I got a complaint about the condition of the book that I mailed. I double checked PBS's list of guidelines and I did not "break the rules" in posting the book. The book's condition is acceptable for PBS.

The receiver says it has a fold on the front cover and the first 40 pages are "bent back." Hello, that means it has been read!

How can I resolve this problem?

Ask the other person what PBS guidelines you specifically broke in his or her opinion.  If you still don't agree that you broke an PBS guidelines, reply to them that you believe that book meets all the guidelines and don't refund his or her credit.  The other person may mark the problem unresolved, but that's okay.  It happens sometimes and one unresolved RWAP will not be held against you.

I have never seen this book but I am trying to see how 40 pages being bent out of shape means it was read, sounds more like abused to me. -shrug- I am new but that is Not a book I would post here. Books are supposed to be in Good used Condition. I hope you guys can work it out.

I haven't seen the book so I can't comment.  However, a crease in the cover is okay. 

I don't know what "bent back" means.  Some books have irregular glue so its clear that a book has been read because they don't fold to turn easily and they have a fold line or bend in them.  I'd be okay with that.  If they were mangled that's not okay.

There are guidelines, but everyone has to apply judgement.

I'd have to see a picture of the book and how bad the fold and bends were.  If we're talking the cover and 1st 40 pages were completely bent in half then I'd say that might be excessively worn.  If it's just a little bit of a bend from normal reading then I'd say it's postable.  Like when you read a book once and the first section of the book won't lay flat.  That's normal.

I would simply unbend the bent pages. It's not hard to do. Then I would read and enjoy the book. I don't let drama control my life.

I really try not to make my books look "read" when I read them, but the pages never do quite fold back the way they were when the book was unopened.  Maybe the recipient had hoped to give the book as a gift.  See if he or she would be willing to post a picture of the damage?

Folds in the cover and bends in the pages do not inherently make a book unpostable here.  If the folds/bends happened to be extreme and book is in really bad condition, THEN it would be excessively worn and that would make it unpostable.  Just hearing that it has a folded cover and bent pages makes it obviously used, but not excessively worn so sounds postable to me.  To have a definitive answer, we'd really need to see pictures.