harcourt brace

[Gregg Siegfried grs@eng.claircom.com]

Just a general query:  Has anyone else encountered problems dealing with
harcourt brace when ordering the distribution?

A few weeks after the distribution came out, I called HB 2 or 3 times/day
on 3-4 successive days, and was unable to get in contact with any human ..
I was stuck in IVR hell.  So, I gave up.

Then, about two weeks ago, I decided to try again, as one of the computers
I wish to run plan9 on arrived.  I called, and was connected after about
9 to 10 transfers, to a gentleman who was quite surprised to be speaking
to someone speaking English .. he indicated that he was at some international
ordering desk, and couldn't understand how I ended up there.

At any rate, he volunteered to take my order, was able to verify the ISBN
and pricing, and once we got past the language barrier, things seemed fine.
He indicated that in 5-7 days (normal ups ground) I would have the distribution.

I just called back to check, as it has been a couple of weeks, and they have
no record of my ordering anything.  The individual I spoke with today was
ANYTHING but helpful, and seemed to shrug off the loss of my order as a
normal characteristic of doing business with them.  Maybe the original guy
decided to take my credit card number and flee to the carribean ... I won't
know that for a few weeks.

Anyway, I was too disgusted with them to place another order today, so was
again thwarted in my quest for plan9.

Is there any alternative to dealing with these bumbling fools?  I recognize
that there are people who have successfully dealt with HB, as an associate
in my organization has received the distribution.  I'd prefer to have my
own copy, but have reached the limits of my patience.  I'd definitely
like to avoid having to give money to an organization as full of idiots as
HB seems to be.

Sorry for the venting
Gregg Siegfried
grs@claircom.com