Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Better World Books's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  Better World Books

  55740 Currant Rd Mishawaka, IN 46545-4808

  
• 

  Better World Books

  11560 Great Oaks Way Ste 100 Alpharetta, GA 30022-2454

• 

  Better World Books

  11680 Great Oaks Way STE 250 Alpharetta, GA 30022-2492

• 

  Better World Books

  1105 Lakewood Pkwy Ste 205 Alpharetta, GA 30009-7626

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/16/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Twice I ordered a book from them and twice they sent a completely different book and getting a refund was next to impossible!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/23/2024

  Hello, 

  Thank you for writing and bringing the issues with your orders for us to review, if you don'y mind, could you please confirm your orders numbers with us? 

  We look forward to resolving. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/20/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered a book from this seller specifically for a newer edition (education book, I already have the 2nd edition but need the newest edition.) on 8/9/24 for $28.25. The book I was shipped was the first edition instead of the third edition which is pictured . I contacted the seller, and their reply was that I should have verified the isbn number the photos of the products sold on their website to advertise cannot be assumed to be accurate. This seems an unrealistic expectation at minimum and illegal false advertising. The price they offered for the newest edition was competitive, but for the first edition it was insanely overpriced. I requested a return label and was told I need to pay return shipping and there may even be a restocking fee assessed. The green cover is the third edition which is still being advertised and was sent in my email receipt. I received the blue cover which is the first edition.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/23/2024

  Thank you for your email. We are sorry that you did not get the item you were expecting. We stock all of our books by **** and after looking into the issue, we have confirmed the book sent to you matched the **** ordered.
  
  We noticed that you mentioned having purchased the item based on a listed image. Please note that you cannot always count on listing images to be accurate. Most marketplaces use stock images, and several even allow viewers to upload images themselves. For these reasons we highly recommend always ordering based on the seller's product details about the book, **** in particular. ****s do come in a 13-digit and 10-digit variant, however both numbers are associated with the same product.
  
  While we cannot exchange the item for the one you expected, we have issued you a full refund as a one-time courtesy for this book. Your account should be credited within the next few business days. There is no need to return the book to us. You may keep it yourself, or you may wish to donate it to a local organization in need. We hope you can recycle it otherwise. Our apologies for any confusion regarding our listings. Please be sure to let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/24/2024

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  
  

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/20/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Well I was trying to buy a book for my interpersonal communications course at school for a low price and I paid for the book with Apple Pay . It says the payment went through but when I go to the website to view my order it says that I havent ordered anything

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/20/2024

  Hello, 

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are terribly sorry for the inconvenience. It appears we did not receive the order due to an import failure. As a result, we have issued a full refund back to the original payment method which will reflect within 48 hours.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/02/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We are a non-profit supporting our local library through book sales. We entered into a contract with QUMPUS, **** dba Better World Books, *************************************** to sell our excess book that met their criteria. We prepared and made shipment of those books to be sold online on their platform. We are a small organization. We found that to fill a box of our books for shipment was just not happening in a timely manner. All of our books are donations from community members so quite a varied mix often not what Better World Books needed for their inventory thus taking perhaps 2 weeks to fill 1 box. We felt this just wasn't a good use of our volunteer hours. After another search we were successful in finding a more local business to take our excess books. We contacted our representative, *************************** via email to terminate our contract. We requested our account be closed and paid out March 14, 2024. Account status requests were sent April 16 and May 20. On May 21st our request was acknowledged, being worked and ******** would advise of ETA for our proceeds check. Status check on 25 June was not acknowledged. 28 July we asked to be updated and indicated if no response was received by COB today, 2 August, we were going to file this complaint. 29 July the reply from *************************** was "our request for payout had been approved. You will receive the payout, $65.34, for your closed account. ********************** processes checks quarterly. Your check is being sent out with the previous quarters payments which ended June 30th. I have checked with our accounting team this morning and they are processing payout checks this week. I will email you with the check information as soon as it is processed. I am sorry for the inconvenience. I will check in with you again, Friday with an update." We have had no reply and hope you can help us resolve this issue.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/06/2024

  Hello ****,
  Thank you for your response to my complaint. The good news is the business responded 11:54pm on this same day that a check for the proceeds of our account had been mailed. So, I think at this point this issue is resolve.
  
  We appreciate knowing that the BBB always has our back.
  
  Thank you. I hope your week is pleasant,
  ******
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/02/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I order a book on **** at the same time I ordered a book on Amazon; and these got mixed up as Better World Books (BBW) was the seller on both websites. Hence, when I realized the mess up, and tried to cancel BBW's "order" *** refused to cancel, and demanded that I pay the return shipping, which is more than the price of the book. The triple amount of shipping alone is questionable business ethics.//// Note the book price was about $6 (including shipping") and the shipping charge was nearly equal at $5.41 ??. The shipping on the book that was mis-sent was only $1.48.*** is doing unethical business and tries to justify their stealing money by saying that they are a "non-profit ", but the execs are making $100K a year and have poor customer service.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/09/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention, we were unable to locate the orders placed with **** and Amazon, and would be happy to review if those orders are provided. Better World Books does not cover the return shipping for orders no longer wanted and in line with the **** and Amazon policies if a book shipped priot to the cancelation request. 

