Or, at least, not influence them to any respect towards you -

Traffic World was one of our subscriptions affected by the divine, Inc.
bankruptcy.  They did not sign the PPA and made no promise to grace the
issues.  However, though our paid subscription expired with the Sept. 3,
2003 issue, they did send 9 more issues before they stopped.

We could not afford to pay twice for the majority of our subscriptions,
and so a certain number of them that were not graced just had to be
allowed to lapse.  Traffic World was one of those titles.

Now we're well into 2004, a new vendor, and new subscriptions.  We
requested renewal of  Traffic World to begin with Sept 2004 and run
through August 2005, and we did get, for our first issue, the Aug. 30,
2004 issue.  However, the expiration date shown on the label is June 13,
2005.

I contacted our vendor.

I just received the response - Traffic World informed them that they had
graced us 9 issues on our previous subscription and have *subtracted*
those graced issues from the current subscription, to wit - "The
subscriber is due 51 issues, this number includes the nine issues that
were graced in 2003."

My take on it:  "Let's see - we'll grace these people just in case they
are planning to renew but their renewal is delayed, and if they are
dropping us forever we'll take the loss.  However, if they do renew
eventually, we'll stick them for those freebies.  That'll teach 'em."

Yup, I'm taught.   And of course I will contact them and protest.  But I
also thought this is one of those new and unique marketing ideas that
needs to be shared with other serialsters.

Jeanette L. Skwor
Cofrin Library
University of WI-Green Bay
(920) 465-2670

"Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will
get you through times of no libraries."
                              Anne Herbert, The Whole Earth Catalog