I need this today. Tomorrow is too late…

This week I was asked to obtain a copy of an article for a partner. That’s not an unusual task; we regularly use one of three document delivery services in London and I know my US colleagues have their own sources too. Mostly the doc del suppliers will, for a price, be able to send a copy to me within an hour. The peeople at IALS, Law Society and Sweet & Maxwell are seriously helpful and used to being asked for things in a hurry. The British Library & I have a mixed success rate. Recently they called me to check my email address and then 45 minutes later emailed to say I couldn’t have the article I wanted on a 2-hr time scale.  That’s another whole blog post, I think.

Unfortunately, this week, the article could only be obtained directly from the publisher (let’s give them the pseudonym ‘Wrights’) and it was needed for a deal closing on Tuesday. Wrights didn’t answer their phone at 5.15 on Monday; or 9.45 on Tuesday; responding to me at around 11am after I’d emailed. The content I needed would cost £200. Quite a profit for something was published a few years ago – essentially the fee was for a few minutes’ photocopying. “Fantastic,” I said.  “I need it today, can you email it to me, please?”

“No,” Wrights said. “You can’t have the content until you’ve paid for it. By cheque.”

“Right,” I said. “We are quite a large firm. You can be sure of your payment.”

That didn’t help so I went through the process of getting a cheque produced to send, all the time keeping the partner informed, but expecting that he’d not want the article after about 5pm. I was right – before I sent it I called for a final check the partner no longer needed it. The moment had passed. So I didn’t send the cheque and ‘Wrights ‘missed out on their fee.

This set me thinking. Are we not in Hard Times? Would you not jump at the chance of £200 for a bit of easy work? Would you not answer your phone? Or understand that something may be worth £200 to us NOW, but tomorrow it’s worth nothing? If Wrights’ keeping their content out of the CLA’s scheme was calculated to inflate their income from reprints, they surely shot themselves in the foot this time.

Filed under: research, document delivery, mild rant, timescales