So  I requested a book, one that has plenty in the system. Book appeared to have been sent from 1 state over with DC, but never got here and just timed out yesterday. I then got a PM from the sender saying that she sees the book never made it to me, but maybe her cousin has a copy, would I like her to send that?

 I wrote her back that it would not be necessary, I would give the book another week or 2, then order it from someone else. Media mail does funny things this time of year, and I wasn't stressing out over it. The time difference between her PM and Mine is only a few hours.

WEll, I got a PM back that she already sent out the book she got from her "cousin" and if I get 2, I should just mark the other return to sender. HUH???? Don't ask me if I want you to send a book if you are just going to do what you want to anyway! This makes me think the book was never sent out to begin with. This person has no profile, so i don't know how long she has been a member, but i think she is new since her bookshelf is only 9 books and all have been posted on the same date in Nov. Also, she did not seem very surprised I did not get the book.

My credit was returned, and she was never out one since the book was sent DC. I am just annoyed at the situation, and I was wondering if I should even send her a PM explaining how I did not want her to send out the book, that I want to give FIFO a chance- to be fair- or if I should just give the benefit of the doubt and leave it alone. I guess this is part rant, but any advice is welcome.

I would let it go and avoid her if possible. Sooner or later the fishy ones float to the surface and get netted out.

If there's a record with the post office doesn't that mean that she sent out something?  Or at least paid the postage for it?

The wrapper hold the best information when it gets to you. She may have never mailed it the first time and tried to cover her tracks by offering the second. Was the wrapper reprinted? You can tell from the order on your Books En Route tab. See if the print date is later than the mailed date.

I would let it go too, hopefully you will get at least one copy of this book to read and enjoy.

It is amazing how much time people can spend to come up with ways to cheat a system.  Or maybe she didn't cheat it.  Maybe she just never mailed out the first one.   If no PO appears after the date she says she mailed it (and many times the only time a DC is marked is when it reaches its destination), then she might not have mailed it she just printed it with the latest possible date available and had no reason to reprint it.  Or maybe she sent the "second" one without DC or printing a label at all!  And all this for a book that is used.  So much thought might have been better used in other applications which would be beneficial.  Amazing.

Ruth

Maybe the 1st one came back for some reason and she's embarrassed about it.  I accidentally stuck one in the mail w/o postage one time.  I printed the DC with the intention of adding stamps and then forgot the stamps.  Luckily my mail man was very nice and caught it before I had to pay return postage or have it arrive postage due. PBS suggests, when a book goes lost, that wait a few weeks to reorder one anyway. If you get a book from her and it's in good condition-then mark it received. Make a note of the mailing date, which will go on her record. If she has a lot of late mailings or books going lost she'll get a "Please Mail on Time" reminder from PBS.  Life happens sometimes.  If she's new maybe she didn't realize how many books she'd be sending out-then with the Holidays ran out of time, got busy and forgot to mail, put the wrong postage or something.  

If the DC just says electronic info received-that just means PBS DC was purchased.  If it was actually scanned at a post office somewhre then the book was mailed. 

So I went to my transaction archive and saw this:

Delivery Confirmation Events

1. 12/8/2008 1:00 AM ET - Electronic Shipping Info Received - NEW KENSINGTON, PA
2. 1/3/2009 4:10 PM ET - Delivered - NEW KENSINGTON, PA
3. 1/3/2009 9:29 PM ET - Enroute - PITTSBURGH, PA

So it seems like the book was returned to her and she sent the same book out to me, judging from the times of my PM's. I understand that things happen, I just wish she would have been honest about the book getting returned to her instead of making up a story about her cousin.

It did cross my mind not to mark the book received when I do get it, but I'm too much af a goody-two-shoes to do that. I just hope it's not RWAP.