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Back order policy at RR - rant


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They now charge 10.00 to send the rest of your books right away if one is back ordered. :( it seems that every single time I order, something is back ordered...I try so hard to give them my business but I did feel frustrated that I had to pay 10 bucks to ship the rest of my stuff instead of waiting for the back ordered book. And that's a book that was cheaper on amazon. But I bought it with my order to give them the business.

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They will only hold your order for a maximum of five business days. I don't pay to have the books shipped, I just wait the five extra days. I'm sure RR is trying to keep their prices down by not overstocking merchandise. I'll admit, if I need a book in a hurry I order it from Amazon instead. 

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They now charge 10.00 to send the rest of your books right away if one is back ordered. :( it seems that every single time I order, something is back ordered...I try so hard to give them my business but I did feel frustrated that I had to pay 10 bucks to ship the rest of my stuff instead of waiting for the back ordered book. And that's a book that was cheaper on amazon. But I bought it with my order to give them the business.

So there is an incentive NOT to have the books in stock because the company extracts more money from the customer when it is unprepared.  Seems like bad business to me, and not something I would reward.

 

I don't know what RR is....but maybe you can order the books elsewhere?  I order texts from Amazon and get them in a day or two. 

Oops, edited:  Reading Rainbow, right?  Just use Amazon.

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So there is an incentive NOT to have the books in stock because the company extracts more money from the customer when it is unprepared. Seems like bad business to me, and not something I would reward.

 

I don't know what RR is....but maybe you can order the books elsewhere? I order texts from Amazon and get them in a day or two.

Oops, edited: Reading Rainbow, right? Just use Amazon.

Lol, RR is Rainbow Resource. You aren't a newbie .... You really haven't ordered from them before? They are usually cheaper than Amazon.

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I've never placed an order with them that doesn't have a back order.

In general, I'm not sure why everyone raves about them - I don't care for them. If something is cheaper with them, it isn't by much. I'd rather order directly from Amazon if it's much cheaper on Amazon, or from the publisher if my only other option is RR.

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I'm another person who always seems to have at least one ordered item on backorder.  The waiting a max of 5 days before shipping the rest appears to be a new policy though, at least since the last time I ordered.  That is one I can live with as my order is only delayed by 5 days from what it would have been.  Funny thing though is that my backordered item arrived the day after my order because they sent the backordered item 1st class and the rest media or whatever is slowest on earth. 

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Lol, RR is Rainbow Resource. You aren't a newbie .... You really haven't ordered from them before? They are usually cheaper than Amazon.

 

That really, really depends. When I am ready to order my materials for the coming school year I open up two windows, one with amazon and one Rainbow, and I compare prices. 100% of the time my bigger order goes to Amazon. If it is a book that is not a small home school curriculum type book then the odds are good it will be cheaper on Amazon. So, a DH history encyclopedia, or books for science will generally be cheaper on Amazon. And more and more often I am finding large school publishers offer workbooks etc on Amazon and they are included in Prime. Even if it is only 1.00 cheaper on Amazon (which is often is) the free 2 day shipping is very appealing.

 

Plus, with Amazon they have the prices of used material there and I can compare the value of buying it used plus shipping against buying it new with prime.

 

I just wish RR would let you know ahead of time if something is not in stock and will be back ordered. Let me make the decision to include it in my order or not. It is a matter of upgrading their software, that's all.

 

For a long time now, I only order from them if I have no other option. Sometimes it can be better to order those smaller publisher material from Christianbook. But the last time they didn't have a free shipping minimum.

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I have only ordered from RR a couple of times online (I like to buy from them at conventions) and I have always waited nearly an eternity (attn: gross over exaggeration taking place now ;) ) for my order.  The last time I ordered, I waited 20 full business days (that doesn't include all of the holidays and weekends that were also in there) for a book.  I had to call and get it reshipped. :( I don't have good luck with them.  So unless I am going to be buying from them at a convention, I just buy stuff from Amazon.

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The website won't show if an item is out of stock, only if there's a publisher backorder.

 

I placed a big order with RR once years ago, and had a multitude of issues. Since then, I only order one or two items from them at a time, just once or twice a year. I still like getting the catalog, but there are aspects of their customer service that drive me nuts.

 

 

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I just wish RR would let you know ahead of time if something is not in stock and will be back ordered. Let me make the decision to include it in my order or not. It is a matter of upgrading their software, that's all.

 

I've had that same thought, but I'm guessing they don't want to let people know because of course we'd be much less likely to buy those items. Finding out about a backorder after placing an order is always annoying, but people are much more likely to just ride it out. I've only had one package held up for a backorder, and if I'm remembering right I received it within 10 days...Not ideal, but not that big a deal. I've also had 3 items that I waited forEVER for, over 6 months for one, but they didn't hold up the rest of my order, and luckily the item was just something I'd gotten for fun.

 

I stick with them despite the annoyance because at least 3/4 of the time, for the items I've looked at, they're cheaper than Amazon, sometimes significantly so. I've also gotten good deals on non-branded manipulatives, which I wasn't able to find elsewhere. Plus, I get Amazon boxes all the time so even when they include learning materials they don't excite me. Nothing beats the thrill of seeing an RR box waiting outside your door...

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I gave up on RR a long time ago. I have never regretted it. Their shipping takes for.ev.er and their customer service people are rude. They don't have a modern inventory system, and now they want to charge you because they don't stock what they advertise? Unbelievable!

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I find that CBD has very similar prices to RR (sometimes even better) and their customer service is fabulous. I've never had an issue with backorders and their return policy is top notch. Shipping is super fast, too. I order most of my books through CBD or Amazon. RR is a last resort for me, too. Not to mention that CBD usually has a free shipping code out for orders over $35 while RR is over $50. :/ So sorry you are having to deal with this. 

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No- you do not know ahead of time that it's back ordered and it's very very common to have a back order- it seems to happen almost every order. I liked giving my business to a family business but really CBD and amazon both have better policies. I just feel that they should link the inventory to the ordering website so it'll say "on back order" then I just would buy that item else where or wait because their shipping is slow and their processing is slow and then to wait an extra week on top of that is terrible. Last time I waited 3 weeks.

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Funny people would like CBD over RR, imo.  I had the opposite experience.  I had backordered items galore a few years ago with CBD (when I was doing ACE), and couldn't count on getting what I needed at the right time.  I was paying shipping charges, too.  With RR, I've had my first backordered items this year (2 out of 26).  While I'm having a hard time waiting, I'm happy to wait for lower prices!  RR had significantly lower prices for almost everything....I was actually trying to find something on Amazon close to the same price to avoid shipping charges there (but I gave up...the item remains in my basket.)

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I also seem to always have at least one item from my order that's backordered. I wish they would take into account when they'll get it in instead of the hard and fast 5 business day rule. My last order had two backordered items. One to arrive the next day, one they had no idea. The next day item came in, then they waited til the fifth day before shipping the rest. It was another THREE WEEKS before the last item came in (to them, plus ship time to me). They had to have known at the time my first backordered item arrived that the other would not be in any time soon. Why make me wait? No it wasn't urgent that I get my books right away and I'd have ordered from Amazon if it was. But I paid for them and I think it's reasonable to expect them to get the order processed and shipped in a timely manner, not just sit on it for 5 days because THEY had an item available online for purchase that they did NOT have access to. If it showed online as backordered before you order that would be different. But it does not. You have no idea until you get the email saying they're not shipping it out yet.

 

I usually find enough cheaper on RR to place an order or two with them, but this particular practice bothers me. Again it wouldn't if they just made it clear up front what items are on back order.

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I only order stuff from RR that I'm not that excited about receiving. :D

 

Mainly I just use them for new levels of tried and true curriculum (SM, Voyages in English) and replacement workbooks for the younger kids. I also buy those huge Learning Wall maps all the time too. I have never seen them anywhere else and they are totally awesome. Anyway, when it's on backorder, it doesn't bother me because it's generally pretty snooze-worthy stuff. LOL

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If I need it yesterday, I don't order from them if it's backordered and I can get it elsewhere.  Otherwise, the backorders have never been a problem - I have always had my stuff within a week anyway. 

 

Shipping is a significant cost, and it's hard for businesses to compete with Amazon's scale and free shipping (orders over $25 or prime members).  Several times, RR has had an item that I wanted and literally could not locate anywhere else for a reasonable price.  I also appreciate *very much* that they carry secular science materials.  These can sometimes be hard to find.  I'm glad they are in business and I support them whenever it works out for me. 

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Some of my FIAR books were backordered and two of them took over a month to get here. And one of them even took longer than... (I don't remember for sure... 2-3 months?) that I totally forgot about it until I saw it in the mail. Other times, delivery usually took about a week or so. I only order from RR if the items are not listed on Amazon Prime.

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I know why they do it. It's a pain to manage those records and the shipping fees, as well, can really mount when multiple items in a single order are back ordered in a staggered manner. I am still not a huge fan of the policy, but from a business perspective I understand.

