- costs $35,00, new, hardcover, from Amazon, and
- Amazon is selling it for $20.97, but
- the library wants to charge me the full undiscounted cost,plus
- a fee to do it.
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Library Fun
Nothing douses the warm feelings that libraries give me faster than finding out that for a new book that I lost (actually, don't even remember getting, but they say I did, so I'll believe them) -
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4 comments:
Nope. It requires processing and that must be paid for. Libraries are so cheap, we do not realize their wealth.
Yeah, thats the five bucks that they tacked on. But its the original price is $35.00, current Amazon price is $21.00, BUT we're going to charge you $35 anyway -- thats what chaps me.
So here's the problem. The library where I worked used to accept replacement copies. If you lost a book, you could buy a replacement and hand it to us. Transaction over. We didn't even charge a processing fee, even though putting that book into the system, stamping and stickering it and covering it with a protective cover, took time and money. All we asked was that the replacement be in near new condition and the same edition as the one that was lost. After years of wrangling with patrons who brought us prior editions and/or books in deplorable condition and insisted angrily that we accept these "replacements," we bagged that system. We now charge you the cover price of a new copy of the book you lost. Which means that a few difficult customers ruined the game for everybody. None of us missing patrons screaming at us about our refusal to take their "replacements." None of us enjoy patrons giving us a hard time about our charging them for a new copy of the book they've lost. (PLUS my library can't order from Amazon. To order a book, we need to set up an account, and jump through a ton of hoops which involve protecting our tax free status. The library system mandates that we order from a group of suppliers and Amazon isn't one of them.) What June said is absolutely right and I thank her on behalf of all librarians everywhere.
I think that anyone who complains about having to pay for a replacement is an idiot. That wasn't my point. But okay, I will defer to your expertise!
(Does this mean I can't bring my grandparent's copies of Readers Digest Condensed Books in for the next book sale? Darn....)
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