some time back, I posted a request for a book, and the original requestee (?) did not respond, so the book request went to another person, who sent me the book. I just today received the book again, this time from the original person, with the original book wrapper she must have printed when the request went to her. I don't know what I am supposed to do. Should I send her 1 credit? I already have one copy of the book from the second person who responded on time. I don't really want two copies of this book. How do I handle this?

Edited for new information

I just realized that the Postmark on this is July 5th! Who knows what corner of the post office this has been sitting in!

NO --do not send her/him a credit. They did not respond in a timely manner--even if they mailed the book.

The book evidently was never marked mailed or you would have been getting Club reminder emails.

I'm confuselzed?  If they accepted and printed the wrapper, how could it have gone to the next person?  And if they sent it, did they mark it sent - way back in July?  Or ever? 

If they accepted and printed the wrapper, how could it have gone to the next person

Because they never marked the book as being mailed so the system canceled the order and sent it to the next person in the FIFO line. Then, despite NOT marking it mailed, they mailed it anyway...probably never realizing the sytem canceled the order and removed the book from their shelf.

Okay, my reading of this is, you don't have to give a credit--but considering she did send it, it would be the nice thing to do.  Your call, you could of course, repost the book you just received since you have another copy.

Thank you Charlie.  :>)

Playing devil's advocate here, even tho it is my actual opinion. Lynn, so you are saying that it is ok that this sender ignored the rules, and that Kristin should give up a second credit because the sender couldn't be bothered to follow the rules? If Kristin gives her the credit, what's to help her learn that she HAS to mail her books on time to get her credit? I mean, she did't even bother to send an apology or anything!

I've given a credit for a book that wasn't marked before it timed out, BUT and only WHEN the person PM'd me in time before the second book was ordered. Sure, she could list it and get her credit back, but she would have to pay shipping on the book to get it, which means she paid to get her own credit back. The credit she paid postage on another book to get.

Does that make better sense as to why Kristin should not  give the late sender a credit?  Not meaning to sound crabby, but just wanting to help you see that it's not at all fair to give that person a credit.

Well the OP said it was postmarked 7/5.  Was the book reported mailed and then reported lost and reordered or passed on in the FIFO system?  If the USPO lost the book for 2.5 months it's not the senders fault.  Was the post mark 7/5 or was the label printed on 7/5 that's the decider. If the label was printed 7/5 but not mailed until now then she should not give the sender a credit. 

I thank all of you for your input. I am undecided as to how to respond, but at least I think I can see how this happened. I think Charlie M. is right... the wrapper was printed, but the sender never marked the book as mailed.  My request was then sent to the next person on the FIFO list to mail out, and I got that one in a timely manner. What I don't understand is why the mystery book was never marked as mailed. And just what was the Post Office doing with this book for almost 3 months?  I do wish this person had been more careful. I hate to have her book and she didn't get the credit, but Sherry is right, too. I guess I will just repost it, but it still feels like stealing. And stealing a BOOK, well, that feels even worse.

As Charlie Brown would say, "AAAAUUUUGGGHH!!"

Thank you, all of you, for your input. I really appreciate it, especially helping me to understand how this happened.

I'm sorry. I think Sherry is right. It's not your fault that she didn't mark it mailed and the system cancelled the order from her. You can check that in your transaction archive. If she mailed it but then it was marked lost in the mail then it's a bit different. But just the fact that she never marked it as mailed should be a lesson to her. I think a lot of us here have learned that the hard way. I had a book get cancelled because I had forgotten to mark it mailed tho I had already mailed it. Luckily, I caught it before it went to the next in FIFO and she just requested it from me again.

The rules are what makes PBS work. I don't think we should second guess how R & R set it up. It's right there in B&W.

I've read in a few other threads where someone mailed a book in Jan and it showed up in July...now that book was taking the scenic route!

Your transaction archive should tell you if the book was marked mailed and then lost in the mail, so a second copy was ordered, or if the original request simply timed out and went to the next person in FIFO.

If the first occurred, yes, I would say you do owe her a credit. She shouldn't be penalized because the post office lost the book for over 2 months. If it's the second case, you don't owe her a credit, it says so right in the help files, and it's your choice whether or not you want to give her one.

I did as Bren suggested and looked in my Transaction Archive (I didn't even know there was such a thing! Will wonders never cease.) the book was never marked as mailed, and I was given the choice of giving her the credit, ignoring the whole thing and removing it from the transaction list, or just saying no, I received it but don't send the credit.  My hand wavered over the choices, and finally I decided she deserves the credit. It may be she wasn't able to get to her computer in time. I just went thru a computer crash and we lived with a laptop borrowed from my brother and my kindly next-door-neighbor's Wireless internet until we got our new computer and got it all hooked up. I know I was in panic about the books I had going at the time. I would hate to think she missed out just because of something like that. I prefer to think the best of people, it makes life easier to take.

Thanks to all of you. I couldn't have resolved this without all your input and information.

Is this a great club or what?!