I’ve been a member of Quality Paperbacks Direct (QPD) for about 6 months now so I probably have had adequate experience of the company to write an accurate opinion on the subject. I’ve also noticed their advertising on the internet becoming more and more rigorous so I’d like to take the opportunity ... Read review
...Firstly, what is QPD?
QPD stands for Quality Paperbacks Direct and is a company which offers a wide range of titles all in paperback form at up to % off the recommended retail price. Unlike on the high street where you usually have to wait a few months for a recently published hardback book to be printed in paperback, but QPD offers exclusive paperback editions so you avoid the wait.
How do I join?
QPD offer a very enticing ... ...prizewinners, thrillers, true lives and QPD recommends. I have just visited the site and there is a current choice of 94 titles for new members which, in my opinion, is quite an extensive selection. QPD also invites new members through advertisements in magazines and papers. Whilst the offer is usually the same, the choice of titles is less broad so I would definitely recommend consulting the website before making your final selection of 5 books. ... more
I’ve been a member of Quality Paperbacks Direct (QPD) for about 6 months now so I probably have had adequate experience of the company to write an accurate opinion on the subject. I’ve also noticed their advertising on the internet becoming more and more rigorous so I’d like to take the opportunity to advise all my peers in the Ciao community against the gimmicks of QPD.
Firstly, what is QPD? QPD stands for Quality Paperbacks Direct and is a company which offers a wide range of titles all in paperback form at up to % off the recommended retail price. Unlike on the high street where you usually have to wait a few months for a recently published hardback book to be printed in paperback, but QPD offers exclusive paperback editions so you avoid the wait.
How do I join? QPD offer a very enticing introductory offer of 5 books for £5 (including p&p) and also a free document case. I was thrilled by this amazing offer and ordered a selection of books, some fiction and some reference to help with my English Literature degree. Your choice of introductory titles can be taken from a wide range which are listed on the site under the following categories: cult reading, light reading, literary fiction, non-fiction, prizewinners, thrillers, true lives and QPD recommends. I have just visited the site and there is a current choice of 94 titles for new members which, in my opinion, is quite an extensive selection. QPD also invites new members through advertisements in magazines and papers. Whilst the offer is usually the same, the choice of titles is less broad so I would definitely recommend consulting the website before making your final selection of 5 books.
When will I receive my books? My first order came in just over 2 weeks which seemed a decent enough delivery period. Subsequent orders though have taken well over 4 weeks on occasions to reach me and I’m beginning to find myself somewhat disillusioned with the level of service I am (or am not) receiving from QPD.
Your commitment Well of course as with anything that appears to be to good to be true – it probably is. With QPD you are committed to buying a further 5 books from the company during your first year of membership. Otherwise, you will be charged the full recommended retail price for your first order. Be warned though, the lowest price books and sale items ‘do not count towards your club commitment’ and so fulfilling your commitment may turn out to be quite expensive.
Making payment on your account I have set up my account online so I pay over their secure server using my debit card. You pay after receiving and approving your books which is good and you also receive a detailed monthly statement which is very helpful. Alternative payment methods include sending a cheque or postal order, paying over the counter at a bank or with a debit / credit card over the phone.
Customer Services As I said earlier, now I am a member, my orders seem to take weeks on end (literally) to reach me. I have had one set of books that never arrived and I e-mailed the customer service department regarding this. They offered little help and simply sent me a form to fill in to confirm I hadn’t received the order. I have done this and am still awaiting a response from them.
My overall impressions The introductory offer from QPD seems like excellent value for money but the 5 book commitment means you will be paying for your first order at the end of the day. The service I have received has been poor and books take a long time to arrive. I therefore wouldn’t suggest using QPD to buy books for gifts or research purposes as you can’t guarantee that they will arrive in time. Whilst their offer of ‘exclusive paperbacks’ seems enticing, beware of the paper quality as this is often quite poor in comparison to shop bought books. Also make sure you reject the monthly editor’s choice if you don’t wan to be bombarded with unwanted books. I do this online which is quick and easy or you can do it using their automated telephone service or by post. If you forget, you will have to pay to return the unwanted goods which cost £2 last time I checked.
Overall I’ve not been impressed at all with QPD. I’m hoping to fulfill my commitment after next payday and then I will end my membership as soon as possible. Stick to somewhere like bookpeople.co.uk who offer the bargains without he commitment instead.
Advantages: Books are cheaper than some places, good selection, great introductory offer Disadvantages: You DO have to more books, rude customer services, offers not always as good as those you could find from eg Amazon, paper quality not as good
...My mum had joined QPD a couple of years back, and had been very happy with it. So when I saw an advert in the Radio Times, saying choose five books for 99p each, plus postage of £2.95, and that you would NEVER have to buy another book again, I thought great – I will definitely join this, as I love reading, and this was before my big win on streetsonline. The books I chose were varied, the name QPD simply means Quality Paperbacks Direct. I seem ... ...My experience of QPD was good – the books arrived relatively quickly, within three weeks (although they can often be sent a lot quicker than this from the net), and paying less than eight pounds for such books was a major bargain. They are sent out by the delivery firm White Arrow, who will call back if you are not in, although you are also given the choice on the form when you join if there is a safe place where they can leave the books. For ...
weebagpuss 27.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of QPD
Advantages: No hidden catches Disadvantages: Can be annoying to keep receiving catalogues
...this isn't the case!
