Review: Waterstone’s
- Based on: 531 Reviews
This is your chance to report on the state of customer service in the UK.
I’m waging war on poor service in Great Britain, and your reports from the frontline are essential in delivering feedback straight to brands.
Simply choose a shop from the list of Britain’s biggest retailers below, give it your star rating out of 5, and deliver your verdict with a short sharp comment.
LATEST REVIEWS
Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Mary Portas or any company associated with her.
Any questions, comments or feedback on this section of the site should be made in writing to: webmaster@maryportas.com
If you are a retailer and would like more information please click here.
If you have seen a comment which you belive contravenes our guidelines, please click here.
Full price in store, half price online. Why would I shop in the store? Disgusting.
Leic market place,went into Highcross and was left feeling fobbed off by unfriendly member of staff,walked up to mkt place,only 5 mins away,and had the best service that i could poss ask for,both stores were not that busy, so no reason for the change in service,take note Mr D…..
Waterstones Sheffield City Centre:
Loads of staff to help you find what you’re looking for. Very helpful especially when you have a name & author & you can’t find the book. Unfortunately the prices aren’t as good as the service and so I went home & ordered the same book from their online store, to be delivered to the same shop within 3 days, for less money! Perhaps they should have offers in store so that those without the internet can benefit to. Overall good experience with Costa Coffee too
I’m a regular in the Trafalgar Square store and am always very pleased with the high level of customer service and book knowledge the staff there demonstrate. The piped music is the only downside, why ruin the atmosphere of an interesting store where I would happily pass hours if it wasn’t incessantly drummed into our ears?
High Wycombe – ordered 4 books, 2 of which were rather obscure, all arrived within 2 weeks, staff kept me up to date on progress and I was able to pay on arrival as it was not clear when they would come.
It is my local store and they are always helpful and friendly. I am also enjoying their new freedom to deisgn displays, you can see what the staff are interested in and their passion shows.
Just wish they’d get rid of the music. So unecessary.
Love to shop in the stores in Ireland there so orgainised and easy to shop and they have great product and the staff are always friendly even though they are always so busy they work so hard.
Resident in Spain, I regularly call at Waterstone’s when I visit the UK, mainly their main branch in Birmingham. I invariably find the staff courteous, knowledgeable and helpful. A while I “complained” about a novel I had bought that had some 50 pages missing. The attention I received from customer services over the internet was second to none and on my next visit to the branch the book was replaced without fuss, a year after I bought it and without production of the original receipt.
Placed an order on line, then returned it ( as took ages to get it) so went into store and bought instead. Cancelled online order, received confirmation email that refund money will be in my account within 3 days. 1month later, still no money in the account. Was lucky to spot in my bank statement that no money in during ,,refund ” dates given. Sent email to watersones explaining situation& they sent only another email now will be within next 3 days in your account. No resaons, why,nothing.
Peterborough. What a jolly good bookshop this is. Well done to all the staff on Saturday, who helped my mother and I look for a book.
UXBRIDGE
Great store, great knowledgable staff, shame the paperchase staff are so clueless.
Specifically Grimsby and Lincoln’s stores. Used to visit a great deal, spend time browsing and inevitably bought many more books than I had intended. However, I now rarely visit and when I do I pick what I want and then leave because of the music they play. This seems so incongruous in a book shop. I find it hard to concentrate, especially if it’s a song I dislike. I certainly don’t browse for books anymore. Why, do we have to have music wherever we shop! Love music but when/what I want .
Christmas gifts
Courtenay street Newton abbot
22/11/11
Knowledgeable staff – pleasant and keen to help
Waterstones were very helpful with me i wanted a book and they showed me where to go! 10/10! 100%
York Sat 12th,
Very helpful male shop assistant pointing me to astonomy and helpful clerk at the till. A joy to shop in.
Watersones seem to have introduced piped music into their stores and I for one will no longer shop with them until they stop,
Aylesbury 01/11/11 Good selection of books and pleasant friendly staff but whose idea was the muzak ??
I did a week’s work experience at Waterstone’s Loughborough and quite frankly I regret ever entertaining this company. I was reduced to throwing the manager’s receipts in the bin and buying Mini Cheddars. Over 4 hours I wasn’t allowed a 10 minute break to have water or food. I was met with extremely rude customers who found me approaching them for help annoying. One man even put his hand in my face. Their policy for approaching customers is all wrong, it’s a bookshop, not cold calling.
on average they did not seem interested in the product they were out of ie book reader cover, no idea if were getting anymore i was told can you ask they repley not today were to busy.
Cribbs Causeway, Bristol.
Always clean and tidy and a relaxing atmosphere. I dont feel like staff are jumping on me as soon as i enter the store, however always someone there to ask for help, or they acknowledge me in passing. Layout is easy and will continue to shop there!
Gower Street. Staff always helpful and friendly, always have Reading List stocked and student discount is always good
Wimbledon
I regularly shop in this store and all the staff I have encountered are very good. They make themselves known, so you feel comfortable approaching them if you need help. Any time I have needed help the staff have always been knowledgeable and when you are at the till their attention is always on you.
Staff ignored me. One staff member looked me up and down, whcih made me feel uncomfortable and self-conscious.
Newcastle, lovely staff who went out of their way to find the book I was looking for, also happy to discuss other literature and reccomend books
Wakefield
Shop there often and always have great service. Staff clearly love books and i always hear them chatting to customers about authors etc. They dont bug you but will help if asked. 10 out of 10
Durham, I am a frequent customer at waterstones as they have great customer service, also you always get the help you need, the staff are helpful and polite, if you are nice to your customers they are sure to come back, and from the first time i walked in waterstones i felt welcome and knew i would be back again.
Solihull branch of Waterstones.
Excellent staff. However, they keep changing the layout of the store every few weeks and for those customers that visit frequently, the new layout is often not advertised and also can be frustrating particularly when they integrate subjects into the general fiction section without informing customers,ie the romance section suddenly disappeared one week and was put in the gnereal section. This makes looking for books more hard work and as a customer turns me off
Oxford Street
Absoloutly excellent service the staff are always friendly and really helpfull, the gentleman who served me spoke to me about the book i was buying and advised me on other ones i might like. Was really nice for him to suggest other good reads.
Great Service!
Altrincham – Always lovely friendly staff telling me about great offers. THANKYOU
Horsham store: always a pleasure to visit. Helpful, polite staff who go out of their way to provide an excellent shopping experience. They all appear to enjoy their work and it rubs off on the customers.
London stores
Really pushy staff… leave. me. alone! Not always, in fairness, but range is tacky too.