A Puzzling Situation Update

When I wrote my original post here about the erroneous cover on the Sudoku puzzle book that I recently bought some of you suggested I contact the publisher. I did just that.

I really wasn't expecting much of a reply, and in one way I wasn't disappointed, but in another way their reply makes great blog fodder because it is just as humorous. The reply made it obvious how such a mistake happened in the first place. And it is always nice when someone responding to a criticism of their product can pass the buck as well. Nothing says, "couldn't possibly be our fault" better than that "company has gone out of business. . ." I suppose the distributing company has no editors of their own.

I sent a letter via our family email account (the one that arrives in your inbox bearing Pastor Dad's name as opposed to my anonymous "Karabeth" one). I'm removing all identifying information so that a big name newspaper publisher like, oh, say USA ----- doesn't get upset. The parts that have been edited for the blog appear now in brackets like these { }. Material in parenthesis appeared in the actual letter in parenthesis.

Here is my letter:

"About a month ago I purchased one of your puzzle booklets. The booklet is entitled { the name of the book}. On page one (inside the front cover) it says this is '{written by a certain puzzle company}'

Might I suggest that you take another look at the puzzle that is featured on your front and back covers? The numeral "1" is given twice in the bottom row. I truly do hope that the puzzles inside the booklet are not as impossible to solve as the one on the covers.

Sincerely,

Karabeth" (my real name was used in the original letter, of course, and not my blog nickname)


And here is the received reply:


"Hi, Pastor Dad- (they obviously used his real name and not his blog nickname)

Thank you for pointing out the error on our last Sudoku magazine. I have not received any other complaints about the quality of the puzzles so I suspect that was the first error in the 20 or so editions we published since October 2007. Unfortunately, our publishing and distribution partner for the Sudoku magazines { } has gone out of business but we hope to find another partner soon to publish similar magazines.

Thanks for your interest in USA -----.

{Signature}"

"Pastor Dad" appreciates the reply. :)