Sample Letters

The Committee on Relations with Information Vendors (CRIV) has drawn up a collection of sample letters which law librarians can use as a guide for their own correspondence with publishers. The language can be used verbatim, or tailored to fit specific circumstances. Often a streamlined version of these letters will produce the desired result. Sample letters are provided below.

Time Savers - You don't have to take the time to write an original letter for most problem correspondence. Try doing the following:

  • Have on file preprinted letters for the most common forms of correspondence, such as cancellations, unsolicited material or routine returns. Then you can simply fill in the blanks and mail.
  • Keep templates in your word processing program which you can edit and print.

Suggestions - CRIV suggests that in communicating with information vendors, librarians do the following:

  • Check all the facts available to you in-house, including library and accounts payable records and the recollections of library and accounting staff who have worked on the matter.
  • Gather all documentation and use it in your communications. Crucial information to include would be account and invoice numbers.
  • Use at least two forms of communication. Send a letter by mail and by fax, email, contact your local sales representative (when appropriate) as well as customer service.
  • Try to address your correspondence to a specific individual or position title, if you are able to ascertain the name or position of the person in the vendor's organization most likely to be able to solve your problem.
  • Keep the tone of the communication objective. It is possible to tell a company that you have been inconvenienced and that you would like the problem to be corrected without getting personal or sarcastic (as tempting as it may be).
  • Keep copies of all correspondence, with the most recent on top. This includes email.
  • Take notes on all phone conversations with customer service reps and sales reps. Note the date, time, the name of the rep, questions asked and answered and any promised action.
  • Consider keeping a publisher log. This is a master record of conversations, correspondence and decisions made in regard to a particular vendor situation.
  • Allow for time for a company to sort out a problem. Two weeks is not unreasonable, unless the problem is severe or has been unresolved in the past.
  • Allow for the possibility that correspondence may get lost (see "Using at least two forms of communication", above) or simple human error may occur.
  • CRIV has observed that written correspondence tends to get more satisfactory results than phone calls.
  • Cancellation

    SAMPLE LETTER: Cancellation

    Any Vendor
    Publishing Company
    Date:
    Attn: Customer Service
    100 Main Street
    Anywhere, USA

    Re: Account # CANCELLATION

    To: Customer Service

    Effective immediately, please cancel our subscription or standing order for the following item: ___________________________ We would appreciate written confirmation within 30 days that cancellation has taken place. (Please process a refund of $____ for the unused portion of our subscription which amounts to ___months.) Thank you for your cooperation.

    Sincerely yours,

    _____________
    Librarian

  • CAUTION regarding Letter - Unsolicited Material:

    CAUTION regarding Letter – Unsolicited Material:

    Please be aware that the vendor might not agree that your library has a right to retain material without paying for it. This is especially true in the case of “related material”shipped pursuant to an existing subscription. The vendor might argue that, at the time of the original order for the title, your library consented (in very small print, to be sure) to receive and pay for (or return at your own expense) all supplementary, replacement, and related material.

    A dispute concerning unsolicited merchandise might not mean much if you have no on-going relationship with a vendor. For instance, if a publisher you have no intention of dealing with in the future, sends you something you have not requested or fails to heed your request to cancel a subscription, retaining the merchandise without paying for it will probably have no adverse consequences for your library. However, if you have other subscriptions with the same vendor that you wish to maintain, failing to either pay for, or return, an item without obtaining permission from the vendor, might result in your other subscriptions being suspended for non-payment of the disputed item.

    In cases in which you wish to maintain a friendly relationship with a vendor, working the dispute out in a way both parties are comfortable with (perhaps, by your paying for return shipment of the item this time in exchange for a written promise from the vendor that such shipments will not be made in the future) is probably preferable to simply keeping the material without paying for it.

  • CLAIM (Non-Subscription material)

    SAMPLE LETTER: CLAIM (Non-Subscription material)

    Any Vendor
    Publishing Company
    Date:
    Attn: Customer Service
    100 Main Street
    Anywhere, USA

    Re: Account # CLAIM

    To: Order Dept.

    Please supply us with information concerning the status of our order of (date) for the following item(s): ____________________. (This item was PREPAID by our check#____________ dated __________in the amount of $________. This check has been returned to us by your bank with a cancellation date of ____________.)

    Please ship as soon as possible, but do not duplicate our original order. If this item is unavailable, please inform us of that fact (and refund our prepayment as soon as possible). Thank you.

