Hello all.   I'm a long-time member, first-time poster.   What do you think I should do?

I recently sent a book to a member who requested books from non-smoking homes only.  I agree with him, that's gross and I don't like it either.  This particular book had been sitting on my shelf since 2016 when another member sent it to me.  Nobody in my house smokes.  It didn't smell.

I replied to the requestor by sending all of the above information and asking if he was sure my book was the offending agent.  He responded, in toto:

"Do you think maybe my dog has been sneaking butts behind the woodshed? Of course it's coming from the book. Why else would I be contacting you?"

On the one hand, that's pretty funny, so part of me wants to send the credit.  On the other hand, it's also a little rude, and I don't want to encourage that.  Also, it doesn't seem fair that I have to send the credit, just because.  Unfortunately the nature of the system requires a lot of trust, which I understand. 

Finally, I don't know if it's relevant, but I can afford the credit, it's not like I'm on a limited budget.  So should I just go along to get along?

Thank you all for your input in advance.

I've heard of some mail carrier's smoking in their vehicles. I learned that sometimes when packing tap gets hot, it gives off a cigarette odor. His RC clearly states non-smoking homes only and your home is non-smoking. So, if it was me, I wouldn't return the credit.

I have the no smloking RC too and a few years ago got several books in close proximity that smelled of smoke, but the senders swore they had no smokers in their homes and the books didn't smell when they were mailed. So I accepted that I couldn't 'prove' they had violated my RC and did everything that is described here to try to remove the odor. 

but, I could smell it on the outside packiaging too. So I went to my PO to mention that I was getting packages reeking of cigarette smoke. Guess what? Turns out the side of the PO where they sort packages was often open to the elements ( like several garage doors along a whole wall), and workers were standing near that opening smoking during their breaks with the packages in the carts beside them.......so I patted myself on the back for playing detective and solving this. With my complaint filed with the postmaster and me reminding him that Public health law requires all smoking be done in a designated smoking area or at least 50 feet from any doorway ( whether  open or closed), I got my problem solved..... no more packages received smelling like that on outside of package anymore. 

Jeanne,

Good for  you. Decades ago, 1991 to be exact, I worked in a building at UF which had been declared non-smoking. But there were a lot of Ph.D.s. who also worked in that building and some who smoked felt that rule didn't apply to them because they were Ph.D.s and were therefore God-like. When I'd remind them of the rule they'd often refuse to put it out and some of them even yelled and cursed at me. Fortunately, the department chair didn't smoke and enforced the rules. Of course, now the entire campus, including right up to the property lines, is non-smoking.  This means 2,000 acres are a non-smoking area, and this doesn't include all the research centers, medical buildings, etc. in my county and state-wide which are not part of the main campus.

Some of the reasons the smokers came up with to try and get the rule abolished were really interesting. At a faculty meeting, when this was under serious discussion, one Ph.D. said he smoked a pipe every night and has never had cancer. I knew a bit about him and asked him, "Weren't you in the 17th U.S. Airborne Division in World War II?"

When he replied, "Yes," I then asked him if he was ever wounded or killed. He said he wasn't, and so I then said, "Well, that proves it. No one ever gets hurt in a war." 

Sometimes it's fun to argue with people who take a stupid stand based solely on their personal biases. I've taken that kind of stand more than once in my life. Which is how I learned it's better to admit it when I'm wrong.

I had the exact same scenario once (but without the humor) years ago... and it was a book I had bought new.  In a kneejerk reaction I did refund the credit because I was freaked out by the accusation, but I regretted it later.  It was the last time I ever accepted a RC having anything to do with scent (of any kind). 

With any kind of rc that talks about cigarette smoke or smoke in general... It takes one person to kind of ruin that for everything else.

If this happened to me, I would be honest and say my house is smoke free.. The rc as you outlined that the book cannot come from a smokers' home has been fulfilled. 

I have also had to deal with this sort of comment on books I've sent. I point out that I'm not responsible for where the book has been before I got it. In one irritating case I resorted to sending the PMs to TPTB via the 'contact us' button after sending the complainer a credit just to shut them up. Some time later I had the credit returned to me. I don't remember if that was from TPTB  or if they insisted the complainer return it.

I have a RC and I added current household. You can't tell the history of the book. I would gladly have accepted your book.

As Amber said above, postal employees aren't supposed to smoke in their vehicls, but some do. I would ask the requester if the outer wrappings smelled of smoke. If so, it's not on you, it's on someone along the way. Good luck. Pat

I have a no-tobacco odor RC. I appreciate it when members who smoke deny my request. But I just received his one:

                               "I do not accept requests with restrictive conditions"

I didn't think you could refuse a request by stating that here.  I'm not going to make an issue of it, but that member has a probkem.

It's okay for members to place pretty much any conditions they want on their requests, and it's okay for members to deny an RC for any reason, including that they don't accept any RCs, as long as they aren't rude about it.

Oh, well. That's another learning experience.

"...but that member has a problem."

Really?  I guess I'm one with a problem then.  I reject all scent RCs and say that in my response.