[PUBLIB] Audiobook Publishers' replacement policies (fwd)

[PUBLIB]

Sender: SARusso2000 at aol.com
Subject: Audiobook Publishers' replacement policies

I recently had an interesting exchange with an audiobook publisher I'll call 
"Smart."  

A patron lost one of the cassettes of a 6-cassette set.  When we tried to 
order a replacement for the lost cassette, they asked for the audio's ISBN.  When 
we gave it to them, they said that we had bought the retail edition of the 
title, and that Smart doesn't replace cassettes for their retail editions.

I explained that we only bought the retail edition because the library 
edition was out of print, and that we were certainly willing to pay any reasonable 
amount for the cassette.  But they flatly refused to send us a replacement at 
any price.  

Then the rep. went into a long argument in defense of their practice - that 
Smart just kept replacement copies of the library editions of its cassettes "in 
print," and didn't keep copies of replacement retail editions.  When I asked 
if they would sell us a copy of the missing tape from the library edition, 
they again refused, even though the only difference between the two editions is 
the color of the plastic on the cassette!

After much discussion I asked, then are you advising us not to buy any of 
Smart's titles if we can't get them in a library edition?  They answered yes.  So 
I guess that's what we'll be doing in the future.  Which is too bad, because 
many of Smart's titles are just available in retail editions.

I've never had any problem replacing a missing cassette or CD from any other 
publisher.  Has anyone else?

    - Steve Russo, Hollis Social Library, Hollis, NH



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