 

I, too, only but things in stock or get them elsewhere.

 

My issue with them has been that the orders I buy SAY they're in stock... but they aren't, and I'm not notified of that until after I order.

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I'm surprised to hear so many issues with them because I thought they were very popular. When I had a bad experience with them I thought maybe it was just me. I do try to spread the wealth since I order SO MUCH from Amazon. But I try to buy used from sellers even though we have Prime so it evens out I hope.

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Wow.  How can they charge $10 for backorder shipments when they are the one who doesn't have the item?!  Seems backward to me. 

 

Many, many years ago...I think it was my very first RR order I ever placed (so, this is like nearly 20 years ago), my books arrived from them with a lot of dog hair on them.  I couldn't believe it.  I actually called and complained (wow, I can't believe I had the nerve to do that).  I don't remember what they said...but I do remember I almost decided to never order from them again.  :lol:

 

A friend of mine received a RR order just a few months ago.  In addition to a bunch of books, she had ordered JAG and AG and all the DVD's for it.  All the DVD's were on the bottom of the box, piled high with all the books.  All the DVD cases arrived broken.  They did end up sending her replacements and not requiring her to return the DVD's with broken cases.  But...honestly!  Who packs these things (probably somebody with their dog right there)?  It's like coming home, unpacking your groceries, and finding that the bagger put the bread on the bottom of all the cans.  :mellow:

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I find that CBD has very similar prices to RR (sometimes even better) and their customer service is fabulous. I've never had an issue with backorders and their return policy is top notch. Shipping is super fast, too. I order most of my books through CBD or Amazon. RR is a last resort for me, too. Not to mention that CBD usually has a free shipping code out for orders over $35 while RR is over $50. :/ So sorry you are having to deal with this. 

True.  CBD is great.  I've ordered a number of items from them over the years.  Since I'm old school, I even phoned them and ordered on the phone.  Got stuff right away.  They even carried a reprinted line of out-of-print books I wanted.  I ordered almost all of them (over 80). 

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Wow. I have always had good experiences with RR the many times that I have ordered from them over the years.

 

But....I am waiting on an order right now that an item is backordered.  I don't think this ever happened to me with them before.

 

Years ago, there was a company called GBD (Great Books...).  I was extremely short funded and I finally scraped together money to place an order of like $100.  Wouldn't you know, they went out of business about then and never sent my stuff nor refunded my money!  I was soooooo disappointed. :sad:

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Wow, I've never had big issues with them. I've had things backordered, but received everything in a timely manner - I always order with plenty of time before I actually need it so I don't worry about waiting a few more days. I've had to return things and it has been easy. I give a lot of my business to amazon due to prices, but I will still use RR lots.

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CalmingTea, I'm sorry that happened to you. I don't order very often from RR, but I did order Mosdos Lit and two geography items on Monday. It came today - two days later!! I was shocked. The Mosdos (Coral) looks awesome!!!

 

I do love ordering from CBD and Amazon and Sonlight. I have had great results with those three companies.

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Wow. I have always had good experiences with RR the many times that I have ordered from them over the years.

 

But....I am waiting on an order right now that an item is backordered.  I don't think this ever happened to me with them before.

 

Years ago, there was a company called GBD (Great Books...).  I was extremely short funded and I finally scraped together money to place an order of like $100.  Wouldn't you know, they went out of business about then and never sent my stuff nor refunded my money!  I was soooooo disappointed. :sad:

 

That was despicable of them. I am really sorry that happened to you.

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I'm sorry this happened to you! Unfortunately, I just had the same EXACT thing happen to me >:( I was upset for the same reasons, and I felt it was not good business not to show the items on back order before you purchase. I found out through email after the fact. I hope that I will receive the books in time to start our year. Lesson learned!

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FYI - if you call to place your order, they will tell you immediately if something is on backorder and when the expected arrival date is.

 

I'm not sure why everyone is so upset about the $10 to avoid the hold for the backorder.  They've had that policy for several years.  I think they changed the wording a bit.  It used to say that it would move your instock merchandise to a priority shipment kind of status - the front of the line, guaranteed to ship out the next day or something like that.   Both ways, it avoids the holding of a large order for a small backorder.  It still does the same thing, most shipments go out the next day and the $10 guarantees that they don't hold for backorders.

 

I love RR and have never had too many problems.  They have always been very quick to correct any errors.  I've also never had trouble returning anything to them which I've had to do several times over the years.  

 

The only time I've had major trouble with backorders is at Christmas and I've finally learned to order early or call to confirm the in-stock status before placing the order.

