Free Book!

I have just had an email from Persephone saying that if, before Monday morning, you order two books on the website, and one includes The Fortnight in September, they will send you a third book free of charge: just pay the normal amount for two books and write in the Additional Information box which book you would like free. (This offer also applies in Europe and America; although the third book will be sent surface mail and may take longer to arrive.)

I just got the very same e-mail.
:-))

Don't do what I did though - in my excitement I ordered the 3 books normally; make sure you put the third one in the Additional Information box. I forgot to do this and realised too late. I have just telephoned Persephone to say that I made a mistake and they said there was nothing they could do about it and refused to give me a refund!!

They really are not very nice, are they? Were it not for the fact that their books are cool (so far), I don't think they would keep having many customers...

I would CANCEL the order! Haven't they ever heard of customer service??

Not to mention consumer law. There's high-handed, then there's illegal...

fabrile-heart, I'm shocked! I thought they were much more customer-friendly than that. I hope you did cancel the order. Hrmph.

Fabrile-heart...do tell, was there a resolution?

I'm curious why I didn't receive an email. Anyone else?

I didn't cancel the order.

Sadly however, despite it being a case of 'cutting my nose off to spite my face', I will probably never be able to buy another book from them. I shall have to find someone willing to lend me future editions that I want to read ;)

And you've been such a supportive customer as well!
I am so sorry to read about this. And just when I was thinking I might splurge on a Persephone order...

That's outrageous! They have always been really nice to me, giving me a list over the phone of all the books i've ordered from them one fraught Christmas when I couldn't work out what I'd already bought my friends, searching through all of them for one with a specific original publication year...

However, they did never reply when I offered them a table at one of our UK BookCrossing Unconventions (140 book addicts in one place...) and I wonder if they are becoming a teensy bit arrogant.

So sorry to hear about your bad experience. I'm afraid I don't lend mine to anyone BUT do keep looking in charity shops, me and Ali have found 3 or 4 in those...

You are lucky, LyzzyBee. No chance of finding used Persephones here in the US. I have been on the lookout, but never found one.
I believe the Persephone people are becoming stuck up, but they fail to realize that, were it not for their customers, they would not be as successful as they are!

fabrile-heart, How unfortunate that you had such a bad experience. Not to defend a lack of customer service, but I think the Persephone folk outsource the online ordering and the system does not appear to be robust. I've noticed that any time they have a special offer, they have to figure out a workaround to the online ordering, and I don't think they have a way to "undo" anything related to an online order. Way back when I first started ordering from them, for instance, the online ordering system would no longer process my orders. When I contacted Persephone, their only solution was for me to email my orders and they would process them by hand in the store.

That said, I had a similar thing happen to me a year or so ago when Persephone was offering a particular amount off if you ordered a certain number of books. I ordered online not noticing that you had to order via email to qualify for the offer. They couldn't do anything about applying the discount to the order I had placed but were kind enough to offer me a coupon for that same amount off on a future order. So what I'd suggest for you is to contact them again and ask if they would still be willing to send you a free book. You'd be getting a buy 3 get 1 free offer rather than a buy 2 get 1 free offer but it would be better than nothing! Now that the frenzy of orders has died down from the special offer, I'm sure they'd be willing to do that.

I've always had good customer service from them, so I hope your experience isn't a bad sign.

Hi betsytacy

Thankyou for your feedback. Whilst I always want to believe the best in people, I'm afraid to report that I telephoned Persephone immediately I realised what I had done, and they were less than helpful, bordering on the disdainful. They left me in no doubt that I was nothing short of a nuisance.

Blaming the problem on the 'outsourcing' of their website, just doesn't cut it I'm afraid.

That is UNBELIEVABLE, fabrile-heart!!!!!
Now I really believe that success went to their heads.

Well the least they could have done is asked you to choose an additional title and sent you that free! I am surprised I have to say, as the couple of times I've been in the shop, and rung them they have been very helpful. But I've never gone with a problem, maybe that's when they are no!