Quite - and there's lots of literature to say that negative interactions are the ones that have the most impact on customers. Smart and responsive branding at failure points strikes me as one of the most valuable investments you can make. Of course I'll be annoyed if a page doesn't load, but if you can put a smile on my face, reassure me about the temporary nature of the problem, and offer me a useful path back in, I'm far more likely to follow through rather than go elsewhere.

It's quite astonishing that a large company like Borders would be unaware of this and fail to communicate it to their web staff.