I've had 3 books between the 19th-25th of this month go "Lost:.  I'm concerned that TPTB will look upon me negatively because of this.  One of the senders sent me a PM on the day the book "lost" and said it wasn't lost that she was late sending it out and I should receive it soon.  A question (sev. actually) I have is, when I get the book, should I mark it RWAP as she didn't contact me previously to say she was mailing it late? Or, do I mark it just received without problems? Should I put any additional comments in about the late PM about late mailing? 

Can you tell I'm a worrier?   I've been a member here  for less than a year and I don't want to start off on the wrong foot or have anyone think I'm a problem member, because I really really enjoy this site. 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Late mailing is not an official problem so it would not be a RWAP case (its not damaged and it isn't a violation of RCs so there would be no category that fit). You should fill out the postmark and you can put a comment in the lower box on the survey for PBS info that she did not contact you prior to late mailing. The fact that she did contact you before you got another book is a plus, unfortunately some just mail it without ever telling the receiver.

Jannifer:

You might want to report those "lost" books to your local PO.  I had a problem with Netflix movies at one time and it turned out that a temporary hire at the PO was stealing Netflix movies.

Kate H-

That's a good suggestion.  I have to go to the PO on Monday to mail off some books.  I can ask them about the lost books then.

You may want to PM the senders first to confirm that they were mailed on time.  Then you'll have that info to take to your Post Office.  As Melanie said, you would mark the late-mailed book received normally as long as the book doesn't have a problem.

You said:

I'm concerned that TPTB will look upon me negatively because of this.

It's a valid concern -- at first glance your string of lost books could look the same as an account where the member isn't marking books received for some reason.  But if the server flagged your account, a human being would look at it.  They'd see the note from the sender about the late mailing, and they'd see you are logging on regularly.  It won't be a problem.

Here's some good info from the Help Center too:

My requested book arrived with a late postmark!

Books that arrive with a late postmark need to be marked received normally, and the information about the postmark should be recorded in the survey portion of the Book Received page.

• Providing the late postmark in the survey portion of the Book Received page will generate an auto-email to the sender of the book, reminding him or her that late mailing is not acceptable at PBS.
  • The email includes the information that the late postmark could have been entered in error
  • The email includes the information that sometimes postmarks are delayed a few days, even if the book was mailed on time
  • The email includes the information that if the late mailing was agreed to by the requestor, this is not a problem
• You can contact the sender using the text box on the Book Received page:
  • Please be gentle!  You can't know what might have delayed this shipment
• If the book was declared lost in the mail and you requested and received (or will receive) a second copy because you thought the first one was really lost:
  • If the postmark was from the week before the book was declared lost (or later!), and you got no notification from the sender that the book would be/was mailed late: you do not have to mark this book received (this is the ONE case in which you don't have to mark a received book received: if a very late mailer without notice caused you to reorder the book and end up with two copies).  
  • OR: You can mark it received to note the late postmark, and ask for your credit back in your Personal Message to the sender.  If you don't hear back/don't get the credit back within 3 days you should contact us using the Feedback link at the top of the Contact Us page.
  • You can also note this information about the late mailing in the Comments box at the bottom of the Book Received page, while marking the book received: this will go onto the sender's record.
• A pattern of late mailing will cause account suspension and possibly termination of membership
  • Sometimes late mailing happens for very good reasons, but chronic late mailing will not be tolerated.

Jennifer,

You should also, if you haven't already, follow the instructions in the Help Center for what to do if a book you requested goes lost.  Following up on your end will at least create a record that you tried to communicate with the sender to resolve any problems.

From: "A book I requested is lost in the mail. What now?"

What you should do if a book you requested is declared Lost in the Mail:

• Contact the sender, to find out if mailing was delayed for some reason.
  • you can do this from your Transaction Archive, using the PM button on this Lost transaction in that list.

• If the mailing was not delayed, the sender should call 800-ASK-USPS or go to http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MLNtRcvd.aspx (the Postal Inspection Service's website) and input the information online there . This will help USPS try to recover the book if it truly has been lost in the mail.
• Don't re-request the book for at least 2 weeks, unless you are willing to run the risk of getting two copies (and paying a credit for both).

If you are having a lot of books declared "Lost" en route to you:

• You should investigate this.  Excessive unreceived books may jeopardize your membership.
  • Numerous books sent separately but not arriving at your address implies that something is wrong with your mail delivery.
  • Requestors are responsible for providing correct, dependable mailing information to senders.
• Check your address in your Account Settings, to be sure that it is correct.
• You can send a PM to the sender of any or all of the lost books, to ask if the book was mailed late, by any chance, as described above.
• Talk to your PO and mail carrier to see if the book might have been misdelivered to a neighbor.
• Consider using a PO box or alternate (ie, work) address until the matter is sorted out.