I just received a book and I am not sure how to mark it. When I was flipping through it after opening it today, I see there are a couple pages with underlining and a few pages with highlighting. It is a book that I will probably keep, as I got it for a reference, but I did think that if it wasn't what I expected, than I would be able to repost it. Now I won't be able to.

Do I mark this received with a problem, and if so, does it give me the option of calling it unpostable by PBS guidelines? This is a new member, joined 5-5-09, so I don't think I will request a credit back, but I do want to make them aware that underlining and highlighting make a book unpostable. I actually feel badly for them, but I know they should have paid more attention to book conditions when they signed up. They sent the book promptly, wrapped it really well, and I received it in 5 days. I hate to make their first or one of their first trades end badly.

What do you think I should do?

Pamla

Yep, I would mark it RWAP. It's definitely not postable and it's important to call people on that (or they'll keep doing it, intentionally or unintentionally). It's completely up to you whether you want to request your credit back. In this case, with the details you mentioned, I probably wouldn't.

P.S. It's nice to go easy on newbies, but if it's one of the specific rules you have to agree to every time you post a book, then there's really not much excuse. And one of those 5 statements is: "My book has no writing, underlining or highlighting on text pages." It's not like they would have had to intensively pore over the help documents to know this.

Is it a text book?  I ask because you said you were going to use it as a reference book.  Textbooks are allowed to have underlining but they are supposed to PM you first and let you know how much underlining there is in the book.

So if it's a textbook then I would mark it ok and then PM the person to let them know that they were supposed to PM you to tell you about the highlighting.  If it's not a textbook then yes-mark it RWP. You do not have to ask for a credit back. That's up to you.

No, it is not a text book. It is on a health subject, but one that I had been recommended. If it gives me the information in a clear manner, and is as useful as it sounded, I wanted to keep it. 

I wasn't sure if I had to automatically request a credit back if I marked it RWAP. The sample email in the Help Center does request the credit back. I am glad to hear it is up to me.

Thanks

You don't have to request your credit back if you don't want to.  Definitely mark it RWAP though so it's on record.

I would do it just like you plan to--mark it RWAP, explain the posting guidelines or send a link to appropriate section in Help Docs, and let them know you don't want a credit returned, although you would be within your rights to ask for it, and other people might do so if they send more problem books. I've done that a couple of times with new folks and one of them actually returned me a credit several months later and thanked me for being nice when she was new.

Cheryl

Even if it were a textbook, the sender did not notify you in advance, so it should be marked RWP regardless.  As others have noted, asking for your credit back is optional, marking it RWP is not optional -- it is your civic PBS duty :-)

Cheers,

Catt