Akademos, Inc.

Hello,
 This issue has already been resolved and this customer was refunded.
Thank you,
TextbookX Team

Hello,
We have no emails from this person in our system, they must contact us directly for assistance, a valid tracking number must be on the order showing the item was delivered to be paid for the sale. Once we have the updated valid tracking and we see that the item has been delivered we can...

then manually mark it as delivered. Seller has not followed their membership agreement by contacting the Revdex.com and not contacting us directly. During the back to school season emails and voicemails are answered in order they are received and by priority.
Thank you,
[redacted]
CS Manager

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:If this is an on going issue and they knew that my bank rejected payment on Feb, 19th, 2016 why wasn't I notified of this rejection from them then? Instead they only stated through an e-mail on Feb, 12, 2016 that payment was initiated. They simply have been brushing off the issue and have made no attempts to try and work with me or even provide good customer service. They have given me two options and state thats all they can do. I do not want store credit with anyone that can't even provide good customer service to their customers. They had no problems taking money out of my account for the books I bought through them but it's an issue to pay me for the books that I have sold through them. The lack of customer service and lack of communication from this business is why I am rejecting this response. I have even made an attempt to ask what bank information they had on file, so that I can confirm if that was correct or not to see why it was being rejected. They told me they do not have access to that for secruity reasons, which is understandable and that is why I asked for a paper check. I feel as if they lack good customer service and aren't even making an attempt to fix this issue. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Hello,
 [redacted] spoke with a supervisor yesterday named [redacted] and we explained to [redacted] that when he purchases from our Marketplace which are 3rd party sellers we cannot guarantee they will have stock and in this case the seller is the one who cancelled the order....

[redacted] was notified that same day on 1/6 via email to [redacted] email address that the item was cancelled. We have automated emails that go out for every issue with an order from confirmation, to shipment, to cancellation or a refund. Purchasing textbooks early is what we suggest to all of our students because the less the demand for the book the less money sellers will charge and we always suggest buying used rather from us directly because the prices may be lower. We sell our New Retail items at retail price based on what our vendors charge us to purchase the item, [redacted] students must pay tax because it is the law of [redacted] based on internet purchases and we must follow the law. We are contracted with [redacted] to be their virtual college bookstore however students do not have to use us they can go to other competitors if they feel their price is cheaper we actually suggest looking around because we will not always be the cheapest. Our company has worked with the school to accept their financial aid vouchers as payment on our site which no other online retailer does, we do this because we feel the students should have every chance to purchase their textbooks without financial heartache.   We explained to [redacted] that we do not price match we are a small company and what is listed as the price on our site is the price you would pay. We would not sell a New book for the same price we sell a Used book, it's comparing apples and oranges and we would lose money on every sale if we did that. Marketplace sellers make their own prices on their books as well as the Used vendors we work with, they supply us the books to sell and set the prices for what their company is selling it at. [redacted] was extremely rude and agitated and asked for company information that is not made public ie. profit margins, etc. We attempted to work with [redacted] by offering him free upgraded shipping on his purchase for the item New so that he would save money and still get the book at a faster rate than USPS Economy would provide.  We always advise if students have issues with the school's decisions they should take that up with their school directly, our contract with [redacted] is to accomplish saving students money on their textbooks which we've done and continue to do. We saved students at [redacted] over $300,000 in their first month with us December of 2013 and last year alone, (2014) we saved students in general $10 million on their textbooks.  As of 1/20 [redacted] made a  new order for a New copy of the book, his order ID is [redacted] and we have refunded his shipping charge of $23.96, the book is going [redacted] Next Day Air at no charge to [redacted], we feel that is extremely fair for an issue that is stated in our Marketplace policies. We don't have to do this but wanted to make up for the inconvenience of not having his book in time for class. We've worked with the Revdex.com for quite some time and we enjoy the working relationship, if you need anything further I've pasted some links on our site that you could use for information. [redacted]Thank you,[redacted]Customer Service Manager

I am rejecting this response because:
I totally understand that you place a note when the books are in back order. I also understand that you notify the school. Again, At the time I placed my order there was no messages or notes notifying about a back order. As for you guys notifying the school, let me remind you that you are doing bussiness with me and my money, not with the school. I am the one who should of been notified and you did not. I received the book  way over a month after I placed my order. With that said and based on the fact that all I wanted was to receive my book I can tell you that I dont need any more answers or responses to my emails.
 
