Hi all,

Just wondering if I am required to take any action on a book that is due to arrive on Oct. 7, but has not shown up yet. I have tried contacting the member, but there has been no reply on their part.

Thanks :)

I am not sure if you are the sender or receiver. Either way do nothing. If the deadline passes and the book has not been marked received, the receiver gets their credit back automatically. No action required on sender's part. I would wait  a bit longer. Sometimes books show up after the deadline passes. When that happens, mark the book received from transaction archive. Also, sometimes (very rarely) books do get lost in the mail.

Depends whether or not you are the sender or the receiver, and whether or not DC was used.  The Help Documents cover both Sender and Receiver information.  Some members consider pm's to be premature if sent before the book goes lost, and will not respond to them.

If you are the sender, wait until the book is actually marked 'lost' by PBS.  Then pm the requester, if they do not reply within a week you can forward the information to TPTB. 

If you are the receiver, wait until the book is actually marked 'lost' by PBS.  The book will then be returned to your wishlist (if wishlisted) or IIRC your reminder list (if available in FIFO) you will want to put the book on hold IMMEDIATELY.  PBS recommends you not re-order the book for at least 2 weeks just in case the book has merely been delayed enroute.  Once the book is both 'lost' and on hold, you can pm the sender.  If they do not reply within a week you can forward the information to TPTB.

But, if DC was not used (and the other member responds to your pm) there isn't really much PBS can do. 

Ah, I guess I should have stated that I am the requestor and waiting for the book. Thank you both for the replies. :)

Welcome to PBS Andy!   At this point, unless the book arrives and you mark it received, the system is going to mark it lost soon.  Is it a wishlisted book or are there copies available in FIFO?

What state was the book mailed from?  Alaska, Hawaii, and sometimes Puerto Rico can take a bit longer...they sometimes average closer to 5 weeks (one of several reasons PBS recommends not re-ordering for 2 weeks).  If that were to be the case you can mark them received from your Transaction Archive.

You can mark late books received in your transaction archive.

You can find the Transaction Archive on both your pull down My Account menu and on your My Account main page. 

You have to be VERY CAREFUL in the Transaction Archive. That has both cancelled orders (folks who never responded) and active orders. Always double and triple check the sender before marking a book in your Transaction Archive.

In addition, a credit will be taken from your account if the book is in the Transaction Archive. (Your credit would have been returned when the book went "lost".)

From the help center:

A book I requested is lost in the mail. What now?

If a book you requested does not arrive by the 26th day (the 35th day if the sender or requestor is outside the contiguous US) after it was marked mailed, it will be declared lost in the mail at PBS. The requestor does not mark the book Lost; the system does this. 

The requestor will get credit back, and the book will go onto the Wish List (if there are no available copies in the system) or the Reminder List (if there are other copies available to request).  If the book was a Wish List book when it was requested before, the requestor will go back to his or her previous place "in line" for the book.

• However, this does not mean that the book is definitely lost.  Sometimes it is merely delayed en route.
• If the book arrives after it has been declared Lost, the requestor must mark it received from the Transaction Archive.
  • At this time, the credit will be taken back and given to the sender for sending the book.

What you should do if a book you requested is declared Lost in the Mail:

• Contact the sender, to find out if mailing was delayed for some reason.
  • you can do this from your Transaction Archive, using the PM button on this Lost transaction in that list.

• If the mailing was not delayed, the sender should call 800-ASK-USPS or go to http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MLNtRcvd.aspx (the Postal Inspection Service's website) and input the information online there . This will help USPS try to recover the book if it truly has been lost in the mail.
• Don't re-request the book for at least 2 weeks, unless you are willing to run the risk of getting two copies (and paying a credit for both).

If you are having a lot of books declared "Lost" en route to you:

• You should investigate this.  Excessive unreceived books may jeopardize your membership.
  • Numerous books sent separately but not arriving at your address implies that something is wrong with your mail delivery.
  • Requestors are responsible for providing correct, dependable mailing information to senders.
• Check your address in your Account Settings, to be sure that it is correct.
• You can send a PM to the sender of any or all of the lost books, to ask if the book was mailed late, by any chance, as described above.
• Talk to your PO and mail carrier to see if the book might have been misdelivered to a neighbor.
• Consider using a PO box or alternate (ie, work) address until the matter is sorted out.

Thanks for the rules paste. The book is coming from VA. So opposite coast. I will continue to wait, I don't think the book is highly requested, so I should be fine requesting it again in two weeks or so. :)

I'm hearing about a lot of late books.  Maybe the flooding and weather slowed books down?