  We look forward to reviewing further.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/03/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered a book from this seller specifically for the cover art on the edition (said cover was pictured on their website). The book I was shipped was a later printing with different artwork. I contacted the seller, and their reply was that I should have known what the **** number of the book was before ordering, and that the photos of the products sold on their website cannot be assumed to be accurate - both of these are unrealistic expectations for the average consumer to know before placing an order.The **** of the book is the same for both the cover I was seeking and the one that was sent. I contacted **************** and was told that they could not exchange the title, but would accept a return. I requested a return shipping label, but the vendor said that they do not supply those and I would have to pay for it myself, meaning that I am taking a loss for returning an item that is not what was advertised on their website. I am very disappointed in the service from this company, especially because I chose to order from them as a small business rather than using a larger retailer that would have accepted a return for delivering the wrong product.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/12/2024

  Hello,
  
  Thank you for contacting us and sharing your feedback regarding your Order #******** placed with Better World Books.
  
  We are sorry that the book did not arrive as expected. We have checked our records and found that the book we sent you matches the **** you ordered. We understand that customers rely on the images displayed on the listing when making a purchase, but we would like to remind you that images may not always be accurate as the images displayed are stock photos. We recommend that you review the product details provided by the seller, especially the ****, to ensure that you receive the correct item.
  
  We have refunded the order in full at this time, as we hope to make changes soon to address images on the website.
  
  Thank you for your understanding! 

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/01/2024

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered a book The Locked Room for $6.50. I didnt not receive the book ater 15 days and contacted them as they said to do after this time period. They twice told me to wait a longer time oeriod and refuse to give me a refund.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/04/2024

  Hi ******, 

  We are sorry to hear that there is a delivery issue with your order, unfortunately, we were not able to locate your order details with the information submited, if you do nto mind could you please share your order number with us so we may review the issue in full? 

  We appreciate your feedback and look forward to assiting you! 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/30/2024

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 6/17/24, I placed an order (#********) of 3 books for $52.98. The order was shipped in 2 packages. I only received one of the 3 books (the BH&G Heritage Cookbook), and the tracking shows everything was delivered. The address is correct, otherwise I would not have received part of the order.I attempted to contact the business on 6/24/24 via their website/email. I haven't received any follow up.If it was a shipping issue, how did I receive part of the order? I'd like either the book or a refund, if possible.I have the emails if needed.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/04/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for contacting us, we are sorry to hear that there was an issue with the delivery of your order. After reviewing the ticket 6318318, submitted with our customer service, we see that the delivery issue was resolved, could you confirm if there are any mising items for Order 19256078  and the missing titles if any? 

  We appreciate your feedback and look forward to addressing any issues. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/06/2024

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********.

   

  To answer the question: the order was shipped in 2 packages. The part with the crochet book Timeless Crochet and the Better Homes and Gardens book apparently got separated at time of delivery & weren't received. Not usually an issue.

  
  

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/11/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a listing called "EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti FTW3 Ultra Gaming Guide: 12G-P5-3967-KR, 12GB GDDR6X, iCX3 Technology, ARGB LED, Metal Backplate". Based on the listing, the photos and certainly the price, it was very clearly selling the GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card for computers. I purchased it and when it came in the mail, it was just a pamphlet with the picture of the item on the front and the only information inside was *********************** propaganda.They sold me *********************** propaganda for $246.59. It's an insulting scam. I don't care about politics, I just want what I ordered or a full refund. They have since not responded.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/20/2024

  Hello, 

   

  Thank you for allowing us to review the issue with Order #********, we see that the supplier has provided a prepaid return label under tracking 1Z4477539099902796 and this tracking shows that the return is on its way. Due to these details, we have refunded your original payment in full. 

  We appreciate your help with this issue and have taken action by removing the item from offerings on our website in addition to providing all orders that expereinced the priting issue with this new book listing to the supplier. 

  Please let us know if there is anything else that I can help with. 

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/20/2024

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  
  

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/21/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought a bought from this seller and they sent me a different book than what I ordered. I bought this book because I am collecting a matching series. I saw the picture of the book I wanted with the listing. Whether it is a stock image or not, it is a misleading image of a different style of the book that does not match the book I received. The seller had a choice to use an image and a choice to use an image that matched the book. I contacted BWB and they will not make it right. They expect me to pay for shipping when it was their mistake. To resolve this I would accept a shipping label so I can return the book for a full refund of $7.37, or I would also accept what other book sellers have done in situations like this, a simple refund of $7.37.Better World Books ************************************* U.S.A Creative Mythology : The Masks of God, Volume IV ****************************** Placed order 5/10/24 Delivered 5/17/24 Paid 7.37 AbeBooks Order No.: ********* Emailed BWB at:*************************************************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/22/2024

  Thank you for your email. We are sorry that you did not get the item you were expecting. We stock all of our books by **** and after looking into the issue, we have confirmed the book sent to you matched the **** ordered. Please also note that Abebooks adds a disclaimer to all listings including the item in question as shown at *****************************************************************************
  
  While we cannot exchange the item for the one you expected, we have issued you a full refund as a one-time courtesy for this book. Your account should be credited within the next few business days. There is no need to return the book to us. You may keep it yourself, or you may wish to donate it to a local organization in need. Unfortunately, this courtesy will not be extended for future purchases.