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Topic: New member confused about book not being mailed.

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Subject: New member confused about book not being mailed.
Date Posted: 4/26/2008 3:43 PM ET
Member Since: 3/30/2008
Posts: 7
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Greetings all.  I'm a relatively new member here.  I am on the receiving end of my second transaction here.  I received an email from PBS that a book that I had requested had been mailed to me (4/22).  However, the owner sent me a personal message today that when she went to mail it she dropped it in the mud and it is now ruined. She did offer to buy another book and send it to me next week. A couple of things bother me about this. She shouldn't have indicated to PBS that the book had been mailed when it wasn't and she waited 5 days later to send a message to me about the situation. Maybe I'm overreacting here. Is there a time frame that a book is supposed to be mailed out to a requestor? Thanks in advance to all who reply.  

Shannie avatar
Date Posted: 4/26/2008 3:48 PM ET
Member Since: 2/20/2008
Posts: 1,658
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Accidents happen, but I don't think she should have waited 5 days to tell you.  If you don't want her to buy a new one and send it to you, then you should have her cancel the transaction.  You cannot cancel because it is already marked mailed.

This is from the Help Docs.

A book must be mailed within 48 hours of marking it mailed

  • It is okay to mark your book mailed before you have mailed it if:

    • The deadline date falls on a postal holiday
    • Your computer/Internet access is unreliable
    • You plan to mail the book on your way out of town
  • It is not okay to mark your book mailed and delay Mailing it for longer than 48 hours
    • We understand that sometimes circumstances interfere with prompt mailing!  But this should not be a habit.
    • If your mailing is delayed, you must inform the requestor as soon as possible, so that she doesn't think the book is lost in the mail if it was merely mailed late.
    • To contact the requestor from a book transaction: click or on the transaction, to send a Personal Message.
Generic Profile avatar
Date Posted: 4/26/2008 4:05 PM ET
Member Since: 3/30/2008
Posts: 7
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Thanks Shannon for posting those guidelines.  I try and read the help docs and discussion forums a little every day to learn my way around here. I just emailed the sender and told her it was o.k. to send another one to me next week. The book I wanted is a very common William Faulkner paperback so I guess it was no biggie but when you're new you don't really know how to handle "situations" with others. Anyway I think this is a pretty cool site and I'm looking forward to getting my other books posted to trade out to others. Not very many listed right now.

Shannie avatar
Date Posted: 4/26/2008 4:29 PM ET
Member Since: 2/20/2008
Posts: 1,658
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I've only been here 2 months myself.  Most people on here are great, and very friendly!  The games are fun :)  Once you get used to the site a little more you should try them.  I'm acutally just now dealing with my first "lost in the mail" situation.  It takes time to learn.  When I started I read the basics; posting guidlines, sending and receiveing rules, and the rest I look at as needed or if I see it mentioned in a post.  It's difficult to read it all at one, and even if you do, that doesnt mean you'll remember everything :)

aerikaj avatar
Date Posted: 4/26/2008 5:28 PM ET
Member Since: 2/17/2006
Posts: 469
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I'll do you one better. Below are the transaction details for a book I requested. I received a pm on 4/23 that they had found the book under the back seat of their car and it was NOW on the way. Hmmm... What do you say to that? Nothing to do but keep on waiting I guess. That's why it always gets me when people print the label then immediately mark it mailed.

Request Date:           4/5/2008     5:59 PM ET

Will Mail By:             4/13/2008   11:00 PM ET

Label Print Date(s): 4/11/2008    1:03 PM ET

Date Mailed:             4/11/2008    1:03 PM ET 

Estimated Arrival:    5/8/2008 ET 



Last Edited on: 4/26/08 5:37 PM ET - Total times edited: 2
sybaritic-lines avatar
Date Posted: 4/26/2008 8:12 PM ET
Member Since: 4/4/2008
Posts: 25
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Situations like that are always a bit funny to me as a bystander, but I do symphasize with the people waiting for the book. I usually only mark it mailed after I'm back from the PO -- It does help to live three minutes away from one, though!

literaturelover avatar
Date Posted: 4/26/2008 10:32 PM ET
Member Since: 4/17/2008
Posts: 211
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I learned a very clear lesson about mailing things myself this weekend!

I've marked most of my books as being mailed after I dropped the books in a blue box and when my husband came back with a receipt from the post office.  That way, I know they were mailed and don't think much about it.

Earlier this week, I asked one of my brothers if he could please mail a couple of books from the post office because I was swamped with work, and my husband was shopping for a gift for his father.  My brother said "sure!", I gave him money and instructions on what to do, and he left.  An hour later, I called and asked if the books were mailed, and he said "yeah".  So, I marked the books mailed.

Then yesterday, the mailwoman dropped the books off.  These books had no postage on them!  To make a long story short, I got my money back from my brother, I re-sent the books this morning through the post office, and I know not to trust him again (at least where money and/or mailing books are concerned!).

Edited to fix grammatical errors.



Last Edited on: 4/26/08 11:27 PM ET - Total times edited: 2
missa avatar
Date Posted: 4/26/2008 11:20 PM ET
Member Since: 10/30/2005
Posts: 884
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I have had a book fall under the seat, or out of the bag while in the trunk, before I got to the post office.  I've never found the book more than a day or two later.  Of course, it's always after I've marked everything mailed (I only make one trip to the PO a week--and I'll try to make a run to the PO here by the house on Saturday morning, if needed).  Anytime I've found a book in the car, I PM the person immediatly, and make a trip to the PO that day or the next day (if I'm home already)--I guess that's the only perk of cleaning out the car the night before my dad carpools with me to work--he's a clean freak!!

literaturelover avatar
Date Posted: 4/26/2008 11:29 PM ET
Member Since: 4/17/2008
Posts: 211
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I think books falling out of bags or under a seat can happen to anyone, and at least you let the people know what's going on.  :-D

Generic Profile avatar
Date Posted: 5/10/2008 11:10 PM ET
Member Since: 3/30/2008
Posts: 7
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Thanks to all who replied.  I got my book today and it is like new condition so everything worked o.k. for me.  Best of luck to everyone here with your swaps.

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Member of the Month medalFriend of PBS-Silver medal
Date Posted: 5/11/2008 2:54 PM ET
Member Since: 8/23/2007
Posts: 26,510
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I had a book I ordered go lost because the member gave to her husband to mail, he stuck them in the trunk and never mailed them.  She found them 3 wks later.  Some people mark them mailed as soon as they put postage on them or wrap them up because they might not get back to the computer.  Some people have limited computer access or they just forget to mark them mailed.