(1)

Date:         Mon, 5 Jan 1998 15:29:06 -0700
From: Bruce Reck <BRECK@BSU.IDBSU.EDU>
Subject:      Trouble with claiming AHA journals? (JoAnneGriffin) -Reply

At least I'm not the only person who thinks claiming is a pain in the neck.
I already knew I wasn't the only person who thinks it's annoying to pay
for periodicals, and then have to do back flips to actually receive them.  I
haven't encountered any limits on claims, other than time limits, that I can
think of, and the only "it's probably you're fault" type response I've ever
received is being told by an agent that it may have been lost in the mail,
or we claimed missing issues against the wrong subscription, or
something else that would fall under the "Catch-22" heading.  Like, o.k.
great, but that still doesn't get us our missing issues.

As far as being accused of stealing them, we've never had that happen,
that I know of, but I don't blame you for being furious about that.  The
claiming process itself, just the fact that a claiming process is even
necessary, is infuriating.  And as for how to handle it, you got me there.
If you need the publication, and you are ordering direct from the
publisher, I don't know what you could do, besides the old, "what's your
name I want to speak to your supervisor," routine.  Or a letter to the
owner or editor of the publication.

Other than that, good luck, and I know how you feel.  Sometimes I want
to say, if not scream, "Uh, hello-o, excuse me, but WHO'S the customer
here?"  Very frustrating.

Take care,

Bruce Reck

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 5 Jan 1998 15:26:02 -0500
From: jgriffin@OPAL.TUFTS.EDU
Subject: Trouble with claiming AHA journals?

Dear Fellow Serialists,

Have any of you folks out there ever heard of a publisher limiting the
number of times you may claim issues? The American Heart Assoc. has told
us that we may claim twice a year PER SUBSCRIPTION, and that is all. (This
does not mean claiming the same issue repeatedy, this means any and all
issues). Now perhaps this wouldn't be such a big deal if the journals came
in on a regular basis, but for the past two years we have had little luck
in getting ANY issues on some titles from them, not just two per journal.
(We are a medical school and subscribe to about 5 AHA jornals).We may get
all January issues and then none will arrive for the next six months.
After much work by our subscription agent, most will eventually arrive,
but not all. At this point we are told we are over the limit and cannot
get our issues. We were also told, believe it or not, if we persisted in
continuing to claim we would be CANCELLED! A phone call to the AHA was
extremely unsatisfactory -- the person just repeated the "party line",
verified that our address was correct (it was), and suggested that maybe
someone was stealing our copies.

We are extremely frustrated by this. Claiming is a pain in the neck at the
best of times. To pay for and not receive our journals is maddening, and
to be treated the way we have been by a publisher makes me furious.

Have any others had to deal with this? How did you handle it?
****************************
JoAnne Griffin
Tufts Health Sciences Library
145 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02111

jgriffin@opal.tufts.edu
****************************
----------
(2)

Date:         Tue, 6 Jan 1998 08:01:07 -0600
From: Judy Stephenson <stepjudy@NS1.KTC.COM>
Subject:      Re: Trouble with claiming AHA journals? (JoAnneGriffin)

We haven't experienced the exact situation you're describing, but have
been told numbers of times by various publishers that the issues we're
claiming are no longer available...and the timing of the claim sometimes
is less than 3 months (because of the delays in sending, we, too, are
expecting that the missing issues are simply "late!") Any recommendations?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Judy Stephenson
Serials Assistant
Logan Library
Schreiner College
2100 Memorial Blvd.
Kerrville, TX  78028
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
stepjudy@schreiner.edu
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *