Waterstones Reviews 

5,379
TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

4.6

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Evaluating 646 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently praise the support team for being extremely helpful, kind, and exceptionally quick to resolve any queries regarding online orders. Consumers state that staff members go out of their way to provide clear answers, track down difficult titles, and ensure complete satisfaction. However, some customers also noted occasional issues with damaged products or inadequate packaging protecting items upon arrival. A few reviewers experienced unhelpful behavior from certain in-store employees or faced frustrating delays regarding unfulfilled out-of-print books. People mentioned that communication could sometimes be improved when handling stock updates or complicated returns.

What people talk about most

Customer service

Users describe positive interactions with customer service, noting that support agents are consistently... See more

Staff

Consumers find staff to be positive, helpful, and professional across both online and in-store interactions.... See more

Order

People report ambiguous experiences with order processing, highlighting a mix of efficient online... See more

Product

Clients share ambiguous opinions on product selection and quality. While some reviewers praise the wonderful... See more

Response time

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of response time, consistently describing customer service as fast,... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Love visiting a Waterstones. Last visit I bought a signed copy that turned out to be missing the signature - didn’t realise this until I got home. Contacted customer service and they shipped a new s... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Lisa was very helpful and quick to respond to my original query, and then gave some additional information which I found really useful. Great Customer Service!! This is one reason why Waterstones is t... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I’m impressed at how helpful Lisa and Peter were when I asked a question about stocking my recently published poetry book (bilingual) . Lisa quickly passed my query to the relevant department and then... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I had recently ordered a book for an upcoming holiday and it unfortunately took a while to dispatch. I emailed the customer service team for help with this. And Lisa (who was lovely) explained that th... See more


Company details

  1. Book Store

About Waterstones

Written by the company

Waterstones' mission is to be the leading Bookseller on the High Street and online providing customers the widest choice, great value and expert advice from a team passionate about Bookselling; uniting readers with the perfect books and bringing them together with authors through our events programme.

Browse millions of books online - Fiction, Non-Fiction, Children's, Textbooks and Audiobooks. Discover our range of Signed & Exclusive editions, Gifts and Games. Sign up for our Waterstones Plus card to earn and redeem as you spend in our shops, cafes and online. Free UK delivery to store and on orders of £25 or more.


Contact info

4.6

Excellent

TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

5K reviews

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Asks customers to review

This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative

Replied to 59% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 2 weeks

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4.6

All reviews

(5,379)

608 reviews in the last 12 months

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Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent customer service from Alyssa

Excellent customer service from Alyssa

May 15, 2026
Unprompted review
Waterstones logo

Reply from Waterstones

Hello Iseabal,
Thank you for your feedback, I am glad to hear that Alyssa gave you such a great experience.
I will be sure to share your kind words with her.
Have a lovely day,
Waterstones Customer Support

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Communication was great

Communication was great, really helpful and polite. Very friendly!

May 15, 2026
Unprompted review
Waterstones logo

Reply from Waterstones

Hello Jessica,
Thank you for your feedback!
Have a lovely day,
Waterstones Customer Support

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent customer service by Alyssa

Excellent customer service by Alyssa.
I contacted to ask for help with a refund and Alyssa was extremely helpful- responded immediately and provided step by step instructions. Refunded immediately also. Fantastic service - thank you!

May 15, 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterstones

Hello Helen,
Thank you for your feedback, I am glad to hear that Alyssa could help you so quickly with your refund.
I will be sure to share your kind words with her.
Have a lovely day,
Waterstones Customer Support

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Hayley V was helpful

Hayley V was helpful, professional and a pleasure to speak with. She’s a credit to Waterstones.

May 15, 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterstones

Hello Barry,
Thank you for your feedback, I am glad to hear that Hayley V was so professional and helpful while helping you.
I will be sure to share your kind words with her.
Have a lovely day,
Waterstones Customer Support

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great book quality

I love ordering books from Waterstones and popping into the shops. Books are always of great quality and the staff are very friendly, plus their reward scheme is great!

May 13, 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterstones

Hello Steven,
Thank you for your feedback, we are so glad you enjoy our reward system too!
Have a lovely day,
Waterstones Customer Support

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I love ordering specific books from…

I love ordering specific books from Waterstones, the UK covers are some of the best. I specifically ordered the full set of Brandon Sanderson's Skyward series. All of them got delivered with no issues except the first book, Skyward. You wouldn't notice unless it is opened, but the title pages were glued underneath the inside cover, it ended up fully ripping the tops of the first few pages when pulled apart. This probably happened when the book was made, no fault of Waterstones. But upon sending in my damage request with pictures, the CSR (Alyssa) helped me immediately and apologized. A replacement book was sent out ASAP. Excellent customer service. All of my experiences with Waterstones have been wonderful! And shipping is always fast!

May 6, 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterstones

Hello Courtney,
Thank you for your feedback, I am glad to hear that Alyssa was able to replace this faulty book for you so quickly.
I will be sure to share your kind words with her.
Have a lovely day,
Waterstones Customer Support

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

They were great sorting out the problem…

They were great sorting out the problem I had very fast response from them great customer service can’t ask for better service

May 7, 2026
Unprompted review
Waterstones logo

Reply from Waterstones

Hello,
Thank you for your feedback, I am glad to hear that our team were so quick to help you with your order.
Have a lovely day,
Waterstones Customer Support

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Customer Service

Customer Service - Lisa, in my case - very helpful and pleasant.

May 8, 2026
Unprompted review
Waterstones logo

Reply from Waterstones

Hello Matt,
Thank you for your feedback.
I will be sure to share your kind words with Lisa.
Have a lovely day,
Waterstones Customer Support

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Had a great customer service…

Had a great customer service experience.
Lisa was quick to help when i forgot to input my payment information which ensured i got my very sought after book that i got in the presale :)

May 7, 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterstones

Hello Hayden,
Thank you for your feedback, I am glad to hear that Lisa could ensure you received your book so quickly.
I will be sure to share your kind words with her.
Have a lovely day,
Waterstones Customer Support

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent service due to due to my own…

Excellent service due to due to my own error Waterstone sorted the problem efficiently and well executed

May 8, 2026
Unprompted review
Waterstones logo

Reply from Waterstones

Hello Cheryl,
Thank you for your feedback, it is great to know our team could fix this error for you so quickly.
Have a lovely day,
Waterstones Customer Support

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Tom from Richmond was truly wonderful…

Tom from Richmond was truly wonderful when I visited Waterstones Richmond today, just five minutes before closing time. I had come into the store at the very end of the day, and I completely understood that the team would have been preparing to close after a long working day. In that situation, many people might understandably have been focused on closing the shop and gently rushing customers towards the exit. However, Tom did the complete opposite. I was looking for a particular book, but I could not find it, and because it was so late, I felt awkward asking properly for help. I was almost talking to myself about the book rather than clearly asking anyone, as I did not want to be a burden so close to closing time. Tom overheard me, noticed what I was looking for, and immediately took the initiative to help.

He went out of his way to search for the book across the different sections where it could possibly have been, and he did so with such kindness, patience, and genuine enthusiasm. He eventually found the book and brought it to me, making me feel welcomed rather than inconvenient. I had not planned to spend any money that day, but Tom’s warmth, honesty, and high standard of customer service completely changed my mind. Because of his support, I decided to buy the book, and as it was part of a “buy one, get one half price” offer, I ended up buying two books instead of one. What started as no purchase at all became two purchases simply because Tom cared enough to help. His genuine kindness really brightened my evening, and I left the store feeling grateful. Thank you, Tom, for such thoughtful and excellent customer service. I will definitely come back to Waterstones Richmond and hope to see him again.

May 7, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great customer service

Great customer service, really quick to answer with very clear answers.

May 7, 2026
Unprompted review
Waterstones logo

Reply from Waterstones

Hello,
Thank you for your feedback!
Have a lovely day,
Waterstones Customer Support

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Always super friendly and helpful…

Always super friendly and helpful staff.
I emailed Waterstones support and again they were really helpful and got back near enough straight away. So lovely.

May 6, 2026
Unprompted review
Waterstones logo

Reply from Waterstones

Hello Amelia,
Thank you for your feedback, I am glad to hear that our team are so friendly and fast in helping you.
Have a lovely day,
Waterstones Customer Support

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The best bookshop

The best bookshop! Great selection of books, great staff in store and online experience is great too. The Customer Service Team is tops, fast response, lovely service.

May 6, 2026
Unprompted review
Waterstones logo

Reply from Waterstones

Hello Paula,
Thank you for your feedback, I am glad to hear that our teams in store and online are making you feel welcome and responding to you quickly.
Have a lovely day,
Waterstones Customer Support

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Still waiting for a copy of a book I…

Still waiting for a copy of a book I ordered a month ago, in your Carlisle store. My husband has been in to the Branch who again reassured him that I would be contacted by email as soon as it comes in. that was a fortnight ago, still waiting.

April 3, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great experience with customer service

Love visiting a Waterstones. Last visit I bought a signed copy that turned out to be missing the signature - didn’t realise this until I got home. Contacted customer service and they shipped a new signed one (to an EU country) the same day without any extra costs to me.
Great books and excellent, kind customer service!

May 4, 2026
Unprompted review
Waterstones logo

Reply from Waterstones

Hello Emma,
Thank you for your feedback, I am glad to hear that our team could ensure you received the signed edition as you had expected.
Have a lovely day,
Waterstones Customer Support

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Click and collect is pathetic

Click and collect is pathetic. You can only order one book at a time. Then tells you that you have to go to a shop 90 mins away and collect it, when i have a dhop 10 mins from me. Waste of time.

May 3, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Website is awful

Website is awful. When typing in an author the results just show authors they are pushing. I wanted books by J M Hall. I’ll go back to using Amazon!

May 3, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The best bookstore

The best uk bookshops. Always take care of their customers.

May 2, 2026
Unprompted review
Waterstones logo

Reply from Waterstones

Hello James,
Thank you for your feedback!
Have a lovely day,
Waterstones Customer Support

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