Borders Customer Disservice

For her birthday, the Artist received a gift card to Borders. It was very convenient that we could use it at home to shop the very evening she received it. You see, she had a list ready of things she would like to use it to buy.

Order placed, items received -- except one, the latest release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows due to be released July 7th. She waits and waits, trying to be patient.

A couple of weeks ago I called to check when the book was coming because I had forgotten the release date. At that time the customer service rep told me that the pre-orders are shipped to arrive in my mailbox the same day as they are released in the stores. Great! We could expect the book on July 7th.

Imagine my surprise, disappointment, heartache for my daughter patiently waiting for the most wanted portion of her birthday present when Borders.com sends me an email that my order has been canceled.

What! Are you kidding me?

And I've been issued a refund.

How's that, I wonder. We used the entire gift card plus four cents from my credit card to pay for this order. Which was refunded? We used the entire gift card, so we threw it away.

A call to another customer service rep lets me know it was an error in their system. Really. No kidding. What are they going to do about it?

I can order again and they will cover the shipping.

Um, no--I already paid the shipping charges when we ordered all five items, four of which already came.

Apparently, when an order paid for via gift card is canceled, a gift card refund is issued. "But I don't want a gift card, I want the book."

Then I learn they have no way of stopping the gift card from coming to me in 10 - 14 days. That's right, I'd received the gift card that I can use to pay for my re-order after the book is released in the stores. My daughter is nearing tears. I'm sure there must be a way to stop an unwanted refund, but I'll play along because I don't know how to argue the point.

Next I try a different approach to the problem Borders.com created in my peaceful afternoon. Can they use the gift card number from the card they are sending me to pay for the book I would like to buy?

"No Ma'am, we have no way of tracking those numbers." Sorry, I'm not buying that one for a minute. I've lived too long with my data flow expert husband to believe that garbage. The other option is that Borders had complete idiots design their systems. And I don't think that is the case.

At last, the representative came up with a solution I could live with. Not happily, but I could live with it. I could order again today, paying with my credit card. When I receive the gift card I can call back and she will make a special note in my customer file that Borders should allow me to use the gift card to credit back my credit card account.

Still very dubious I asked what assurance I have that Borders will let me charge back with the gift card. The rep assured me she would make the not in the file and send me an email stating the same.

It seemed I had no choice if the Artist were to actually receive her long-awaited book. Within about 5 minutes I had the email that the order was placed. As I wrote this post I received a second email from customer service about my special payment instructions. That makes me feel a little better.

In the mean time I hope there are serious looks into the order fulfillment system at Borders.com which keeps orders for 3 months and then -- without instruction--cancels them the week before they are due to be fulfilled. All the wasted postage on sending out gift cards needlessly drives up the price of books.