Sarah
>>> "Katherine Mcgivern" <kmcgivern@bergen.edu> 11/18/2008 3:18 PM >>>
Sarah- I think I know this particular vendor and I have not used them
for precisely the reasons you state. I have had several ordering
difficulties with them in the past so I've just moved on. I have had no
problem finding everything I need elsewhere. My most favorite vendor is
Videogo.
Kate
-----Original Message-----
From: videolib-bounces@lists.berkeley.edu
[mailto:videolib-bounces@lists.berkeley.edu] On Behalf Of Sarah
McCleskey
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 2:23 PM
To: videolib@lists.berkeley.edu
Subject: [Videolib] vendor question
Hi everyone,
Okay, I'm outraged and have to ask you if this is normal vendor
behavior. There is a distributor of books and videos located on Long
Island. Lots of libraries use them and apparently they give decent
discounts for books. For about 6 months the sales rep was pursuing an
account with us for videos. So when our new budget year began Sept. 1,
I got an account set up with them and we started ordering things.
They have this website that lists prices. However, and the sales rep
never told me this (I think because she did not know), the price on
their website is the list price. This is where it gets complicated.
When they are able to get a discount on a video, they pass some of that
discount along to us. However, when they are NOT able to get a
discount, not only do they charge us list price, they ADD A SERVICE
CHARGE THAT IS A PERCENTAGE OF THE LIST PRICE. And they won't tell you
what that charge is going to be unless you contact them PRIOR TO
ORDERING to find out. So, you get an invoice for something that was
listed at, for example, $200, and the actual price on the invoice turns
out to be $230.95.
Am I right to be outraged? Obviously I won't be placing any more orders
with this vendor if I can possibly get the title from somewhere else,
but I think this mark-up "service charge" is bizarre. They did try to
negotiate with me by dropping their fuel surcharge, and by limiting the
mark-up to a flat $20 for titles over $100, but I'm still not
interested. No other vendors that we use engage in this practice.
What do you think??? Am I just naive???
Sarah
Sarah E. McCleskey
Head of Access Services
Acting Director, Film and Media Library
112 Axinn Library
123 Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY 11549
Sarah.E.McCleskey@hofstra.edu
516-463-5076 (o)
516-463-4309 (f)
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of
issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic
control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in
libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve
as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel
of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video
producers and distributors.
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.