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:07/18/2023

  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.

  The web site of Better Word, Books shows,The front cover of the Renal Diet cook book by *********************. Stating that it contains **** recipes. The book has less than 100. their customer service phones just take you to recordings saying the same thing.I have attempted to contact them several times on the coputer,they state they will get back to me .It has been several days and i have not received a reply. their return policy states you have 30 days from the time you order the book to return it.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/24/2023

  Hello,
  
  Thank you for following up with us. Our apologies for any confusion. Reviewing our previous correspondence, it appears that we have already issued a refund regarding the printing issue for Order #******** on 7/20/2023. We have attached a copy of the refund receipt for review. Please let us know if we can be of any additional assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/17/2023

  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 placed the order on 6.6.23. Paid **** for it, but the order never arrived, even though I got the confirmation mail. I contacted the support service, but no reply. The book was meant to be a present, but it took too long and still no book, so I'd like my money back for the wasted time.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/24/2023

  Hello,
  
  Thank you for following up with us. Our apologies for any confusion. Reviewing our previous correspondence, it appears that we have already issued a refund for Order #******** regarding the delivery issue on  Jul 16, 2023, via ticket email #*******.  A copy of the refund receipt and email are attached for review. Once again, our apologies for the shipment not having arrived within the delivery window.
  
  Please let us know if we can be of any additional assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/10/2023

  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 had ordered an item from Better World Books, "Dungeon Master's Kit: An Essential ****************** Kit". The item did not arrive. They sent another Dungeon and Dragons item that I did not order and do not want. When I requested a full refund, the two options they game me were to receive a 50% refund and keep the incorrect item or return the incorrect item at my cost (although they would later reimburse me up to $3.99). It's my understanding that a business cannot charge a customer when the business does not send the item ordered, and it's my understand that a business cannot charge a customer when an incorrect item is sent (which is what is happening here--I'm being charged for the incorrect item at the price I paid for the item I ordered). It's also my understanding that when a retailer sends an incorrect item (intentionally or unintentionally), that item is legally treated as a gift. As such, they cannot require a customer to pay for or return the item. They may request that a customer return an incorrect item, provided that the business pays for the return shipping, but again, there's no requirement for the customer to return the item. I would like a full refund of my purchase price. I have included a copy of the website of the item I was supposed to receive, a receipt, a picture of the incorrect item, and several emails from the company outlining their return policy and refusing to issue a refund.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/10/2023

  Hello,
  
  Thank you for sharing your experience with your most recent order Order #********. After reviewing the listing and concern for book 9780786956302  Dungeon Master's Kit we see that this item is for a full kit and was not received in full. Unfortunately, the full kit is not currently available to be replaced which has resulted in a full refund for this item in the amount of $38.21. This refund will credit back to the card ending in 2480 within the next 2-3 business days. There is no need to return the item that you received. If you have no use for it, please consider donating or recycling it.
  
  In addition to the full refund of the item issued, this item has been flagged to ensure that it is properly checked before our teams can submit it into inventory, and apologize for all the difficulty with the support received. We would like to a moment to share condition guidelines for our listings available at Book Conditions Better World Books **************************************************************************************
  
  Please be sure to let us know if there is anything else we can do for you and thank you for allowing us to review this issue in full. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/20/2023

  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.

  My book title has been altered, my photo was moved from the back cover to the front cover, and it is being sold by this vendor in *******. Additionally, it is on sale by ****** on ***. I give copies to patients and sell as fund raisers. However, after several years I am publishing its second edition.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/22/2023

  Thank you for contacting us. Once a copyrighted work has been sold, the original copyright holder no longer holds control over how the purchaser transfers the item. So once someone purchased your book they are free to sell, lend or donate the book as they so choose, as long as the copy itself is not an infringing copy. We came to obtain your book through a donation or other valid purchaser. This law is known as the first-sale doctrine and is also referred to as the right of first sale or first sale rule based upon that doctrine, Better World Books can sell, donate or recycle that book.
  
  However, after reviewing, please rest assured that we respect copyright and other intellectual property rights, we will at this time refrain from offering this title, although we are well within our legal rights to offer the same, we have removed the item(s) under ISBN ************* from offerings per your request. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/22/2023

   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.

  However, I will pursue elsewhere how/who modied at least the book cover.

