Next stop China

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Monday, November 4, 2013

It's not rocket science, but close...how do libraries figure their fines...

I will back up a month or two.  We started going to a larger library about 3 months ago. If you homeschool, you really need a good library... At least we do and we depend upon it heavily.  We nearly go past this larger library every Monday on the way to our Co-op, so we take a slight detour on the way home and stop by.  
Back in the first week of October, we went to the library.  I knew that I had not brought all of our books back that we had checked out our last trip.  So as we were checking out, I asked the librarian to renew all of our books.  She said "your books aren't due until October 21, do you still want me to renew them?" 
I told her "no" because I knew we would be back before that date and didn't worry about it.   Fast forward to Oct. 15th, 8 days later,(because they were closed for a holiday the 14th.)  I go to check out and the librarian tells me I owe $8 in fees.  I am dumbfounded about how in the world I could have racked up those fees when just the week before I was told I didn't have any books due until the 21st.  So I paid and then asked to talk to the manager/main librarian etc. 
I told her that I specifically remember the conversation of the week before and how I didn't have any books due until the 21st blah blah blah. I went over the whole thing of how I tried to renew, but was told I didn't need too (come to find out, I had about 6-8 books that were due ON the day the librarian told me I didn't need to renew).  I could tell that the librarian thought I was just a lying loser instead of someone with a legitimate complaint.
She did refund my money, but pretty much acted like I was an idiot and indicated that from now on the money would not be refunded because I should renew online.  I left feeling dirty and lowdown when I wasn't the one who made the mistake!
Ok, so at that point, according to them, all my books were renewed, I didn't have anything due until 3 weeks from that day, which would be tomorrow! 
This morning, I was a good little library patron and looked up my stuff online to renew all of my books, MYSELF, like I was told to do, thinking that all of my stuff was due tomorrow.  Well, there in front of my were 8 books due on the 28th that the library web site would NOT let me renew. So I go in there today and come to find out, I had books due last week, that they told me, AGAIN, they had renewed and would not be due for 3 weeks instead of 2 weeks.
So, I paid my >$10 fine and I am really mad because I know that I can't be so stupid that I can't figure out these library fee schedule. It seems so simple when I read it, but apparently is so complex, that I can't seem to figure it out.
UGH!!!!!
One other reason for going to this library.  I had crazy high fees at the other library closer to us.  Could not figure out how they were going up so high when I had been renewing and paying small fees.  I have not been back since, but back in the summer or before I paid such a high fee I don't want to say it on here.   I couldn't get a straight answer where it came from etc.  I supposedly renewed everything for another 3 weeks.... Then I sent the girls in alone less than 3 weeks later and my fee was now 30$ . I haven't been back. I don't trust them. How in the world can I not have books due, yet somehow rack up 30$ of fees.????? 
See, apparently this complex math just flies over my head.  Is it just the county I live in??

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