Students throw the book at online seller
A string of students have lost hundreds of dollars after ordering books online only to find the texts never arrive, but the business’s owner has promised unfulfilled orders “will get picked up”.
AllTextBooks.NZ appeals to students’ thin wallets – undercutting most major online book sellers and claiming to be “100% NZ owned, operated and located”.
But, months after placing orders,customers have told The Press they have given up on receiving their books after fruitlessly trying to contact the Christchurch business.
The Commerce Commission and police are now investigating the claims of undelivered books.
University of Canterbury (UC) student Elora Hallett spent $180 on a text- book for her psychology and human ser- vices studies in February last year for an exam in the June.
Fourteen months ago later it has still not arrived, and would now be useless.
As her exam loomed, Hallett’s calls and messages were ignored by AllTextBooks.NZ, and she was eventually forced to study with a “tricky” online version of the book.
“As a student money is pretty tight, so losing close to $180 is no small thing. Needless to say the situation was pretty stressful and disappointing,” she said.
Hallett’s experience was echoed by seven other customers The Press spoke with, who collectively spent over $1000 on AllTextBooks.NZ or its sister website AllBooks.NZ.
University of Canterbury student Rebecca Reinders “ended up cramming six weeks’ worth of reading into one day” from a friend’s social psychology textbook for an exam late last month after a $135 book she ordered in February never arrived.
Massey University student Naomi Barley was forced to download her $140 maths textbook “chapter by chapter” to study after her order for it last August was never fulfilled.
Another Massey student, Rebekah Dangerfield-Kerr, had to buy her books a second time from a different supplier after a $250 order from AllTextBook.NZ in February did not arrive.
Other unfulfilled orders amounting to $510 came from a Massey University student in September, Christchurch mother Judy MacMartin in November, Auckland resident Robyn Moore in January, and Massey University student Abby Mitchell in February.
Four customers The Press spoke with said their books did arrive – up to seven months later – including University of Canterbury student Harriet, who did not wish to give her surname. Harriet spent $80 on a textbook in November, assuming it would arrive within three weeks to use in an exam, not three months later. She gave up on the order “after calling about 20 times”, instead printing 200 pages of the textbook at “great expense” before the exam – which she said affected her results.
Dunedin resident Sarah, who also did not want to reveal her full name, received a history book in December after two months of waiting - but she was not annoyed. Having cared for someone with dementia, she said she did not want to assume the unanswered contact and long wait was intentional. “It feels like it’s not a scam, just someone perhaps disorganised or unwell.”
Every customer The Press spoke with said their emails, calls and messages were ignored.
Tony Dean Robinson, owner of All Books New Zealand Limited, said the business had “been through the ringer” the past couple of years but “we haven’t been scamming anyone”.
But amid Covid and mass staff changes, it was possible some “things I haven’t seen have just been left”, he said.
All Books New Zealand Limited received over $55,000 in Covid-19 wage subsidies.
Robinson said he expected orders months old would have been delivered or refunded by now, and gave his assurance that unfulfilled orders would be picked up.
Unanswered emails, messages and calls from customers were also being dealt with following a relocation of the business, he said.
Robinson said he was unaware of Facebook comments labelling his business a scam, as another staff member had been managing the company’s online profile and changed the password.
The intent of the business was to “provide people with a massive discount based on what a lot of the university book shops are selling at,” he said.
An AllTextBooks.NZ spokesperson said “not all items are in stock when ordered”, as books could be on back-order or reprinting.
“Shipping comes from multiple sources, some by sea now as air freight is limited and so consignments may or will take longer to arrive,” they said.
The spokesperson said a large number of products are sold, sending an image of orders fulfilled last month.
The Commerce Commission confirmed it was investigating 15 reports of non-delivery from AllBooks.NZ and AllTextBooks.NZ spanning two years.
Police are also “conducting inquiries into a number of reports of fraud relating to the sale of items through a website last year”, a spokesperson said.