To the editor:

The lawsuit filed against VarsityBooks.com by the National Association of College Stores on behalf of University Book Store and many other college bookstores is a sham.

Part of the suit alleges that VarsityBooks.com used “false and misleading advertising claims” by stating that they offer college textbooks at discounts of “up to 40 percent.”

The NACS claims this is false advertising because only some of their books are sold at this discount rate.

Only someone with remedial comprehension skills would interpret the advertisements to mean that ALL of their books are sold at a 40 percent discount.

So Lynette Seymour, the general manager of UBS, wants students to know the truth?

UBS itself advertises that students can get “up to 55 percent of the current retail value for books” through its buy back program.

I can’t recall getting even 25 percent back in more than three years at Iowa State.

Most students WILL save money by getting their books online. Varsitybooks.com’s prices are low enough that you save money over the bookstore even after paying shipping charges.

College bookstores have never had to work to keep customers. If students didn’t like the prices, where else could they go?

Thousands of college bookstores finally face real competition. It is a grave insult that they claim to have students’ best interests in mind when they are solely concerned with losing sales.

I guarantee UBS will never get any of my business again, even if I have to pay a little more elsewhere.

Justin Hare

Senior

Computer science and journalism