  
  

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/21/2022

  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 volume 1 of a book of and it has never arrived. I have attempted to tell them this multiple times and I have never received a message back. If the volume is in stock, I would still like it. If it is not, I would like a credit to the **** to which I charged it.************************* *********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/21/2022

  Hello, Thank you for bringing the issue with your Order #******** placed on 1/21/2021 for book title ************************** ******* and Culture. We're sorry to hear that this shipment did not arrive within the expected delivery window. At this time, we are unable to verify the status due to the time that has passed. Please be aware that customers must inform Better World Books of non-delivery within thirty (30) days after the estimated delivery date. Unfortunately, we will not be able to take action in the form of a replacement for this order, however, we have issued a full refund. 
  
  Our apologies for any inconvenience.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/21/2022

   I am rejecting this response because:

  
  

  The response from BetterWorld mentions the wrong book.  I ordered (and was told it had been delivered, but it had not) the book I mentioned: vol. 1 of a book entitled <An Anthology of Chinese Discourse on Translation>.  I received an email from BetterWorld saying it had been delivered.  It had not been ordered.  We are talking two months ago, not an earlier order.

  
  

  
  

  ****  

    
  
  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/22/2022

  Hello, 

   

  Thank you for following up with us! We would be happy to revise and address the correct order, please note that there are no further orders registered under the email shared with us under ******************* Please reply back with your Better World Books order number. We look forward to resolving this issue. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/04/2022

  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.

  Transaction date: 10/24/22 Amount $5.70 +shipping Company did not ship me the book which was pictured/advertised on their website as being for sale, instead they shipped an edition of the book which was published in ****. They said the isbn number of the book they sold me is what is advertised on the website(which is not true), the picture of the book that is advertised does not match what I received. In other words they posted a picture of a later edition book published in **** (which I was looking for), but told me the **** of the book I received is what they were actually advertising, again not true, the book they sent me is so old it does not have an **** on it. They simply sent an earlier publication which was published in **** because the name matched. The company has not bothered to acknowledge that they did not advertise the correct picture of the book they sold me. My end goal is to either receive the correct book which was advertised and/or compensation in the form of a refund and reimbursement for shipping. Attached are pictures of the book they advertised on their website and the book I received.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/08/2022

  Hello, 
  
  Thank you for contacting us in regard to your recent Order #******** with Better World Books placed on 10/24/2022. In reviewing the concerns with item ************* and agent interaction via ticket email ******* we do see that we did not have the full information of the item received and addressed the concern based on the site details which did not match the physical item received. We sincerely apologize for all the trouble and looking into the listing offering at https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/Plane-Trigonometry-************* 
  
  At this time, we have removed all items for our quality assurance teams to look into prior to uploading for sale.  We would also like to confirm that the order has been fully refunded in the amount of $7.19 on November 5th, please see the attached refund receipt. We understand that it is disappointing that we are unable to replace the item at this time, however, should there be an alternative item that is located on the site, please do not hesitate to contact us at ******************************* and request for the book to be checked prior to completing a purchase and use gift certificate **************** which holds a $5.00 dollar credit. 
  
  We sincerely apologize for the difficulties and look forward to assisting you with your next purchase. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/15/2022

   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:10/24/2022

  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.

  On or about September 8th I purchased a book from them and paid through ******* After that, I received an email from them saying their supplier could not supply the book and they would refund me. My understanding is that I was buying a brand new book so I'm not quite sure why they would represent that they had the ability to sell that book if their supplier allegedly couldn't provide it. It doesn't make sense. They wasted my time and created a lot of hassle for me. Almost 2 months later after that they send me an email asking me if I received my book and wanting a review which I assume they wanted a positive one. It's like they don't understand what they're doing they're very incompetent and untrustworthy.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/25/2022

  Hello, 

  Thank you for bringing the cancelation issue with your most recent order to our attention!  In reviewing Order #********, order date 9/18/2022 we do see that we were notified by ******,  our new book supplier partner that the item was not going to be able to be fulfilled at this time and have since updated the availability through the listing at https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/Her-Majesty--a-Photographic-History-***********************
  
  New books items are fulfilled independently of Better World Books, for more information please see the order fulfillment information at https://www.betterworldbooks.com/go/shipping
  Unfortunately, we do not hold new book inventory directly in our warehouse to be able to review inventory availability at this time. 
  
