Review of BookByte.com - The Good and the Bad
Despite the fact that it doesn't get the same level of press as big players like Chegg.com and Bookrenter, Bookbyte is actually one of the oldest and most well established book renting operations still in business today. They began offering their services to budget-conscious college students in 1999 and they've maintained their "family style approach" to running their business and serving their clients. But does Bookbyte' longevity necessarily mean they're better than other, newer textbook renting services?
To make a long story short- no, Bookbyte isn't better than the market's more successful newcomers like Chegg.com and Bookrenter. Bookbyte isn't a bad service, not by a long shot, but they just can't compete with these newer, nimbler and savvier textbook renters. Bookbyte might present itself as a "family style" business but the massive litany of customer complaints says otherwise. In fact you'll be hard pressed to find a textbook rental service that suffers from such a negative public opinion generated by its old clients.
The main complaint previous clients leverage against Bookbyte revolves around their dishonest pricing practices. If you just looked at the base numbers put out by all of the different book rental companies out there you'd see that Bookbyte often provides one of the best deals for most of the books you need to order. These numbers are deceptive due to the fact that Bookbyte is notorious for tacking a wealth of hidden fees onto their renting services.
Bookbytes' dishonest pricing practices show up most often when it comes to their book buyback services. Many previous clients find that not only does Bookbyte' litany of hidden fees take a big bite out of the money their paid for book buybacks, but the base number that Bookbytes' pays out for these buybacks is often considerably lower than their initial estimates. At the outset you might think you're getting a ton of money selling your textbooks back to Bookbyte, but by the time they readjust their bid price and tack on their hidden fees you'll likely end up with a mere fraction of your initial estimates.
If you order from Bookbyte.com you might also be gambling with the quality of your books. While a less common complaint than the numerous reports of dishonest pricing practices, a number of students have found the quality of used books that Bookbyte rents out to be lacking. Some students are merely disappointed to find out the books they've rented out contain more markings, highlights and torn pages than they expected. Other students receive books that are completely unusable.
At the end of the day you have better options than Bookbyte when it comes to renting out textbooks. If even half of the negative reviews and horror stories surrounding Bookbytes' reputation are true than that's enough to disqualify them as one of the top textbook rental services available to you these days. You're better served going to a large, well-established textbook renter with a good reputation, such as Chegg.com, than trying your luck with an ultimately inconsistent company like Bookbyte.
If you do decide to go with this textbook service, be sure to grab a Bookbyte coupon code before checking out. This way you can truly maximize your savings on your textbook costs.
Bookbyte.com is a family-style book store. Buy or sell any book; school books, text books, reference books, popular books... Bookbyte has them all. Whether you're selling a used college textbook or need to buy a new or used college textbook at a great price, Bookbyte is your source. At Bookbyte most orders are shipped within 24 hours. With accurate descriptions and search by ISBN number, you are assured of getting exactly the book you need or want FAST!
Bookbyte has an extensive selection of new and used textbooks for every course of study. We also sell the popular favorites from today’s' authors, as well as the classics ... all at discounted prices! New or used, Bookbyte has the best book prices anywhere!
Whether you're looking for the latest cookbook, or hottest romance novel, Bookbyte has what you're looking for at the best price. Fast, honest, and reliable service, that's our Bookbyte motto.
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