I buddied someone 2 credits about a month ago, and she said she would be able to repay them on September 5th.  Well, she hasn't repaid them yet, so I'm wondering what the protocol for this sort of situation is.  Should I wait a certain amount of time to see if she will repay them or should I just pm her asap?  Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated! 

I'd send her a reminder right away. If she doesn't return them, there's not much of anything you can do though, since it wasn't an official transaction. Sorry.

Try sending a pm.  hopefully she will pay back the credits.  I learned the hard way and now only lend credits to people I know.

I have also been burned so I no longer loan credits.

Pm her right away.  Tell her you just want to remind her in case she may have forgotten.  That happened  to me once and the member reimbursed me immediately.

Did she ask through the book bazaar or was it private, unsolicited through a personal message?  If it was in the book bazaar there are rules to follow.  It is in the red sticky at the top of the book bazaar.  (see below)

I would send a reminder and if she doesn't answer or won't return the credits and you have messages that this was a loan, I would alert the PBS Team.  In case she is doing this to someone else  To contact the team click on Contact Us at the bottom right of the screen under the heading Company.   

(7) Rules regarding posts asking for "credit loans"

NOTE: asking for credit GIFTS is strictly prohibited.  Asking for LOANS must be confined to Book Bazaar and follow the rules below:

• The original post in the topic should specify clearly (1) how many credits are needed (maximum 4) and (2) a timeframe to repay them.
• Any members who lend credits in response to these threads must post in the topic that they have given credits, and how many. 
• When the member who asked for a loan has gotten the credits she needs, she must edit the topic title and the original post to say "Thank you--no more replies needed!" .
• No member should post a topic asking to borrow credits more than once per month, and can do this a maximum of 2 months in a row. So it is okay to ask in January and again in February, but that same member cannot ask again until April.
• No member may ask for credit loans before having paid back all previous loans. 
• Anyone giving credits to a member in response to this kind of topic who expects repayment should send a PM saying "I have lent you [x number of] credits - pay me back when you can" (or state a timeframe in your message).
• Anyone giving credits to a member in response to this kind of topic who does NOT expect repayment should include in her PM "I have sent you [x number of credits] - no need to repay".
• These credit loan topics may not appear anywhere but Book Bazaar. The original poster may bump the topic if she needs to only once - not once per day, but once ever.

Thanks for the quick responses!  She did ask through the Book Bazaar, and one other member buddied her two credits as well.  I'll send her a PM right now, and give her a few days before I contact the PBS team.  I think I can go back and find the post where she asked for credits, and I have one pm from her saying that she would pay me back.

Thanks again!

The easiest way to find the post is to go to your own profile, and click "forum posts" at the top where the member info is. You'll be able to scroll quickly through everything you've posted.

I was burned last year in a similar situation. It wasn't through buddying credits, but I had bought some credits from someone who turned out to be fraud. I am VERY careful with doing anything like buddying credits.

I hope that she will return the credits to you!!

When I loan credits, I always set a date that I expect them to be paid back.  I've never been disappointed.

Sometimes I give credits away but when I loan one, I expect it back.

Well, I just sent her a pm, and here's an interesting twist.  Someone just buddied me five credits without me even asking.  I went to check my email, and I had one from PBS saying a friend had sent me some credits.  I thought it might have been sent to me in error, but I logged in here, and I have five extra credits now.  This person isn't on my friends list and I've never even talked to him.  Should I pm him too?

Sarah, yes, I'd contact the person who sent 5 credits in case they were sent to the wrong member by accident.  Surely you wouldn't want to keep them if they were intended for someone else. ;-)

Should I just send back the credits along with a pm or just pm him first? Sorry to sound so needy, but nothing like this has ever happened to me before 

I'd suggest PMing the person who sent you credits first. Someone might have read about your troubles with this credit loan and decided to perform a random act of kindness.

I agree with Sophia. Sounds like a RAOK, or maybe a couple of them. You can see exactly where the credits came from by clicking "credits" at the top right-hand corner of the page. 

Well, Sophia and Lisa, you guys called it!  I PM'd the person who sent me the credits and he said that there was no need to give them back because they were a gift.  He felt bad that my loan hadn't been paid back.  What a nice man! 

This is just an Amazing Community!!!!

Patty, I completely agree!

Yes - it's pretty amazing that someone here on PBS just reads about a problem and is generous enough to give the person some credits.

I just love PBS and this community.

Whenever I loan a credit, I tell the other person to pay it back if they can.  If not to pay it forward someday when they have a few extra ones.  So, I never really expect the credit back but it's always nice when it's repaid.

Awww...that's nice. There are a lot of great and generous people here. :)

But Sarah, if you don't hear from the person that requested the loan from you, you should still contact the Team about it. Who knows if she's asking for loans willy nilly in the Book Bazaar and not paying them back.

Wow! It so is so nice to hear that there are such generous and thoughtful people in this community!

What a great member he is!

I have done that before and as much as I would like to anonymously and mysteriously bestow those credits, I do PM the person just to let them know why I sent them and that they don't have to pay them back...just to keep them from worrying and wondering. LOL

That said, I am leery of "loaning" credits simply because being scammed leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I would just expect to not get them back and if I did it would be a nice surprise. :)

Cheryl