Here is the situation:

I ordered 3 books from a member.  When they arrived I noticed one corner of the package was smashed and had started to open on the preferation for easy opening.  One book is absolutely perfect. 

The second book was a hardcover.  I went and double checked the ISBN and it matched.  Problem is PBS has it assigned to a MMP, which is why I selected that copy of the book. For most people that would not be a problem, but because my fingers have problems holding hardcovers. I avoid ordering them when there are other options. 

The third book was a graphic novel(sizewise, think of a 150 page magizine with a thin spine.)  This book was wrapped in such a way when sent it was bent lengthwise around the hardcover and paperback.  This made the spine rip in multiple places.  About an inch of the top on both covers and the spine was smashed in(and down) during shipping.  This book also was the one that was visible through the ripped package.   When I looked at it, I noticed that the corner fully opposite where the rip was has water damage.  At first I thought it  might be from the rip in the packaging, but I noticed that the area that was exposed had NO water damage. The packaging is also absolutely dry inside and out. That leads me to believe the damage was pre-shipping.

I hate asking for credits back, but should I in this instance?

I think you should ask for the credit back on the mis-posted book. They clearly posted and sent a wrong book (PBS warns them at every step to NOT post the wrong binding to that ISBN).  You did not get the book you ordered, they should return the credit so you can reorder the book your requested and should have gotten.

The others are a little more of a grey area, is it the the POs fault for handling the package too roughly or the senders fault for bad packaging? If you can be pretty certain that the bent and damaged one was water damaged prior to sending, the I would say go ahead and ask for that credit. 

Definitely let them know that their packaging did not hold up and that the position of the books caused one to be severely damaged so that they can change their methods in the future.

I am a stickler for not letting people get credits for very clear violations of the posting rules - wrong book and extreme damage. People should know they cannot get an easy credit by ignoring the rules.  IMHO

I would ask for two credits -- one for the wrong book and one for the graphic novel. 

It sounds like the graphic novel was damaged when the sender packaged it, not by the post office.  If she wrapped it around the the HC book, thus damaging the spine, then it wasn't damaged by the post office.  It also sounds like it had the water damage before she mailed it, too. 

Good luck getting it worked out. 

Well I PMed her and she quickly refunded the two points.

Thanks for your thoughts.

I just always hate causing a problem.  Bad enough I have RCs.

Thanks.

I know what you mean, Anthony.  I've asked for a credit to be returned only once, and felt awful about it, but there was just no way we could use the book.  The sender was very nice and gracious about it. 

I would not have asked for a credit back on the hardback if it was a PBS error and not the sender's... the OP said that the UPC matched with what PBS had in system, so it was not the sender's fault!! 

The one that had water damage, definitely (get credit back).

Patricia, PBS is very clear when you post a book that ALL FOUR conditions must match, ISBN, binding, title, & author. It is very clear that if they don't you must manually post the book. It is absolutely the senders fault that they posted a HC to a listing for a PB. That book should have been listed as if it had no ISBN, since only one edition can be assigned to the ISBN any other use of it for other editions must be manually posted or the requestor is due their credit back. Sorry, but that is the rules.

I feel guilty asking for a credit back too.I've only asked for a credit back once when I got a WL book that looked like it was dunked in coffee before it was mailed.  Big brown stains.  Yuk. I have major guilt over marking a book RWP damaged by the post office.  I didn't ask for the credit back.  The packaging was all beat up.  It probably could have been taped up better but that might not have saved the book.  Plus it's still readable and I can offer it as a freebie.

I usually don't request a credit back if I get a postable book that is the wrong format. (PPB vs HC) I can read either, so I can read and repost.

But in your case, since you really needed the PPB in order to comfortably read it, you are certainly within your rights to ask for it to be returned.

ETA: Of course, anybody can request a credit back for a RWAP transaction... didn't mean to imply otherwise. :)