A1 Books got my business by advertising the book I wanted ships in 1 day. They failed to meet that committment, status still says "processing" after more than a day. Next, they do not disclose their shipping is slow media mail until AFTER you commit your order. They price books low, but shipping high to discourage returns. This is a lousy company. Stay away.

I ordered my book used through Barnes & Nobles. I never heard of this company and Barnes & Nobles had them listed with good reviews.  
 
It's been only about two weeks, but I have never had an order delayed this long before. I started getting a bit worried and found all over the internet HORRIBLE reviews. I assumed they would be a good site since Barnes & Nobles had them listed as an "Authorized Reseller."  
 
I've read numerous entries about customers complaining about never receiving their book and this company giving the same excuse of being the carriers (USPS) fault. Others are also complaining about receiving the wrong book and getting charged a restocking fee for their mistake. WTF? It is very obvious a scam is going on here and I may have become a victim of it...  
 
 
Possible evidence of mischief:  
 
I did a little investigation work and re-examined the reviews about them on Barnes & Nobles site. As of this moment they have 21,713 ratings with 4.4/5 score. I compared the amount of ratings to other resellers on B & N's site and most had an average amount of ratings between 500-2000. A little skeptical of this I started looking at the comments on them on B & N's site and saw duplicated posts written in a same format with high ratings. On 4/16 and 4/15 they had about 45-75 reviews each day (A huge amount in comparison to the other resellers). Either they are so busy they can not keep up with their orders or they have a Bot that autofills random comments with high scores... Either way, I, the consumer, should not have to question this...hmm...  
 
- Worried  
 
 
UPDATE (PLEASE READ): I ended up receiving my books on 3/21. I ordered the book used but it looked new! I am very pleased that the book did arrive and was in excellent condition.  
 
If there was mention about it being shipped as media mail, my apologies, I must have missed it. None of my e-receipts state this. My only complaint now is that my order took a little longer than expected to process, which left me worried.

This review was modified by its author, iicriscoii, on 4/23/08 11:36 AM.

i ordered a copy of wow painter IX which included a cd. this product was 2 weeks late and came to me broken. when i used there 24 customer support i got an auto message that stated i could return it and they would refund me for the book not the shipping also that i could not exchange the book i would have to re order and pay for shipping again. when i used the customer support to express my dissatisfaction i got the same auto message. i have bought books on line before and have never had a problem with other companies. A1books is a sham and no one should order from then unless you like getting screwed over. BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!

I ordered 1 book on 03/06/08 & paid for expedited shipping -- it is now 03/17 & the book still has not arrived. There is no way to contact them - fax number given on website does not exist. Will be contacting the BBB for this poor customer service.

A1 books sucks and has horrible business practices. The simple fact that they do not have a customer service phone number says it all. After waiting for over three weeks for my book, they shipped the wrong book. I have to pay for shipping the book back and a restocking fee. I can't believe a company like barnes and noble would use them.

I wish I had read the reviews before I ordered books. 23 days and I still have not received my books. I will never order from them again. Buyer beware!

I ordered this book on Nov 23 and I received an email saying the book was out of stock and it would cause a delay and they would send the book out on around dec 13. They shipped it on Dec. 5 and this is what the tracking number shows  
 
12/05 11:03AM ARRIVED AT SORT HUB Elizabeth, NJ  
12/05 02:24PM PROCESSED AT SORT HUB Elizabeth, NJ  
12/06 10:44AM EN ROUTE TO LOCAL USPS FACILITY Jersey City, NJ  
 
I live in New York City so the book is usually received in 2 or 3 days. It is now Jan 4, 2008 and I still haven't received the book. The have replied to my email telling me the same thing over and over, that it will take 21 days, then they said 4-5 weeks. I'm especially pissed because I could pick up the book cuz its only 2 hours away!!! Look what else they told me...  
 
