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Subscription fulfillment ethics

As a publisher I always honor customer claims of nonreceipt of orders, 
even 2d claims (we all know the USPS, right?) and I had never had a 
problem obtaining missing issues from others. So I was not prepared for 
the following experience.

I renewed a subscription to a small quarterly gardening newsletter (2 
years at $70 for 2000 and 2001) and when I didn't receive any issues in 
2000, I wrote twice (no reply) and finally telephoned. The 
editor/publisher agreed I had paid, said my name had not been added in 
error, and promised to send the year 2000's missing issues (3 were 
actually published, not 4). After a month passed I called again 
explaining that I needed the issues urgently. There was a promise to 
mail them that very day, but no issues came (I had to travel in a 
snowstorm to borrow them from a subscriber I located with no little 
effort). I wrote twice more over the next 6 months and received no 
reply. When I phoned a few months ago about missing issues, the 
(automatic) reponse was they were sent (not asking or saying which ones 
or a date sent), and just before being cut off, (perhaps realizing that 
I was not just a casual dizzy caller?) I was given an address and 
invited to email, which I did. No reply.

On the subscription for 2001, I received 1 issue (I don't know if more 
have been published, I have been postponing calling to ask).

Do any of you who subscribe to newsletters/magazines or buy books by 
mail have similar experiences? Is there justification (or hope?) in 
trying to obtain the missing issues or asking for a refund? If so, can 
anyone suggest a strategy for dealing with a stone wall? 

Thanks for your suggestions, your opinion matters.

Sally Williams
Editor and publisher
Garden Literature Press
398 Columbus Ave, #181
Boston MA 02116
tel 617 424 1784
fax 617 424 1712
email gardenlit@aol.con

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