Thank you,
 
[redacted]

Upon review of [redacted] accounts we show his last sale was on 1/4/2015 it was confirmed on 1/6/2015 however it was not Marked as Delivered by [redacted].com, had[redacted] contacted our customer service dept. for assistance he would know this and he would have submitted the valid tracking for this item....

Payments are not made to sellers until we have proof that delivery was made, this can be found in the Seller Payment Policy that he agreed to upon signing up as a seller. No tracking was provided on this order therefore [redacted] will not be paid until he produces valid tracking show the item was delivered. All further coorespondance should be made through our email provided under the Help link at the top of our webpage. [redacted]Thank you,[redacted]

Hello,  We have no emails from [redacted] in our system and I show no notes on his order that he attempted to call in to our call center. All digital codes are non returnable as we state on our site, they cannot be resold therefore we do not accept them back for return or refund. [redacted]'s...

school is aware of this policy.Thank you,TextbookX Team

I don't know if you were able to read my previous email where I stated that not until I get the book on my hands, send it back, and I get my money on my bank, I will accept this complaint as resolve. You can complaint with the school, not me. I paid you, not them. 
 
Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Hello,  All individual sellers must provide tracking information on every order, your tracking is not listed on this order we need proof of delivery in order to pay any seller. Please provide the tracking number that shows delivery or have BookEmporium who is a large established company email us with specifics that they did in fact get the book. If they say they got the book or if you provide tracking on the order we would be happy to mark it as delivered manually and you would be paid during our next pay cycle.   Again you should re read your seller payment policy and membership agreement to understand the terms you agreed to when you opened a selling account with us. Thank you,[redacted]

This item was on backorder with the publisher and at checkout before you submit your order there is a note in RED that states the item is on Backorder and can take up to an additional two weeks to receive, this however is an estimate. We do not know how long a backorder can take to be released...

because it is the publisher who has them held up it could be because the item needs to be reprinted or it's a bundle that needs to be assembled. The Account Manager for the student's school, [redacted] informs the school of all items on backorder with the publisher and it is the school's responsibility to inform the professors they can at that time choose a different book to adopt or wait for the item to be released. This student's school chose to wait for the item's release from the publisher, when the student called to ask to cancel the item had already been confirmed by the publisher for shipment and we are unable to cancel an order at that time therefore the student must wait to receive the book and they can then return to us for a refund. Backorders are standard practice in our industry our company is no different than any other, the student should do their due diligence and read the cart notes before they checkout so they can decide whether or not they want to wait the additional time. I've attached a screenshot of what the screen would have looked like at checkout for the student.
Thank you,
[redacted]
CS Manager

Hello,  As we stated previously we can search emails for customer emails in our system and found no communication from [redacted] regarding this or any other order. When digital codes are adopted by the school or the professor the school is made aware that these items are non returnable, digital codes are for one time use only and cannot be resold or returned to the publisher therefore we do not recoup money on these items. We tell the schools that it is at their own risk if they want to adopt these items because students cannot return them and [redacted] is aware of this policy. I've also spoken with the Operations Manager who purchases these codes and he has confirmed that these items are indeed not returnable or refundable.  When you put these items into your cart before you check out it states Non-Returnable within the description of the item, please see attached screenshot. As much as we'd love to be able to bend the rules for one that would mean bending for all others and a policy would not be a policy in that case. Putting aside the fact that this order is from 12/31 and well past the 30 day return period we would not be able to accept it back because of the status of this particular item.  If you look at the attached screenshot you will see under the Title information where it says, Additional: Non-Returnable[redacted]Non-ReturnableThank you,ErinCS Manager

Hello, This issue has already been resolved and this customer was refunded.Thank you,TextbookX Team

Hello,
 We state at checkout when a book is on backorder so that the student can decide whether or not they'd like to continue with their purchase. Each school year we get a booklist from the schools listing every book that has been adopted for each class and we go through each one to see...

what is available and what is not, we then put together a spreadsheet with "problem" books that the school must decide whether to keep or change. The school had decided to keep the books that were not currently available to get from the publisher and to wait until they were made available. Both our company and the publisher has been in contact with the school about this since July of 2014 well before the syllabuses were given out to students. After an order is confirmed by the publisher we cannot cancel it is not technically possible and in this case it is a bulk order that the publisher is now shipping out directly to the students to cut down on ship time when it becomes available. We told this particular customer numerous times that we could not cancel the order but that he is more than welcome to return the book for a refund. We are not standing in his way from getting his money back, once he receives the item he can send it right back and we'll issue a refund when it's returned. Unfortunately due to the special agreement between the school, ourselves and [redacted] Education we cannot cancel the items at this point in the order.
Thank you,
[redacted]
CS Manager

