I would mark it received with a problem.  I just had to decline an order because when I went to ship the book I realized that it was listed as hard cover in the system instead of paperback.  I had received the book under a hard cover swap and didn't notice it because I really don't care if it is hard or soft cover.

But you didn't receive the book--so why would you mark it received.  I haven't marked the book I ordered received from a sender, because I got a completely different book--which I mailed to someone else, so right now, I'm out the credit, out postage for the other book--and the book I ordered isn't here.  It seems like the book I ordered should get here before I mark it received, is that wrong? 

That is, in fact, wrong.

One of the "Received With A Problem" categories is "wrong book".

The Help Center describes this exact situation - there should be no confusion. If you receive a book, and there is a problem with it, you are supposed to mark it "Received With A Problem".

Why erase your post? Kinda makes us wonder what the heck you wrote. If you got the advice you needed, you could have just written "thanks, problem solved."

I hate it when OPs erase their post.

This is what it says in help--I don't see where I'm supposed to mark the book received before I receive the book I'm not in possession of.  I sent on the wrong book, I'm sure the person who got the wrong book will send it, and then I'll mark it received, as it says to do here).If you received a book you didn't request (a title you don't recognize), most likely the sender put the wrong book into the PBS Wrapper with your address on it.  If this was a single-book shipment, the book you received may have been requested by another member, who may have gotten your book.  It is also possible that the sender reprinted a wrapper she or he used to send you a book in the past, and sent this book to you instead of to its proper requestor.  If this is a multiple-book shipment, the sender may have sent you a book intended for another member, or may have mixed up a Box-O-Books shipment.

How to find the sender of the book to sort this out:

• Go to the Books en Route tab in My Account.   You can get there by clicking My Account in the toolbar at the top of the site, and then clicking the Books en Route tab (behind the Books to Mail tab).
  • Compare the state of origin on the package return address with the state of origin of each book on your Books en Route tab in My Account.  The state shows on the right of the transaction, in the "speech bubble" containing your address.
  • If there is a book that is listed there as coming from the same state, click on the transaction and send a Personal Message to this sender asking if she sent you this book by mistake.
  • If she did,
  • and sent your book to another requestor, she can offer each of you credit or postage to send the books to one another; the sender can provide the addresses in Personal Messages.  When each of you get the correct books, you can mark them received.
  • and she still has the book she was supposed to send you, she can offer to send the correct book to you. You are not obligated to send the extra book back to her, but it is a nice thing to do the sender is a new member.

"This is what it says in help--I don't see where I'm supposed to mark the book received before I receive the book I'm not in possession of. "

No, that's NOT what it says in Help about problems with books you've received - that's what it says about how to find out who sent you a book you weren't expecting.

To be as clear as possible - The very first type of official "problem" is "Wrong Book".  If someone sends you the wrong book, just mark it as Received With A Problem - Wrong Book.

HERE is what the Help Center says. Please follow the rules and refrain from trying to game the system.

------------------------------

There is a problem with a book I received!

• "Official" problems (Wrong books/Inappropriate items, Damaged books, Damaged by USPS books, and books that violate Requestor Conditions) are marked as such during the process of marking the book received (see below for instructions)

   

  Wrong Book

  • This includes inappropriate items such as ARCs or leaflets/pamphlets/booklets without ISBNs
  • This includes the wrong versions of books (ie, the ISBN, title, author or booktype of the book you received doesn't match the PBS listing of the book you requested)
• Books that arrive with one of the "official" problems listed above (Wrong book/inappropriate item ie ARC, Damaged, Damaged by USPS, Requestor Conditions Violation) need to be marked "Received, but with a problem" from the En Route to Me tab in My Account. 
• To do this:
  • Click on the transaction
  • Click
    • if this button does not appear on the Book Received page, read Why don't I see the *There is a problem with this book* option when I mark my book received?
  • Choose from the Problem options.  
    • This will generate an email from PBS to the sender notifying them that she or he has had a book marked received with a problem, and telling her/him that she or he may receive a Personal Message from the requestor.

• On the next screen:
  • At the top of the page:You can send a Personal Message to the sender to discuss the problem.
    • Please be gentle!  No one wants to send a problem book.
    • Your Personal Message should mention the title of the book, and it can also ask for the sender to refund the credit, if you feel this is warranted.
    • Please remember that it is possible that you did not receive the problem book from that sender. 
      • If an earlier sender sent a book but never marked it mailed, you could be getting 2 copies of this book, and the "problem" copy would not necessarily be the active transaction on your En Route to Me tab.
      • Please see the Help item I received 2 copies of the same book! for more information about this situation.

• At the bottom of the page: type in a description of the problem.  This information will be seen only by us.  It is very helpful to be as specific as possible.
• Click Continue.
• Doing this grants credit to the sender; it also records a Problem swap on his or her account record.
  • We will not adjudicate individual problem swaps
  • We will intervene if a sender's account shows a pattern of problem sending

Never mind--it's not worth the effort.

Sure seems that way.

Lynn - In your situation did you find out that the books were sent to the wrong people and you agreed to send the incorrect book on to the right person and wait until you got the book you were expecting? If that is your situation, then you are correct in how you handled it, you can wait until the situation is corrected before marking the book correctly. In your original post it appears like maybe you got a wrong book and just reposted it and sent it out without the original orders being fixed. If the original order is not fixed and you keep the book you received, then you should mark the book received with a problem. The way I interpret the help section, the part you quote is the first step, trying to fix the orders. If the sender does not work to fix the problem, then the help everyone else is quoting is the next step. I think everyone is just talking apples and oranges. 

It looks like it makes a difference in whether the "wrong" book recieved is an instance of  the sender mixing up and sending out two different books, sending each to the other's requestor (which is what I believe Lynn is talking about ), or the more common instance of a sender simply sending the wrong book (whether wrong type, ISBN, title, whatever) to a single requestor. In the latter case, your actions are clearly delineated - you report it - and then, try to address fixing it.

In the former case however, it does seem more confusing. It seems like the Help Center is indicating you should try to arrange a swap before reporting the book as arrived. I guess that makes sense, as there's more than one book involved then, whereas if there is only ONE book that's been sent out, you just mark it arrived with a problem (it's the only book, so there's no third party to involve).

So apples and oranges may be correct. My apologies if I misunderstood you, Lynn. Your comments regarding not receiving the book you wanted have been used in other contexts, inappropriately, while it appears they are appropriate in the case you may be referring to.

Thank you Melanie, that's exactly what I did.  And I've been in contact with the librarian, who verified that was the right thing, and rereading the original post I can see how that might be misinterpreted since you aren't privy to all the details going through my mind as I typed it. You know, like the old saying, listen to what I mean, not what I say--sorry for causing so much confusion.

It does seem that the Help Center could be a little more clear as to the differences in which approach applies to which problem. My apologies as well.