Xref: utzoo comp.sys.att:7125 unix-pc.general:3423 Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ginosko!ctrsol!emory!skeeve!bagend!jan From: jan@bagend.UUCP (Jan Isley) Newsgroups: comp.sys.att,unix-pc.general Subject: Re: Wanted Summary: Warranty, you want a stinking warranty? Not from AT&T you don't. Keywords: 3B1 Message-ID: <804@bagend.UUCP> Date: 31 Jul 89 04:58:28 GMT References: <602@mbph.UUCP> Reply-To: jan@bagend.UUCP (Jan Isley) Organization: Just me and my computers, Marietta, GA Lines: 68 Distribution: In article <602@mbph.UUCP> hybl@mbph.UUCP (Albert Hybl Dept of Biophysics SM) writes: > >I would like to acquire an AT&T 3B1 with 2Meg RAM on the mother >board, a 67 Meg hard disk, keyboard and mouse, etc. (Are there >any available with the AT&T warranty?) I am also interested >in obtaining a combo board for the above system. Let me remind everyone one more time. AT&T no longer provides warranty service for any 7300|Unix PC|3B1. No matter where or when you buy|bought it, no warranty. The only exception to this is if you buy certain phone systems *from* AT&T that use a 3B1 as a controller. In that case, you don't really know that you have a computer since it is a phone system and not usable by you as a computer. How do I know this you ask? I work for Discovery Electronics, an AT&T VAR and one of the very few places left to buy a Unix PC. I have talked to just about everyone at AT&T who has now or has had anything to do with these systems for the last several years. There is no longer a product manager for the Unix PC. By her own admission, the last person to hold that position was a not very glorified clerk. AT&T will still very gladly sell system software for the Unix PC, but they will not even support that. If you call the Tech Support Hotline with a question about "supported" software that is well within the "90 day" warranty period, you will not get to talk to an engineer without first giving someone a credit card number and authorizing them to charge it at a rate of $150 per hour with absolutely no assurance that you will then get to talk to a support engineer who has ever even used a Unix PC. If, after talking to an engineer, it is determined that the problem is in fact related to the "supported software", the engineer *may* reverse the charges to your credit card. You can buy a service agreement from AT&T. You better be sitting down when they tell you how much they charge for it, especially for one with lots of memory and a big disk. For *much* less than a one year service contract I can sell you a spare computer. If a warranty is important to you, you better buy one from a vendor who will support you because I can promise you from experience that AT&T will not, at least not on this machine. Discovery Electronics does have these machines for sale and we provide a 90 day warranty. Some of our customers are very happy, some are not, statistics sort of works that way, doesn't it. If you buy a computer from us, I am your support and your warranty. Try to find someone at AT&T to say that. AT&T's position is that for every Unix PC sold, they loose a sale for a 386. Yes, that is preposterous, but that is their official position and they are sticking to it. Certain unnamed AT&T big shots have even *suggested* that we should *loose* our remaining stock of Unix PCs. They would not be more specific. For support of a CURRENT, SUPPORTED product, I do not believe that you can beat AT&T, period. When they move on to new product lines .... I do not have all the answers and as I said, not all of our customers are happy, but some people expect too much of a system that is showing its age, technoligically speaking, and some people just are not going to be happy unless their computer walks on water and gives change. I remember one customer who demanded that I replace his hard disk because it had 6 bad blocks on it. He got his money back. It was easier than putting up with someone who was clearly going to be a royal pain in the ... Jan Isley, follower of Zen, picker of nit jan@bagend | gatech!bagend!jan | (404) 434-1335 home | (404) 425-5700 work