    Sincerely yours,

    _____________
    Librarian

  • CLAIM (Subscription material) 

    SAMPLE LETTER: CLAIM (Subscription material) 

    Any Vendor
    Publishing Company
    Date:
    Attn: Customer Service
    100 Main Street
    Anywhere, USA

    Re: Account # CLAIM: Missing Issue: Vol.___ Number_____ TITLE: _________

    To: Subscription Dept.

    We have not yet received Number____ of Volume____of (Title)_________. Our subscription for (time period, e.g, “calendar year 1999”) was prepaid by our check #_______dated __________in the amount of $________. This check has been returned to us by your bank with a cancellation date of ____________.

    Please ship as soon as possible, but do not duplicate our original order. If this issue is not yet available, please inform us of that fact. If this title is no longer being published (or if your company is no longer acting as subscription agent for this title), please inform us of that fact as well. Thank you.

    Sincerely yours,

    _____________
    Librarian

  • COUNTER Compliance

    SAMPLE LETTER: COUNTER Compliance 

    Dear Sir/Madam:

    According to a recent series of surveys, law librarians are poised and ready to embrace digital resources. In order to make informed decisions as to what they will buy, librarians considering these changes need a reliable, consistent way of comparing the usage of various electronic resources.

    Project COUNTER (Counting Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resources) supplies law librarians with standardized usage statistics that are compatible, credible, and consistent. COUNTER-compliant statistics also let vendors know which of their services are being used and which are not, thereby encouraging the vendors to review their products with an eye to providing additional user education or product revision.

    Launched in 2002, COUNTER, an international initiative supported by vendors, ILS providers, and librarians is intended to assist the information community in acquiring these much needed vendor statistics.

    Please see the COUNTER website http://www.projectcounter.org for information on the project and how to become COUNTER compliant. In the future, legal publishers who are either unaware or unwilling to follow the lead of the majority of trade publishers may find themselves at a severe disadvantage with their customers.

    We encourage you to embrace COUNTER-compliant statistics as the future of legal publishing.

    Very truly yours,

    Librarian’s name

  • FOLLOW-UP (Any Situation) 

    SAMPLE LETTER: FOLLOW-UP (Any Situation) 

    Any Vendor
    Publishing Company
    Date:
    Attn: (Head of) Customer Service
    100 Main Street
    Anywhere, USA

    Re: Account # Invoice #

    To:

    Please find attached to this letter correspondence dated _________________________________ regarding _____________________. To date we have had no communication from you on this matter. If we do not receive a response to our inquiry from someone in your organization within 30 days, we will have to take further action to resolve the problem. This may result in a delay in payment or other consequences which might be undesirable from your point of view, so we encourage you to make every effort to work with us to resolve the situation.

    Timely communication is addressed in the American Association of Law Libraries Guide to Fair Business Practices for Legal Publishers Principle 4.4(a-c). The Guide,approved by the AALL Executive Board in 2002, is recognized by law librarians and publishers across the country as the standard model of appropriate business practices. A copy of the Guide is available at: http://www.aallnet.org/mm/Advocacy/recommendedguidelines/fair-practice-guide.html

    Your conduct to date is not consistent with this standard. My address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address are as follows: ________________________________________________________.

    Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.

    Sincerely yours,

    _____________
    Librarian

  • Invoices/ Statements with Insufficient Information

    SAMPLE LETTER: Invoices/ Statements with Insufficient Information 

    Any Vendor
    Publishing Company
    Date:
    Attn: Customer Service
    100 Main Street
    Anywhere, USA

    Re: Account # Invoice #

    To: Accounts Receivable

    Please find enclosed an invoice (or statement) which does not contain sufficient information for us to process a payment. In order to be able to properly pay an invoice, we require the following information:

    1. Complete title of the item(s).
    2. Complete description of the item, such as release number, edition, etc.
    3. A breakdown of the charges for each title in a statement.

    The above listed information is available in your records and systems and your failure to provide it slows down the payment process. As soon as you provide the information, we will make payment in a timely manner.

    Unclear invoices are addressed in the American Association of Law Libraries Guide to Fair Business Practices for Legal Publishers Principle 2.1 which states, “all information about products, services, prices and transactions provided by publishers to customers should be clear, accurate, and easy to find.” Unclear invoices are specifically addressed in a “Practice to Avoid,” included there. The Guide, approved by the AALL Executive Board in 2002, is recognized by law librarians and publishers across the country as the standard model of appropriate business practices. A copy of the Guide is available at: http://www.aallnet.org/mm/Advocacy/recommendedguidelines/fair-practice-guide.html.  Our request for this information is consistent with these Principles.

