Frequently Asked Questions on Renting Textbooks

Transcription

1 Frequently Asked Questions on Renting Textbooks HOW MUCH CAN I SAVE BY RENTING A TEXTBOOK? Although individual prices can vary by book, you can save an average of more than 50% of the cost of a new textbook by renting rather than purchasing the same textbook. IS RENTING ALWAYS THE BEST WAY TO SAVE? There are definite advantages to renting compared to buying a textbook but there are circumstances when it makes more sense to buy the book. For example, if you will be using the book for another term or if you decide to keep the book, it would be better for you to buy the book initially than to rent it. In some cases, the best way to save is to buy a Used book and then send it back for a buyback. The risk that you encounter, though, is if the book is not eligible for buyback or it will no longer be bought back due to a decision by the school to discontinue the use of the book or that it is changing to a newer edition. For more information on buyback eligibility, please see our link, Buyback and Refund Frequently Asked Questions, located on our home page. There are three ways for a student to acquire a book: 1) buy a new book, 2) buy a used book, 3) rent a book. Each has different costs. To illustrate, below is an example of a book that retails for $ Note that cost varies by title and buyback eligibility. New Book Initial Cost = $ Potential Maximum Buyback Value = $50.00 Net Cost to Student = $50.00 Used Book Initial Cost (same book) = $75.00 Potential Maximum Buyback Value = $37.50 Net Cost to Student = $37.50 Rental Book Initial Cost (same book) = $45.00 Potential Maximum Buyback Value = none Net Cost to Student = $45.00 WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO BE ABLE TO RENT? You will need to complete an online rental agreement. This can be done either in advance of placing an order or during the ordering process for the first time that you rent. You can do so by logging on to your bookstore account at with the user name and password that you created for this site. After you log in, you can click on Edit/Create Rental Agreement located under your Personal Information. WHAT INFORMATION IS NEEDED TO COMPLETE A RENTAL AGREEMENT? There are four parts to the agreement: 1) You will be providing your name, address, and phone number. 2) In the event that books are not returned after they have been rented, you will also be providing a government issued ID number such as a driver s license, passport, etc and also a valid address that you regularly check. 3) You will also be providing a valid credit card along with expiration date and credit card security code plus your billing address that will be used as collateral while books are rented out to you and not yet returned.

2 4) Finally, you will be agreeing to the terms and conditions of the rental agreement. Once that is done, you are active and can rent immediately. WHAT IS COLLATERAL? In the event that rental books are not returned, a credit card needs to be kept as a deposit or as collateral that allows us to charge to that credit card to recover the loss of the book. This is no different than renting a car or a hotel room and providing your credit card in the event of extra charges or damages. Since your card is kept as part of your rental agreement, it is only charged under the following conditions: if the books are not returned (automatically charged after the due date has expired) if you elected to buy or convert to purchase the books before the due date (only done through your permission and action taken by you online) if you elected to extend the books for another term before the original due date (also done only through your permission and action). We accept VISA, MasterCard, and American Express for collateral. We do not accept gift cards, cash, checks or money orders. If your credit card s expiration date is approaching, you will be notified via to update it. The credit card must have a current expiration date or the account will be classified as inactive and you will be unable to rent until the collateral is updated. WHY DO I NEED TO PROVIDE MY CREDIT CARD AGAIN WHEN I COMPLETE MY ORDER? When you pay for the rental book at the time of placing your order, you can use a different credit card and can also use an alternative payment such as a gift card. The credit card kept as collateral is not referenced nor charged unless you elect to use the same card again by re-entering it at the time you place your order. DO I NEED TO REGISTER ON BOTH THE BOOKSTORE WEB SITE AND AGAIN TO BE A RENTAL CUSTOMER? Yes. The two sites are actually separate but link together if you have registered on both. The bookstore web site allows you to purchase or rent books for National University classes and identifies where we will ship the books. Registering as a rental customer allows you to rent through other Follett sites and manages the collateral and rental communication with you. If you have registered on one site but not the other, you will be unable to complete the rental transaction. Once registered on both sites, you only need to do so the one time on each web site and would be logging on as a returning customer WHAT IF MY INFORMATION CHANGES AFTER I REGISTER? If your information changes such as a new address, a new address, etc, you should edit your account on both sites. You can do so by logging in to your bookstore account and select Edit/Create Rental Agreement for the rental portion. You can also edit your billing and shipping information for the bookstore portion by logging in to the bookstore site and selecting the appropriate referenced link. HOW WILL I KNOW WHICH BOOKS CAN BE RENTED? During the ordering process, you navigate to the books by entering your term, subject, catalog, and class and it then displays the books for that class. If a book is eligible for rent, it will show the Used and/or New price and also Rent This Item with the rental price and its due date.

