I've been thinking we should do a "funniest home video" thing....only "worst user story" thing. Maybe give out make-up awards for being the best sport to the meanest/rudest/laziest/dullest/ect user. Anyone got some possibly humerous tales of woe? Like "This person sent me this book with the weirdest gook on the cover....that eventually hatched into creppy crawlies...ect"

Hi Britanny,

This forum is for help and questions about PBS. Check out the Club Members' Thoughts forum. It has some very interesting subjects.

Daniel

You couldn't use any names when doing that. If you posted the name of someone who sent you a bad book there would be an uproar about it.

Circumvent that, b*tch!

I really think you win.

I had a lady who sent me a book with water damage, that "being of suspicious mind" she thinks I have developed a clever ruse to hang on to my credits!  Boy did we have fun with that on the CMT forum!  I had fellow pbs members wanting to be my minions in my evil plot to steal all book credits!  It was sooo funny!  I never did get the credit back.....

I had a member accuse me of postal fraud for sending her what she claimed was a damaged book! Not only did she have no case, the book was a once-read hardcover I had just bought at B&N the week before I sent it! She actually went so far as to tell me she would have me arrested for fraud if I didn't send her either 3 credits or a brand new copy of the book from Amazon. That was on another book swap site though, not here.

So, Bren, you can add blackmail to your list of bad requesters!  That's interesting!

Ruth

Similar to Carol's story, I had someone tell me, after she received the book she ordered, which is what I had posted but not the version she actually wanted [so she neglected to check the ISBN] that I "got what I wanted for the book" e.g., a credit.  Clearly I had been up all night to figure out how to swindle that credit out of her!

One member who - after refunding my credit for sending an unpostable book - gleefully tried to guilt me by saying now the "book is better than free!" 

um, no

I ordered 5 audiobooks (a series) from a member.  When I received them, they had been burned on a pc.  The member replied that she didn't know about the rules for posting audiobooks, but she had checked (even though she didn't know!) and PBS had said it was ok.  PBS had to intercede to get my 10 credits back.

Another time, I was sent a PHOTOCOPY of a book - a teacher's book - and the member said that none of the other members had complained when they received photocopies.  Oh, and yes they would refund my credit when I sent the unbound, photocopied (breaking copyright) copy back to them at my own expense.  PBS had to intercede again - and banned the member.

Recently I was asked for a deal.  Originally I agreed to it, but bells began to go off during communications and I felt that I was going to be scammed.   I "unaccepted" the books I was going to send. Boy, I received several irate emails about how I had cost them credits because now they were going to have to use credits to request the books from someone else!  Excuse me - aren't these the same credits you "said" you were going to use for the books you ordered from me?

Luckily, it has taken a couple of years to accumulate these examples...good PBS experiences far outnumber the bad!

Though I like the ones where the member accused the P.O. of tampering with and damaging books, I think that "Snoody B*tch"'s recent go-round has to take the cake.  Un-believe-able. 

photocopies and burned cd's of books? Wow. Not only are we breaking PBS rules...but also federal copyright rules. That's pretty bad!

I just received 2 books in the mail from 1 member. Both books has fingerprint stains on multiple pages and 1 of the books still had bits of dried food in it.. Of course I marked them both RWAP..And the person should know better they've been a member for 4 years! I haven't heard back from them yet.. We'll see what happens.

I RWAP a book yesterday, the sender informed me, it got messed up in her backpack and she thought it was ok, she would return my credit when she got one, and "in the meantime send back my book".     I advised her she should read the help docs to see what was postable, and reminded her that when I marked the book received she receieved my credit.  I also let her know PBS policy on returning books, I told her I would be more than happy to send it back after she returned my credit and either sent me postage, or an additional credit.

She replied oh, I didn't know I had a credit (she did send)  and then graciously informed me that even though she didn't think it was fair at all that I got her book and her credit, she would let me have it.   Oh...and btw  the book sucked anyway.

After I read that I couldn't help but laugh, I pictured some little kid "that's not fair, it sucks, I'm taking my ball and going home!!!" LOL

The CD copy of 5 audiobooks takes the cake so far!  I need to go read the other posts for a morning laugh.

I have only had RWAP and I hope that remains the case.  At first the person couldn't believe it was possible-she is a new member and said all her other books have been recieved fine and refused to return the credit.  She implied that I must of done something to the book on my end.  I suggested she start wrapping her books in plastic-maybe it happened in transit?  She only used the print out as wrapping and not much tape.  It wasn't opened, but I didn't need scissors to open the package.

Then about 2 days later she returned my credit with no explanation other than she returned it.  Maybe someone else received a damaged book? It was wierd.