"Please note since we sort the mail based on instruction given by Yellow Mail, all of the mail pieces that going to the same destination get grouped into the same package and then in bulk are delivered to your nearest local post  
office."  
 
DO NOT BUY FROM THEM! I mean unless you are the lucky one, or the last one who placed an order for there to be enough packages to be finally shipped out. I won't accept this!

I placed the order and paid extra for expedited shipping. Then I received an email stating that my order was shipped the day after I placed it. I waited and waited a week later I emailed them to find out where my purchase was. They replied that my purchase was sent on December 20. Then they gave me a tracking # when I checked there it said that the item was not shipped until the 26! It is now January and I still do not have the book and they won't help me and claim that 21 days of shipping is comparable to priority mail!

They shipped me the wrong book. However, they won't send me the book I ordered. I need to pay a restocking fee on the WRONG book and re-buy the book I ordered! I'll never use them again.

A1book.com who is selling books via Alibris.com ripped me off on: CCNA CISCO CERTIFIED NETWORK ASSOCIATE Study Guide by Todd Lammle.  
 
The book was being advertised as new, it came used. It was missing the most important element which is a CD that serves as a virtual computer lab, and a testing facility.  
 
Without the CD, the book is worthless to me.  
 
This company SUCKS.  
 
Im calling my credit card company for a refund. It beats paying for shipping and only getting half of my money back!

Dreadful service. Was told it would be shipped 15 Oct, notified of shipment on 25 Oct. Had to buy locally, was for a class.  
 
Avoid this store.

I purchased a eyewitness travel guide for Paris from A1books market place seller "A1techseller". I assume it's affiliated with a1books.com. They usually have books that are cheaper than on amazon but I've never bought books from them before. The new book was in good condition and the item arrived in a week.  
 
It's hard to reach the seller for help and ask about the ship date. a1books.com has a seperate "help system" with a seperate account they setup for you after you make a purchase. You can only get your answers when you login in the help system. Which is troublesome and confusing.  
 
You cannot track you shipment or know when it is shipped either. I had worries that I might not get it. But all turned out well.

I ordered a book from a1books.com the same day I ordered others from other merchants, including Amazon. Within two weeks I had all of the merchandise from the other merchants, but had heard nothing from a1books a month later. I finally contacted the vendor who supposedly sold through a1, but he informed me that he hadn't done business with them in years because of their business practices. ... I contacted a1books via email, requesting cancellation of the order, which they did the following day (no charges). I wish I'd gotten the book, but at least they were fast about providing satisfaction when I explained the problem.

This review was modified by its author, tysonius, on 9/25/07 4:06 PM.

I ordered two books on August 28th. On September 6th I was told one book would not be shipped because they ran out.  
 
The other book has still yet to come.  
 
A1Books does not have a number to call about orders and non-existent customer service. I sent an email about the book I haven't received, but an automated messaged said they would respond in 3 working days.  
I needed my school books weeks ago. I don't recommend this seller to anyone.  
I understand things happen sometimes, but not having customer service more readily available to your customers is ridiculous.

I was TRYING to order a textbook from A1books.com, but when I was putting in my payment information, it kept saying that my address or my verification code on my card was incorrect. Finally, I just gave up and decided that I would pay for a more expensive book and never placed the order. That night, for some reason I looked at my bank account online, I noticed that I had been charged FOUR times for a $71.00 book! THATS A TOTAL OF $284!!! I NEVER EVEN COMPLETED MY ORDER!!! I have a phone number- if anyone wants it- but it's no help. The number is 973.426.9995. The only reason I have the number is because it showed up on my bank statement online. Right now, I have left two messagges and sent many emails with no responses. I checked my orders in my account to make sure I did not accidentally submit my order and did not realize it, but it says in my account that I have not ever ordered anything from them. I can hopefully receive my money back through my bank. The charges are still pending and until they go through, my bank cannot do anything about it. :-( Anyways, DO NOT ORDER FROM THESE CRIMINALS!