3 WHY ARE SOME BOOKS ABLE TO BE RENTED AND OTHERS ARE NOT? Although we are constantly adding rental titles and strive to have as many rent-eligible titles as possible, not all books will be available to rent. The reasons behind that could be it is a title not widely used; has components within it such as a web-access card that, once used, cannot be used again; has a non-durable binding such as loose-leaf or spiral bound; has a new edition forthcoming; has an already low price point if sold as a purchase. WILL I GET A NEW BOOK OR A USED BOOK WHEN I RENT? It depends upon what is available in our inventory at the time you place your order. In most cases, since rental books are intended to be used more than once, it s likely that you would receive a Used book. If we have depleted our entire Used inventory, you would receive a New book at no additional cost. WHAT CONDITION CAN I EXPECT THE BOOK TO BE IN WHEN I GET IT? By its nature, most rental books will have been used by different students so some normal wear and tear should be expected. We allow for some highlighting and margin notes but, if we deem them to be excessive, we will not accept it as a check in and will not send it on to others in that condition. We will also not accept books that have broken bindings, water damage, coffee or food stains, missing or torn pages or covers. In short, if the book is in a condition that the next student who received it would consider it as damaged, we will not accept it for rental check-in and, subsequently, you would be charged for the full retail price of the book plus a 10% processing fee. We do not sell or rent defective or damaged books nor will we accept them for rental check-in or buyback. If you receive a book from us that is unsatisfactory to you, please contact us immediately and we will replace the book. If you keep the book for the term and then claim that it was in poor condition after that amount of time has passed, it will jeopardize your ability to have it considered as eligible for check-in. HOW LONG CAN I KEEP MY RENTAL BOOK BEFORE IT IS DUE? Books are rented for specific terms and are due within one week after the term has ended. This allows you to complete the class and provides enough time to send the books back to us to be checked in. At the time that you place your order online, the book s due date is displayed three times prior to submitting your order. HOW WILL I KNOW WHEN MY RENTAL IS DUE? There are several instances in which you are made aware or reminded of the book s due date that take place before, during, and after you rent the book. As the due date approaches, you will also receive reminders. When you first view the title, you will see the due date next to the book s rental price. When you select the title and place it in your shopping cart, you will see the due date and the nonreturn charges and processing fees that you would be charged for not returning the book. Prior to completing your order, you will again see the book s due date plus non-return charge and fees if the book is not returned to us. After you submit your order, you will immediately receive a confirmation that shows the order details including the book s due date and non-return charges and fees. You will also receive a Thank You after you submit your order that will show the book that was rented, its due date, the cost of non-return charges and processing fees, a link to your rental agreement, and a notice that more reminder s will be forthcoming. Once the order has been completed and shipped, you will receive an that will show the tracking number and will also include the book s due date and non-return charges and fees. When you receive your book, you will also have a hard copy packing list/receipt enclosed that shows the book s due date and non-return charges and fees. Approximately 10 days prior to the book s due date, you will receive an as a reminder. Approximately 3 days prior to the book s due date, you will receive another reminder. Approximately 1 day prior to the book s due date, you will receive another reminder

