A NSW newsagent was recently ordered by the NSW Department of Fair Trading to refund a customer $1,000 for partworks purchased where the customer was not able to complete the series because of failings in the supply model through to newsagents. While the distributor involved, Gordon and Gotch, have agreed, after much pressure from the newsagent, to compensate the newsagent, the problem of partworks supply remains serious.
On the one hand newsagents are thrilled that they are the only retail channel in Australia offering partworks. That magazine distributors ignore data (see earlier post today) and deliberately short supply harms newsagents and gets their customers off side.
The partworks model can work if the importer, distributors and newsagents actively work together. Sadly, for many years now the words have been the same and follow-up action not forthcoming.
Maybe more customers need to pursue Consumer Affairs or Fair Trading. Alternatively the suppliers could work with newsagents on a fair and commercial basis – that way everyone wins.
Someone should have spare copies of the part-work. Still a $1,000 seems high. Surely even if the customer did not get all the part works, he must have some value out of it.
Anyway do you have the URL for the case where we can read up exactly what the commissioner said?
What we need to know is who did the commissioner blame so if it happens again we can print a form for newsagents to give to their clients who want to take it further.