  We can confirm that a full refund was issued via ****** Transaction ***************** in the amount of $55.28 USD upon receiving the notification from ****** on 9/19/2022. 
  We would like to take the time to apologize for the reviewing process and review possible options with our internal teams for automating the removal of follow-*** for canceled orders. Please note feedback is optional. 
  
  We appreciate your business and apologize for this negative experience. We would like to extend the following 25% off code towards your next purchase with us, please use ******** at checkout which extends to used and new book inventory. This offer expires on 12/31/2022. Please do let us know if there is anything else we can do further to support this order. We'd be happy to help! 
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/13/2022

  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.

  Some sort of scam is happening between **** and betterworldbooks.Bought a textbook off **** but then my **** order was canceled saying bwb(who also sells on ****) had already sold that copy. This is a very rare textbook and another person ordered it the same night? Very suspicious and/or horrible management between selling sites,

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/21/2022

  
  Thank you for bringing the cancelation issue with Order #************** to our attention. We currently sell on a variety of marketplaces, and on rare occasions, an item will sell on two marketplaces before the listing can be updated. Unfortunately, we had to cancel this order as we did not have a second copy of this title available. We apologize for this error on our behalf and thank you for your patience and understanding. We have passed this information along to our team in charge of listing merchandise, to help reduce this issue in the future.
  
  We are terribly sorry for this inconvenience and can confirm that the refund has been issued via the **** marketplace. 
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/24/2022

   I am rejecting this response because:Better World Books is adhering to an inefficient and somewhat dishonest business model. I do not see them implementing any changes that would prevent this from happening again in the future.

  My main complaint is: I was ordering an very rare book that had been listed for weeks on **** and BWB (before I decided to finally buy), it doesn't make sense someone decided to buy the exact same title on the same day.

  BWB response to my issue was generic and clearly they didn't read my full statement on the incident. Very poor customer service.
  
  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/28/2022

  Hello,
  
  Thank you for following up with Better World Books in regard to  Order # **************. We understand the disappointment with the cancelation and have taken steps to provide feedback on this experience to our teams in charge of listing merchandise, to help reduce these issues. Unfortunately, there is no further that we can take at this time due to the product no longer being available and reflected through listings via ***** please see *************************************
  
  The cancelation reason and case initiated on our end included the correct cancelation reason: Out of stock or damaged
  This shows we took the proper steps to notify and issue a refund within **** policies and procedures detailed at ********************************************************************************************* 
  Our sincere apologies for all the trouble. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/21/2022

  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.

  so I ordered a book on 6/8/2022 and the title is (berserk deluxe volume 4) and I paid $36.06 and it was shipped on 6/9/2022 it is now 6/20/2022 and the tracking says its still in ****** its says its been shipped but hasn't moved from the same location it was shipped, for about a week now. I don't think I'm gonna get this package at all if I'm being completely honest, I like to order from this website so I'm not really mad about it, I just want a refund.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/24/2022

  Hello,

  Thank you for contacting Better World Books and informing us of the delivery issue with Order #********. We're sorry to see that this shipment hasn't arrived within the expected delivery window via **** Tracking #**********************. Our customer service team was able to review the tracking details and completed the refund requested via email support ticket #*******. The refund issued will be available in the next 2-3 business days back to the card ending in ****. We have attached a PDF copy of the refund receipt for your records.
  
  We apologize for the delivery error, if there is anything else that we can help with please do not hesitate to reach out to us! 

   

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/24/2022

   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:06/21/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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 created original books to be sold as print on demand products on ******.com. This company changed the way my name is listed with ****** and are selling my books as overstocked items. They have changed the cover to a faded quality and there even books listed underneath my name that I did not create. I want my books removed from this site right away. It is selling an inferior copy of my original copyrighted work without my permission. I have emailed the company and am filing this complaint in addition to the email. Thank you.***********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/24/2022

  Hello,
  
  Thank you for submitting your request and concern with the listings referenced. We respect copyrights and other intellectual property rights, we will at this time refrain from offering the following ISBNs: 
  
  9780999831328 
  9780999831304
  9780999831328 
  
  Our teams have removed the item(s) per your request. Thank you for working with us towards a resolution. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/24/2022

   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.