? RE: Vendor List Price with hidden service fees

From: <acqnet-l_at_lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:04:02 -0400
To: <acqnet-l_at_lists.ibiblio.org>
I had an unusual communication with a vendor and was hoping to get the
opinions of others.  In an nutshell I received an invoice with a list
price for one item that was higher than the list price given in three
locations: the vendors own database, the publishers website online, and
Amazon.  When I asked the vendor about this discrepancy, I received this
explanation:

 

"Service fees are applied when the vendor does not extend the usual
discount on a particular title to X (the vendor)" 

 

I responded: 

"If you charge a service fee it should be a separate charge, which would
then be paid on our end from a different account, i.e. service charges.
And frankly, in the case of a service charge, I would prefer to be given
the opportunity to move the order direct to the publisher, or to Amazon.
To simply call $X the list price on the invoice lacks transparency in a
way that makes me uncomfortable."

 

So, what say my colleagues?  Standard practice or questionable?

 

Patricia Pettijohn

Head, Collection Development & Technical Services

Nelson Poynter Memorial Library

University of South Florida St. Petersburg

140 7th Ave. South

St. Petersburg, FL 33701

727-873-4407

ppettijohn_at_nelson.usf.edu <mailto:ppettijohn_at_nelson.usf.edu> 

 



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Received on Fri Sep 03 2010 - 16:38:30 EDT