4 Approximately 1 day after the book s due date, you will receive another reminder. Each of the reminder s will provide content on how to send your book back for check-in. Please be aware that these s are a courtesy and, if not delivered nor read, does not release a student from their responsibility to return the book on time per the rental agreement. It also is not cause for a student to be exempt from the consequences of failing to return the book on time. CAN I GET A REFUND FOR A RENTAL BOOK? We accept refunds up to 10 days after the start of a class regardless of when it was ordered or whether it was a Used purchase, a New purchase, or a rental book. We treat rental books just like any other book when it comes to refund eligibility. For more details on our refund policy, please see the link, Buyback and Refund Frequently Asked Questions on our home page. If the book has been rented and then subsequently converted to a purchase, it is no longer eligible for a refund and the sale is final. HOW DO I SEND THE BOOK BACK TO THE BOOKSTORE? To begin the check-in process, you would go online to either the bookstore s web site at or you could go to This must be done BEFORE the due date has passed. Once on either of those web sites, log in by clicking on Your Account found at the very top of the page. After you log on, you will be taken to a page showing your name and billing and shipping addresses. Scroll down the page to "View Your Order History" and click on it. Locate the order number for the book(s) that you rented. The orders are listed in chronological order with the most recent listed first. Click on the order number. Scroll down on the next page to "Check Rental Status" and click it. Select CHECK IN (you could also elect EXTEND or BUY instead). Select the book(s) to be checked in and enter the quantity for each book. Click "Process Order" found at the bottom of the page. On the following page, review your 'return address' information and make any changes as needed. Click "Continue" found at the bottom of the page. On the following page, click on "Create a Shipping Label and Packing List." Print the label and packing list by clicking "Print." Include the packing list inside the package and affix the Fed Ex shipping label to the outside of the box and take it to any location that accepts Fed Ex Ground packages. Once the due date has passed, you are no longer able to check-in the book online and obtain a Fed Ex label. DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR SHIPPING THE BOOK BACK TO YOU? No. If you follow the instructions above, you will be able to download and print a pre-paid, pre-addressed Fed Ex shipping label that identifies you to us when we receive the package. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of this for the following reasons: Saves you any shipping costs --- it s free You get a tracking number ed to you as part of your check-in confirmation when you print the label and you can then follow its arrival back to us. In the rare event, that it is lost or damaged in transit, you have proof that it was sent and can avoid nonreturn charges and fees. We are able to check it in and credit your rental account more easily since the information within the label has specific and unique details about your order. There are hundreds of check-ins taking place in a short amount of time yet it takes no time at all to properly credit the right customer when the Fed Ex label is used.

5 If you do not use the pre-paid Fed Ex label, you are responsible for your own shipping and all costs. We will not reimburse any shipping since we are providing a free method that was not used. Any packages lost or damaged in transit, if shipped using any other method than the Fed Ex label made available to you, is your responsibility and you remain liable for non-return charges. We are also not responsible if you mailed it to the wrong address or failed to provide information regarding which rental account should be credited. The worst possible situation is to send a book to us without providing any identifying information as to who rented it. Even though you sent it, since we can t identify you and only have the book, you will be charged for non-return charges because we don t know whom to credit. WHY CAN T I PRINT A FREE FED EX SHIPPING LABEL? In most cases, it is because the due date has already passed. Once a due date has expired, you cannot check the book in online any longer. If it is still within the due date, there is probably a setting within your computer that is blocking it such as cookies or temporary internet files on your hard drive that is interfering with the transmission of the FedEx label download. You can clear the cookies and temporary internet files from your browser and try again. Since the application is a web-based program, you can access it from another computer and that usually resolves it. IF I CHECKED THE BOOK IN ONLINE, WHEN IS MY RENTAL ACCOUNT CREDITED? Your account is credited when the book arrives here and is checked back into our inventory. We check the books in on the same day that they arrive from Fed Ex. The online check-in primarily serves as a means to print off a packing list and a shipping label. Even though you may have checked it in online, until it actually arrives here, it is not considered as checked in. This is similar to printing a boarding pass at home for a flight but, until you go to the airport and get on the plane, you are not on the flight even though you checked in earlier. WHAT IF MY BOOK IS LOST IN TRANSIT BACK TO YOU? If you sent it using the pre-paid, pre-addressed Fed Ex shipping label, you will have an that provides a tracking number. If you have not received an from us afterward that identifies that we had checked in your book and credited your rental account, please contact us and provide the tracking number. If we see that it entered the Fed Ex system but has not arrived, you will not be charged. You will need to contact us, though, and provide the tracking number --- we do not know you have sent it. The presumption is that you have not sent it at all. The tracking number is automatically generated and we do not have knowledge of it until you provide it. If you sent it by any other means, we are not responsible for lost packages and you will be charged if it does not arrive in time or at all. WHAT IF MY BOOK IS LOST, STOLEN, OR DESTROYED WHILE IT WAS BEING RENTED? You owe us a book and since we re not going to have it returned, you will need to purchase it. The least expensive way is to convert to purchase before the due date to avoid higher non-return fees. See the section below on Will I Be Charged More If I Rented The Book and I Keep It? for more details. HOW WILL I KNOW THAT YOU RECEIVED MY BOOK IN TIME? After we check your book in, you will receive an identifying that it has been checked in to our inventory and your account has been credited. Due to the volume of check-ins that takes place in a short amount of time, s may be a day or two behind the actual check-in date. That will not cause non-return charges and fees to be put into effect. As you get closer to the due date period, there are reminder s sent if we have not received the books yet --- these reminder s and check-in confirmation s can cross each other simply because of the timing and the proximity of the due date.

