.  I could go on and on about how I feel like the reasons I bought a Nook aren't true anymore, but this isn't the proper place.  Let's just say B&N needs to get their act together on many fronts, their gift card system being one of them.

[Doug_Pardee Distinguished Bibliophile]

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Laddiegirl wrote:

Today I tried buying a book for $9.99 and wouldn't let me, saying that my credit card associated with the account was declined. I'm not sure why it tried to charge my old card since it clearly states on the same screen as the balance of my giftcard, that giftcards are charged first, then a CC is charged any remaining balance.

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You always have to have a valid credit card on file. B&N's copy-protection system uses the credit-card number to generate the encryption key.

Your gift card will be billed, not the credit card. But without the credit card, you can't download the e-book so B&N won't let you buy it.

Simply update your credit card information, and you'll be good to go.

[Laddiegirl]

Well that just isn't a good policy.  What about the customers who intend to only purchase books with giftcards?  As shown in this thread, many times the system defaults and charges the card in lieu of giftcards with seeming regularity.  This is a really poor policy on the part of Barnes & Noble.  I'm now stuck with the inablity to purchase ANY books or apps until my new bankcard arrives...which with how banks run these days is who knows when.  I am not a happy customer at all.

[Ya_Ya]

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Laddiegirl wrote:

Well that just isn't a good policy.  What about the customers who intend to only purchase books with giftcards? ...This is a really poor policy on the part of Barnes & Noble.  ...  I am not a happy customer at all.

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Every.other.ebook.seller works the way you want.  Go with one of their products.

Some of us prefer B&N's flexibility; it's good to have options.  Use them.

[RHWright]

While I have no problem with having a default credit card on file, I can see how some may have a problem with it. There should be some provision for setting up accounts with just gift cards. (It would have made my life easier when I set up my daughter's account.)

Even if it's just a way to have the valid CC# on file for DRM purposes, but a block in the system that prevents any actual charges to it? If there are no GCs or not enough balance it then rejects the sale.

This of course wouldn't help those who absolutely, under no circumstances, want that info anywhere on file, but for those that it's more about avoiding unexpected charges it would be a good first step.

[Ya_Ya]

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RHWright wrote:

Even if it's just a way to have the valid CC# on file for DRM purposes, but a block in the system that prevents any actual charges to it? If there are no GCs or not enough balance it then rejects the sale.

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This seems reasonable and it seems as if it should be doable.

But for those who don't want their credit cards stored at B&N, under any circumstances, my thought process stands.  Every.other.ebookseller allows purchases with no default credit card.  Perhaps one of those is more suited to those users.

[HiJinxs]

I am having the same problem. In February, I received a $50 gift card for my birthday and immediately started using it. I made three purchases and realized that small amounts of money were being withdrawn from my checking account.  I called B&N and spoke to a supervisor who guaranteed that my money would be returned to my account in a week. It has been 10 business days and my money has not been returned.  I contacted my credit union and asked about the transactions and they stated that "Barnes and Noble has obtained the funds from my account and there is no evidence of any activity of a return or a reversal of the charges." As I'm typing this, I am on hold with a B&N customer service rep.  It's been 33 minutes and 50 seconds and counting.  I received another $50 gift card for Valentine's day but I haven't added to my B&N account.  I'm going to wait to see if B&N can figure out what is going on before I shop. I'm glad to hear that my issue is not an isolated incident.  B&N needs to understand that the way they are processing debit cards is different from how they are processing credit cards. (In the past I had a credit card on my B&N account and never had this problem.) Get it together B&N! I have the same debit card attached to my iTunes and Amazon accounts and NEVER have this problem when using their gift cards!! So, I know it's just B&N's incompetent programmers that are the cause of these and other issues.