The FTC Guides for the law book industry cannot, of course, address the
issue of pricing, since we alledgedly have a free market. However, even
automobile dealers must provide MSRPs (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price).
Legal publishers have long resisted providing catalogs with prices and
insist that they cannot provide prices because of the many factors which
determine the price to a particular purchaser. But surely buying Sutherlands
is no more complex than buying a new car from a dealer. If there were a
standard price, then they could explain why the price they are offering
differs in the particular case, and the standard price would still be a
ball park figure.
Are the FTC Guides out of date? Should they at least be modified to
require something like a MSRP? Then they could convert all those Price
Wizards into Customer Service people.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Joe K. Stephens
Law Librarian Phone: (503) 986-5644
Oregon Supreme Court Library Fax: (503) 986-5623
1163 State Street E-Mail: jstephen@willamette.edu
Salem, Oregon 97310
On Thu, 11 Sep 1997, CINDY ADAMS wrote:
> Alas, our hero Conan the Librarian must return to the Dark Tower in
> search of hidden information, the price of a "large set", Sutherland
> Statutory Construction. The kindly gatekeeper at the general 800 number
> cannot give prices on "large sets", and sends Conan to the special 800
> number. Armed with the special 800, Conan dials and is told the one
> person (the Price Wizard for Georgia, so named since the price must be
> conjured up) in the Dark Tower who can give that price is gone to lunch,
> as have all the other Price Wizards. Conan was told this policy was
> established by the Dark Tower "just yeesterday", but our heroic Conan
> has encountered the Price Wizards before.
>
> Conan is in chains waiting for the price, as the attorney who must have
> the price holds the key to his freedom and will not release him without
> the coveted price. Why isn't the kindly gatekeeper allowed to have this
> information?? It must wield great power for those who hold its secrets!!
>
> WEST - ALIAS THOMSON - ARE YOU LISTENING?? Stay tuned for
> further adventures.
>
> Cindy Adams
> Long Aldridge Norman
> My opinions are my own, not my employer's.
>
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