6 If you sent your book back using the pre-paid Fed Ex shipping label, you will also have an that shows the tracking number used to send it to us. By going to Fedex.com and typing in the tracking number, you can see if it has already arrived and when. WILL I BE CHARGED MORE IF I RENTED THE BOOK AND I KEEP IT? So that other students are able to take advantage of the same savings that you enjoyed, we need to have the books returned to us so they can be rented again. If you decide to keep the book past its due date or keep it permanently, we need to go to the expense of acquiring more books to meet the enrollment demands for the next class. Students will incur costs for keeping the book and those are either conversion costs for purchasing a book before its due date or higher non-return costs for simply keeping the book and not returning it. Students should make an informed decision regarding the best option for them on whether to buy or rent a textbook. If a student fulfills their responsibility by returning rental books on time, the savings are significant. If the student, however, decides to keep the book through a conversion, or sends their books back either late or not at all, renting a textbook is more expensive than buying the book. Converting to a Purchase Students that decide to keep their book before the due date has been reached can convert the rental to a purchase. This option is available only if it is acted upon BEFORE the due date. If the book were converted, students would pay the difference between the cost of the book and what they have already paid in rental charges plus an additional 10% of the cost of the book. When you convert to a purchase, the book is no longer the property of the bookstore but is the permanent property of the student and the sale is final with no eligibility for a refund. Using a book that retails for $100 as an example, a student already paid $45.00 to rent the book and, if they converted, would pay an additional $55.00 (difference between retail cost and rental charges) plus an additional $10.00 (conversion fee) for a total cost of $ for a book that originally cost $ Sales tax would also be applied and varies by location. Non-Return Charges Students that do not convert to a purchase and fail to send their books back by their due date are subject to non-return charges and processing fees which are higher costs than converting to a purchase. Those charges are an additional 75% of the cost of a new book plus a 7.5% processing fee. This is in addition to the original rental charge. Once the non-return charge and processing fees are collected, the book is no longer the property of the bookstore but is now owned by the student. Using the $ book as an example, a student paid $45.00 for renting the book and is subject to an additional $75.00 (non-return charge) plus an additional $7.50 (processing fee) for a total cost of $ for a book that originally cost $ Sales tax would also be applied and varies by location. CAN I EXTEND MY RENTAL FOR ANOTHER TERM? A student may find themselves in a class that is a continuation course and uses the same book from the term just ended. If a student rented a book and has not returned it yet before the due date, they can extend the rental for the full duration of the following term. This option is available only if it is acted upon BEFORE the original due date. The cost to extend is the same as renting the book all over again. In other words, if a student rented it for $45.00 in the preceding term, they would pay an additional rental charge of $45.00 for extending it to the next term. If a student extended the rental of the book, it will be due back within one week of the end of the new term. Extending a rental is for the full term and for the full rental charge. It is not for providing a brief extension for an overdue book nor is it available for less than the full rental charge. We do not offer or accept temporary extensions due to circumstances in which a student could not meet the due date deadline.

