Now that people cleared up my stain on the edges question, I have a situation that I'm not certain how to resolve. 

I had the first book of a trilogy Wish Listed and it was recently granted. A few days after the sender marked it mailed, they sent me a PM saying they messed up. They thought I had ordered two books, printed two mailing labels, and sent me the second book in the trilogy along with the first one. Then they said I was welcome to keep the second one if I wanted, with no mention of demanding a second credit (though I privately decided that I wanted to second them one when the books arrived)

The box, with one mailing label on it, arrived with the books, one wrapped up in a second seperate mailing label, inside. But here's the problem. The first book, the one I officially ordered through PBS, has a stain on it that makes it unpostable. But the second book, the accidental freebie they sent, is in fine condition, like new really.

So, what should I do? I would still like the sender to get at least one credit because the second book is in good condition but I need to mark the other one RWAP. Though I'm not sure I even want to demand my credit back for the RWAP one, I just want the sender made known of it.

My guess is the sender knew the first book was unpostable and deliberately sent the second book to atone for the first. Personally, I would consider my credit spent on the second book with the first thrown as a bonus. They didn't ask for another credit because they knew they were at fault. I'm assuming the second book in the trilogy is one you wanted also. If so, I'd just let it go; send no additional credit but not RWAP either since you got one fine book on your WL for one credit. If you didn't want the second book, then by all means RWAP. Others may have a more principled view about sender's deliberately "getting around" the system but you got one good book you wanted for one credit so that's would be the determining factor for me.

You can mark the book Received With a Problem / Damaged by Sender and not ask for your credit back. When you fill out the message to sender part of the form, just say there was a problem with the first book, but the second book is fine so you're not asking for a credit refund.

The fact that she wrapped the second book in a second copy of the label supports her story that she got mixed up and printed the wrappers twice. She recognized that she had two packages going to the same address before she mailed, so she combined them into one package.

I'm with Bruce as far as suspecting that the second book was sent as a secret "atonement" book. As Cathy said, you could mark the first book as RWAP (and can skip asking for a credit return) especially if you want to get an undamaged copy of the first book. If you mark RWAP, you'll go back to the top of the waiting list. If you don't, you'll have to re-add it to your WL and you'll go to the end of the line.

There's also the fact that you may not have even wanted the second book. If that were the case, would you still have felt it was okay to pay a credit for it? It kind of puts you in a bad position.

I would RWAP it so that there's a record of the damage and not ask for a credit back, especially if the second (unasked for) book is also wishlisted, knowing that I can repost that one and recoup the credit.  The RWAP will put you back at the top of the wishlist, but unless you wanted a keeper for your bookshelf, you could remove it from your wishlist so that you don't end up with two copies of the same book. 

I don't necesarily agree that the sender knew she was sending an unpostable book.  It would have been cheaper and easier for her to just cancel the request for the first book, miss out on the credit and not have lost out on the cost of the second book plus the postage to mail it.  Who knows why people do things? 

>>>My guess is the sender knew the first book was unpostable and deliberately sent the second book to atone for the first<<<

I've been getting some like this......this practice NEEDS to be discouraged.  I had somebody accept an order, for a WL book I've been waiting for, which they POSTED to the SYSTEM.

Then they pmed me to tell me it has highlighting and writing all over the cover.  Did I still want it? (I was the only wisher)

This is "fishing" to me, and I don't like it.  If the book isn't postable then don't post it.  

Put it in the Bazaar under WL Unpostables.  Somebody will still pick it up.

I've been getting some like this......this practice NEEDS to be discouraged.  I had somebody accept an order, for a WL book I've been waiting for, which they POSTED to the SYSTEM.

Then they pmed me to tell me it has highlighting and writing all over the cover.  Did I still want it? (I was the only wisher)

This is "fishing" to me, and I don't like it.  If the book isn't postable then don't post it.  

Actually, I believe that person was probably operating within the rules, following the textbook exception (although one could possibly make a case that the cover is not a text page and even sending the PM was not necessary.)  

Cover:

• Must both be present (front and back)
  • note that a paperback missing its front cover is  usually an illegal, unsold copy
  • "cover" does not = dust jacket.  Hardcovers do not need to include their dust jackets to be swapped here.
• Cover not water damaged (there may be no water damage to any part of the book)
• Cover not torn or chewed/gnawed
  • some used book stores cut out a small part of the cover; if the amount missing is less than 1 square inch, this is OKAY
  • a small rip (less than 1 inch) in the cover is OKAY
  • yes, that does say "chewed/gnawed" above.  That means no pet-chewed (or human-chewed) books.
• A bookplate inside the cover or on the flyleaf is OKAY

Exception: if it is a textbook or workbook, these are expected to have highlighting/underlining/writing

• if you post a textbook/workbook, the condition must be described to the requestor in a Personal Message
• AND the described condition MUST BE AGREED TO in a reply PM before the book is sent
• You can use the PM button on the request on your My Account page to send a message
• This is the one of the ONLY three cases in which a PM exchange about a book is required before the book can be sent (the others are for travel guidebooks and cookbooks--see below).

