> Having spent at least 1/3 of my time for the past 9-12 months trying to
> clean up a real mess in claims and having made hundreds of phone calls,
> sent many, many email messages and having been successful in all but about
> 5 issues, I would disagree with the experience below.

***I suspect we're in less disagreement than Mr. Edelen thinks.  I in no
way can afford to spend anywhere near 1/3 of my time on claims, making
hundreds of phone calls and email messages.  Neither do my supervisors see
that as the best use of my time; nor are we willing to pay for back issues.

> As I alluded to earlier, the special project I worked on last year
> resulted in about a 99% full rate using all the above methods.

***I think we also may be using different statistical methods--in part,
again, because I do not devote the required amount of time to it.  I count
each claim--whether first, second, third, whatever, as a claim.  Obviously,
if I claim an item 5 times, then it arrives, my stats show a 20% success
rate.  Another consideration is the Notis claiming system, which doesn't
always allow the amount of space I need, to say what I need to say.
Therefore, I generate a second claim line, and when they've printed out, I
send them out as one.  Eg, if that claim arrives, I have sent out "2"
claims for "1" arrival.

***We do have a claims report issued at the end of each month; we've had
some problems with corruption, but they seem to be fixed now.  I hope
(thanks to Mr. Edelen's challenge :) to spend a bit of time going over them
the next year and try to ascertain a more correct reflection of my success
rate.

***In response to Dani's query, I do, also, return all vendor claim reports
as necessary.  I do not count those as a separate claim.

***Thanks, all, an interesting discussion!

Jeanette Skwor
Cofrin Library
UWGB

>
> Joe Edelen
> U of South Dakota
> <jedelen@SUNFLOWR.USD.EDU>
> -------
> On Tue, 12 Aug 1997 13:20:19 -0500 Jeanette Skwor <SKWORJ@GBMS01.UWGB.EDU>
> wrote in reply to Andrew Leonhart:
>
> > > I am fairly new at this job.  When I don't receive an issue of a journal I
> > > file a claim with our vendor (Ebsco).  After a month or two, if I still
> > > don't receive that issue I file another claim.
> >
> > ***A month is really too short a time period in which to expect a missing
> > issue to appear.  I used to use a 6-week period for an action date; I've
> > recently gone to 8 weeks simply because claims are appearing a week or 2
> > after I've filed the second claim.
> >
> > > 1) Should I expect all the claims I file to result in receiving the issue?
> >
> > ***Only if you want to set yourself up for a major failure rate.
> >
> > > 2)  What is a fair percentage to expect?
> >
> > ***40-50%--but not after only one claim.  I send a claim stating the issue
> > is missing and set an 8 week Action Date.  When that trips, and the issue
> > hasn't arrived, I send another claim, saying I haven't had a response, and
> > including the invoice number on which the subscription was paid.  After
> > another 8 weeks has elapsed, I send a third claim, repeating the
> > information on the second, and adding, "this is the third claim".  After
> > *that* 8 week expiration date has lapsed, I make a judgement call.  If it's
> > for several issues, the subscription is pricey, if we bind that particular
> > title--I will do one of several things.  A)  Drop it.  (And sometimes, the
> > issue will still straggle in, weeks later. :)  B) Send a claim directly to
> > the publisher.  C)  Send a 4th claim to the vendor, perhaps with a personal
> > note.  D)  Call the vendor.
> >
> > Each of these claims are counted; last year I sent out 601 claims; I
> > received 287 issues in response; in 1995/96 I sent 613 and rec'd 294.
> > That percentage is up appreciably over former years, in which I just sent
> > the 3 claims at 6 week intervals.  (In 1994/95 I sent 371, rec'd 147).
> >
> > > 3)      What can I do when I don't receive the issue?
> >
> > ***See above.
> >
> > ***Hope this helps.  A lot is your choice to make, weighing your time and
> > student help available vs. the problem and costs therein.
> >
> > Jeanette Skwor
> > Cofrin Library
> > UWGB
>