7 When you extend a rental, the book is still the property of the bookstore and is due back just like all other rental books and subject to the same non-return charges and processing fees if it is not sent back in time. WHAT IF I DO NOT KEEP THE BOOK BUT SEND IT BACK AFTER THE DUE DATE? If a student sends a book that arrives after the due date has expired, they can be subject to the non-return charges and processing fees at any time after the due date. These charges are automatically transacted to the credit card that the student entered as collateral at the time they registered and completed the rental agreement. If a student has already been charged, the book is the property of the student (since they paid for it). We would attempt to handle it as a buyback and the student could potentially recover some of the cost through that program. Buybacks can vary from 0% - 50% of the cost of the book. Using a $100 new book that was rented and returned after the due date had passed and a student had been charged for the non-return charges and late processing fees, it would result in the following: a student paid $45.00 for the rental charge initially, paid an additional $82.50 for the non-return charge and processing fees for a total cost of $127.50, and received the maximum potential buyback amount of $50.00 that resulted in a total net cost (after initial rental, late charges, and buyback were factored in) of $ If the book were a used book at the time of the rental instead of a new book, the maximum potential buyback value in this example would be $37.50 instead of $50.00 This scenario is the best possible outcome after late rental charges have been applied and is contingent on whether the book was a new book or a used book when it was rented and is eligible at all for any buyback consideration. Please refer to Buyback and Refund Frequently Asked Questions on our home page for details on buyback eligibility and values. If the book arrives prior to a student being automatically charged for the non-return charges and processing fees, we would check the book in with none of the additional late charges being applied. This is a very risky gamble to race the due date deadline and there are no guarantees that a student would be eligible for any buyback compensation nor avoid the late charges by sending books back too late for them to arrive in time. The absolute best way to save money through rental is to send the books back in time all other actions aside from that will cost more. HOW WILL I BE CHARGED FOR KEEPING THE BOOK? After the due date has expired, we will automatically begin charging non-return fees to the credit card on file in your rental agreement. If there are insufficient funds or if the credit card on file has expired and your account has not been updated with a current, valid credit card and we are unable to collect payment, we will attempt to do so multiple times. If after several unsuccessful attempts, we will turn the account over to a collection agency. WHY WAS I ABLE TO RENT BEFORE AND NOW I CAN T? Until we have either received the book or payment, as per the rental agreement, you will not be able to rent from us again if the book is past its due date. Once the account has been brought back into good standing through either our receiving books or collecting payment, a student will be able to rent again. It may take a day for the account to be updated to active once it has been suspended. The exception is if the account has gone to a collection agency --- those accounts are permanently unable to rent afterward. Please consider that the student was sent at least a dozen or more reminders of the due date and non-return charges/fees while several unsuccessful attempts had already been made to collect before taking that last step. In the unfortunate event of our turning over the account to a collection agency, we can no longer accept the books nor payment and all matters and conversations regarding the account must be taken up between the student and the collection agency, FedChex, at

8 WHAT ARE THE BEST PRACTICES FOR GETTING THE MOST OUT OF RENTING TEXTBOOKS? When you look up your class on our web site, look for books that are eligible for rent. We have classes posted usually 7 weeks ahead of the first day of class and you can order as early as that for an upcoming class. With our refund policy, you are able to return the books if you drop your class or change your plans. Consider if you will be using the book again. If you only expect to use the book for one term, rental is your best option. If you will be using it for multiple terms or keeping it for reference, the better option is to buy rather than rent. Consider if you act in a timely manner or tend to procrastinate. Rentals do require an adherence to due dates and missing them can be costly. Treat the book with respect by protecting it from being damaged or lost. Keep your address accurate and current when you set up your rental account and use an address that you regularly check. We provide a lot of correspondence as confirmations and reminders but if it is going to an incorrect address or just piling up unread in your account, it defeats the purpose. Also, be sure that your filters are allowing us to get through. Keep your credit card information current in your rental agreement. Take advantage of free Fed Ex return shipping and try to use the same box we used to ship the book to you. They re sturdy and make the round-trip easily. Sending books in an envelope is asking for trouble. We know all the bad things that can happen if sent in an envelope and that s why we NEVER send any books in anything but a box --- you should use a box, too. When you send the book back, use the packing list and shipping label that you received after you checked it in online. If you don t use those, make it clear who the book is from so we know who to credit --- put your name on the return address PLUS, have your name inside the package but outside of the book itself and write that it is a rental check-in--- do not hide it inside a book s pages and write legibly. Renting textbooks can be a great way to save money and is an easy process that becomes even easier the more often you use the program. Since National University classes are of short duration but are more frequent when compared to other schools, the opportunity for you to save also increases by using a rental program more frequently, too. WHAT IF I HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS? You may contact us in Tempe, AZ by at nutextdirect@bkstr.com or by calling us toll-free at (866) Our regular hours are Monday Friday 9:00 5:00 Pacific time Our address is: National University Text Direct 918 S. Park Lane Suite 105 Tempe, AZ 85281