atw: Re: Buying books in Australia

Jonathon this is an unfortunate grey area. Was the $7.00 an error in 
pricing? Was the marked price of the book actually what you initially 
paid? Was the $7.00 a postage charge incurred extraneous to normal 
charges?

If the error was associated to a clerical issue, then that can happen. You 
are legally entitled to demand the goods at the price you paid, but at the 
expense of goodwill to the business. 

If the error was an in-house error, which displayed the marked price on 
the book at $7.00 less, then the shopkeeper must sell you the goods at the 
marked price. They must not display pricing less than the actual price, 
then demand you pay the higher price. It is illegal to raise marked 
prices, and the lower price must always be displayed. Goods if marked-up 
with a higher price, if proven, is a very serious offence. Relevant 
authorities take a very dim view of this behaviour and in my experience 
prosecute without hesitation. You can still organise a prosecution of this 
case.

If the problem was related to a postage rate difference, say due to 
working in an isolated area, then the issue is related to goodwill. You 
could conceivably demand the price stand legally, but at what cost to any 
relationship you might have with the bookshop? 

One other method is to name the bookshop on the list; word gets around.
Good places go bad.
Bad places close.
Business is business.

I remember I had to buy a book for business. I tried desperately to get 
the book from Dymocks and Angus and Robertson. They were indifferent. In 
the end, I was speaking to one of the "customer service" people, and was 
purchasing the book on-line at the same time. When I told the "customer 
service " person that I had just bought the book, they said "well why are 
you ringing me then?" Unbelievable. I would have been happy if they had 
bought the book from Amazon, charged me a commission and sold it to me. 
But no, that would be too hard.

Bugger them. There is always some other way... Or someone else who wants 
your business.

Warren Lewington
Technical Writer
Phone: 02 8572 3195
warren.lewington@xxxxxxxxxx
John Holland Water Projects



"Jonathan Moffett" <moff28@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent by: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
17/07/2007 09:42 AM
Please respond to
austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx


To
austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
cc

Subject
atw: Buying books in Australia






I read a review in the ASTC (Vic) publication Southern Communicator
about David Whitbread's book "The Design Manual" (published by UNSW). On
one of my weeks back home, I made a special trip to one of the few
technical bookstores still around. I ordered and paid for a copy plus
paid to have it mailed to me. Much to my surprise, a fortnight later
when I was at my contract site, I received a call saying I was about $7
short. I paid it.

Has anyone else been in such a situation? Should I have demanded the
contract stand? Asked for my money back? Was I a mug for buying locally
when looking at Amazon I could have bought it for about the same
original price, or cheaper if I got a second-hand one?

Jonathan Moffett

-- 
  Jonathan Moffett
  moff28@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**************************************************
To post a message to austechwriter, send the message to 
austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To subscribe to austechwriter, send a message to 
austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "subscribe" in the Subject field.

To unsubscribe, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 
"unsubscribe" in the Subject field.

To search the austechwriter archives, go to 
www.freelists.org/archives/austechwriter

To contact the list administrator, send a message to 
austechwriter-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
**************************************************


______________________________________________________________________

This email and any information transmitted with it are confidential
and for use by the intended Addressee only.  The confidential
nature of the information is not waived, lost or destroyed by being
sent to you.


Use or dissemination of this information by a recipient other than 
the intended Addressee may cause commercial loss or damage for which
you may become liable.

If you are not the intended Addressee of this email please immediately
contact the Sender and destroy this email.

______________________________________________________________________

Other related posts: