I had a similar experience. The local school had been supporting this and then stopped because of lack of use of the books and the misleading of the local businesses. We took it on because of the sales ability of the man,( Steve Bujaki), and he told me that the businesses were behind it. After talking to some of the business owners, I found out he was telling them that the library was in favor of the program. Four years ago I told the salesman that I didn’t want to continue the program and to please stop. He said that he had already been sponsored by the local businesses and that the books were good for two years. I told him we would distribute the books for the next two years but we weren’t going to continue after that. I let the businesses know that it felt shady to me and that we were not going to renew. He came back in the fall of 2015 and solicited other businesses and didn’t come and speak to me. A box of books was delivered to us a few months later, and I refused the shipment. I called the company and had a conversation with David Moore, vice-president. Ambassador did not authorize this type of salesmanship and were very happy that I had notified them. ( At least that was the story that I was given.) I let them know that I was very unhappy that our local businesses had been misled and it needed to be addressed. The gentleman I spoke to said he would make sure the businesses were notified and compensated. I haven’t had any contact since, and haven’t heard of the man being in the area again.
Hope this helps in some small way.
Jane French
Les Cheneaux Community Library – zv366
an affiliate of Superior District Library
P.O. Box 99
75 Hodeck St.
Cedarville, MI 49745
Phone/Fax: 906-484-3547
www.facebook.com/pages/Les-Cheneaux-Community-Library
From: michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org [mailto:michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org] On Behalf Of Julie Censke - Colon Township Library
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2017 10:33 AM
To: 'michlib-l@mcls.org'
Subject: [Michlib-l] Ambassador Books
Hi All,
For the last couple of years, I’ve been troubled by a reoccurring situation with a company called Ambassador Books. Every year, a fast-talking gentleman would come in the library with a small stack of books that had been “donated” by local businesses to our library, as well as the school library. He would provide me with thank you notes to send to the local businesses (wait, what?). This bothered me because I had never requested the books, but the situation was giving the appearance that we had. I disliked the fact that his company was benefiting from this situation at the expense of our local businesses too.
For the last two years, I just let it go because I’m busy. This year, I decided to reach out to the school library and find out what their experience was with Ambassador Books. The school librarian pretty much had the same experience as I did, and the donated books usually didn’t get read, sat on a shelf, etc. I wondered how much this company was profiting from our local businesses, so I decided to reach out. I found out that four local businesses were donating between $300-$600 annually. I explained the situation to the business owner and suggested that they forgo donating to Ambassador Books, and donating the money directly to the school for new books of the librarians choosing. I received a mixed response. Business owners that had been giving for years were generally glad to know the situation, they don’t want to waste their money, but one was upset that we didn’t appreciate their gift. THANK YOU, AMBASSADOR BOOKS…
I just wondered what other libraries thought of this odd situation? Also, here’s a link about the company.
http://nash-news.com/uncategorized/books-for-school-children-or-a-scam-for-area-businesses/
Sincerely,
Julie Censke
Colon Township Library
(269) 432-3958 ph.
(269) 432-4554 fax