Book Dealer Warning - Book Depository UK

[simrion]

Mods - apologies if this isn't the correct area but wanted to share my poor experience with a dealer others might be considering or have used - Not really a gaming book dealer rant rather a horror/general book dealer rant. Wans't sure where it might go so here looks good, move at your discretion Moderators. I've been trying to complete a collection of William Hope Hodgeson works - Night Shade books released his works years ago in a 5 volume hardcover set and I missed the boat so trying to catch up. Thought I'd found a great deal on Volume 3 as advertised through Book Depository UK on Amazon (apparently this and book 4 go for big bucks, like in the range of $400 plus) and the Depository had a copy listed in the $30 range. I paid and waited with anticipation and what did I receive? A copy of Book 5?! Repeated attempts to inform them and prove (I have a screen shot of the original order showing Book 3 as being listed for sale) they sent the wrong book has fallen on deaf ears. They repeatedly claim I ordered book 5 not 3, they'll only refund if I return the book at my expense and have no interest in resolving the issue by sending the correct book. Maybe they're a reputable dealer and some of you here have done business with them, maybe I'm just a stupid "Yank" and hey I'm a 1,000 plus miles away so what am I going to do about it anyway? Looks like I'll be scratching them off my list of book sources but they apparently don't care about the loss of any business! Oh well onward with my search

[Vile]

I guess you were unlucky - I order all my books through them (because where I live postage is the main cost), and I have never had any problem. But that certainly is poor customer service.

[Falconer]

Not sure you are thinking of the same seller, Vile. Same name but could be different entities. BD the site is now owned by Amazon though so who knows.

[ThirstyStirge]

As a book buyer and book retailer we have a blacklist of vendors on Amazon, Ebay and elsewhere who have violated various tenets of business ethics. The Book Depository is one of them. We don't work with them. Zuber on Ebay is another big offender.

On another similar note, we've noticed that a lot of fraudulent operations originate in Florida, for reasons yet unknown.

[Vile]

Are we talking about this site? https://www.bookdepository.com/

[S'mon]

I've never had any trouble with them, better service & prices than amazon.

However I have experienced a few times where retailers put the wrong info up (from their POV), eg the wrong picture for a mini; send me the thing they have in stock rather than the thing they advertised, and get sniffy when I complain. I suspect this happened here, given the low price - the copy was mislabelled at some point on their system.