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[Spike Spiegel]

I am so goddamn MAD right now!

Everyone that participated in my other thread knows that I'm taking HLTH412 right now, right? It's a short, online course that only lasts 3 weeks and requires minimal effort. Only 4 graded assignments, and 1 true/false exam worth 70% of our final grade. Quick and painless, and hardly any work at all for a full-credit course.

Well this weekend, our instructor sent the class an email telling us that our exam would be this Friday, the 23rd. The exam would only cover Chapters 4, 10, 11, and 18 from the textbook. Now since I hadn't actually bought the book yet, I started thinking, "Hmmmm... only four chapters, right? Let's go see if there're any copies at the library." My intention, of course, was to check the book out until after the exam or, failing that, Xerox the 4 chapters the test would cover. So this morning I head to the library, search the card catalog, and...

Nothing. Nada. ZIP.

So I ask the librarian, and she says they don't have that book. "What the f*ck? Why not," I wondered aloud to no one in particular, knowing full well the reason why not. Quickly recovering, I decided this wasn't a big deal. A new plan was hatching in my mind... a plan to buy the book, then return within the store deadline and receive a full refund. OR, barring that, buy the book then run to the library, copy the 4 chapters I need, then return the book on the same day for a refund.

Genius, right?

Now there are 2 bookstores on campus - one run by Follett's, and one (surprise, surprise) run by the university. Since Follett's was closer to the library, I went there first. It didn't take long to find the book in question... or rather, the shelf where the book would have been, if they had any copies left. Empty-handed, I had no choice but to walk across campus, to the university's bookstore...

What luck! They had about 50 copies left!

What luck... They're $90 each.

Undeterred, I continued on with my plan, and walked to the register. I would ask the clerk what their return deadline was, then either keep the book until after the exam (if their deadline came after Friday), or Xerox the 180 pages I needed for the exam (if the deadline came before Friday). I walked up to the counter, smiled my most charming (or creepy) smile, and before I could get a single word out she said...

"You're sure you need this book, right? Because you can't return it if you don't."

"What do you mean," I said. She explains that after June 9th (the 3rd day of the summer semester), the university bookstore doesn't accept returns or exchanges on textbooks. If I buy the book, it's bought. Desperate, I start looking for a loophole.

"What if I bring the book back tomorrow?"

Nope.

"What if I bring it back later today?"

Nope.

"Even if it's the wrong book? Can't I just..."

Nope.

"But this class didn't start until July! Isn't there some way..."

Nope.

No exceptions to the rule. The only thing I can do is buy the book, then come back next week when their "BUY BACK' program kicks in. So I pull out my checkbook, fork over almost $100, smile a tense smile while shooting daggers from my eyes, and begin the long walk back to my car, cursed textbook tucked under one arm.

So there you go. I just spent almost $100 on 4 measly chapters from a textbook that I only need until Friday. That works out to just under $25 per chapter, and about $0.50 per page. And next week, when I sell it back to the university, I'll be lucky to get $40 for it.

This week's off to a really GREAT start for me, isn't it?

 

[explodet]

College and University bookstores are good evidence that hell really exists and is starting to flood the earth.

 

[bjork]

At least you have the option of not buying it. My school charges you $50 for a textbook that's in pdf format, and if you want to print it at the campus, it's apparently another $50. So even though a textbook might only cost $47 or somethinng normally, it's $100 for a hard copy since they switched to these dumbass e-books.

Not only that, the price is apparently going to go up. How do you charge more for a PDF file that doesn't change from year to year?

 

[human5892]

I've stumbled through so many of my classes without a book just because I couldn't afford a freaking $120 manual that will have a sell-back value of $5, because the school is buying a new version the next year.

I think book accounts should be built in to tuition, and if you end up using more or less of the account than you need, the money would be charged or refunded to you appropriately. At least then I could use grant and loan money to cover books.

 

[jenov4]

I know the feeling, these Universities and book publishers are sleeping together so they all can make some nice profits every year.

I had an economic professor specifically tell us NOT to buy the the current year's 'revision' and to seek out the older one since they usually change a few paragraphs and such.

 

[Gruco]

It always amazes me how these companies manage to charge an extra hundred bucks for a rearranged answer key....glad I don't have to deal with this junk any more...

 

[Tritroid]

I work in a library on campus, the Chem/Phys library to be exact. Nothing pisses me off more than the chemistry or physics students (usually the freshmen) that will come prancing in the library thinking that they can just find any type of chemistry/physics textbook they need. HELLO, use your fucking brain. Obviously the library isn't going to have the textbooks that students are required to purchase. I know I go through the "Do you have any chemistry/physics textbooks here?" question at least 3 times a week.

Anyway though, that book return policy sucks ass. I've never heard of a campus book store that won't let you return a book the next day or even the same day, especially since it's pretty easy to pick up the wrong book by accident. Your bookstore is ripping you the fuck off man, hard.

Either way, I know I've been in a situation like yours more than once. Usually what I end up doing if I only need a few chapters from a book I didn't intend on purchasing is take my shit to the campus bookstore, find the book I would be purchasing, settle down in an isolated corner somewhere, and copy down what I need.

 

[Mercury Fred]

Dude, what did sodomy ever do to you?

 

[Mermandala]

Just try to think of it as a really rare, giant, hard-bound comic book. Don't sell it back -- add it to the collection.