<p>True story…I ordered a set of curtains once. They never came. I called the company who had a delivery confirmation but they sent another set of curtains anyway at no charge. Those arrived immediately. SIX months later, the first set of curtains showed up. The box looked like it had been through world war three but the curtains were fine. I took them back to the store. The clerks were SHOCKED that I was returning them…they said most folks would have kept the second set (why??? I didn’t have a second set of windows AND I didn’t PAY for two pairs). Stuff happens with shipping. Just does.</p>
<p>My kids routinely ordered their books during the last week of summer break and during the winter vacation. The books were delivered to their college addresses with no issues by the start of the term (NEVER use book rate…worth it to pay for the express shipping or whatever it’s called). I had nothing to do with the books…the kids dealt with that.</p>
<p>Definitely contact your credit card company to dispute the charge. I’ve disputed a few charges over the past years and never was turned down, even when we had to call about a gasoline charge from a gas station. My husband drove 20 miles down the road and looked down realizing the gas never went into the tank…faulty pump. </p>
<p>To me it is one of the perks of using a credit card, so that they will intercede on your behalf when there is a problem.</p>
<p>Credit card companies (especially when you’ve charge A LOT on the card) are GREAT at taking the customer’s side. I have had my card recreditted immediately while the let the seller dispute & try to get the money. The credit card handles everything. Love Costco AmEx especially for how quickly & well they advocate for me as the buyer. They are also great for extended warranty and also when something breaks, or is lost or stolen within 90 days.
Visa is trying but their customer service doesn’t even approach Costco AmEx!</p>
<p>My kids saved a ton by purchasing books online. However, we had a nightmare story with half.com. I don’t think they have the dispute resolution process in place nearly as well as some other companies. Goggling showed me quite a few other people who felt the same. Half bay never ever folloewd up with my dispute form, you cannot contact them via phone, and they send a nasty email saying if you disupte it on your credit card they will never sell to you again. Two months of that and I disputed it with cc. Who cared? I wasn’t ever going to use them again. Credit card immediately credited the charge.</p>
<p>We had great experiences buying books from Amazon, both the store and through individuals.</p>
<p>I believe credit card companies are quick to believe customers if the customer makes few complaints and their records show they are a responsible consumer. The credit card companies also keep track of the companies that get the most complaints, and penalize them financially with higher costs. I made a complaint to the credit card company about a cable company with widely known horrible customer service, and they were very quick to believe me.</p>
<p>However, if you are frequently making complaints to your credit card company, they probably will stop believing you. In this same way, some major retailers track the number of returns by each customer, to keep track of people who are abusing the system.</p>
<p>Homeowners/renters insurance covers everything one owns for fire, theft or loss.
Doesn’t matter where the event took place.</p>
<p>However . . .</p>
<ol>
<li>It only covers replacement value</li>
<li>There will be a yearly deductible (usually around $500). So claiming the loss of a book really wouldn’t make much sense.</li>
<li>Does not cover damage … if your four-year-old nephew spills oatmeal onto your textbook … too bad.
If you want to get “damage” coverage, one needs to get a “rider,” though USAA doesn’t call it a rider anymore.
A rider will list usually expensive items … furs, jewelry, etc.</li>
</ol>
<p>Relax, old folks. I know teh interwebs is scary sometimes, but there’s nothing risky about buying textbooks online. For every horror story about a package lost in shipping there’s a ten stories about paying $250 for a new textbook from the university’s bookstore.</p>
<p>Good to know that Amazon is better with customer care.</p>
<p>I’ve had Citibank Visa for eons; same account that I had in college when it was the old fashioned BankAmericard! Stayed with them through all the changes, and I have never once filed a claim. This will be my first ever if it comes to that.</p>
<p>Yesterday the postmaster told me the PO had completed their investigation, and there is nothing they can do BECAUSE THE BOOK WAS NOT INSURED. If insured, they’d pay a lost item reimbursement.</p>
<p>Godfatherbob, of course more books get delivered than lost. It’s easy to throw out a stat like that and feel good…until it happens to YOU. I’m out a hundred bucks.</p>
<p>I had an issue on Half.com where I purchased a hardcover of a book only to receive a paperback version. This is a $100 text, and the seller didn’t advertise it was paperback (actually specified it was hardcover). I tried to negotiate with the seller, but they were pretty unhelpful, so I went through the dispute resolution with half.com. We wound up reaching an agreement where I paid a bit under the current going rate for the softcover version of the book.</p>
<p>Other than that I’ve had no problems with purchasing stuff online. Any issues tend to be related to the postal service and not sellers themselves. One frustrating example was a mail man repeatedly claiming nobody was home when I’d see him put stuff in my maibox, get back into his car, and drive away.</p>
<p>That’s true of regular homeowner/renter insurance but there are several companies out there (NSSI, CSI) that specialize in property insurance for college students. Deductibles are usually very low ($25) and they do cover accidental damage from spills in addition to theft, fire, etc. Cost is very low and we’ve had no problems filing claims and receiving full replacement value thus far:)</p>
<p>"Godfatherbob, of course more books get delivered than lost. It’s easy to throw out a stat like that and feel good…until it happens to YOU. I’m out a hundred bucks. "</p>
<p>He had me at old folks…</p>
<p>“Relax, old folks. I know teh interwebs is scary sometimes, but there’s nothing risky about buying textbooks online.”</p>
<p>I’m a long time eBay seller and half.com seller. With books, you enter the ISBN and the site matches it to the listing for the book. In 13 years I can think of two problems with eBay and recently my first with half. (My feedback is over 300). </p>
<p>D left two books home after break and I listed them. Both sold quickly. I took the insurance option for shipping. I received an ugly email from one buyer who said I’d shipped a fraudulent book. Yes, she’s threatened to report me and leave bad feedback. D bought on Amazon and used for her course. The ISBN matched. </p>
<p>I replied to the customer and told her she can return it for a credit. I have no idea what this is about although I am more suspicious since I haven’t received a response.</p>
<p>I doubt the postal insurance would pay, they say they delivered it. It’s not their fault if it was stolen. Did you double check the shipping address? Talk to the mailman? This could happen with ANYTHING you order in the mail, online or by phone or whatever. A package your own mother sends can get taken after delivery. Sorry, but unless the credit card pays you are out of luck. Check again with the post office and check the address again.</p>
<p>Signature confirmation is the only sure way to determine if it was received by the right person. That costs extra.</p>