Here’s a puzzle for you. B&N just cut the price of the Nook e-reader by $60. Over the Father’s Day weekend, the Nook was $259 with a “free” $50 gift card. One PC World reader who got this deal called B&N to ask if he could have a refund of the price difference and was told he could only have $10 because he got a gift card. Now he wants to know if he’s been shafted.

Here’s his story:

I bought a $259 Nook yesterday (Sunday) as a gift for my father, enticed by an offer for a “free” $50 gift card. When I saw the price today, I called to see if I could get the difference back. I was told I could get only $10 back. It turns out, after looking at my receipt, they didn’t charge me for a $259 Nook and then give me a “free” $50 gift card, as advertised. They gave me a $209 Nook and charged me $50 for the gift card. Was I just shafted by Barnes & Noble?

It seems obvious that this deal was available because B&N knew it was going to drop the price on the Nook and was trying to keep the number of angry customers at a minimum.

The question is: Should this guy be upset? His argument is that he’s now being charged for the gift card which was supposed to be “free.” B&N’s position is that his gift card is still worth $50 so they only owe him $10.

He didn’t mention whether or not he’d like to return the gift card and get his $50 back + $10, or if he thinks he should get to keep it and get $60…

Here’s B&N’s fine print on the gift card deal.

Nook Pricing Conundrum [PC World]

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