I have started requesting almost exclusively hardcover books, since I find that they hold up much better under multiple readings than paperbacks.  The only problem?  Out of the last 10 hardcover books I have requested, six of them have come as paperbacks.  Some of this is because people aren't posting by the ISBN, but some is also because the paperbacks share the same ISBN (although the hardcover is the one using the ISBN in the system).

Many of the people refuse to return my credit, often demanding that I return the book at my own expense before they will give me any credits.  I have refused, but now I'm out multiple credits because of other people's wrong postings.  Inevitably, the paperbacks I receive are NOT in demand, so I can't really trade them back out to get any credit.  I'm beginning to wonder if I need to PM every single book owner I deal with and double check that they have posted the book correctly.  Is anyone else having this problem?

Please read the help files. The sender is responsible for posting the correct book. You do not have to return the books and they should refund your credit if they have posted and sent you the wrong book.

Yes, but I can't force someone to return my credit, even if I know and they know they're in the wrong.  I even had someone ask me why I needed a hardcover anyway.  I guess the sender thought it shouldn't matter if it was posted correctly as long as it was the same book.

What Kathy said. :)

Also, if you ONLY request hardcovers, you could always put a requestor condition as a reminder (I know some members don't like RC that rehash the Book Posting Conditions, but in this case, a lot of people are obviously missing/not following the rules and this could be an extra step to stop them.)

It's not a frequent problem, but of the very few RWAPs I've had over the years, this problem is the most frequent. Mostly I prefer paperbacks, or just don't care which version I get. And usually if I have a HC on my wish list, it's because it's for my Keeper shelf, and I've already read the paperback. Like you, I want a sturdier copy that will withstand re-readings. (Unless it's a brand new release.) So I get really peeved when I get the paperback version, totally different ISBN, obviously NOT posted using the ISBN.

You are in the right to mark the book RWAP. Even *if* the ISBN is the same, when the person posts the book, they are stating that the TITLE, AUTHOR, ISBN and FORMAT match up...so if they are holding a paperback with the ISBN stating it's hardcover, they are supposed to  list that as a book without an ISBN. They have no right to ask for the book back UNLESS they send you 2 credits--one for the postage to send it back, and one for the wrong book to begin with. IT IS THEIR MISTAKE, and you should not be punished because they don't (apparently) know how to read!! I know you know that, but obviously they didn't. You can refer them to the PBS help docs where this information is found. You can ask for your credit back within a week's time or you will mark the transaction unresolved. If they keep doing whatever the heck they want instead of what is supposed to be done, PBS will catch up with them eventually.

You can certainly PM the person before they send the book if you want. I believe I did that one time after receiving not one but two paperback copies of the HC book I'd had wishlisted. I would just say something like, "I just want to verify that this is a hardcover book. If you have a paperback version with this ISBN, you need to cancel the request and remove the book from your shelf and re-list it as a book without an ISBN because the ISBN on it does not match the binding."

Cheryl

I even had someone ask me why I needed a hardcover anyway. 

If you have a RC in place - and maybe if you don't - it would seem to me that they are admitting they did send the wrong book by just asking that question.  By doing so they have admitted they didn't follow PBS rules about ISBN/binding matching.  So I would then contact the PBS team about it citing this admission and requesting that they help you get your credits back.  I know that when it is obvious that they did wrong, the PBS team is more likely to get involved and intervene.

Ruth

If they are admitting that they posted a paperback book to a Hard Cover listing and still refusing to return the credit, please use the Contact Us link in the lower right and send in Feedback about them. That is not acceptable and the site might step in and have a talk with them if they admit that they know they are breaking the posting rules and sending something that should not be sent.

What Melanie said...  While the Team won't mediate between members, if a member is admitting to breaking the rules and continuing to do it, they will step in with that member.  PLEASE don't go on letting these members do this to you....  :)

So my only option with these transactions is just to mark them unresolved if they won't work with me to return the credit?  And I just have to hope the person gets taken out of the system eventually so someone else doesn't have to deal with this?  I'm just hoping this is a phase or a coincidence, because I can't afford to keep losing credits like this.

I remember doing this same thing accidentally when I first joined.  I posted by title, not by ISBN, and sure enough I posted my paperback as a hardcover.  I was HORRIFIED when I realized I had sent the wrong book and refunded the credit immediately.  This doesn't seem to be the attitude of many people I have run into lately.  I can tell that most of them have never even looked at the Help documents or the site rules.

ETA: clarity.  :P

I think it would be helpful if you contacted PBS about the incorrectly listed books.  They are the only ones who can take them out of their system.