Kevin Brancato wrote a great post about his bad experience with Borders' in-store pickup program.
Last night I searched online and found that the Borders store nearest to my workplace carried in stock a Thomas the Tank Engine book I wanted for my son. Then I saw this: [reserve for in-store pickup button].
In theory, Borders will find the book to verify that it is still in stock, reserve it for you, and email you back within 2 business hours. Sounds like a time-saver, so I did it.
And an hour after opening, the store indeed sent an email with this disappointing message:
Thank you for your online reservation request. We're sorry to say that the remaining stock of the item you requested has been purchased since our last online availability update. You may want to check online to see if there are other items that will meet your needs. Your local store will also be happy to special order the item, if you wish.
Blah, blah, blah... To make a long story short, I checked online again, and the book was still in stock. So I went to the store, and within 30 seconds I found the book I had reserved, exactly where it should be in the Children's book section. Surprise, surprise.
Did Borders employees even bother to check the shelves?
If you can't do it right, don't do it. The whole system has to work, or
these are the kinds of things that will happen. Then people will talk
about them. And then your company ends up looking far less competent
than it probably is. In other words, an attempt to offer better
service and added value results in consumer doubt that erodes
confidence and trust. And trust trumps everything else in the world of e-commerce.