    The following are examples of what we consider to be insufficient information on an invoice or statement: (Circle appropriate item(s) for problem at hand.)

    1. Statements with invoice numbers, but no titles or release numbers
    2. Inaccurate titles
      • Abbreviations that are too short
      • Switched word order
      • Abbreviations that do not start with the first primary word (example: “Consent” for “Informed Consent”)
    3. Descriptions of items that are indistinguishable from other, similar items on the statement or other invoices. In other words, the same title with no release numbers or invoice numbers.
    4. Inconsistent descriptions. Titles for the same item that change from invoice to invoice or invoice to statement.

    We look forward to receiving the information we need as soon as possible. Thank you.

    Sincerely yours,

    _____________
    Librarian

  • Return and Cancellation

    SAMPLE LETTER: Return and Cancellation

    Any Vendor
    Publishing Company
    Date:
    Attn: Customer Service
    100 Main Street
    Anywhere, USA

    Re: Account # RETURN AND CANCELLATION Invoice #

    To: Customer Service

    We are returning the following material, along with invoice: __________________s. When you receive the material, please credit our account for $_____. The return is being made because we no longer have use for this service. Please accept this return and also cancel our subscription or standing order effective immediately (or at the end of the current subscription term). Our return of this material is consistent with the principles listed below.

    Returning material to legal publishers is addressed in the American Association of Law Libraries Guide to Fair Business Practices for Legal Publishers Principles 2.4(f) and 3.1(d). The Guide, approved by the AALL Executive Board in 2002, is recognized by law librarians and publishers across the country as the standard model of appropriate business practices. A copy of the Guide is available at: http://www.aallnet.org/mm/Advocacy/recommendedguidelines/fair-practice-guide.html

    Thank you for your cooperation.

    _____________
    Librarian

  • Returns (General)

    SAMPLE LETTER: Returns (General)

    Any Vendor
    Publishing Company
    Date:
    Attn: Customer Service
    100 Main Street
    Anywhere, USA

    Re: Account # RETURN Invoice #

    To: Customer Service

    We are returning the following material, along with the invoice: ___________________________. Your invoice number (billing reference) is ___________________________. The return is being made for the following reason: ________________________________________.

    Returning material to legal publishers is addressed in the American Association of Law Libraries Guide to Fair Business Practices for Legal Publishers Principles 2.4(f) and 3.1(d).

    The Guide, approved by the AALL Executive Board in 2002, is recognized by law librarians and publishers across the country as the standard model of appropriate business practices. A copy of the Guide is available at: http://www.aallnet.org/mm/Advocacy/recommendedguidelines/fair-practice-guide.html

    Our return of this material is consistent with these principles.

    When you receive the material, please credit our account (choose one)
    __for the full amount of the invoice (return due to your error): $_________.
    __for the full amount of the invoice minus shipping/handling costs (return due to our error): $________.

    Thank you.

    Sincerely yours,

    _____________
    Librarian

  • Returns (On Approval Orders)

    SAMPLE LETTER: Returns (On Approval Orders)

    Any Vendor
    Publishing Company
    Date:
    Attn: Customer Service
    100 Main Street
    Anywhere, USA

    Re: Account # RETURN – APPROVAL ORDER Invoice #

    To: Customer Service

    We are returning the following approval purchase, along with the invoice: ___________________________________________ Your invoice number (billing reference) is _______________________. This material was on thirty day review and we have decided that it does not meet our needs. Please remove the charge from our account once you have received this material.

    Returning material to legal publishers is addressed in the American Association of Law Libraries Guide to Fair Business Practices for Legal Publishers Principle 2.4(f) and 3.1(d). The Guide, approved by the AALL Executive Board in 2002, is recognized by law librarians and publishers across the country as the standard model of appropriate business practices. A copy of the Guide is available at: http://www.aallnet.org/mm/Advocacy/recommendedguidelines/fair-practice-guide.html

    Our return of this item occurs within the approval period and is consistent with these principles.

