Problem ordering the distribution

Problem ordering the distribution

[Borja]

Steve Simon wrote:
> 
> RE: Very expensive Plan9 distribution
> 
> I have been quoted 257 UK pounds from Harcourt Brace in London
> including Tax, however it is available to special order
> only and requires 6 to 8 weeks for delivery (sigh).
> 
> I would be interested if anyone knows of a UK distributer who
> has it available ex-stock.

	Why don't you just buy it directly from USA? I bought it
from Spain with my credit card and had no problems.

	Borja.
-- 
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Borja Marcos			* Internet: borjam@we.lc.ehu.es
Alangoeta, 11 1 izq		*	    borjam@well.com
48990 - Algorta (Vizcaya)	* CompuServe: 100015,3502
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Problem ordering the distribution

[Martin]

> 
> >	Why don't you just buy it directly from USA? I bought it
> > from Spain with my credit card and had no problems.
> 
> Last August I managed to order Plan 9 from the USA (I live in England)
[...]
Ordering directly from HCB in the USA from Germany last August was no
problem.  They accepted my credit card number, the parcel arrived a
few days later for the price they quoted (in US-$ + local German VAT,
which is charged through UPS or whoever does the final delivery.)

BTW: Though 800-number cannot be called directly from Germany, it works
if you use an US calling card (I'm not sure whether I used AT&T or Sprint).

--Martin

Problem ordering the distribution

[miller]

>	Why don't you just buy it directly from USA? I bought it
> from Spain with my credit card and had no problems.

Last August I managed to order Plan 9 from the USA (I live in England)
by phoning the 800 number, but it wasn't easy.  I was quoted a price of 
$350 plus $29.40 for `expedited' shipping via Federal Express, and
mailed an order and cheque to Florida.  When I phoned a month later to
ask what had happened to the order, Harcourt Brace claimed to have no
record of it -- although my cheque had been cashed.  Eventually, after
forwarding a photocopy of the cancelled cheque from my bank, I did
receive the CDROM and manuals, along with an invoice showing a price
of $378.50 including shipping.  I also had a separate bill from Federal
Express for duty and UK Value Added Tax, which I paid.

I then started receiving letters from the UK office of Harcourt Brace,
saying "unfortunately we wish to advise you that the cost of this product
amounts to 301.98 pounds (Inc vat) ($468.08)", and asking for further
payment so they could fill my order.  They also offered to refund my
original payment "if you do not wish to acquire this title", which I
admit was tempting.  However, I wrote to explain that I had received
and was happily using the software, and that since I had paid $379.40
towards an invoice for $378.50, it was actually Harcourt Brace who owed
me money ... That was the last I heard from them.

-- Richard Miller

Problem ordering the distribution

[forsyth]

>>I would be interested if anyone knows of a UK distributer who
>>has it available ex-stock.

i suspect you are unlikely to find it in stock in this country.
try
	http://www.amazon.com
i haven't yet had anything i needed to order from them, but john mashey
recommended it in comp.arch earlier this year and i had a look at it: quite
impressive.  there are some peculiar cross references and reviews on the page for the operating system
Plan 9 (there are several other pages for books and things related to the film).
it is down there as `special order' but i have a feeling you might find them more efficient.
HBJ here have always been fairly hopeless.  the people who answer the phones
are very nice, but the more highly-paid sales staff have always been out to lunch
(in every sense) when i've tried to deal with them.  it's a mystery to me
how they make money.  perhaps a competitor pays them not to sell things.
that would explain all those Linux and Java books i suppose.  but i digress ...
i'd give amazon a go.

by the way, if you order the kit with just the books, remember to complain and
ask for money back from customs (often this is done via the courier) if they charge
duty and VAT on the books themselves since they are duty and VAT free.
you'll pay duty and VAT on the Fedex charges, though.  the kit that includes the
software tends to get the full duty and VAT treatment since it's a composite item
and they'll charge on the full thing since they've got no way of separating the
CD cost (on which you pay duty and VAT) from the books (on which you wouldn't).
that's reflected in the HBJ price you quoted (and they obviously include a few
lunches as well).

someone here managed to fight his way through to Harcourt Brace in the US
and got them Fedex'd to him quickly.  i believe he mentioned that he needed
them urgently for a student project (that was true, but you could make something up:
a gift for Craig Shergold, for instance).  i also got a book kit and a CDROM kit
from HB in Florida, but that was before it was on their lists here.
(by CDROM kit i meant the full kit with books and CDROM.)

Problem ordering the distribution

[Steve]

RE: Very expensive Plan9 distribution

I have been quoted 257 UK pounds from Harcourt Brace in London
including Tax, however it is available to special order
only and requires 6 to 8 weeks for delivery (sigh).

I would be interested if anyone knows of a UK distributer who
has it available ex-stock.

Problem ordering the distribution

[Robert]

In article <199606131319.SAA18100@sassun20.sas.soft.net> you write:
>I'd finally convinced the company to buy Plan 9. So, they sent out the
>purchase order to the guy who sources our stuff from the US (we're in
>India), and he's got back to us saying that he's getting the manuals for
>$437.50 and the whole package for $550 plus! Which, alas, is enough more
>than the stated cost for the company to suddenly start questioning the
>order all over again :(
>
>Has the price changed or something? And, is it possible that he's
>talking to a dealer who's charging him more? I thought it could only be
>ordered from Harcourt Brace and Company at 800 782 4479.
>
>	--Kiran

I got the whole package for $350 from Harcourt Brace.  I know the
Computer Literacy bookstore in San Jose sells the whole package for
$437.50.  They also sell the manuals separately for $437.50.  I
think they are confused, not malicious.

					Sincerely,
					Bob Corbett

Problem ordering the distribution

[Kiran]

I'd finally convinced the company to buy Plan 9. So, they sent out the
purchase order to the guy who sources our stuff from the US (we're in
India), and he's got back to us saying that he's getting the manuals for
$437.50 and the whole package for $550 plus! Which, alas, is enough more
than the stated cost for the company to suddenly start questioning the
order all over again :(

Has the price changed or something? And, is it possible that he's
talking to a dealer who's charging him more? I thought it could only be
ordered from Harcourt Brace and Company at 800 782 4479.

Tell me what's up, please! After months of arguing ("yes, I know that
buying it is not justifiable commercially, but..."), to finally convince
them and then to have this happen is too much, even for a patient soul
such as I...


	--Kiran