QPD - Quality Paperbacks Direct - delivered the goods all right. I responded to one of those many magazine back page advertisements as it seemed to good to be true and too good to pass up. The introductory offer was 3 paperback books for £1 each plus postage (£2.95) - a total of £5.95 for three non-abridged paperbacks?? Yes! Really!
I selected my order - a book on law, a Halliwells film guide and a Learn How to do Everything ... ...I received the order - well packed, exactly what I wanted and good quality - the same versions you can buy in the High Street. I made a saving of about £40!
Here comes the good part! Like most book clubs they send a monthly catalogue to you with an Editors Recommendation which you can accept by not responding or reject by responding ( you can do this online too). And that's it - no obligation to buy ANY further books whatsoever. Most of these clubs ...
blurbubble 14.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of QPD
Advantages: No strings Disadvantages: The helpline
...be £100 or more.
QPD say that you are under no obligation to buy another book after your first order. This has prooved to be true.
They advertise in magazines and in the post in the form of a selected range of books for you to choose from. You tick 5 books priced at 99p each and then send off the flyer to:
QPD,
Guild House,
Farnsby Street
Swindon X
SN99 9X
I sent off for 5 books to the value of £52.95 - it cost me £5.00 including postage ... ...a cheque written out to QPD after choosing from the magazine.
They can set up a direct debit or telebanking option or you can use your credit card. They want you to pay within a certain timeframe which is usually within 10 days of receiving your statement. There is a late payment fee if you are overdue.
The postage and packaging on a normal order is £2.35. The return of goods comes under your Statutory Rights thing and should be withing 28 days ...
Maddi69 16.09.2002 (17.09.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of QPD
Advantages: Wide range to choose from in comfort of own home Disadvantages: Can leave a whole in your pocket!
...Drag. Unfortunately. No, QPD stands simply for Quality Paperbacks Direct and it supplies - you guessed it - quality papers, direct from the printer to you, dear reader (oops, sorry - got a touch of the Jane Austen's then!)
I am a bibliophile, unable to walk past a Waterstones (or any other bookshop), without coming out with an armful of 'must have' books, which tempted me away from the narrow path of financial frugality by looking, well, interesting. ... ...So, I joined QPD and I really have not looked back ever since. Every month or so they send you a truly no obligation club magazine filled with all sorts of fiction, poetry, biographies and all sorts of other goodies just crying out to you to give them a go. In addition to the editor's choice of the month (which is always a bargain, saving you in the region of £20:00 on a tempting twosome of recently published titles), they very often to 'Two for ...
Medusa 22.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of QPD
Advantages: A reliable service, reasonably priced. Disadvantages: Just the usual book club gripes about postage costs
...have been a member of QPD (Quality Paperbacks Direct) for about five years now, and have to say, its not bad. It is a genuine "no commitment" book club, which supplies paperback equivalents of newly published hardbacks, in all categories of adult fiction (and a few typical book club nonfiction categories like health, well being, etc). Generally the books are "literary" rather than "popular", but if you want the latest Hanif Kureshi, Barbara Kingsolver, ... ...for you. The paperbacks are usually "large format" which I think means that they take the innards of the hardback and just re-cover it - I could be wrong here, but they certainly look and feel like the hardbacks with a soft cover on. The magazine is quite a nice read, although the reviews are more in the way of advertising blurb than honest assesments of the book - however, these probably supplement reviews you've read elsewhere so maybe it doesn't ...
tomc 21.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of QPD
Advantages: NONE - THEY DONT EVEN HONOUR THEIR INTRODUTORY OFFERS Disadvantages: EVERYTHING
get through “There is a twenty minute wait on the phone line”. I have had problems with books being charged to my account that were neither requested or received. Just Good Books (ie all BCA companies) have ignored every communication I’ve sent via email or normal mail.
The latest problem is that they are charging my credit card on a weekly basis for the same items. The Credit Card Company say that they have to give BCA 30 days to reply to disputed items, so it looks like the only way I can stop this is to cancel my credit card.
This is just a warning to avoid any book club that has anything to do with BCA. The customer service is the worst I have ever encountered.
The ones that I know of are
Taste
Home Software World
QPD
Just Good Books
TSP
Ancient and Medieval Histor Book Club
And there are many more ...
mikeydred 16.01.2002 (18.01.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Just Good Books
Advantages: Nice character development Disadvantages: Bit slow for some people
matter.
Published by QPD I got my copy in a swap on readitswapit however the rrp is £7.99 but it can be obtained new from Amazon for £6.39 or from a penny in the new and used section.
Thanks for reading and rating my review. ...
Advantages: More than a story; invites you to think about life and values Disadvantages: May have hardened cynics reaching for their barfing buckets!
a simple fable; thoughtfully, humbly and unsentimentally presented by an author who has integrity. It gently inspires us to make life a little better for ourselves, for those we love and for those with whom we may have only the most fleeting contact.
And in today’s cynical, often stuffed-up world, I see nothing wrong in that.
To Purchase..
'
You can find this book in hardcover at Amazon for £9.09. The paperback edition will be published in October 2004 for £6.99, though I got my softback edition (a floppy version of the hardback, if you see what I mean!) at QPD book club for £7.99. ...