Hello,
As you can see from the reference screenshot we always place a message when an item is put into the cart if the item is on backorder. The seven campuses of [redacted] were all notified of the books that were not readily available from the publisher and were to inform their professors. Almost every professor chose to wait for the item to become available, students should be contacting their school for assistance and not the Revdex.com.
Thank you,
[redacted]
CS Manager

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: Below I have an email from the purchaser of the book stating that he did in fact order the right book, however the professor assigned some pages that were not in the text. For this reason the purchaser believed that he initially had the wrong book.  The Text book was in fact the right book.  I have a copy of the syllabus (sent to me from the purchaser) for the class of the book with MATCHING IDENTICAL ISBN Numbers. There is no question that it was the right book sent and I have all the proof necessary to establish this. In addition to this, the book was returned 3 months after it had been delivered to the purchasers house, already having been used for his course. I incurred charges shipping the book from [redacted] to [redacted], and these are the only charges I am requesting reimbursement for. I completed all agreements as per [redacted] policy, the purchaser failed to complete his and financial burden is on me as a result.  Also in addition to this there were tones used on both ends of the transaction where both parties felt threatened and the email below portrays this.  I believe however that neither side intentionally meant to insult the other.  Amends were made and once again proof is available upon request.  [redacted] cost me unnecessary funds and have failed to work with me to any degree with regards to these lost funds. As per their consumer reviews online, this is a common practice and once again evidence can be given upon request. Email Below:2014-07-30 21:50:02 Hi [redacted], I didn=92t mean to threaten you = or be rude in any way or even imply that you were trying to be = fraudulent or cheat me in any way. So I do apologize if you think I was = trying to otherwise. I had a chance to speak with the prof. and she=92s = assigning readings from pages that aren=92t in this [redacted] and = apparently a few people who have purchased used have contacted her about = that. I am sorry for your trouble, I will ship the book back to you. I = spoke with [redacted]X and they gave me this address to ship it back to,
Sincerely,
[redacted]

This issue was resolved with [redacted] Her card was compromised, and fraudulent orders were placed. She was refunded.

Hello, We have already spoken to this [redacted] and have submitted pictures to the customer of where to find the answer key we also offered to send out a replacement of the item, unfortunately there is nothing more we can do other than to send a replacement to the customer. We also are not...

affiliated with his professor and cannot reimburse students for money they spend outside of our company or where cash is exchanged with a professor or other student. Every one of these books in our inventory is shrink wrapped by the publisher and we opened one to take pictures and send via email to this student so that he may see where to find his key. It's been over 30 days since he purchased the item so we cannot do anything about a refund also we cannot verify that the answer key was not there when he purchased the book because he waited so long to contact us.  The offer still stands for us to ship out a replacement and we would need the copy back that he currently has to report to the publisher of the missing answer sheet, unfortunately there is nothing else we can do and we've already relayed this message to this customer. I've attached pictures that we sent to this [redacted] via email of what the answer sheet and book looks like once it's opened from it's shrink wrap. [redacted] also contacted our corporate office and I responded to him via email as well, he's now spoken to a Supervisor and a Manager and still refuses to follow our instructions. Had [redacted] informed us within two weeks of receiving the book rather than the day before his exam we would have had time to assist him.Thank you,[redacted]CS Manager

