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:02/13/2025

  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.

  The seller/business, noted as Better World Books, listed for sale, a used book under the condition category of "Very Good." According to their own website description of book conditions, a book listed as "Very Good" should be in "great condition" with "no easily noticeable damage to the cover, dust jackets should be included, all pages are present and undamaged (e.g., no creases or tears)." However, the book I was sent was NOT in the condition it was listed. The book has rough discolored pages, multiple folded pages, and a significantly loose spine/binding. The condition for the book they sent me would be "Good" at best, but closer to "Acceptable." I contacted the seller/business and have exchanged 26 emails from 01/28/2025 to 02/13/2025 with no resolution. Seller refuses to exchange the book or refund my money unless I perform services for them at my expense. They require that I use MY vehicle and MY gas, to drive to town and purchase packing material at MY expense, and then run an errand for THEM as an unpaid courier, where I then have to pay with MY money to return the book back to them, in order to correct THEIR mistake of sending a subpar book instead of the one they had listed in "Very Good" condition. It seems to be a classic case of bait-and-switch. They list one thing as bait, then send something subpar as the switch, then require services from the buyer to return the subpar book at the buyer's expense, which then likely results in them getting the book back for free, refusing to refund the money, and then re-selling the same subpar book to cycle the scam again, causing the buyer to receive No book, No refund, and incur costs of return, meanwhile the Seller makes pure profit over & over again. Since the Seller here, Better World Books, refuses to cooperate unless I spend money on unsolicited services for them, I'd like to have some intervention to both recoup my loss & see that this Seller cannot continue to operate this scam on other customers. Thank you.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2025

  Thank you for reaching out to us. Our policy now requires customers to provide images for any condition-related issues so that we can accurately assess the damage. In this case, a refund was not initially processed through customer service because we did not receive the necessary images to evaluate the condition.
  However, as a gesture of goodwill and to acknowledge your disappointment with the item received, we will be processing a refund for this claim.
  To help our team resolve issues more efficiently and to ensure a seamless resolution process in the future, we kindly ask that you provide the required images when reporting condition concerns. This helps us address the matter more swiftly and effectively for both you and our team.
  We appreciate your understanding and support. If you have any further questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/18/2025

   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. Be it noted though, that a photo of the loose spine of the book was provided to the business weeks ago as they requested. But I accept the refund offer made in good will. Hopefully next time it will not require getting the BBB involved to resolve a simple matter. 

  
  

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/12/2025

  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.

  3 out of 4 books I was sent were incorrect editions from what I paid for. Majority of order wrong:1: Ordered ISBN *************, received had no ISBN (older ed.)2 Ordered ISBN *************, received ISBN ********** (lower quality)3: Ordered ISBN *************, received ISBN ************* Reached out to customer service, was told they can't do exchanges to get me the correct items I paid for. To return the ones they sent (which were lower quality than the nicer, more expensive editions I paid for) they don't provide a shipping label and said they only reimburse shipping up to a certain $, which is less than the min. rate for the cheapest shipping option. Have to pay more to return multiple wrong items and will never receive the actual ed.s I paid for. One they sent me was a very old hardback (not the newer paperback paid for), so its heavier/costs more to ship. Have to go through the inconvenience of getting packaging (items were sent in multiple shipments, packaging too small to reuse), find time to go to the post office during my work hours since no shipping label to be able to drop off the package during off-work hours, and pay more out of pocket to remedy their repeated mistakes.They only offered 25% refund to keep the books, which I have no use for as they are not the right ed.s, and will have to take additional time/money to get them elsewhere. Only book that was correct in order had a price sticker on it that was for $1, but BWBs price was significantly higher (paid a 440% price increase). Yet, they can't get me the right items and are expecting me to lose money/time to return the wrong ones that were sent when they made the same mistake multiple times on 75% of my order! Feels like a scammy bait-and-switch business that does not provide the items you order and wants you to incur a loss to get a refund, all without ever getting what you wanted in the first place and charging much higher prices for lower quality items. Wish I could get my money back.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2025

  We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you experienced with your order. We understand your frustration with receiving incorrect editions for the majority of your purchase, as well as the challenges faced with the return process.
  We strive to provide accurate listings and a seamless shopping experience, and we regret that we did not meet those expectations this time. To resolve this matter, we have issued a full refund for your order. You will not need to return the incorrect items.
  Your feedback is valuable to us, and we will use it to improve our processes and prevent similar issues in the future.
  We appreciate your understanding and patience. If you have any further questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/05/2025

  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.

  Purchased a second hand book and the book that arrived was not a hard cover antique book but a small, moldy, poorly conditioned paperback book. The complete wrong item was sent. Seller refused to send me a shipping label to return. Additionally due to illness I was unable to get to the post office within only a few weeks time which was their ridiculous return window for having me need to go out of my way and pay for shipping myself. The **** reviews all tell the same story. This company is a fraud. Theyre still advertising it too ********************************************** All recent reviews tell the same story Additionally I received the book January 10th having placed the order January 1st. They gave me until January 31st to return it and unfortunately sickness hit our home so I was unable to physically go to a post office. I also fault **** for allowing this fraud to sell on their platform and for being okay with closing the case *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/07/2025

  Dear ****,
  

  Thank you for reaching out. We wanted to update you that this case is now under ****'s official investigation. As a result, we are unable to take any action outside of eBays process. However, we are more than happy to assist by providing any information that **** may request during their review.

  
  We feel confident that **** will handle the matter in accordance with their policies and ensure a fair resolution. If you have any further questions, please let us know.

  Best regards,
  Better World Books Teams. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/07/2025

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  eBay already closed the case and has not responded to reopening anything. 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2025

  Thank you for letting us know that **** has resolved the case in our favor.
  However, I have reviewed the claim and have issued a refund for your purchase. We appreciate your patience and understanding throughout this process.
  If you have any further questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/18/2025

   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:01/05/2025

  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 seller listed used book Quantum Mechanics by Merzbacher. It was described as the 3rd edition (with a picture showing the 3rd edition) and former library book in good condition. When I received the book, it was actually a 2nd edition in at most an acceptable condition. Especially it was not a former library book. I contacted the seller for exchanging the correct edition but was denied. Seller insisted they sent what I ordered.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/14/2025

  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We understand your concerns regarding the discrepancy between the listing and the book you received for 
  Order #********.
  After reviewing your case, we have issued a full refund to resolve the issue and ensure your satisfaction. The refund should appear on your original payment method shortly, via ****** Transaction Number ***************** 
  We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and appreciate your understanding. If there is anything further we can assist you with, please do not hesitate to reach out.

• 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!