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Archiver > APG > 1999-04 > 0923598408


From: "Connie Bradbury" <>
Subject: Re: Broderbund CDs and arrogance
Date: Thu, 8 Apr 1999 11:06:48 -0800


I had a similar experience to Christine a couple of year's ago. The
problem originated with Automated Archives then it became BannerBlue and
ultimately Broderbund's.

They advertised censuses on CD's for very early years - like 1850 and 1860
(as I recall) for Alaska. Trust me, there are no censuses or substitute
censuses for the state--those years! I first called Automated Archives and
was informed that indeed there was census information for Alaska for those
years. I asked the young man to send me an example of the information for
Alaska, which I never got! When they sold to BannerBlue I started my
campaign again. The folks there were much nicer and at least listened and
said they would look into it. However, they kept generating advertising
indicating the CD's contained Alaska census information. I was at a
national conference and talked to the a man in the Automated Archives booth.
He became very defensive and was determined to prove to me the info was
there. When he brought it up on the computer it listed two or three
"parishes" plus a county I recognized as a Mississippi county- Alaska does
not have parishes. He kept insisting it was Alaska information!!!!!

Untill this point I had suspected their advertising had merely used the
wrong two-digit postal abbreviation and that was the error . AK=Alaska and
AR = Arkansas - but how could they have mis-interpreted LA parishes and a
MS county!!!!

I understand mistakes - what I don't understand is the arrogance of some of
the people involved to not be willing to listen, verify and learn from what
their customers are telling them.

I believe the advertising has been corrected now - but I haven't been
watching!

Connie in
Alaska

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