Thank you to all who replied to my query.  Here are the replies received:

*Hello 
We are using Tomlinson's.  We generally do only a small amount of business
(?£3000 a year) but they were very able to cope with a massive rush order
last March very well - except I had to ask for a credit note for the out of
print ones we paid for in advance...

Only this week we have arranged to have book labels and fluorescent flashes
placed on our new books, and to have them vistafoiled.  We hope that this
will help us to speed up our processing, and preserve the books (we
currently don't cover them at all).

I haven't noticed a problem with prices or invoicing (except the credit
notes above) - in contrast with our previous supplier.  For this very reason
we are moving our standing orders to Tomlinson's at the end of the year.

The discount is very welcome, and 16.5% seems good. 
Yours, happy with Tomlinson's at the moment 

*We are using Tomlinsons, who we are very happy with.  They have a very good
speed of delivery.  The discount is the specified 16.5%.  They provide good
reporting on materials and invoicing.  Perhaps the best bit is their
customer service which is wonderful, very friendly, helpful and welcoming.
I am very happy with the service.

*I use Tomlinsons for all my books, and I have to say they are a really
excellent company. Books come within a couple of weeks of being ordered,
and I always get notices about items reprinting, not yet published,
cancelled etc. with my checklist, and also sent out as and when they get
new information on a title.

They cover all our paperbacks for us, but I don't ask them to do any
more servicing at present. 

If I ever have a query about a book I can't trace I email them and
always get a same day response. Their rep comes round often enough to
make me feel that I am valued by them and kept informed, without turning
up so often that I feel hassled. Whenever I've managed to order
something twice, or they have sent the wrong item (very rare indeed) a
short and friendly phone call is all it takes to sort things out. 

I have used Tomlinsons for nearly three years and have been constantly
impressed by them. (And no, I don't work for them, and I don't get a
commission for saying all this - I am just genuinely pleased to have
such good service!)

Regards

*We use Tomlinsons - in fact I've used them at all previous (3) jobs as
well.
Their current discount is 16.5% which is good. They cover all our
paperbacks in clear sticky backed plastic, for 21p per book (less
16.5%). This is always done well, much less hassle than us doing it -
and better! I know they will do further servicing, but we don't require
it.
I ask for delivery in boxes, once a week, not as soon as becomes
available, and we currently get in-print books 14 days after I fax the
order off. This is fine for me. If you want greater speed, they can
probably do it.
I'm actually using them to run a bookshop service here, buying books for
NHS staff and students, giving them a 10% discount, and keeping the
profit! Everyone is happy and it works well!
I would HIGHLY recommend Tomlinsons to anyone. I'm very pleased with
their service.

*My personal experience of B&MBC was pretty bad - we needed them to send
separate invoices for individual orders - and they failed to be able to do
this.  They also transposed our order numbers wrong, which took ages (and a
lot of phone calls) to sort out.  So I gave up on them ...

I now use CMB.  They are better, but I've just had a problem with them,
whereby they ordered some books from abroad for us, and quoted us wrong.
They admit it was their fault, but we've still had to foot the extra cost
(less the L25 goodwill gesture that they credited us with).  We lost out by
about L50 on this order.  They are also not terribly quick - usually over a
month for anything to arrive.  Am I just expecting too much ...

Hope this helps

*We asked Purchasing, and as long as we got the discounts they weren't
worried who we used - in fact I had to point out to them who the nominated
suppliers were!!
We get 16% from Blackwells, with a supply normally within one week.
The other supplier I am tempted to try is Dawsons who supply to St Martins
(our nursing studies provider).They include servicing and give slightly
better discounts, but are slower.

*We tried B&MBC for about 6 months.  They tried, but we were not very happy
with them.  They seemed rather slow, and did not really seem to have the
medical background?  Bad about keeping to the discounts as well.

Tomlinson's seemed slightly better, but we ended up back with Blackwells,
who provided same discounts.

*Margaret, South Durham uses B&MBC and I don't like them.  Although there is
a 10% discount often the books are cheaper at Blackwells ( but I don't get
serving at Blackwells).  The books come in dribs and drabs and sometimes the
wrong books arrive.  Carol and Claire prefer Dawsons who do serve, it might
be worth chatting to them.

*
Was with B&MBC while at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, and my predecessor here

used them. Neither of us were impressed by their 'service'. Books did arrive

at advertised price, with appropriate NHS discount applied but they were 
painfully slow in delivering them. Processing was frequently done wrongly, 
or not at all, but we were always invoiced for it and had to call them up 
for correction. Support for finding books was poor, bluntly the staff they 
have doing their searches now do not seem to be up to the job. On one 
occasion after sending books out without triggers they claimed to have run 
out of triggers for us. As this was shortly after I had sent them a box of 
1,000 I was not amused. The triggers were found (or replaced) after they 
were shouted at, but the impression of incompetence remains.

With the agreement and support of my predecessor here, and our Supplies 
Department, we are going over to Tomlinsons. I have not used them before, 
but I have had very good reports about speed and quality of service from all

NHS librarians I have met who deal with them. Also, they are now offering a 
higher rate of NHS discount than B&MBC, as they have achieved their target 
volume of sales. Hope this is of some use.




Margaret Valentine 
Trust Librarian 
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust 
Teaching Centre Library 
Freeman Hospital 
High Heaton 
Newcastle upon Tyne 
NE7 7DN 
Tel: (0191) 223 1325 
Fax: (0191) 284 3783 


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