Review: Elsevier’s User Services
Cliff May 9th, 2008
Greetings,
I am writing this email to complain about the horrible user services that are provided by Elsevier.
This morning I was trying to confirm full-text access to the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology for my library’s users. When I contacted customer support, I was told that access is only provided via a username and password (and not by IP ranges).
This means that when users at my library access AJOG via our full-text index or the publisher’s website, they are confronted with a request for a username and password. I have no way to provide the user with that information from the time they begin their research to the time they get to the username/password prompt. So not only are they not given the username and password, they are also not informed of the correct person to contact at our library to get this information, and in fact will most likely give up their research at this point.
This is a shameful display of disregard for your own customers–the library’s users. You are making it difficult for your customers to access the very resources you provide. I strongly suggest working collaboratively with libraries and other vendors to provide your customers (again, the library’s users, not the libraries or librarians!) with the best experience possible, including quick and easy access to resources.
I expect a swift reply, and hopefully, a user-centered solution in the very near future.
Thanks,
Cliff
wow it is sooooo interesting post !
Good luck with that ;-p. We’ve got a workaround at MPOW for getting passwords out to our patrons when using that type of authentication is unavoidable (and it’s always a recalcitrant publisher that refuses to get with the program and support IP authentication already). We put the passwords on an IP authenticated web page and then point our link resolver to that page. Kludgey but liveable.
Thanks Laura. I *could* do a workaround if I spent hours fiddling with code, probably, but it’s my perspective that I shouldn’t have to. More crankiness to follow…. :)
Did you contact the support-desk?
JournalsOnlineSupport-usa@elsevier.com
Warry - Yes, this email/post is in response to what I learned when I contacted the support desk via phone.
OK. I see. I will try to take this a little further and see what can be done to help you!
Hi Cliff,
I understand that your call did trigger escalation and that Elsevier already has contacted you to help you and to see whether IP access can be setup for you.
Both the customer support department and an (even to my surprise) large number of people behind the scene do care and find it horrible to see that there are customers who consider the Elsevier user services horrible.
Elsevier is waiting for your input and is happy to help you making your access work properly.
Can you please let us know how this progresses and whether you can report that the Elsevier support may be a little slow, but not so horrible after all :-)
Warry