 

My personal routine with RR is that for really big orders, I place it online and then pay the $10 if it's something I really need to get the school year going.  I usually place one or two huge orders in the summer - the $10 is the shipping fee in my mind.  If I'm placing a smaller order, I call it in to see if it's in stock before ordering.

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I have ordered from them at least once a year and usually two or more times a year for over a decade. I always order enough that I receive free shipping. A few times I have ordered with a friend so that we could get free shipping. If something is on backorder, I do not pay $10. I just wait. OTOH- I also have Amazon Prime, so, if I need something quickly or just a few items, I order from them.

 

Do I live in a house full of books? Yes, yes, I do.

Mandy

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I'm another that's never used RR. As a matter of fact, I can't even get them to send me a catalog,,even having requested it for multiple years! I compare pricing at CBD and Amazon, free shipping with both, and quick too! Just got a box from each this week, my final,school order for the year! Love CBD!

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I do have to say for RR, that when I had that book take 20+ days to arrive, the woman I talked to on the phone was very sweet and got another shipped out to me right away.  It came a couple of days after the call.  The other did finally arrive around a week later and I had to write "return to sender" on it and get it sent back to them (that's what they asked me to do with it).

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I just wish RR would let you know ahead of time if something is not in stock and will be back ordered. Let me make the decision to include it in my order or not. It is a matter of upgrading their software, that's all.

Yes. This.

 

Why can't their system note that an item is out of stock? I don't think that sort of software is very rare or particularly expensive these days. I've ordered from many companies whose stock is posted in real time. I've added things to my cart that sold out before I could finish the check-out process. That's frustrating, but not as frustrating as ordering something you think is in stock only to be told it's not. Personally, I think RR purposefully marks one item in each order as out-of-stock so that they don't have to ship in a timely manner.

 

I wonder if I'd call in an order, if they'd be able to tell me if an item is in stock?

 

ETA: I just read in an above post that I could find out if something is in stock if I call.

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I wonder it you used their 'do you want to chat with someone' function you could check that way? I mean, maybe if everyone who orders used the online chat system to go through every. single. item. to see if it is in stock maybe they would get the message?

 

And I don't want to call to check. I am often placing an order late at night after the kids are in bed etc. So many other places have an ordering system that makes it public what is available and what is not that it just shouldn't be that big a deal.

 

I also don't mind about the 10$. That's their right as a business to make it work for them. But I would like more control as a consumer over my order.

 

And I have also wondered if their 'out of stock' isn't a company euphemism for "don't have the staff to fill orders'. Again, I understand they are very busy and they have conventions and a warehouse etc. Heck, I am GLAD for any business that is thriving. But as a consumer I would like to be able to make more informed decisions.  Just be upfront and tell me you have it. Or, before my order gets finalized have a screen that says "Uh oh, one of the items you ordered, NAMEOFTHING, is no longer in stock and has been ordered. Sorry about that. Do you want to continue to place the order or would you like to change your order?"  Lands End does this to me all the time with sale items. Once it happened with Amazon. I don't think it is that hard for a company to manage.

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Why can't their system note that an item is out of stock? I don't think that sort of software is very rare or particularly expensive these days. I've ordered from many companies whose stock is posted in real time. I've added things to my cart that sold out before I could finish the check-out process. That's frustrating, but not as frustrating as ordering something you think is in stock only to be told it's not. Personally, I think RR purposefully marks one item in each order as out-of-stock so that they don't have to ship in a timely manner.

 

 

 

What? Now that is an unfair accusation.

 

I have ordered from them at least a dozen times, and I think twice there has been a backordered item that briefly held up the shipping. For the past couple of years, their order fulfillment has been pretty darn quick (a couple of days) and since I've paid the $7 shipping fee to have it sent priority, I've been getting my stuff within a week or so. I live in Alaska, so that priority mail makes a big difference! Amazon sends me most of my orders via parcel post which can take a couple of weeks (even though I have prime, they don't have to send 2-day unless they choose to because Alaska is exempt).

 

I just placed a RR order on the 15th, got my shipping notification today (17th), and tracking says it will be here the 19th. That's 4 days from my order. And this was a big order - $350 - including heavy textbooks. The $7 for priority shipping is a steal.

 

Earlier this month I placed an order on the 1st, it was shipped the 2nd, and I received it the 5th. So it FOUR DAYS for them to receive my electronic order, pack it, ship it from Colorado and have it arrive in Alaska. That is amazing, and beats Amazon by a long shot (unless I order something big like a $30 oversized snow shovel that Amazon decides to pay a fortune to have shipped 2-day UPS).

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