Do you call the company if your books are damaged in shipping?

[rafiki]

.

[momto5blessings]

for example. I don't think you are being picky, it is only fair that we expect the same from when we are buying, as they expect when things are being returned. Hope that doesnt sound *snarky* maybe I am kind of PMS today.:glare:

Pamela

[aude sapere]

It depends - if the order was well packed, and damage was due to shipping, I just grin and bear it. It seems unfair to hold the business responsible for postal malfeasance.

 

Smaller home school businesses have a hard enough time making ends meet without the burden of

-additional shipping costs (credit to return ship, cost to ship replacement)

-goods returned in an unsalable condition (lost inventory)

-replacement product (at a loss to the business)

 

If the damage was due to poor packing, well, that's a different story!

[Heather in VA]

I tried once. I got a dented book from Rainbow Resource. They wouldn't do anything about it. Reason 256 not to use Rainbow.

 

Heather

[Heather in VA]

It depends - if the order was well packed, and damage was due to shipping, I just grin and bear it. It seems unfair to hold the business responsible for postal malfeasance.

 

Smaller home school businesses have a hard enough time making ends meet without the burden of

-additional shipping costs (credit to return ship, cost to ship replacement)

-goods returned in an unsalable condition (lost inventory)

-replacement product (at a loss to the business)

 

If the damage was due to poor packing, well, that's a different story!

 

But when you pay full price for something new - you are supposed to get something new. If they are having problems with their shipper, they need to find a new way to ship. Damaged books cost the purchaser money too because they can't sell it for as much when it comes time to sell. So why should the small homeschool family who has a hard enough time making ends meet absorb the cost of the not-new item the bought in place of the business who sold them a new book but delivered a damaged one?

 

Heather

[Melora in NC]

No, but I feel guilty about it! I've gotten damaged books from Tapestry of Grace's Bookstore, Rainbow Resources, and (most often) from Amazon. I think their packing has gotten more slapdash in the last couple years, and books regularly arrive with bent covers and smashed corners. Unfortunately I tend to order my materials at the "last minute," so I usually decide just to use the item as it is rather than mess around with returning it and waiting for a replacement.

[Rhonda in TX]

I would want to know if items arrived damaged. I would rather pay to fix the problem than have a customer online complaining about receiving damaged goods. I would hope we could come to some agreement. Maybe a partial refund to offset the loss when trying to resell would be a good compromise.

[Tammyla]

I've only had to call once, and was offered a replacement or a big discount along with an apology. Personally I think you deserve what you paid for. kwim?

 

This has been happening more and more to me. Am I just being picky or would you call? It's happened with large orders directly from Singapore Math (but for their science), Math U See, and just today Sound Foundations. Yes, I can still use the books, but I paid for books that are new, not that show damaged from being dropped.

[aude sapere]

But when you pay full price for something new - you are supposed to get something new. If they are having problems with their shipper, they need to find a new way to ship. Damaged books cost the purchaser money too because they can't sell it for as much when it comes time to sell. So why should the small homeschool family who has a hard enough time making ends meet absorb the cost of the not-new item the bought in place of the business who sold them a new book but delivered a damaged one?

 

Heather

 

Great points, Heather. But I still am inclined to grin and bear it.

 

For example, last year (year before?) my TOG Y2 bundle, shipped UPS Ground, was drop-kicked by delivery man. The upper left corner of the pages were a little crunched. The product was still usable, so I didn't complain.

 

Here's why: The company was facing serious financial turmoil. Lampstand has fantastic customer service and would likely have credited shipping/sent new product. However, I didn't feel the need to hold them accountable for UPS inflicted damage. I wanted to be able to use Y3 Redesign and Y4 Redesign. And every dollar they spent on shipping returns and replacement year plans is a dollar they couldn't spend on trying to stay in business.

 

Maybe I'm just a softie? But I was looking at the bigger picture - I wanted them to be around so I could use their stuff :)

[swellmomma]

Depends on the company and what the item was. If I bought a book that I just wanted to try out and wanted the possibilty to return it then yes I would report it as a cya measure. I would hate to have them refuse to let me do a return when it arrived damaged kwim.

 

If it is a book for my personal library OR a book that I know without a doubt 100% that I will be using it then no I don't bother. I do not buy curric with the plan to sell it afterwards, I buy what I think will work for each kid. I also know my own family is very hard on our books anyway, so resale value would be diminished even if the item arrived still hot from the presses and in mint condition. Books for my personal library rarely get resold anyway so I am not worried about any minor damages they have received.

 

Most of the time my items arrive looking great. I had 1 book from amazon with a bent corner onteh front cover, and 1 item from sonlight with the whole corner of the book bent but did not report either as they were for my personal library and still in very much usable condition.

[Satori]

I'm very picky now and all the companies I've worked with have been very quick to send replacements. Amazon is always great. I had a lost shipment issue with Rainbow and they were quick to resolve it.

 

I had 4 issues in the past month alone. One was a big hardcover book bent in half! Now how the heck could that happen. Total reimbursement, and I got to keep the book. One was a book starting to fall off its spine, a very expensive one. I got 20% off, which was okay with me, as it was very hard to find at the price I paid anyway. Then miscellaneous smaller issues on brand new books, I was sent a new copy right away and then sent my damaged ones in.

 

I do resell some of my books, so I've been pretty picky lately. I also had an online business and would quickly send out replacements (and prepaid packaging to get the original back).

[Scuff]

Depends. If it's a workbook that my children are going to destroy anyway, I can overlook a bent corner. If it's a regular book that I'm going to keep nice on the shelf, I want to start with a nice copy. Honestly, though, I've only had this problem buying used or on amazon. Usually larger purchases from companies have been packaged well enough to arrive nicely.

[Scuff]

Great points, Heather. But I still am inclined to grin and bear it.

 

For example, last year (year before?) my TOG Y2 bundle, shipped UPS Ground, was drop-kicked by delivery man. The upper left corner of the pages were a little crunched. The product was still usable, so I didn't complain.

 

Here's why: The company was facing serious financial turmoil. Lampstand has fantastic customer service and would likely have credited shipping/sent new product. However, I didn't feel the need to hold them accountable for UPS inflicted damage. I wanted to be able to use Y3 Redesign and Y4 Redesign. And every dollar they spent on shipping returns and replacement year plans is a dollar they couldn't spend on trying to stay in business.

 

Maybe I'm just a softie? But I was looking at the bigger picture - I wanted them to be around so I could use their stuff :)

 

In this case, wouldn't it be insured by UPS? If they've damaged something they should be eating the cost.

[aude sapere]

In this case, wouldn't it be insured by UPS? If they've damaged something they should be eating the cost.

 

From personal experience, getting UPS to pay a damage claim is not an easy process.

 

Once the claim is reported, UPS inspects the package (which, in our case, meant getting the recipient to take it to a UPS ship site), and can deny the claim for a multitude of reasons. Even if the claim is approved, it may not be approved for the full dollar amount. Further, this process can take weeks.

 

Even if UPS eventually ends up paying a claim, the business is still temporarily paying out of pocket.