Wrestling with Christian customers

Archive: Online bookselling

Sometimes we send a customer the wrong book. Often it is the right author but a book with slightly different title. At our worst we mix up two books and send the wrong books to two customers.

When we can we correct the error, usually sending the correct book out via priority mail. Recently we accidentally switched a nutty fundamentalist book on demons with a book on poltergeists. Haven't heard from the person who wanted the ghost book yet but the Christian who got it by mistake emailed us yesterday denouncing us for daring to send her “occult trash” (which it is, as is the book she wanted).

I admitted our mistake and not knowing when or if I'd be able to get the right book to her I had ABE refund her credit card. Her last email, one of several:

I would like to suggest a few customer service pointers to you. First of all, you can start by apologizing for your error. Second of all, I expect you to perform on your agreement to sell me “Wrestling with Dark Angels” by C. Peter Wagner for the price your agreed to. Therefore, you can look through your records and contact the customer who received my book without waiting for them to notify you. Finally, if you are unable to find the book you sold me, you can track down another copy in the same condition you claimed yours was in and send it to me at no additional expense to me.

Since we shipped Dark Angels through the Barnes & Noble BookQuest program we don't have the buyer's email. Possibly the person who wanted a book on hauntings will also want the wacky Christian book on demons.

Giving the indignant Christian woman her money back so she could order another copy seemed the easiest thing for both of us.

I was sorely tempted to have her email inbox flooded with porn spam or at least suggest that she turn to the Lord in prayer. Instead I opted for a more politic suggestion that she buy another copy through Barnes & Noble.