Alibris Books

On September 10, I ordered a school textbook, "Business: It's Legal, Ethical and Global Environment" by Jennings. What I received was not a student version but an instructor version which is not for resale or distribution as the books are given away to teachers. There was even a large print on the cover of the textbook indicating that it was not for sale or resale. On September 15, I returned the book to seller via USPS priority with delivery confirmation. The book was delivered on Monday September 19 and can be tracked.

The same day I sent it back, I received an email from Alibris with no text other than the subject line indicating that return was denied! I called the bank and filed a claim. The cost of this book was $179.49 and the return cost was $11.65. Besides selling illegal textbooks to college students, this company is refusing to honor a return when by their own policy a return is offered if books are returned within 60 days. This is fraud!

On 12/23/09, I placed an online order for a book and received confirmation of my order(#32828843). I was charged for the full amount $62.24 but never received the book. I tried to contact the seller several times and, on 4/13/2010, received an email letting me know that another copy would be shipped. However, I have never received the package. Alibris claims that no refund is due since the order is now so old but in my book, that attitude is still considered thievery. I paid for something. I should either receive the item or get a refund. Lost $62.

On 17/10/2010, I placed an order for a book via Internet from Alibris Web site. I am a university student and I needed this book for my exams. Until today (38 days after the order), I have not received the book yet. I sent an email to Alibris on 27/10/2010 to ask them why I didn't receive the book. Their reply was that it will take a month (something that I didn't know when I placed the order).

On 13/11/2010, they sent me an email to inform me that my book has been shipped and they didn't mention when I will receive it. Yesterday, 22/11/2010, I sent a new email to tell them that the book has not yet arrived and that I want to cancel my order because the time is passing and I will not have time to get prepared for my exams. Their answer was that I can't cancel the order and that I must wait three to four weeks more! After four weeks, the book will be useless to me. I can't wait anymore and first of all, I don't like to be deceived.

I am a masters' student in New York State and ordered 2 books through Alibris located at 1250 45th Street, Suite 100, Emeryville, CA 94608 for a course I was taking during the summer. After getting laid off from a job the end of June, I contacted Alibris via email, and stated I needed to return the books due to my having to cancel my summer class. I was instructed to go online and follow the instructions, but had difficulty in pulling up the correct information to return the books.

When calling their phone number: 510-594-4586 you never get a person (always get a recording), and I left several messages, but no one called me back! After about 2 weeks, the frustration level grew. I continued to call until I got a person. I stated, I was having difficulty pulling up the information in order to return the books. I kept getting the brush-off, and finally pulled up the labels and returned the books. One book was shipped to Canada, and one book was shipped to Wayne, NJ and that vendor was to return the book to England.

Today, I checked Alibis' website, only to find out my entire order history has been wiped out!

I found a link with regard to return policies, and it states that after 60 days, refunds will be refused! Having a legal background, this is clearly illegal. It appears they delayed replying to my responses long enough to "perhaps" push my case past the 60 day refund policy. On top of this, as Alibris offers the opportunity to sell your textbooks on their website, the policy should indicate that books purchased can be sold on their website in lieu of a refund. Another "legal" option would be that instead of refunds, a credit would be applied. But, to clearly state that a customer is supposed to eat it, is completely unacceptable and illegal!

Please be advised I have receipts and communications from Alibris, via emails. Please provide me with the any appropriate procedure in order to resolve this complaint against Alibris. My refund in the total amount of $100.50 is now due and owing, and I will continue to report this matter and pursue this issue with all the legal capacity available.

I wrote a book called Hard Times North Western North Carolina.I looked for publishers on the internet,was called by Hector ** and talked into going with them. They promised to do every thing for 1 price. At first, they kept getting every thing wrong. It had to be redone 3 or 4 times before the book was printed, fixed into books, and they still got a few things wrong.

But my complaint is they have had the book for sale over a year.Their website tells me only 1 book has been sold, that's wrong! I have been to Barnes and Noble; they are selling it. So is Amazon and I forget the name of that other one. Every time I call them, Hector tells me he will have financing call me. They never do. When I look up the book in the author center, it say's no data available.

They haven't done any advertising either; they keep calling wanting more money to do that. I did pay to have it advertised at the Sands Expo & Convention Center, Las Vegas for the Xlibris AARP National Event & Expo book catalogue. That didn't do me any good so I have not paid for any more.They call and want more money to do anything. I contacted the BBB in NC. but they won't do anything because it's out of state. That's when I found out they had moved from Philadelphia,PA to In.

The only thing they promised that I did get is the 5 hard backs, 20 soft covers and 1 leather bound book. Every one knows the sorriest book will sell more then 1 copy. It was sold here in Fleetwood & is in the library at Westwood School. I didn't use my real name on the book. Lee is what I used. the book is about my husband's life or brief glimpses. It is very good and funny; you will laugh yourself to death at some of the stupid things he's done, This would be a book for a great movie with a little more work.

As always with Alibris, the customer has to pay the return postage--for books. A real rip-off.

I ordered a book via Alibris in hardcover edition as stated in listing. There was no place to add a note to the seller. I immediately e-mailed the seller and told them to be sure to ship the book if it was hardcover only. They wrote back and said their books are warehoused and shipped from Amazon, so they couldn't check and that I could return it as they have a 100% guarantee. Sure enough it came and was softcover. I went to the Alibris site to figure out how to get a refund, and guess what? You have to pay to return the book and they can't refund your postage, but they'll nicely give you a $3 coupon to help pay for the postage.

So I have to pay return postage for their mistake and I get a coupon, which I probably won't use because I'll be afraid I'll get the wrong book. Most good companies will include a return label with prepaid postage. Not Alibris, though. Watch out. If they make a mistake, you'll eat the shipping charges. I lost out on postage to return book that they send by mistake. Only a few dollars, but all the more irritating since I notified them at the time of order that I was only interested in the specific book they listed. But they sent the wrong one anyways.

An email from vender (now called Books2Anywhere, not Paperback Shop) indicated shipment could take up to 3 weeks.

How can it take 3 weeks to mail a book from IL to WI? The states are immediate neighbors. I complained to Alibris on Jan 25 and was refunded shipping costs only. Then I got an email from shipper (through Alibris), now using the name PDM, Inc., promising to refund me if I return the book, which I haven't received and is overdue. My online search indicates the book was shipped from the UK, not IL as the Alibris ad originally stated. I would have never order the book from the UK and I now feel mislead and cheated by Alibris.