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Customer Comments (43):
On-Time Delivery: 
(1.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(1.0/5.0)
I submitted an order and payed for a book for one of my classes only to receive an e-mail the next day saying that the book is not in stock. The money came out of my account and it still isn't back in there after 5 days, which they said was the longest I would have to wait. Oh and the book is still listed as available on the web-site. Nice to know they are keeping everything updated.
by
anonymous
[15-Sep-2009]
On-Time Delivery:
(1.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(1.0/5.0)
I ordered a book from Powell's. They took my credit card info and everything. I got an email confirming I ordered it. Two weeks later, I called customer service to find out where my book was: they said my order was canceled. No email, no notice. They told me that someone else had gotten my book. I need this book for class. This would never happen on Amazon. Never again. HATE Powell's. SEEDY and sketchy.
by
anonymous
[01-Sep-2009]
On-Time Delivery: 
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(5.0/5.0)
My book had a publishing error. 34 pages were duplicated which took the place of 34 ensuing pages which were omitted. I called Powell's and explained the problem to Dallas. She said she would personally check the copies she had in stock to find a correctly printed one which she immediately sent to me (no charge, of course) via priority mail. I was very pleased and impressed with her pleasant demeanor and prompt service. This is what "customer service" should be! Powell's will be at the top of my list for future book purchases.
by
klaush@myway.com
[08-Dec-2007]
On-Time Delivery: 
(2.0/5.0)
Customer Service: 
(3.0/5.0)
Advertised book was not in stock. Order was cancelled.
by
anonymous
[25-Oct-2006]
On-Time Delivery:
(1.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(3.0/5.0)
Okay,
Before I tell what happened... I must say that I absolutely adore Powell's walk-in store in Portland, Oregon. It's an amazing array of used and new books and a true treasure trove.
But... I'll never order online from them again. The books are not guaranteed to ship any faster than 7-10 business days when ordering from their warehouse. After waiting 11 days, I received a message that they didn't have the book I ordered. This was a textbook for a class!
by
anonymous
[26-Sep-2006]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(1.0/5.0)
I order a used book that was priced $10 below the brand new book price and expected a decent used book. That's not what I received. I received a book with heavy highlighting and a lot of writing in it. It is basically unreadable on some pages due to the amount of writing. From now on, I will stick to Amazon where the sellers describe the amount of highlighting and writing. This book is awful!!
by
anonymous
[25-Aug-2006]
On-Time Delivery:
(2.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(1.0/5.0)
I am very disappointed with this company. I ordered several copies of a book that I wanted to give as gifts. It took 2 weeks for my order to arrive and all of the books had a large black mark across the bottom that bled into some of the covers. This was tacky and made it impossible for me to give these copies as gifts. When I contacted the store, they said they were sale copies and, as such, they place marks on them. They said I should have known they would be marked because they were on sale. When I told them I had no way of knowing that, they said I should have read the fine print and that they couldn't do anything to help me. After this shabby service, I'll stick with ordering from Amazon! It is much faster and you get books that are not defaced or marred!
by
anonymous
[20-Feb-2006]
On-Time Delivery: 
(4.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(1.0/5.0)
They claim to have free shipping on every order over $50. Not true, it is only free if it comes from a CERTAIN warehouse, which about 1 in 6 books gets shipped from. Quite Shady. Customer service was rude as hell when I was inquiring, as to saying I should have read the site before I ordered, which I had a hard time finding about it. Never would buy from again.
by
anonymous
[09-Sep-2004]
On-Time Delivery:
(2.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(1.0/5.0)
Ordered book that was in stock. Four days later it was still available, but my order hadn't been filled. On 5th day I went to their site and found my order cancelled-book unavailable. This is the 4th time this has occurred! Did not get an email. Very poor service!
by
anonymous
[24-Aug-2004]
On-Time Delivery:
(4.0/5.0)
I was pleased with the availability of this book and the speed with which it arrived from across the country. I will do business with Powell's again!
by
anonymous
[19-Aug-2004]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(3.0/5.0)
I ordered two books; they couldn't locate one, so they shipped one promptly... That was good. But they neglected to send me an email to tell me that the second book was not being shipped. When I complained, they were prompt (and polite), but why did they wait for the complaint?
