Ordering Books

The COTtage Bookstore is interested in making distance student book ordering, book returns and selling books back to the bookstore as convenient as possible. We believe it is in the best interest of MSU - Great Falls College of Technology and The COTtage Bookstore that students are provided the opportunity to excel. We want all of your experiences with MSU - Great Falls College of Technology and The COTtage Bookstore to be pleasant and profitable.

We will work hard to correct all mistakes and keep you informed as questions arise. One item causing confusion are books on the website with no price. We have set the system up so we cannot sell you something that we don't have. As soon as we receive the books the price and other information will show on the web page. It may be best to wait to order until all of your books are available to save shipping cost. We are receiving books daily, so it shouldn't be more than one week, two at the most.

Those that will be using financial aid will not be able to have their order processed until the Saturday prior to being allowed to charge on financial aid. The financial aid office sets date parameters regarding when financial aid charging will begin and end.

You will find in our Student Activity page celebrations of student and staff accomplishments. We encourage our distance students to e-mail items of interest to us at bookstore@msugf.edu. Many of you will participate in activities where you are honored. We would like to share your achievements with the rest of the student body, faculty and staff.

The COTtage Bookstore conducts contests where on-campus students may win prizes or store gift certificates. We would like to create contests in which distance students may participate and win prizes the same as on-campus students. If you have an idea, please share it with us. We want to have some fun and give a little back to you in return for all your efforts in making MSU Great Falls College of Technology a place in which we can all be proud. Ryan, Karen and I have been discussing different possibilities for distance students, but need some creative ideas.

Ordering

When you have decided which classes to take you can find the textbooks you need for each class on our textbook page. Simply select the term (i.e. 2004ACOT), the department (i.e. AH), the course number (i.e. 108), the section (all on-line course are designated in the 80's) and the instructor. Below your selections you will find the required, recommended and optional books for that particular course. Each book will show an author, the title and the price of new or used.

At the present time we are having a difficult time attaching all reference books instructors are recommending. We hope to have that solved in the very near future. In the mean time, we have set up a list of reference books that you can peruse to find books suggested in the instructors syllabi.

The ordering process is similar to most on-line ordering. You will need to give current and accurate information to have the process work most efficiently. When you are entering ordering information remember to give a street address and not a P.O. Box number. We will use FedEx to ship your order and must have a street address. No order can be shipped to a P.O. Box. Any e-mails you send to bookstore@msugf.edu will go directly to both the manager and assistant manager. This should ensure a quick response to any questions or problems you may have.

Any information you give during the ordering process, including a credit card number will be kept secure.

If you will not be using a credit card to make your textbook purchases, please use the reserve option. At this point you will need to send a check to the COTtage Bookstore as quickly as possible. Your order will be processed, but held, until your check is received in the bookstore. The day your check is received, your order will be sent out. This process was developed to streamline the payment process for both the student and the business office. The ordering student should see a total when completing the transaction. The total should include shipping costs. Shipping is charged at $4.00 for the first book and $1.00 for each additional book.

If you are using financial aid to purchase your textbooks we will complete that transaction and ship your books with no delay. However, the financial aid office sets the date parameters for charging. If an order is placed using financial aid and it is before we can complete the transaction, we will send an e-mail alerting you of when we can complete the transaction.

The COTtage Bookstore does have software available to students at educational pricing. This is a result of staff completing contracts with different vendors. These products cannot be purchased at the prices offered unless you are a student currently enrolled in classes. Some of the software currently available are: Norton Internet Security, Norton Antivirus, Microsoft Office 2003, Dragon Naturally Speaking and Microsoft WindowsXP Upgrade. We now have Adobe products available, also. If you are interested in any software, e-mail us at bookstore@msugf.edu for pricing and availability. An example of pricing is: MS Office pro 2003 - $199.95. This suite includes Word 2003, Excel 2003, Outlook 2003, PowerPoint 2003, Access 2003, Publisher 2003 and Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2003. Our contracts for educational priced software are with Microsoft, Adobe, Symantec, Corel and Macromedia.

BOOK RETURN AND REFUNDS

The COTtage Bookstore is happy to offer refunds for books and merchandise. If a distance student needs to drop classes and return books for refund, the following policy will govern all transactions.

A receipt must accompany all returns.
Books that are wrapped in plastic (shrink-wrapped) must remain in plastic for full refund. Books out of plastic will not be allowed to be returned.
Used books may be returned for full purchase price.
New books may be returned as new, IF in new condition (i.e. binding not bent, cover clean/straight, in shrink-wrap, etc.).
Distance students wishing to return books for a refund must contact The COTtage Bookstore management prior to returning books. The e-mail button on the front page of the COTtage website will send e-mails directly to both the manager and assistant manager.
Refunds will be transacted in the same manner as the purchase. If a distance student purchases a book in the store for cash, a check will be generated and mailed to the student. If the purchase was made with a credit card or financial aid over the website, the refund will occur in the same manner as the purchase.
Shipping costs for returns are the responsibility of the student.
As a general rule, the last day for book refunds will be one week past the last day to drop classes. Specific dates will be posted on related websites.
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In an effort to offer opportunities to distance students the following policy has been adopted by MSU - Great Falls and the COTtage Bookstore.

DISTANCE STUDENT BOOK BUYBACK

The book buyback for distance students will begin the Monday following finals and continue for two weeks, ending at 5 PM on Friday of the second week. Specific dates will be posted on the Distance Learning website as well as The COTtage Bookstore site.
All inquiries regarding book buyback from distance students will be through e-mail to the manager/assistant manager of The COTtage Bookstore by 5 PM the Friday prior to finals week. bookstore@msugf.edu sends mail directly to both the manager and assistant manager.
These e-mails are to ascertain which books are to be sold by the student and to set the buy price The COTtage Bookstore is offering.
The COTtage Bookstore will offer students the highest price possible for their books. However, if a book is received and found to be in unusually poor condition, The COTtage Bookstore staff reserves the right to adjust prices, or refuse the book for purchase. The student will be notified of any changes before transactions are finalized.
Books purchased for use in The COTtage Bookstore will be priced at approximately 50 % of retail. Books not being used in the upcoming semester classes will be purchased at the current wholesale price. The COTtage Bookstore will act as a purchasing agent for Nebraska Book for any books it does not purchase for itself.
Books agreed on for buyback must be postmarked by the last day of the posted dates for buyback. Any books postmarked later than that date will not be accepted. The postmark deadline for Spring 2004 is May 21.
The COTtage Bookstore pays cash for books on campus. The cash for distance learning student's books will be given to the College's business office. A check will be generated and mailed out. If you have not received your check in 7 - 10 working days, contact the COTtage Bookstore for follow-up.
Students are responsible for the cost of shipping.
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