    Sincerely yours,

    _____________
    Librarian

  • UNSOLICITED MATERIAL (Example 1)

    SAMPLE LETTER: UNSOLICITED MATERIAL (Example 1)

    Any Vendor
    Publishing Company
    Date:
    Attn: Customer Service
    100 Main Street
    Anywhere, USA

    Re: Account # UNSOLICITED MATERIAL Invoice #

    To Customer Service:

    We have received an unsolicited shipment of the following (copy of invoice # __________ enclosed):________________________.  We neither want nor have placed an order for this material.  We have not consented to “related publications” being made a part of our subscription.  The Postal Reorganization Act, 39 U.S.C. §3009 (2000) states that the recipient of unsolicited shipments is under no obligation to either pay for such shipments or return them.

    Returning material to legal publishers is addressed in the American Association of Law Libraries Guide to Fair Business Practices for Legal Publishers Principle 3, subprinciples 1(a) and (d). The Guide, approved by the AALL Executive Board in 2002, is recognized by law librarians and publishers across the country as the standard model of appropriate business practices. A copy of the Guide is available at: http://www.aallnet.org/mm/Advocacy/recommendedguidelines/fair-practice-guide.html

    Consistent with the statute and the Guide to Fair Business Practices, we are proceeding as follows. We will retain this material for 30 days. If you send a postage paid mailing label or make other suitable arrangements to retrieve this material at no cost and minimal inconvenience to us, we will return this material to you.  You may contact me at 000-000-0000.   If we do not hear from you in 30 days, we will dispose of this material as we see fit.  Please remove any charges from our account and cancel any subscriptions that may exist for this title.  Do not send shipments of this nature to us again. Thank you.

    Sincerely yours,

    _____________
    Librarian

    cc: Sales representative

  • UNSOLICITED MATERIAL (Example 2)

    SAMPLE LETTER: UNSOLICITED MATERIAL (Example 2)

    Any Vendor
    Publishing Company
    Date:
    Attn: Customer Service
    100 Main Street
    Anywhere, USA

    Re: Account # UNSOLICITED MATERIAL Invoice #

    To: Customer Service

    We are returning the following material (invoice # enclosed): _______________________. The material is being returned because it was an unsolicited shipment. This unsolicited shipment is in violation of provisions of federal statutes (39 U.S.C. §3009 (2000)) and the American Association of Law Libraries Guide to Fair Business Practices for Legal Publishers. We neither want nor have placed an order for this material, and our return is consistent with these principles.

    Returning material to legal publishers is addressed in the American Association of Law Libraries Guide to Fair Business Practices for Legal Publishers Principle 3, subprinciples 1(a) and 1(d). The Guide, approved by the AALL Executive Board in 2002, is recognized by law librarians and publishers across the country as the standard model of appropriate business practices. A copy of the Guide is available at: http://www.aallnet.org/mm/Advocacy/recommendedguidelines/fair-practice-guide.html

    Please credit our account when you have received the material and cancel any subscriptions. [We expect to receive credit for our return postage of $ _______.] Thank you for your cooperation. .

    Sincerely yours,

    _____________
    Librarian

    cc: Returns Department, Sales Representative, Accounts Receivable

  • UNSOLICITED MATERIAL (Example 3)

    SAMPLE LETTER: UNSOLICITED MATERIAL (Example 3)

    Any Vendor
    Publishing Company
    Date:
    Attn: Customer Service
    100 Main Street
    Anywhere, USA

    Re: Account # UNSOLICITED MATERIAL Invoice #

    To: Customer Service

    We are returning the following material (invoice # ______________ enclosed): ______________________. This material is being returned because it was an unsolicited shipment. We do not regard “related publications” to be part of our subscription. We neither want nor have placed an order for this material.

    Returning material to legal publishers is addressed in the American Association of Law Libraries Guide to Fair Business Practices for Legal Publishers Principle 3, subprinciples 1(a) and (d). The Guide, approved by the AALL Executive Board in 2002, is recognized by law librarians and publishers across the country as the standard model of appropriate business practices. A copy of the Guide is available at: http://www.aallnet.org/mm/Advocacy/recommendedguidelines/fair-practice-guide.html

    Although United States Postal law states that the recipient of unsolicited shipments is under no obligation to either pay for such shipments or return them (39 U.S.C. §3009 (2000)), we have chosen to return the material because it is expedient to do so. Our return is consistent with those principles. Please credit our account when you have received the material and cancel any subscriptions for the item. However, we expect reimbursement for the expense of this return shipment in the amount of $________. Please credit this amount to our account. Please do not send shipments of this kind to us in the future.

    Thank you for your cooperation.

    Sincerely yours,
    _____________ Librarian

    cc: Returns Department, Sales Representative, Accounts Receivable