| [Thread Prev] | [Thread Next] | [Thread Index] | [Date Prev] | [Date Next] | [Date Index] |
PALAEONTOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION PUBLICATIONS: purchase difficulties and sale
negligences!
As head of Palaeontology of my Institute, I obtained from the Spanish
Research Council (CSIC) extra funds to get books from European agents. I decided
to destine more than 400 pounds to buy the numbers lacking in our library of the
"Special Papers in Palaeontology", as well as some interesting "Field guides to
fossils" announced in an advertisement of Blackwell Publishers (Ref. Q=
C0369/012345678).
On november 6th I sent my complete order to the Customer Services Dept.,
to a fax number INDICATED IN THE FORM of the advertisement, and which
corresponds to Marston Book Services in Oxford, England, as I verified through
the Blackwell on-line services. I was asking urgently for a proforma invoice
that should be in my hands before november 20th.
Nothing happens.....
I reiterated my request several times by fax (up nov. 14th.) and e-mail
(between nov. 20-27th), stressing that the 5th of december is the DEADLINE
established by our administrative services for processing the requested invoice,
because after this date, we could lost the money (which will be returned to the
State Administration). At this time I requested a "true" invoice, to be sent by
express air mail because of the extreme urgency (the books could arrive later).
On november 28th Donna Hall (Blackwell Publishers) sent me an e-mail
message telling that "as your request is for books your order has been passed on
to book services for their inmediate attention", and giving me a second fax
number. Simultaneously, I received by fax (a third number) copy of a PROFORMA
invoice from Marston Book Services (Customer Services Dept., Unit 160) with
several wrong data: proforma (not the invoice) addressed to my name instead of
the Institute, VAT number omitted, payment not expressed in convertible pesetas.
All these indications were correctly indicated in my previous request. I
addressed a new fax encouraging them again about the extreme urgency of
receiving the INVOICE before the deadline.....
Today is december 18th and nothing happend. I have been for more than
one week trying to extend as far as possible the last "decay"-line of our
CENTRAL administrative services, but I am pessimistic about the invoice
arrival.... The only thing quite clear is the extreme incompetence, the
inattention and negligency of some of the "services" offered by the Marston
Book Services. I will not insist on my request.....never more!
Juan Carlos GUTIERREZ-MARCO
Institute of Economic Geology (CSIC-Complutense Univ.)
Faculty of Geological Sciences
28040 Madrid (Spain)
e-mail: jcgrapto@eucmax.sim.ucm.es
PS: And then Stefan Bengtson wrote in PaleoNet that palaeontological monographs
have depressingly low sales!!
Partial index: