Tuesday 15 July 2008

Select Catalogues Misprinted

For any members of STL's 'Select' Catalogue scheme who haven't spotted this yet: be aware that the entire print run for the current batch of Select catalogues has been issued as from Wesley Owen, which may cause you some embarrassment as an independent bookseller. STL are raising credits, but you may need to take the initiative...

The problem was spotted by Melanie Carroll at Unicorn Tree Books, Lincoln, who wrote as follows on July 11th:

... my first batch of Select Promotion magazines came today - I had to chase them when I realised I should have already had them a week or so ago - seems I got lost in the shuffle and though set up for them they just never got sent out from the warehouse, ahh well it happens, especially to me at the minute it would seem.

Still 10 out of 10, I chased yesterday, got an apology from Wayne for the oversight and they duly arrived today. that’s pretty good follow through.

So I sit down to look through it - after all it’s my first chance to see what’s in the promotion and think about ordering stock in prior to doing my mail out and on the first page in the welcome blurb section, in the first line it said…

‘… Here at Wesley Owen we have many items’!

So maybe Kate you are onto something with your sneaking suspicion :o)

Now in terms of customer service I can’t complain as I phoned STLD and spoke to a very nice woman, Janette, who went and fetched out some past editions, as well as the crown version and the WO version - and sure enough this go around all versions have the same wording, when of course normally they have a suitable ‘other’ replacing the term WO she assures me. She also said she would pass my upset and concerns on and point out the problem - though of course there is nothing they can do now.

I ended the conversation at least feeling a little assured that its just the way my current week is running. 10 minutes later she phoned me back to say she had passed on the problem to her manager and they were aware of the problem and will credit me back the cost of this issue due to my upset - can’t ask for fairer than that really.

However, OK, I know it was a just a proof read oversight but it really got to me - not least because this is a promotion I pay into by buying the magazines for at least the next 12 months, I know there are benefits and reciprocations: I get better discount to off set the price promotion items, and I know that this edition shall not have cost me anything but that’s just as well because I don’t think I can actually use these ones now as it says the wrong thing, heck it looks like I nicked them from the next city overs WO! and gives the wrong impression to my customers. Well come on it tells the customers that I am a WO and that could cause a bit of confusion - it’s bad enough with me having to do the ‘no we are not anything to do with SSG/SPCK, we are entirely independent with it all being done as my personal mission etc etc’ without having to potentially add the WO bit to the spiel when a customer who had recieved one of the magazines comes in with a return, concern, complaint or issue.


John Duncan of Cornerstone, London, has also followed the matter up with STL:

I have requested a refund and enquired about a reprint. Here is my response:

John
Yes, this was an error on our part. Unfortunately we are not in a position to reprint the catalogues. However, as a good will gesture, I am happy to raise a credit for the catalogues if you are able to supply me with an invoice number from where you were charged.
Regards
Wayne Johnston
(Posted 14th July)

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