by
anonymous
[08-Jun-2004]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(3.0/5.0)
I missed one point in the book. There is a serious stain in the second page of the book. But Powells claimed it to be new one. Concerning to its price, that's OK, but it should be honest next time.
by
anonymous
[27-May-2004]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Book arrived on time.
by
sheiksheik@yahoo.com
[12-Apr-2004]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(5.0/5.0)
Ordered used item. Shipped next day with UPS tracking number! A+, will buy from again! WOOHOOO
by
bennyhanna_@hotmail.com
[24-Mar-2004]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(5.0/5.0)
I ordered my book on Tuesday and it was here on Friday. Very timely, and no BS to go through to get my book.
by
anonymous
[30-Jan-2004]
On-Time Delivery:
(1.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(1.0/5.0)
Several times they showed a book available so I placed an order and they sent me an email confirming the order. Two days later I got emails saying "Oh sorry it's not available at that price." I think this is a poor way to do business. Their availability list has never been up to date for any of my orders...
by
anonymous
[22-Oct-2003]
On-Time Delivery:
(4.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(3.0/5.0)
I never understood why a retailer would want you to buy a membership with them so you could purchase items from them at a discounted price. Then again, those that really believe paying for their discounts is a bargain probably deserve their inflated prices.
Thanks for BestBookBuys for revealing that memberships don’t always give you the best price and Powells for fast on-time delivery at great shipping rates.
by
anonymous
[08-Jul-2003]
On-Time Delivery:
(2.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(3.0/5.0)
I've made 5 orders with Powell's over the last year, but only one book was actually ion stock; on every other order I received an order cancellation after several days. On the one book I received, the postage was more than the book itself. I still love the good old bricks-and-mortar store in Portland, but these guys just don't know how to do Net business.
by
anonymous
[26-May-2003]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Had a great experiance with this store, Used books in excellent condition.
by
anonymous
[23-Jan-2003]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(5.0/5.0)
Reading the comments of others I have to disagree; Powells.com always delivered great books in record time and in mint condition (even the used ones) from the US to Continental Europe at prices no one beats. Just one advice, since their shops and warehouses are not all in one place, mention when you order to be notified in case one of the items ordered is not available so you may make another choice. Customer service helped me twice to find a satisfactory alternative.
by
anonymous
[11-Jan-2003]
On-Time Delivery:
(1.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(2.0/5.0)
Of the half dozen orders I've placed with Powell's I have recieved none of them. When I contacted customer service they failed to respond. I refuse to do business with them anymore at all. They seem to have limited quanities and don't update thier availability very often.
by
rkylwell@pcisys.net
[08-Nov-2002]
On-Time Delivery:
(4.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(3.0/5.0)
Yes. The customer service can be a little curt and unhelpful, but it is prompt. They also don't update their database often enough as books they say are out of stock are still listed on the website, and they also don't always tell you when books on your "notify me" list come in.
Overall though, they offer great prices on second-hand books for people ordering internationally, unlike amazon. They also discount shipping when they can't get the book you ordered.
by
anonymous
[06-Oct-2002]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(5.0/5.0)
I've ordered literally dozens of books from Powells, and have had them cancel 2 of them for want of having them in inventory. I think the ratings here do not reflect the actual performance of the store, as only those who have a complaint rate the store. I work in a bookstore (not this one!), and failure to have a book in stock is not only common--it's unavoidable. This does not indicate poor service on the part of Powells, and they are in fact one of the best sites in this regard...
by
anonymous
[25-Mar-2002]
Customer Service:
(1.0/5.0)
Ordered book, Powell's canceled order with no explanation, then relisted book (four copies yet) at much higher price.
by
anonymous
[15-Mar-2002]
On-Time Delivery:
(1.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(1.0/5.0)
if you dont need things in a hurry then these guys might be okay, but when ordering NEXT DAY for $17, it can take upto 3 days just to get it out of the warehouse. thus $17 for 4th day service and the customer service is non-apologetic at best and down-right surly otherwise
by
anonymous
[06-Mar-2002]
Customer Service:
(3.0/5.0)
Customer service lacks in product availability and unstable prices. However, they actually read your comments with the order. I wanted to cancel the order, if any of the books was unavailable. Sure enough, notified by email, great job! What the hell is a "sale book"? Is it a new book on sale, or a used book on sale? :-(
by
anonymous
[27-Jan-2002]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(5.0/5.0)
I like these folks. No troubles.
by
anonymous
[02-Jan-2002]
On-Time Delivery:
(1.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(1.0/5.0)
You know...it's LOUSY to go through the process of ordering books that show up as 'AVAILABLE' only to later be sent an email that the book actually is NOT available. oops! Well, here's YOUR 'oops!'
AWFUL!!! Shame on you.
by
anonymous
[07-Dec-2001]
On-Time Delivery:
(1.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(1.0/5.0)
I submitted my order with the credit card number, address, etc.
just to receive a message that the book I was interested in is not
available and cannot be sent to me. I checked later and found
out that the book is still listed as available. Looks like that they
do not care to regularly update the database.
by
anonymous
[02-Nov-2001]
On-Time Delivery:
(4.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(5.0/5.0)
Powells is great! Great prices, prompt shipping, what more can you ask for?They have all the newest books at the best prices.I saved so much money.I recommend Powells to all muy college buddies.
by
sambo179@hotmail.com
[30-Sep-2001]
On-Time Delivery:
(1.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(1.0/5.0)
I ordered the book and then two days later they said they closed the order because they misplaced it or they were out of stock. I really needed it right away, this is the end of our 3rd week.
by
anonymous
[13-Sep-2001]
On-Time Delivery:
(1.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(1.0/5.0)
Website stated 3 copies of a book at three different price points, but when I ordered the book they told me 3 days later they were out of stock! Another order, the ground shipping took over 3 weeks and I was not given an option for faster delivery.
by
anonymous
[13-Aug-2001]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(5.0/5.0)
AND free delivery for any order over 50$! I do most of my book shopping here...
by
anonymous
[04-Jun-2001]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(5.0/5.0)
I have recently ordered a number of books from Powell's, and though I haven't received any so far--I'm making use of the free surface mail shipping option for purchases of above $50 in value--my impression is that their service is excellent. I filled in the wrong address on one of my orders, I sent an e-mail requesting that they correct that, I obtained a prompt response to the effrct that they have corrected it, I checked the details of my order on their web site, and found that it was indeed corrected. Further, following the information given in my account, the shipping of the requested items has been very fast: within two days of submitting the orders. Keep up teh good work and the great service.
by
anonymous
[29-Apr-2001]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(5.0/5.0)
Very responsive customer service by email. Delivered fast too. Website can be improved though.
by
anonymous
[27-Apr-2001]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(5.0/5.0)
Overall a good store. They can be a little on the expensive side and don't usually have a great selection. But, I've gotten used books from them that had never even been taken out of the shrinkwrap.
by
anonymous
[25-Apr-2001]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(5.0/5.0)
Used it three times, no problems. Got book in time, all used books were in excellent conditions.
by
anonymous
[16-Apr-2001]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
book in good condition. fast delivery!!!
by
anonymous
[24-Mar-2001]
On-Time Delivery:
(4.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(4.0/5.0)
Powell's site is extremely usable. Some sites have a tedious & annoying checkout process - especially the ones which let you get most of the way through the checkout process before telling you the book is out of stock or they don't ship to Canada. Powell's usability, shipping and prices are all great.
by
anonymous
[19-Mar-2001]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(5.0/5.0)
Order was shipped fast and received across the country in less than a week.
by
anonymous
[19-Mar-2001]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(5.0/5.0)
Great communication, good used books, prompt shipping. Best price.
by
anonymous
[17-Mar-2001]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Used once, no problems.
by
tx1969@hotmail.com
[15-Feb-2001]
On-Time Delivery:
(5.0/5.0)
Customer Service:
(5.0/5.0)
On time, prompt attention and good communication.
by
anonymous
[04-Feb-2001]
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