Friday, September 28, 2007
Students who purchased the main textbook for Speaker-Audience Communication, classified as COMS 130, this semester are eligible for a refund. Because of a pricing error by Pearson Education, publisher of the textbook “Public Speaking: Strategies for Success,” the KU Bookstore, Jayhawk Bookstore and University Book Shop are offering a refund for the price difference.
Refunds range from about $8 at the Jayhawk Bookstore to $14.32 at the KU Bookstore.
Steve Rhodes, assistant director of the KU Bookstore, said the bookstore was notified by Pearson Education about the error. The store then notified the Communications Department, and the students were then informed that they had overpaid for the book.
Rhodes said more than 500 books were purchased for the class from the KU Bookstore, totaling more than $7,000 in overcharges. Students who have a receipt for the textbook will be refunded, but those who didn’t keep a receipt might be out the money.
“There’s no way other than a receipt to verify the book was bought here,” Rhodes said.
Mark Dietz, Overland Park senior, is also a student in the class. He purchased his textbook from the Jayhawk Bookstore and didn’t keep a receipt. He was upset about the overcharge but didn’t agree that needed verify where he bought the book.
“I’m more pissed that you have to have a receipt,” he said.
Rhodes added that students who pre-ordered their books or those who paid with a credit card might be refunded because the store might be able look up the transaction on the computer.
Students who bought the book at the KU Bookstore are eligible for the refund only if they purchased the book from Aug. 1 to Sept. 18, the length of time the book was overpriced. Students also must get their refunds before October 5.
“We can’t have it going indefinitely,” Rhodes said. “We thought a two-week period was long enough.”
Bill Madl, textbook manager of Jayhawk Bookstore, 1420 Crescent Rd., said the store sold about 275 copies of the textbook and would have about a three-week period for refunds.
Brad Heins, store manager of University Book Shop, 1116 West 23rd St., said the store probably wouldn’t set a time frame for refunds.
All of the bookstores said they would work with students who their lost receipts on a case-to-case basis for refunds.
“I’ve seen this happen before,” Madl said. “A small percentage of people won’t get their money back.”
Denise Keating, co-owner of Beat the Bookstore, said the store was unable to stock the textbook this semester.
— Edited by Ashlee Kieler
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Comments
Overpriced book leads to refunds
I have a feeling there is more than one book that is overpriced...how about all of them?
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