I’ve had good luck buying books online from Amazon, Abebooks, Barnes and Noble, and Alibris. Amazon has remarkable service and the best selection of books.
So what do you do when the Returns department rips you off?
I don’t think I’ve ever returned books before–if I did, the service was prompt, meticulous, and honest. But recently I returned some books. In one case, the paper quality was poor. And the return forms indicated that I would receive a FULL refund, minus a few dollars for shipping. Otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered.
So today I looked over the refund emails and was horrified to learn I had received:
$7.05 for a $23.29 boxed set of mass market paperbacks.
$4.62 for an $18.95 Everyman’s Library copy of Dickens’s Barnaby Rudge.
Ye gods! This wasn’t Half Price Books. Why was the Returns department ripping me off?
I told the customer service rep I would like the books sent back to me if I couldn’t have the refund. She explained an item had been marked “damaged.” Does removing the cellophane from a boxed set count as “damage”? And what was wrong with the Dickens book? She gave me the refund.
Watch your back! It’s Christmas time, ho ho ho!
