I recieved a book and the back has a sticky brown substance on it that has leaked through the back cover.  Also, the binding is bent and torn.  The first 20 pages aren't even attatched on the bottom 2 inches of the binding.  I marked that the book arrived with a problem and emailed to sender requesting my credit back.  I haven't recieved any reply at all.   Should I just let it go or email again?  This is the first time I have ever had to request a credit back and not sure how far to push it.

Becki,

  Did you check to see if the pm you sent was opened???  If it was I think if it were me I would try one more time. Then forget it. 

I send another PM after 5 days and include the following information from the help documents -

• If the sender does not respond to your PM within 5 days, submit this information in follow-up from the transaction archive.  This will send an email to the sender, prompting him or her to log in and deal with this problem swap.  If the sender does not respond to that email within 2 days (a total of 1 week since your original PM), contact us.  Failure to respond in an active account is considered admission of fault.
  

If they never respond to you use the Contact Us link at the bottom of the page to tell the PBS team and put the PM's in the message you send to the team.  Responding to a problem trade PM is one of the rules here.  Don't let it go.  They need to at least contact you to say something.

Ruth

Definitely contact the team if it has been over five days.

i have a similiar problem ... i marked my book RWAP with what was wrong with it and that i was requesting my credit. they responded the next day stating they received the book from another memeber in that state, blah blah blah, she didn't agree. i think she had a typo about giving me a credit. she said i could return the credit and i thought, what? i think she meant to say she would return the credit, but didn't agree with my comments.

i responded with the pbs postable rules and haven't heard back yet. this was done on tuesday and still nothing. would i respond that the problem hasn't been resolved, continue waiting or send another PM?

Responding to RWAP PMs is considered very important by PBS.  Folks have been known to be put on hold for failing to respond.

I usually wait a week, then send another with a deadline.  Such as "Please respond to this by x date"   I also sit on the PM for 24 hours as I know I have to be very polite when asking for my credit, rather than just vent.  Make sure that your PMs go through attached to the book.  Such as through the transaction archive page. 

If they don't respond, contact PBS.  And NEVER ingore PMs about problem books.

You also have the option to mark the RWAP as unresolved.  This is considered a really big deal by PBS. 

No, don't let it go, Becki...it's important to follow PBS procedure in these cases so problematic members are flaged by the system (which is good for everybody.) Please do as Christina & Emily mentioned...if it's been 5+days since you contacted the person, submit a follow up (see link with more info in Christina's post) and if you don't hear after that, then contact the PBS team.

Thanks everyone. 

I got a response tonight.  She would like me to send the book back and pick a different one.  She said she didn't send it to me in that condition and that she got it from someone here in a swap.  :o/    I have asked for my credit back again plus one to mail the book back.  We will see what happens next.....

Thanks again for the support and info!

Pick a different one?  I'm sorry.  I just have to laugh.  Why would you want a another book from slimey ripped book sender?  And why would she think she'd get it back without offering credits?  And why did she "but I got it that way" and fail to RWAP it herself?

Good luck with this.

Remember to tell her that PBS does not require you to return the book unless she gives you the credit up front, and even then ONLY if you feel like it.

I sure wish I had known all this before. I received 3 books from the same person and none of them came close to PBS guidlines. Sender claims it had to have happened in the mail because they were fine when they sent them. I don't believe that, one of them was still seal in plastic from  a used book store, can't imagine how you check it if you don't open it. Any way she asked for me to return them and she would refund my credits ( didn't know about them paying for shipping), now she claims she has never received them. So I lost 3 credits and no books.