Okay, I have a question, but first the story behind the question:

I have been waiting for a wishlist book for quite some time.  It was posted in the system and I had it on auto-request (no problems so far).  The sender marked the book mailed on 7/14/07, yet the wrapper was printed on 7/26/07?????  I am confused - no PM was sent telling me that the book was returned back to them or anything.

So now what happens if that book goes lost - do I end up at the end of the waiting list again?

Thanks for any help!

If it does go lost (don't put this negative thought into the universe) you would be placed back on the waiting list as #1.

Also keep in mind that the sender may have accessed the address label after the book was mailed thus changing the date of printing.

Well, here's what I would do if I were you.  I'd PM the member to verify that the book was actually mailed on 7/14/07.  Who knows, perhaps the sender accidentally printed the wrapper again on 7/26/07.  If that were to happen, the printing date would reflect the most recent printing.  I would also wait and see what happens...regardless of when it was sent, the fact is that it was probably sent at some point and you'll get your book.  It may just take longer than you would like. 

It is possible that the sender was checking on the information because they were wondering why the book hadn't arrived yet either.  If you want to check the mailing address, you have to click on print...it updates the mailing date to that date, even if you mailed the book two weeks before.  Sometimes books do take a long time - not usually - but occasionally. 

If the book is lost, you will get your credit back and you will go to the front of the WL line for that book.  Just remember, don't cancel it yourself, then you go to the BACK of the WL line if you add it back to your WL.

Thanks for easing my mind - there are 19 other people waiting for this book and I have been watching the mail every day for it (especially since it is being mailed from my state).  I am getting really impatient for this book.  I wasn't even thinking about it going lost until I started getting the PBS e-mails - "have you received this book yet??" - that got me starting to wonder about it.

We actually find that books mailed to us from within our own state take the longest to get here sometimes!!! Gracious, I could have went and had coffee with the one sender, she was so close, but the book took 9 days to get here. And yes, it had a PO stamp on it showing when she took it to the PO, and had DC and was scanned at a Bulk PO Center, and then apparently SAT there for a week!

We also sent one to someone in our state that took about 11 days to get there. We had DC and it had to go out of state to a Bulk Center in the next state over before coming back to our state and making the trip.

And, no, I'm not talking looking at the PBS truck, I'm talking the actual scans along the way from the PO that tell you where it is.

And just because the sender hit the Print Label button doesn't mean she actually PRINTED the label. It just means she brought it up on the screen.

She may have had an after-the-fact panic attack, such as OMG did I mix up the three books I mailed out at the same time? And she ran to check addresses.

Or she hit the button by mistake, I do it all the time when I'm in a hurry.

There may well be a perfectly innocent reason why someone would click on the mailing label a week or two after it was marked mailed, but honestly I can't think of what it would be unless they hit it by mistake.

All they need to do is click on the 'details' button in the transaction box and it tells you who you sent it to and their address...no need to bring up that whole PDF set of screens again. And every time I've ever had a transaction where the label was printed well after the book the was marked mailed, the book was mailed late as per the metered sticker. A couple of times, I had transactions where the  'label printed' field still said "awaiting member" though the book was marked mailed--dunno how that could be since they never PM'd me to get my address!--and the books (of course) went lost because (doh!) the person never mailed the book. Those folks are no longer members in both cases.

I don't mean to be pessimistic, but sometimes a cigar really is just a cigar. LOL

Cheryl

Cheryl, I used to click the print address button, until I read here in the forums that the info was in the details button. It didn't always have the address in there, so they may be a member that has been here a while and doesn't know it is in the details button now. I used to wonder where it was going for various reasons.  And I too have run my mouse across a page and hit a button by mistake, so it can happen (altho, you could very well be right about the cigar :)

Thanks for the insight everyone - the book finally showed up today - postmarked July 27!  She waited almost two weeks to mail it after it was marked mailed!  Oh well, I finally got it and that is what I wanted.  I'll be sure to put this in the comments field so PBS is aware of it.  Hopefully PBS will send her a gentle reminder :-)

Cigar!! LOL

Cheryl