Books-A-Million - Reviews and experiences

About 45 minutes after ordering a few books for my usual evening reading, I noticed the gift card hadn’t been used at checkout. The remaining amount went straight to my credit card instead. That was the point I knew this was going to be a hassle. I called right away, thinking it would be a quick fix, but nobody could adjust the payment or cancel the order because it had gone through a third-party system. On a weekend, naturally. They suggested logging in the next day to chat with someone, which felt a bit ridiculous for such a simple issue. I ended up stopping the charge through my card company. Not exactly how I wanted to spend my Saturday.

A few days after placing my pre-order, I checked in because I hadn’t received any useful update. I followed up again later, and that’s when things got frustrating. Instead of explaining the status, customer service cancelled the order and said the item was out of stock. That doesn’t make much sense for something ordered before it was even released. I was looking forward to trying it once it arrived, so I never got the chance to use it or form a first impression. Delivery never happened, and the communication felt dismissive rather than helpful. Pretty disappointing overall.

I won’t be using the magazine offer again, which is too bad because it sounded straightforward at first. I saw it during the holiday rush at the Hixson, Tennessee Books-A-Million, and a friend had mentioned the free three-month subscription. The promised $10 coupon never showed up, though, and then I noticed a $14.95 charge on my debit account. There was no clear warning that I recall. Maybe it’s buried somewhere in the terms, but that’s not how it came across in store. I’m glad I caught it fairly quickly, at least. Sorting out the charge is now another annoying call. I’ll probably shop elsewhere for magazines and books after this.

A coworker had mentioned this book, so I ordered it on December 2 thinking it would be something to read over the holidays. Then nothing happened for months. On June 22, I finally got the shipping notice, which was honestly more annoying than helpful by then. I had moved in the meantime, and support would not update the address or send another copy. Their answer was to wait 30 days for the book to be returned from my old address, even though I never received it in the first place. The publisher delay was apparently my responsibility too, somehow. Maybe the book is fine, but the return policy is needlessly rigid and the whole process feels badly handled.

I was told they couldn’t sell to customers outside the US. Fine, but why let me register and send me daily promo emails in the first place? The moment I knew this wasn’t going anywhere was when support asked for my shipping address for an ebook. I stared at the screen. It’s digital. I emailed around 15 times during the promotion days and got nothing back after that. So now I get reminders for deals I’m not allowed to buy, which is a bit like being invited to dinner and handed the bill from outside the restaurant. Honestly, just frustrating and a total time sink.

Honestly, the hardest part wasn’t even the delay—it was not knowing what was happening. I ordered this book for a group with a fixed meeting date, so timing mattered. The site didn’t make it clear that the title was unavailable or that shipping could take this long. Weeks went by before I got any real update. After I posted my first review, someone from customer service leadership did reach out, and I do give them credit for that. Still, I received a shipping notice on September 9, and by September 23 the book still hadn’t shown up. At that point it had been more than a month since I placed the order. I’ve had slow orders from other shops before, but usually there’s some warning. The communication improved a bit, but the delivery experience was really disappointing.

Books a Million seemed to be listing pre-owned copies but it turned out they were sourcing from eBay (a middleman situation). That one detail caused some anxiety — tracking bounced between sellers and BAM, emails were slow — but in the end the book arrived in decent shape and at a reasonable price. I needed a chapter for an assignment due Friday, so the wait was stressful. Condition was okay (some wear, but readable). So yeah, check eBay first for clarity, but BAM did deliver in the end.

the logistics worked, the payment flow didn’t. I’ve had better experiences with other retailers who sorted billing glitches fast and without the patronizing tone. That’s what stings most — not the six bucks, but feeling ignored and dismissed. In the end the company fixed it. But I’m wary now. I’ll buy again only if I really have to, and I’ll watch my card like a hawk. It works, but the customer service needs to learn to listen before assuming the customer is wrong.

double-check your order before you submit it. Overall I’m pretty happy: solid customer service, reasonable prices, and the delivery steps were clear. Would use them again, cautiously though.

in the end the refund went through after disputing the charge, so I didn’t lose the cash. Not ideal to have to fight for it, but at least it didn’t vanish. I mentioned the whole mess to a couple of friends and warned them to avoid ordering rare items online from this retailer. Wouldn’t recommend their online service for collectibles; maybe their stores are better, but I wouldn’t risk it again.

I get an automated email calling my order a pre-order, then a human reply saying it's backordered. So which was it? In stock, pre-order, or backordered? No one seemed to know, and their site flip-flopped to "Unavailable" a few days later. Because it was a signed edition and hard to find, I kept watching the clock and watching the page, feeling more and more like I was on hold with their inventory system rather than with a company that actually wanted my business. I asked customer service directly if my order guaranteed me a copy since I bought it while it still showed available. The answers were vague — stuff about pending charges, that the charge drops when it ships — but no straight "yes, you'll get it" or "no, sorry, we messed up." So after a few days I ordered the same signed edition from Amazon, which I didn't really want to do but, well, you do what you have to. Amazon arrived within a week and the signed copy was exactly what I hoped — the handwriting on the title page felt personal, the paper had that nice density and smell that makes you hold a book a second longer before opening it. That tactile bit really mattered to me; I was relieved to finally have the object in hand, but annoyed at how avoidable the whole thing was. Customer service is the difference between a store that earns repeat visits and one I won't bother with again. A simple apology and an honest update on stock status would have saved me time and the whole extra order. My little tip for others: if it's a scarce signed edition, don't wait for a vague "ready to ship" line — confirm, or if you can, buy from somewhere that actually guarantees it. Emotionally? I was a mix of relief and mild irritation — happy with the book itself, irritated at the process. I probably won't order from Books-A-Million again unless they sort out their inventory messaging and customer replies.

thankful some parts worked, annoyed the service didn’t help much, and hoping they tighten things up.