I requested a book on 7/17, the request was accepted on 7/20, and the date mailed was 7/24.  There isn't any sort of tracking information at all, so I am thinking that maybe the sender *thinks* they mailed it but may have accidentally forgotten.  She has until 8/21 until the date of system action. 

Should I send her a message asking if she mailed it?  Or should I just wait until 8/21?  I've ordered other books before and after this date, and I'e received all of them.  I am still relatively new here, so I'm unsure of how everything works.

What happens on 8/21 if the book still hasn't arrived?  Do I get my credit back? 

I'd wait until it was about to go lost and then say you you haven't received it yet but will mark it received from your transaction archive when it arrives.

I usually send a polite PM a few days before it is going to get marked lost ... something like this

"Hi, I see that TITLE OF BOOK is going to be marked lost by PBS soon. I wanted to let you know that I didn't forget to mark it received, it just hasn't arrived yet. I am keeping an eye out for it. If you happen to remember anything that might have delayed the mailing of the book, could you please let me know? Thanks very much!"

Some people will take offense if you ask them outright whether or not the book was mailed.

And, yes, if the book does not arrive and gets marked lost by the system, then you will get your credit back too, automatically.

I'd wait until Friday and then just send a PM saying that I hadn't gotten the book yet and that if it arrives I will mark it received from my Transaction Archive. If there was a problem with sending it, could they please let me know.

pbs also automatically send emails about it.  but when i get the email as a receiver I will pm and say i havent marked it yet cause i have not received it yet, but I will mark it when it arrive.

i wouldn't ask if they sent it, cause they marked it sent and it seems a little rude to ask that.  So if you just say what you have or havent done, then it will remind them without actually saying it.

on the sender end I did send out 3 books on the same day. 2 arrived quickly, but one arrived the day it was going to go lost.  all I could tell that person when they pm'd was sorry, but i did send it.

Okay, thanks, guys!  I felt that it would be a little rude to just out and ask if she'd mailed it.  It would be sort of like I was accusing her of being a liar, which wasn't my intention at all.  I'll wait until Friday and see if it's come in by then, and then if it hasn't, I'll send a message along the lines of what Sara said. 

I always wait until I get the message from PBS saying that the book went lost.  Then I send a PM to the sender saying I'm sorry the book went lost, but I will mark it appropriately as soon as received.  Sometimes I get a response, sometimes not.  Good luck.  I've got two (I requested) that will go lost on Friday.  Pat

I had the same question recently and this was the advice I was given as far as the PM to send:

"Just wanted you to know that the book hasn't arrived yet, but I'm watching for it.  If it arrives after the server marks it lost, I'll mark it received from my transaction archive."  Then I say something that asks for a reply: "Do you have any other info about the package?  Has the package come back to you or anything?  Look forward to hearing for you."

The KEY part was asking them to reply back so you get a hint of what, if anything, happened.   This is a great PM.   This is a keeper.  It's friendly, and let's them know you are expecting a reply.  

good suggestion, Koose!

Well, the book was lost.  I PM'd the member, and I am waiting to see if I hear back from her.  My account was credited back.  Now I have 2 more questions about this whole lost mail thing:

1. Did the person who mailed it have a credit deducted from their account in order for my account to be credited back?

2. If the book comes in and I mark it as received, will a credit be deducted from my account and added back to their account?

Thanks!

1.  Actually no.  The sender would not have a credit deducted from their account when the book went lost...because they do not receive a credit until you mark the book received.  They do not loose a credit b/c they have not received it yet.  The exception to this would be if PBS postage or PBS DC was used, additional fees are charged for those services and include credit guarantee.  For PBS postage, the sender receives credit when they mark the book mailed and I don't believe they loose that credit if the book goes lost.  For e-DC, the sender receives credit after the book receives a USPS scan and do not loose the credit if the book goes lost (b/c of the scan situation, it is apparent the book was in USPS hands).

2. Yes, if the book arrives and you mark it received from your transaction archive, a credit is deducted from your account and is added to the sender's account.  There are only a few conditions under which you do not have to mark the book received.

Check your wishlist, and be careful not to re-order the book for at least two weeks (per Help Documents).  If you re-order the book within that time and the first book arrives, you are obligated to mark both received (2 credits).  If you wait the recommended two weeks, you only have to pony up one credit for the new transaction. 

There may be an exception (isn't there always) if the first order shows proof of mailing on time (such as counter postage), upon rare occassion we do hear reports of books received months (or even a year later) that were actually mailed on time.  But this is really rare, and frankly you're unlikely to have to deal with it.

Check your wishlist, and be careful not to re-order the book for at least two weeks (per Help Documents).  If you re-order the book within that time and the first book arrives, you are obligated to mark both received (2 credits).  If you wait the recommended two weeks, you only have to pony up one credit for the new transaction. 

Not exactly. If the first book was mailed within 2 weeks of the mailing date, even if you get a second copy, you are REQUIRED to mark the first one received too. The ONLY case where you are allowed to NOT mark a book received is if all three things are true:

1. the book was mailed MORE than 2 WEEKS after the mailing date, AND

2. The book goes lost in the PBS system, AND

3. You have ordered or received a second copy of the book (regardless of how long you waited to order the second copy).

Senders have no control over the Post Office, and therefore, if the book is mailed out on time (and for the purposes of this rule, PBS has defined "on time" to be within 2 weeks of the mailing date) ... you are required to mark it received regardless of anything else that goes on.

There may be an exception (isn't there always) if the first order shows proof of mailing on time (such as counter postage),

Actually you are supposed to assume that it was mailed on time unless there is PROOF that it wasn't. Not the other way round.

Here is the PBS rule:

Scenario #3:  If you requested a book from one sender, and then another copy from another sender, you must mark both copies received when you get them. *see the one exception to this below

*There is an exception for late-mailed books:

• If a book was mailed more than 2 weeks late without notice to you about late mailing before it was mailed and
• was already declared Lost at PBS before it arrives, and
• you re-requested the book after it was declared "lost in the mail"  and
• you end up with 2 copies, THEN
• you do not have to mark the late-mailed-without-notice copy received.
  • Note: the late mailing must be confirmed- either the sender has told you this or the postmark on the package confirms it.  Sometimes Media Mail takes a long time, so a late-arriving book cannot be presumed to have been mailed late.
• The rules governing late-mailing are:
  • If a sender wants to mail a book that has been declared Lost at PBS already she needs to contact you with a Personal Message asking you to confirm that you still want the book from her, and
  • You would need to have confirmed that you still wanted her copy of the book in a Personal Message in reply to hers before she mailed it.
• The bottom line: If a sender sends a book late without getting confirmation from you that you have not gotten or requested another copy in the meantime, and you end up with two copies of the book, the sender has made the mistake here.  In this case (and ONLY in this case) you are not obligated to mark the lost book received (nor are you obligated to return the extra copy).