Ok I gotta vent ...2 days ago I posted a series of 10 books..all WL'd. So I get all theses RC's saying stupid stuff like no dog ears, no creases in spines, no creases in covers..... 6 in all! In one day! Look this is a USED book site!!! I am not doing anything wrong here...if you want something new go buy it!! I will decline you and your RC so I don't get a bunch of complaints for posting a book that is perfectly postable and have to give back a credit!!! Get a grip people! I have been on this site for 3 years... you can't expect perfection every time! I understand getting burned..I have been there...but I don't know how you get any books being so picky!

Frustrated Kim

Just decline on the RC.  Life's too short to check for dog ears. (I wouldn't put that as the reason for the decline. I usually say something like, "I'm not comfortable with this RC.")

The people behind the RC requestor will get the boon.

I was nice....just amazed at how many people are insisting on like new books..... but I am not willing to risk a credit ...just making it known..

When I read about excessive RC's (I've never had one), in addition to thinking that those people just want like-new books, I've always wondered where the appreciation for substance went. To me, the physical quality of the book (whether it has dog-ears or creased spines) means little to the story within. That's why you get a book, right, to read it and not just look at how pretty it is?

I am right there with you Kim. When I send a near new( I bought it new and read it once)book, I am pleased to be able to surprise them with a new book. But don't request a book copyright 1985 and think it will still be like new.Too funny

Yuppers, a series of ten books...right away that says most of them are not new releases and therefore used books. 

I ony expect to receive books in postable condition.  If I require a new book for whatever reason, I know where to find a bookstore.  It's always nice to open a package from PBS and find a book in excellent condition, but I certainly don't expect it.  Some people are too picky, and I don't have any problem declining those kinds of requests.

I had a request today. I dug the book out of the pile. It was one that a friend of mine gave me when she cleaned off her bookshelf...never been read by me. I thumbed through the book, just to double check...everything was fine. I noticed the publication date was 1979. Lets hear ir for friends who read a book once, put it on their shelf where it sits till she cleans them off.

The funny thing is when I first started on here I had a bad experience with water damage and got mad and made a pretty steep RC. But then I noticed I was being turned down for everything.....

All 10 of my books were pretty close to new condition. One had dog ears and none had lines on the spines. Who knows maybe they are selling them!  I have been here a long time and try to avoid conflict by not posting questionable books. But when they want only perfect books I just wont risk it. 

That's why you get a book, right, to read it and not just look at how pretty it is?

I always thought so, but I guess there are lots out there who get books just to put on the shelf to be looked at and be seen.

Too bad they miss the joy and adventure of actually reading it......

wc

That's why you get a book, right, to read it and not just look at how pretty it is?

I am not sure why it is so hard for people to understand ... but people with RCs do not necessarily order every book with the same purpose in mind.

I have a RC myself. For most books (90% of book orders), I don't use my RC because I am happy with PBS condition. I just read the books and repost them. I am only interested in reading those books and passing them on.

There are other books that I am requesting because I plan to read them and keep them. Yes, I would prefer that they look attractive than that they be little pieces of crap.

I even occasionally request books that I intend to give to someone as a gift. I don't understand why this is such a big deal to some people. Only an idiot would pay full price for a book when they have an opportunity to obtain it for much less. That leaves me more money to add to the present, in addition to the book.

Just because you get a book request for a book and it has conditions on it ... doesn't say anything about the requestor except that they want THAT BOOK in a certain condition. If your book is not in that condition, then decline the request ... the requestor will be happy, knowing that you are not sending them a book that they don't want anyway.

RCs seem to run in streaks, like everything around here. LOL I'll go for a dozen or more requests without seeing a single RC and then four in a row will have them. I respect people's right to have an RC, just as those with RCs should respect people's right to decline them. I've learned not to take the picky ones personally and just decline and move on. Somebunny's gonna want my book eventually! :)

Cheryl

Wow, another RC Thread.  As I posted elsewhere; maybe TPTB should just create a seperate forum for RC questions, vents and rants.

-RD

I respect people's right to have an RC, just as those with RCs should respect people's right to decline them.

Perfectly said Cheryl! It's never personal. But some people who have RCs need to critically look at their RCs -- try to read them through another's eyes -- because so many of them are so subjective and some of them appear, to those of us receiving them, to be almost antagonistic. Make them clear, make them brief, and understand that having an RC gives people the right to decline them.

I had a request today. I dug the book out of the pile. It was one that a friend of mine gave me when she cleaned off her bookshelf...never been read by me. I thumbed through the book, just to double check...everything was fine. I noticed the publication date was 1979. Lets hear ir for friends who read a book once, put it on their shelf where it sits till she cleans them off.

Been there done that.  Have the tee shirt.  

So my RC says please no vinyl-bound library books because I usually order children's books and I really don't like those discarded vinyl-covered books. The last four book requests I have made have been for adult books, and all have been rejected because "I don't deal with requestor conditions". Period. I don't think it's so hard to just read the RC and see that it applies to ex-library children's books only. I'm sad because one of the books has been on my waiting list for 2 years and I waited through over 100 copies to get it, and now I am bumped out of the queue. People need to calm down and stop getting so defensive (I have been accused of being a "book collector" three times this month, like yes that is my hobby and I get all my super-rare antique books for free on PBS by giving them away first, muahahahaha!). I've decided to remove the RC's and just not order children's books anymore. Apparently, the age of being reasonable around here is over...

