I received one of those automated emails saying that a book with DC was mailed to me and is showing as delivered, but it hasn't been. According to the PBS area where you can click on the checkmark and see where the book is, it claims the book was scanned at 9:47 AM. My mail generally comes around 4pm, so I find this a little odd as there hasn't been any earlier deliveries this week. Since I haven't received the book, I am just going to wait and see if it arrives. Has anyone else had this happen? Just curious.

It probably was received at the PO.  It will show delivery to your town, but that doesn't mean to you.   It probably will be delivered on Monday.  Pat

My post office regularly scans my mail as delivered way before they actually give it to me. I think they do the scan when they're putting it in the delivery truck and it sometimes stays on that truck for a day or a weekend.

How was the DC information worded Erin?  Some small PO's use outdated scans that can also mean 'Received at Unit' instead of 'Delivered' (to addressee).

What date does it say the book was delivered?  Usually the PBS system doesn't prompt you several days (maybe a week?) after the delivered scan.  I'd give the book one to two days after the 'delivered' scan, then print the DC number and contact your PO...ask them where it package has been delivered.

If the message was a pm from the sender, they are being inpatient.  Send a polite reply that you have not received the book yet, but will mark it 'received' as soon as it does arrive.  The sender should not be prompting you this soon.

Here's an example of the updated USPS scan:

1. 3/9/2012 10:46 PM ET - Enroute - EVERETT, WA
2. 3/10/2012 8:05 AM ET - Arrival at Unit - MAPLE VALLEY, WA
3. 3/10/2012 8:43 AM ET - Unknown-PC - MAPLE VALLEY, WA
4. 3/10/2012 8:53 AM ET - Unknown-OF - MAPLE VALLEY, WA
5. 3/10/2012 4:01 PM ET - Delivered - MAPLE VALLEY, WA

The notation 'Unknown-OF...' means 'out for delivery'.   If your scan says this and you do not have the book by the end of the day (next day at the latest) I would definately contact your PO immediately.  This could indicate your package has been mis-delivered and they should look for it...sooner the better, while staff might remember exactly where they delivered it.

You may want to have a talk with your local post office on why they are scanning packages as delivered before they are doing so. They are not supposed to used "Delivered" for "Arriva' at Unit" or "Out for Delivery" but many are lazy and do. If it were me, I'd call and say I was concerned to see my package mis-delivered because they showed it delivered at a time that was not my delivery time. If they told me they scanned it at a point other than Delivery, I'd inform them of the other scan options they are supposed to use for that.

Oddly enough, what happened is the member mailed the wrong book! I received a weird religious self published book instead of the book that was a WL request. Very strange! I had assumed this was another one of those weird unsolicited religious things. I'm Pagan, so I occasionally get that sort of thing. I retrieved the paper bag it was wrapped in and realized it came from a PBS member and matched up the info. I checked the help docs and it said to email the member and let her know the wrong book was sent, so I just did that. I've never had that happen before. Have you ever had that happen before? I know mistakes happen, but the book I was supposed to be getting was a WL hardcover and this is a paperback self published type thing. Seems like a weird thing to mix up!

Seems like a weird thing to mix up!

What usually happens is not that people confuse the books ... but if they have a few books to mail out, they mix up the mailing labels. 

If the sender mislabeled two packages, then it may be possible that this can be resolved by you and the other receiver mailing each other the books, after the first sender compensates you for the extra postage. You will have to ask your sender what she thinks happened and go from there.

Good detective work, Erin!