My “Free” Book – updated

Like a few of you, I received an email from Simon and Schuster last month offering me a free book. Of course they were hoping that I’d review it on my blog, thus providing free, grassroots advertising for the price of a book. Not a bad marketing strategy.

“Sure,” I said. “Send me the book.”

Glamorous Disasters arrived a week or so later. I ended up paying almost ten dollars in an “administrative fee”, but that wasn’t Simon and Schuster’s fault. It’s a Canada Customs thing, so I paid up, with only minor annoyance.

Today! Today I receive in INVOICE from DHL Express, the company that brought the book to my door. An invoice for – brace yourselves – $73.39.

SEVENTY-THREE DOLLARS? With the nine and change previous fee, my “free” book is now costing me EIGHTY-THREE DOLLARS.

I sent a terse but pointed email to Simon and Schuster.

Eighty-three dollars and thirty-nine cents.
Eighty-three dollars and thirty-nine cents.
EIGHTY-THREE DOLLARS.

For a “free” book.

Sheesh.

And Glamorous Disasters?

It’s a stupid book.

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This just in: I received an email from S&S, asking me to fax the letter and invoice to a certain number, and they would take care of it. Apology offered — which of course I accepted!

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© 2006, Mary P