After receiving many books that were either water-damaged or the wrong book, my RC basically says please make sure that your book follows the PBS guidelines, and specifically that it is not damaged and that it's the correct ISBN.  Plus, if it's a hardcover, I'd like to have the dust jacket, too.

You might be surprised how many rude messages I get from people.  My guess is that they are knowingly posting unacceptable books, and then get angry when someone makes it clear that they are not . . . acceptable.

I think sometimes when there's a wish list, someone with a more difficult RC will make it to the front of the line, and may get passed over multiple times -- each potential sender declines the RC.  Eventually someone else with a difficult RC makes it to the number 2 position and gets passed over.  If the wish list is long enough and the RCs are unusual enough, we may end up with a group of wishers with RCs at the front of the WL line.  So I might post a book and have to decline several RCs in a row.  The problem isn't that there are more members with unusual RCs, but rather than unusual RCs tend to stay at the front of the line longer.

It's easy to decline an RC, so I don't mind them.  When my book meets the requestor condition, I'm happy to mail it.  And to a certain extent, it's a self-correcting problem.  Someone who has an unreasonable RC will have many requests declined, so will likely either reword or eliminate the RC or end up figuring that the site doesn't work for him.

one of the books has been on my waiting list for 2 years and I waited through over 100 copies to get it, and now I am bumped out of the queue.

Sarah, you're not bumped out of the queue, you will remain at the front of the line.

Diane

I have RC stating no musty smells or smoking because of allergies and then I list out all of the PBS guidelines because I am constantly getting books with water damage or nasty stains.  I just don't like to even touch books with water damage or stains.  Ewww!  You never know what it is.  Some people read in the bathroom, you know?

I really WISH people would just go ahead and decline books that do not meet my RC because then I have to deal with a book that I don't want and asked politely not to receive.  I have reasons for posting my RC and would rather wait for a decent book that won't make me sneeze or my eyes water or gross me out to touch!

People end up sending these types of books anyway and then I have to deal with them saying the book wasn't like that when they sent it.  Ugh!  Sometimes I wonder what good the RC really are if people just ignore them.

I still vote for an "opt out of RCs" option.  After getting blasted here for my response to an RC, I just hit decline without reading them and put a '.' in the box.  Life's too short to worry about if it meets someone's specific requests.  My books meet PBS guidelines.   I've had 2 requests this week.  The first book went to the 3rd person (1st 2 had RCs).  The second book went to the 2nd person. 

"Sometimes I wonder what good the RC really are if people just ignore them."

To me, this is the most salient point of this discussion.  First, everyone is entitled to enact any RC under the sun.  That's a given. But... 

I've come to believe that If someone is going to send you a gross, stained, water-logged book, which is against the rules, they'll send it to you even if your RC's re-state those rules.  If that same someone wouldn't have returned your credit for a RWAP, they still won't for violating your RC's.  If a trader inadvertantly or innocently or unsuspectingly trades an unpostable and they are the type of trader with a conscience, they will refund.  This type of RC won't ensure that they do because they would have anyway and that same RC may drive away many more possible trades than the number of RWAP's they might prevent.

I believe many traders with these rule-re-stating RC's whose book requests are turned down for those RC's believe that they are being spared unpostable books.  That may be true some of the time, but I think it's more likely that they're being turned down just for having RC's a lot of the time and for having RC's which re-state the rules (and sound like an undeserved scolding to good traders) some of the time.   I get that sometimes we receive several unpostables in a row & feel that Something Must Be Done.  While I understand the genesis of the rule-re-stating RC, I just feel that it's probably toothless.  The traders who would have refunded anyway, still will -- the rule-breaking nasty-book swapping traders wouldn't have refunded anyway & still won't. 

I have a feeling that RC's have taken on a life of their own. I understand (and read carefully) RCs that speak about allergies, smoking and things of that sort . I get annoyed when the writer of the RC takes on the respondibilities of TPTB and relist all of the no-nos.  We are all reminded of what the posting guidelines are when we post a book. Does the writer actually believe that we would NOT lie to them when we have already posted a non postable and lied with our response to the system??? Seems kind of cheeky to me.

I just make it a point to take seriously any RC that is there for the "right reasons" - read the help docs about RCs. Any others I just ignore, reject and move oon.

YES, people you ARE calling the veracity of the poster when you rehash the posting guidelines. Perhaps TPTB might like to restate just what an RC is used for.

wc

Why let what some stranger writes in their RC upset you so?  It is so easy to just click decline and write, "does not meet RC's" and move on.  To let something like this disturb you overly, is giving your emotional power to a request for a book.  Fact is - the site allows them PERIOD.  They put no restrictions on them PERIOD.  So. . . people can and do write anything they choose.  It has nothing to do with you or me and everything to do with them.  They aren't insulting ME - they are just taking advantage of an option that this site gives them.

If my book fits, I'll send it.  If not, I decline and never give it another thought.  Life is too short.