On October 26, the bookstore on the UNB Saint John campus announced its closure as of October 30, and it has already had various negative effects on students.
Pending, cancelled orders, and refunds
Although the email sent out on Monday stated that they were confident this change would not cause a negative impact on the students, several of them have problems and concerns with this decision.
While UNB has an alternative to buying textbooks and other materials, and it’s working on a way to return rented books without charging fees, students are concerned about their pending issues with the bookstore that have yet to be addressed.
These issues include students who are asking for a refund, to students who were discussing an exchange of books before the closure.
On October 27, an updated email was sent to students with pending orders stating that those orders were cancelled. The reason why these were cancelled was not explained and refunds were not mentioned in the email.
Communication with the bookstore
In the email sent by the bookstore, it mentions various ways to communicate with them to ask for assistance. However, some students have reached out to the bookstore without getting an answer.
“I’ve emailed several times but (my book) hasn’t come in,” said a concerned student who has been waiting for an answer since the beginning of September. “I also called and there was no answer and there was no voicemail set up”.
The students who were able to contact the bookstore and have pending matters with them are unsure of what comes next.
Response from UNB
The administrative assistant of the Vice-President of UNB Saint John, Denise Ryder, responded saying that they and the Follet Bookstore are working together to create “communication venues”, where students will be able to ask questions and get assistance for whatever their issue is.
However, there are not any details about these communication venues at the moment, meaning that students with questions and pending refunds will have to wait.
“As soon as all of the details have been settled, we will share this information with the students and ensure that the information is readily accessible to all”.
Ryder asks the students to be patient with the bookstore and the pending issues. “We are committed to addressing (students’) concerns and resolving these issues as soon as possible”.
