or would you be bothered by someone saying the mailed something over 2 weeks before the actual mail date? I feel like like I should be but at the same time thinking its such a small thing. I know things happen but I just feel like a quick PM would have been the right thing to do.

It isn't just you.  Sometimes, obviously, emergencies happen and real life gets in the way, but folks don't always do "the right thing".  Be sure to note the details on the mini-survey when you mark it received -- if the mailing date doesn't match, they'll get an email reminder from PBS about mailing things in a timely fashion.

Cheers,
Catt

Definitely not just you. What I can't stand is getting that notice from PBS asking if the book has arrived when it hasn't even been mailed out yet.

I didnt want to be rude about it because I don't know what may have happened. So I told them Thank you for the book and it was in excellent condition. However I was dissapointed in the fact that is was mailed so many weeks after they had clicked that it was mailed. I dont want to get anyone in trouble but I dont think that people should think its ok to just send it whenever. Thanks just wanted to see what others thought of this issue.

I would report it also--certainly things happen sometimes, but a PM saying, "Geez I'm sorry, but  I mailed this late!" would certainly be in order, I'd think. That way if it goes lost at least you don't order another copy of the book or you can stop the book from getting put back on the wishlist if it's a wishlisted book.

There's really no excuse for marking a book mailed before it's actually BEEN mailed...I mean, sure, the person could mark it mailed and then get in a serious accident on the way to the PO or something, but how often in PBS' history is THAT going to happen??

Cheryl

I guess I have been lucky, the 2 times something was being delayed to me I received a pm telling me it would be mailed late (and did I mind) or that someone had been in the hospital.  I didn't mind in either case.  Knock, knock on wood......babyyyyyyy!  (was that Blondie?)  (or Lauper?)

The one time this happened to me (mailed 10 days later), I reported it via survey. I explained that I understood that she'd intended in good faith to mail it that day, but had to return to the Post Office another time instead; I also expressed displeasure at the fact that she didn't tell me after she got home from the original, unsuccessful, attempt. 

<< I dont want to get anyone in trouble but I dont think that people should think its ok to just send it whenever.>>

Crystal, don't be afraid to report the facts, including marking items "received with a problem" when there is one, or noting a late mailing date in the mini-survey.  The ebb and flow of PBS depends, to some extent, upon the honor system, and on members reporting when there's a problem, so novices can review the rules and abusers can be weeded out.  If it is an isolated event, you won't get anyone in trouble; if there's a pattern, you're doing your civic duty to PBS :-)

Cheers,

Catt

Nancy you said "That's tacky and not in the spirit of the site and vastly different from people who are trying very hard to be concious of their expenses and time."

Its tacky to wait over two weeks and not PM the person

Also it doesnt matter if you make a complaint or not, it asks for the date on the mailing label which is how PBS  knows. Are you suggesting we lie to PBS to save someone who cant follow the rules and doesnt PM?.

It goes far beyond tacky.

I live far out in the country. It's over 40 miles in each direction to the post office. When my current influx of books has tapered off, I'll go back to my normal schedule of going to the post office every two weeks. Except, if I'm waiting on a book, I'll have to continue making the trip several times a week. If I knew the acutal date when the books were sent, I could plan my trips better. While I understand that as Nancy said, they want "to be concious(sic) of their expenses and time", I do too. They're costing me time and money. It's not necessary. A PM is absolutely free.

Even with the above, I don't mark the packages RWAP. Nor do I bother putting the date sent into the survey for every package that was sent a few days later than reported. However, any time I receive the did-you-get-this-book automated message, I report the date. Invariably, I got the message because the sender mailed the book out late.

Besides, as Crystal said, it's not a complaint to fill out the optional information. All that does is help PBS determine a pattern with the senders. If that pattern is one of abuse, then they can be warned to follow the rules. If it isn't a pattern and they only sent a book out late once, then they'll never hear about it.

I agree Crystal.  I don't care if they mail the package late, but if they are going to they should have the courtesy to send me a PM. 

I always fill out the optional section and include the date sent if there is a postage strip on it.  I truly don't have clue (most of the time) how late a book is unless it's marked lost or comes close to it.  Funny thing, though, almost all of those types have "mailed on" dates much later than the dates PBS shows. 

I doubt that PBS cares about a day or two when you fill out the form, though, so Nancy probably doesn't need to worry.

I agree that a week or two late without a PM  is just not right. I have had a problem with my post office picking a book up and then not scanning it for 2-3 days which really bugs me. What are they doing with it for 3 days???? Oh well, nothing I can do about it.

I've had that happen twice lately, where the book was postmarked at least two weeks after the date it was marked mailed.  No PMs.  I didn't mind getting those particular books late, but it does tick me off when members lie about it.  What's the point?

I just wanted to point out that if a book is mailed with stamps, the date they're marked by the PO isn't necessarily the date they were mailed.  They could have been in transit or sitting in a media mail bin for days before they were cancelled by the PO if they get canelled at all. 

Now obviously if they have a metered postage strip then they mailed the book late. 

It's annoying, but in the grand scheme of things, I don't think I'd really care.

I pay no attention to it as long as the books arrive before they go lost.  If I receive a book that has gone lost I'll fill out a survey with the data on the package - if it was mailed on time, I want PBS to know that it was late through no fault of the sender, if it wasn't I want PBS to know that too.  But I waste no further thought on it, and get back to my reading.

I never bothered checking on this. When I get a book I fill in the information in the survey. Sometimes it seems to take a long time to arrive,but I have so many books to read that I never thought to check if they were mailed when they were supposed to be.