Actually, the way the system and rules are designed, it does not matter what the "objective definition" of a textbook is.  The club members decide this - as long as the rules in the Book Condition Criteria for 'Swappability' at PBS are followed.  See the explanation and examples below.

If a member considers her book a textbook she may Post it with underlining/highlighting/writing on text pages, according to the "textbook exception" in the Book Condition Criteria for 'Swappability' at PBS; BUT since the textbook exception in theBook Condition Criteria for 'Swappability' at PBS require her to contact the requestor and obtain PM consent to the book's condition, she won't be in the position of sending a "stealth textbook" to someone who doesn't expect to receive one.

You can mark the book Received With a Problem / Damaged by Sender and not ask for your credit back.

I agree. Marking the book RWAP/Damaged by Sender puts you back at the top of the wish list for that book.

>>>Actually, I believe that person was probably operating within the rules, following the textbook exception (although one could possibly make a case that the cover is not a text page and even sending the PM was not necessary.)  <<<

1)  This was not a textbook

2)  I did not make it clear in my post........ There was also highligting inside the book ( as well as the writing on the cover.)

Sorry, but I'm not going to encourage fishing by members sending out boooks that should not be posted into the system in the first place.. 

>>>Actually, I believe that person was probably operating within the rules, following the textbook exception (although one could possibly make a case that the cover is not a text page and even sending the PM was not necessary.)  <<<

1)  This was not a textbook

Any book can be posted under the textbook rule, regardless of if it is an official textbook or not.  Some fiction books are used in classrooms, therefore, they are considered "text books"  Rather than PBS find out every book that is being used in every class, they just made the blanket rule that all books can be textbooks.

However, if there is any writing whatsoever on the text pages, they MUST PM the requestor before sending it.  If not, then the book can be RWAP if the requestor didn't want a book with highlighting.

Wintertriangle,

I have a book that is not really a textbook, but it could have been used in a Sunday school class setting. It's in great condition, except it has some highlighted and underlined text.  It is 100% readable.  It is not a "novel" or "fiction".   It has 20 wishers.

So I followed the PBS rules about contacting the wisher regarding the condition.  She decided she did not want it, so I cancelled the transaction and no hard feelings.

I am not "fishing" for a credit. 

Guess I'll just delete it.

MaryF

Even novels can easily classify as textbooks.  Raise your hand if you read "Pride and Prejudice" or "For Whom the Bell Tolls" in school.  Uh huh, I see hands shooting up everywhere. 

If unfair to accuse someone of doing something unfair or dishonest, "fishing," when they're following PBS guidelines for textbooks, which are well documented and available for every member to read.

(Edited to correct stupid fingers typo)

Thanks for clarifying the correct reading of the sentence: (highlighting inside) and (writing on the cover). 

Then the person was still operating within the rules for the "textbook exception" by PM you first. 

Therefore, I agree with BookwormKath that it's unfair to accuse some[one] of doing something unfair or dishonest, "fishing," when they're following PBS guidelines for textbooks, which are well documented and available for every member to read.

In my experience, most people still wanted the book when they know about text page markings. (My books were textbooks, workbooks, or WL/have few copies in the system). 

I am an college student and we use a number of books in the classroom that are not "textbooks" but are ethnographies or other nonfiction works. And I do post them here, and PM members who request them to let them know my books have some highlighting or underlining in them. We're reading Leaves of Grass in my poetry class- it's a textbook now, and if I were to post it after doing any marking I would let the member know. So I don't think it's fishing. I've gotten a lot of good nonfiction books that wouldnt' have been posted without the "textbook" exception.

Thank you......... I learned something here.   I've got at least 30 books I can now post into the system, and will put a note to myself to PM the receiver that there is highlighting.  All of them are wishlisted, so I guess that's good.  

But-----I think they should also make it a rule that when you decline the book, (in my case, it was a dieting book) that the potential sender HAS to cancel the order immediately upon receiving your PM.

That didn't happen in my case.   I declined the book, and I was the only wisher, and theirs was the only copy in the system.

 This was really annoying, and held up my ability to actually receive a clean, non-highlighted book from somebody else.  I had to keep PMing them to ask them to cancel.  Then, as soon as they reposted the book, i would be offered it again. 

I guess I just need an RC.  I hate making an RC.   Some people will just turn down all RCs, so I've never had one.  I guess I need one.  :)