phone-number

[#1]

Dear lulu.com

I think it would be a very wise idea if your business was to get a phone number so customers or publishers have questions they can get ahold of you a lot easier

[#2]

I would say that I would agree with this idea, it would be especially helpful for first timers.

[#3]

But that is what the furoms are for, and the vast Knowledge base, just what it is you wish to know  Sonia?

[#4]

First, Lulu is not free, as someone mentioned. It is a business and it takes its cut, and that's fine. But it is very frustrating to not be able to speak to someone on the phone. Considering that most companies online do have a call center of some sort, it should be a part of its operation. Differing time zones have nothing to do with it. I was up until 2 am one evening not long ago because I wanted to speak to a live human being at a call center. I would like to speak to someone at Lulu as well. I have unresolved questions that were not answered at all satisfactorily though e-mail. It was a question of asking a question, getting an answer, which then necessitated another quesiton---in short, it was maddening and I could not get a reliable answer becuase the information I was given did not work.

Our organizaiton has a number of books on Lulu and we are in fact considering changing because of not being able to speak to someone and get proper information. There is no "one size fits all" with a set of standard replies on a help page. It is also not pleasant to be treated in a patronizing manner by someone who is obviously a very young guy who thinks he is a genius and I must  be an idiot. (He may have that backwards.) Seriously, I have too many degrees and too many years of experience to have to put up with such nonsense.

Lulu, if you are serious about your business, you need to give your customers a higher priority.

Publications Chair, B. Magalnick at [pubs@the-efa.org]

[#5]

Lulu is free. They do not charge you for an account, they do not charge for the use of their many Wizards, they do not charge for ISBNs and for getting us on to Amazon, Apple, B&N etc. They do not charge you for the printing and shipping of your books when someone buys one.

I have used call centres on free and paid-for sites, and you often end up in a 2 hour waiting to be answered list anyway.

As I keep asking >> just what is it you wish to ask?

[#6]

Kevin - Free? What nonsense! As an author, the use of the site and wizards is how they stock their store with MY books that they offer for sale. Of course they don't charge me to print and ship for 3rd-party orders since those are paid by the buyer. My payment for the use of the site comes from the big slize they keep when they sell one of my books.

What is it I wish to ask? Well, it changes every day. Today I'd like to know why I can't ship by Media Mail in the USA with delivery confirmation, as I can everytime I sell an item on eBay and print a shipping label on PayPal. I've raised this issue twice on the Suggestions forum without any response from Lulu management. I have a business relationship with Lulu, not with all the people on the forums, and I'd live a response from Lulu whenever I have an issue pertaining to that relationship.

What is it I'd like t ask? Well, I'd also like to ask why, when I provide a copy of a reseller agreement, it doesn't make me tax free in all states - I seem to have to do it one state at a time.

Tomorrow I'll likely have different questions, because as an author of multiple books, I have a business relationship with them that they don't seem to value.