PMI Buyer Beware

[rickstef]

Ask Peter, he will be able to send you an excel price list of all the models, or if you want, he will send you his catalog

Rick

[rickstef]

Ask Peter, he will be able to send you an excel price list of all the models, or if you want, he will send you his catalog

Rick

[Jim Nunn]

Teamds

I sent note to Lou referencing your post and your unsatisfactory experience with your purchase.

Lou responded with the following:

“The guy complaining is pretty much right and has a good point. Something I didn't consider and which I think I can do something about. That is citing in advance which models are reprints. I can't do that in our print catalog, because over time various models go out of print and then I get busy reprinting them. (and dropping the reprints if they go back into print).But I will put up an illustrated list of the current JSC reprints on the "Reprints" page, and change it as things change. We put out a supplemental JSC catalog meaning we have all their models (except some architecture), and with the reprinting we really can carry all of them. More than are available from JSC themselves. I think it's a good solution to the infamous Polish practice of not keeping everything available. We have had for some time now an MDC list of reprints and it has worked well. I just didn't think of it for JSC. I'm not sure people will easily find these lists, but I don't know what else to do. We are putting slips in all the reprints explaining what we are doing and why.
I do take exception to the complainer saying that these are poor quality reprints. I put a lot of effort into making them right. I've tested the paper we use (mostly Vellum Bristol) and it works very well. This big color laser printer does an excellent job. So far I haven't been able to get the right paper in the right size to print double pages (the printer will print them) so I could make books like the originals. But I think the loose sheets, in a plastic bag, are fine.”

In the end you are correct that PMI should forewarn the customer that these are reprints and not printed by the original publisher. On the other hand PMI is keeping models available when the original publisher has run out of copies and in some cases never prints the model again.

If nothing else you have alerted Lou that it needs to be clearly stated that the models are reprints so that this won’t happen to someone else.

Jim Nunn

[Jim Nunn]

Teamds

I sent note to Lou referencing your post and your unsatisfactory experience with your purchase.

Lou responded with the following:

“The guy complaining is pretty much right and has a good point. Something I didn't consider and which I think I can do something about. That is citing in advance which models are reprints. I can't do that in our print catalog, because over time various models go out of print and then I get busy reprinting them. (and dropping the reprints if they go back into print).But I will put up an illustrated list of the current JSC reprints on the "Reprints" page, and change it as things change. We put out a supplemental JSC catalog meaning we have all their models (except some architecture), and with the reprinting we really can carry all of them. More than are available from JSC themselves. I think it's a good solution to the infamous Polish practice of not keeping everything available. We have had for some time now an MDC list of reprints and it has worked well. I just didn't think of it for JSC. I'm not sure people will easily find these lists, but I don't know what else to do. We are putting slips in all the reprints explaining what we are doing and why.
I do take exception to the complainer saying that these are poor quality reprints. I put a lot of effort into making them right. I've tested the paper we use (mostly Vellum Bristol) and it works very well. This big color laser printer does an excellent job. So far I haven't been able to get the right paper in the right size to print double pages (the printer will print them) so I could make books like the originals. But I think the loose sheets, in a plastic bag, are fine.”

In the end you are correct that PMI should forewarn the customer that these are reprints and not printed by the original publisher. On the other hand PMI is keeping models available when the original publisher has run out of copies and in some cases never prints the model again.

If nothing else you have alerted Lou that it needs to be clearly stated that the models are reprints so that this won’t happen to someone else.

Jim Nunn