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: Nowhere does it state the online codes are non-refundable. When I enter the Order ID for the product into the return policy, it states that it can be shipped back for a refund (I just tried it again and it says it has been expired and it is too late for a refund). It being too late for a refund is also not applicable because I have been trying for months to contact this company.  It also does not make a difference if [redacted] knows anything about the refund policy as I am not getting the code from them and was not told this. And there not being a record of my calls and emails falls back on the business as well. I made several attempts since I started my last semester at the beginning of January to contact them and never received any confirmation of them having even received my complaints. There was no other contact methods which is why I had to result to the Revdex.com.
This is what is states on their website: 
Purchased items can be returned to us for a full refund in the amount of the merchandise price paid less a 10% restocking fee, so long as the following conditions are met:
Item was not purchased on our marketplace.
Item purchased within 30 days of your order confirmation.
Item was not sold as "Non-returnable".
If the item is "consumable", for example a one-time-use access code, it has not been opened or used.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: The issue is not that I want a free text book or that I want a new text book at an extreme discount. I have clearly asked for a gently used text book at the price your website quoted me. I am willing to pay for the shipping of said book as well as the tax.  Your company has the ability to do this. I am not asking for a hand out. I am also not compaing about tax. You fail to see the root issue with our transaction. Your tone and the tone of [redacted] is that Im looking for something for nothing. You are not even admidting that your system confirmed at check out that I would recieve the book. Your system upon check out said I would recieve the book. A deduction was made in my student loan voucher. I did not receive a message asking me to wait for email confirmation of my order. I admidt (This is me coming to the middle where we should both be) that you did send me an email that I did not notice canceling my order. However, I had already recieved notification from your website saying my order was submitted and would be shipped by this week. Your staff memeber told me that the cost of the book jumped a dollar durring my transaction and thats why it was cancelled. Once again I am not asking for a hand out. I am asking you honor your price quote. I have spoken with staff members and the student council today. It is clear that you are going to continue your practices of misrepresenting your stock while taking no ownership of the software that monitors it. I am expierencing the same problem that you stand accused of on numerous rating sites. You are in communication with the school about the mass issues the student body is having with your system. You are clearly over charging the students and then underpaying for books when you buy them back even by the already scadelous college book selling industry standards. It has been made very clear to the student council that you are hiding behind your more than generous contract with [redacted]. If you are acctually saving students the money you claim, then why not be transparent with your pricing structure? If you wish to grow from the small company you say you are then maybe your should start by doing the right thing. Instead your angering the student body who pays the salary of the people you made the contract with.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Unless we can at least meet in the middle this will be my last communication. The school has already begun the motions to either remove textbookx or create another way for us to get out text books.

Review: August of 2014 I sold a text book through [redacted] in which I never received payment for. The person said it was the wrong book when in fact it was not and I have an email to confirm this. In addition to this I requested that my shipping costs of $25.00 be reimbursed only. They refused to reimburse me. The person which bought my book returned it 3 months after it had arrived to his house and after he had used it for his online program, also with the book being returned in poor condition. To not loose money by using [redacted], once again I only requested that my shipping be reimbursed. However [redacted] fails to acknowledge my request and continuously state there is nothing that they can do.Desired Settlement: Shipping costs refunded of $25.00

Business

Response:

Hello, After speaking with [redacted] numerous times we've already explained the situation to him, he sold the incorrect book to the customer and they had a lengthy back and forth communication where [redacted] insulted and used a very insulting tone to the buyer who happens to be another [redacted] University student. Via this Buyer/Seller Communication tool that we have access to we show that the buyer shipped the book back to the [redacted] who is the seller voiding the sale. The customer also filed a dispute with their credit card company because after returning the book [redacted] failed to issue a refund to the buyer and we had to refund the student in full for the sale. We've spoken to [redacted] via email numerous times and explained our seller policies and what he can and cannot do in order to receive payment. Once a sale is void he is not issued payment on his sale he is however issued the shipping credit that was due to him originally because he did indeed ship the book out. This can all be found using the links below. [redacted] We are very thorough in our policies so that both the buyer and seller are protected if and when things like this occur. [redacted] will be credited $2.97 for his shipping per the seller agreement he agreed to when he signed up as a seller. The buyer chose Economy Shipping and that is the method in which [redacted] should have sent the item, you can view the 3rd link to see the credit that seller's get for their mailing options. These credits are based on [redacted]'s own prices via their website [redacted]. Thank you,Erin C[redacted]CS Manager

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: Below I have an email from the purchaser of the book stating that he did in fact order the right book, however the professor assigned some pages that were not in the text. For this reason the purchaser believed that he initially had the wrong book. The Text book was in fact the right book. I have a copy of the syllabus (sent to me from the purchaser) for the class of the book with MATCHING IDENTICAL ISBN Numbers. There is no question that it was the right book sent and I have all the proof necessary to establish this. In addition to this, the book was returned 3 months after it had been delivered to the purchasers house, already having been used for his course. I incurred charges shipping the book from [redacted] to [redacted], and these are the only charges I am requesting reimbursement for. I completed all agreements as per [redacted] policy, the purchaser failed to complete his and financial burden is on me as a result. Also in addition to this there were tones used on both ends of the transaction where both parties felt threatened and the email below portrays this. I believe however that neither side intentionally meant to insult the other. Amends were made and once again proof is available upon request. [redacted] cost me unnecessary funds and have failed to work with me to any degree with regards to these lost funds. As per their consumer reviews online, this is a common practice and once again evidence can be given upon request. Email Below: