Anne C.
Yelp
This is about the USED BOOK section downstairs - never had a problem with the upstairs staff.
I'll keep this to a simple set of bullet points.
1. You must make an appointment according to their convenience, often weeks out.
2. We showed up to our appointment only to be told first "no you can't bring anything down here unless you have an appointment." vs. a more polite "do you have an appointment today?"
3. We brought four bags of books. Three of them contained one 14-volume set of a series from 1936. Nope they will only take two bags or boxes at one time. Three of the bags are ONE SET of 14 volumes. Nope. Only two bags. If we had put all 14 in one box, plus the other bag it would have been fine. So the two-bag rule makes no sense at all in this case. They finally let us leave the set of 14, in three bags, but made us carry the final bag up the stairs back to our car on Kentucky.
4. My mother (age 80) asks when she can bring the rest of the books. Not until August. We are moving out of town this Wednesday.
5. Of course the books were not accepted, so my 80 year old mother has to go back and get them. They tell her to go to the alley in back. There is no visible sign or doorbell, so she knocks loudly. The woman comes out and irritatedly tells her "there's a bell." The bell is at the top of the door, taller than my mother's 5'1" height.
6. My mother, again, 80 YO, asks for help to bring the books to her car. After heavy sighs, eye rolls, and tons of 'tude, the woman says "well I can't carry all of them!" My mother actually has to tell her "I will carry one."
Ho-rrrri-ble. Awful. Very very bad experience.
Lest you think I'm just a random ranter (and if you've read this far), I am a customer experience strategy consultant and have been for 20 years. If Copperfields were my client I would tell them to fire the used book staff in Petaluma. Rude, officious, totally lacking in empathy. I don't care that they didn't take our books. I care that they made my mom feel like crap for no good reason. Shame on them.