-------- Original Message --------
Subject: FAA as map vendor: a job for CUAC?
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 08:17:22 -0600
From: "Ken Rockwell" <[log in to unmask]>


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Hello, all:
  I hope the current CUAC reps are reading this.  Here's our experience
at the Univ. of Utah's Marriott Library.  I wanted to purchase a few
U.S. Coastal Survey maps.  Seems they privatized the selling a few years
back, and there's supposed to be a local vendor who will handle these
for us, but this person is totally unresponsive.  Eventually, I learned
one can still get these through the FAA's International Aeronautical
Charting Office.  So I had our acquisitions folks try to order them in
August of 2002.  They just arrived on my shelf last week!
  Asking the acquisitions officer if he could explain the delay, he
recounted a saga of how the Office demanded prepayment, but wouldn't
send an invoice.  This makes for grief on the part of library
budgeteers.  Eventually, we sent the check for the amount we understood
was asked for, but in the end, when the items came the invoice had a
different figure.  Etc., etc.  All this is to demonstrate that that FAA
office is not evidently experienced in customer service, could take a
few tips from USGS.  Is this a possible item for CUAC to deal with in
their next foray into the D.C. jungle?

--Ken Rockwell
  Map Librarian
  Univ. of Utah