I just got a rejection and a snippy note regarding my RC, so I am asking everyone's opinion on whether it's clear or has any problems. All I want to achieve with my RC is to avoid getting ex-library books and hardcovers without dustjackets, yet it seems that some people respond negatively to RCs no matter how clear and reasonable they are (and don't just restate site rules).

My RC currently reads:

"No ex-library books with visible markings, please.

Laura, I am so sorry your RC's were met with such venom.  I read them and would have absolutely NO problem sending a book to you (as long as it met the conditions).  They are polite and easy to follow.  I know how you feel, though.  My RC was rejected only once, implying that I was trying to get a free credit.  I was hurt, but then I figured it was HER problem -- she lost out on a credit!

-Deb

Laura,

I submit for your consideration-- you are never going to change the people who bitterly resent RC's. Don't feel bad, waste your energy, try to change them or worry about it. They are mean and you don't need the negativity in your life. Plenty of folks here are pleasant and friendly.

I wouldn't have a problem sending you a book either.  I think your RC is polite and clear.  I'm sorry you got a rude response.  Maybe you should report it.  There's no reason for that kind of behavior.  It's simple to turn down a RC without being rude about it.  

The problem is not with your RC, but with the receiver of your request.

I am a firm believer that the quality of their book directly correlates to the quality of their personality shown in their response. You clearly avoided getting a very nasty book.

Ha, I hadn't thought of that, Melanie, the book might have some bad karma attached to it, that's for sure! Thanks, everyone. You are likely right that this is one of those things where the two sides are never going to get along,  and the best thing for me to do is take a deep breath, let it go, and move on. It is just aggravating, not only because I felt insulted, but because I was really looking forward to receiving the book and it's not one that's posted very often. (And it's a book for a hobby where I have always found people remarkably pleasant and courteous... until now.)

I found their response inappropriate in tone and to a certain extent in content (when they implied I was breaking the site rules on reselling) but I don't know if it is worthy of reporting. After all, I am sure that they are convinced that I am a dastardly fiend trying to take advantage of innocent book traders, and that they are totally in the right. And to their credit they didn't use any foul language or break any of the site rules. There are always (at least) two sides to every story. 

"No ex-library books with visible markings, please.

 I would just turn the RC off when requesting paperbacks. 

This person may have gotten burned by someone with an RC before and so is now anti-RC.  Or maybe they were worried that you thought you were ordering a hardcover and were doing to ding them.  (I had someone ding me for wrong binding when it was their fault-I sent what they ordered-they weren't paying attention). 

Laura - Sorry you got such a negative response from your RCs.  Having said that I would turn down your RC due to the fact  that I would be uncertain exactly what you mean by 'no visible markings."  If you don't wish to receive ex-library books, I'd just say "No ex-library books, please". 

I send out quite a few ex-library books, and try very hard to remove all the library markings on the plastic dustjacket that I can, but sometimes you can't get them all as they're under the plastic.   Pat

All I want to achieve with my RC is to avoid getting ex-library books and hardcovers without dustjackets, My RC currently reads:

"No ex-library books with visible markings, please.

I wouldn't send any hardbacks, as I receive many from here and have no idea if it had a dust jacket or not.  Other than that confusion, to me, everything was clear.

Thousands and thousands of good, polite swappers on PBS and YOU get the one grumpy, fussy person!  Just shrug it off and realize it's about THEM not you.

I have a low tolerance for snarky RCs and will reject them at the top of a hat even if my book complies with them, but I'd certainly be happy to send you a book if I received your RC.  So no, I don't think your RC is at all rude, out of line, or ambiguous. 

But seriously, don't you just wish you could PM people like that back and ask, "Who peed in YOUR Cheerios this morning?!?" 

If you feel the response was over the line as far as venom goes, please report it to the Admin Team.  The sender needs to lighten up before s/he drives away some nice new member.

To talk to the Admin Team, go down to the bottom right corner of any page, and under "company" click on "contact us."  Use the Feedback option there.  We can't tell who responded to our RC, but they can.

Sounds polite enough to me.

I send out quite a few ex-library books, and try very hard to remove all the library markings on the plastic dustjacket that I can, but sometimes you can't get them all as they're under the plastic.

Pat, as a side note, I personally can't stand when people try to do that -- I'd rather have the stickers.  Some people do more damage removing stickers.

I suppose, as someone just said, there are some members who oppose all Requestor Conditions.

I, too, have a very politely worded RC for hardback books asking for the dust cover if the book is supposed to have one.   However, I was just turned down for a wishlisted hardback book and was given the following reason:

"I no longer send books to requestors with "conditions" other than health related issues."
 

Jan, I think that is the polite way to respond if you choose to not send to someone because of their RC.  

You are allowed to have any RC you want, but the sender also is allowed to turn you down.  I think it should be done in a way that doesn't make it personal.

Thanks for the suggestions to improve my RC; they are very helpful. I will edit it to clarify the ex-library thing and include a bit about paperbacks having no additional conditions. I have my whole wishlist on auto-request, so I don't think there's a way to remove the RC for paperbacks only, unfortunately. I changed that after I'd missed a few offers when I wasn't online for a couple days in a row. 

"I, too, have a very politely worded RC for hardback books asking for the dust cover if the book is supposed to have one.   However, I was just turned down for a wishlisted hardback book and was given the following reason:"I no longer send books to requestors with "conditions" other than health related issues.""

See, I have to admit this would get on my nerves too, Jan. How hard is it to reject for an accurate reason, like your book not having the dust cover, rather than rejecting a whole group of people wholesale and being snippy with your scare quote in the process?  Normally it's not hard to tell if a book is supposed to have a dust jacket. Sure, there are a few edge cases but generally the ones with a glossy cover didn't have one and the ones with a simple cover with only the title on the spine came with one. But I fear if I try to get into that in my RC I will get even more rejections. 

Ah well, I am getting exercised on the subject again and that profits no one. Moving on now...

I think that was a perfectly polite response. They probably got burned by someone with an RC and so now only accept basic ones like "no pets" or "no smoking" type ones.  Or they just don't wnat to deal wiht any RCS (which is their right) and thought the response they gave was more polite than (I don't do any RCS at all).