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From: bruceh@mentor.com (Bruce Holm)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Dollars and $ense 5.0
Message-ID: <1990Jan16.175513.15603@mentor.com>
Date: 16 Jan 90 17:55:13 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: engr
Lines: 45

I called Monogram the other day to find out when D&$ v5.0 will be out
and what new features it will have, etc.  The man I talked to had a
real defensive complex.  He stated that 5.0 was NOT out yet, that it
would be out by the end of the 1st quarter.  

When I asked what the upgrade fee would be, he said he didn't know.  
When I mentioned that the mailorder places already had the product 
listed in their ads for $80, he stated that they had received ALOT 
of hate mail, hate phone calls, etc from customers who had ordered 
from these mailorder places and been told the product was not out 
yet.  I asked what happens if the product actually costs more, who 
pays the difference.  He quickly stated that the mailorder places 
"eat" the difference in cost.  He also added in a nasty tone that 
he personally hoped that the price was doubled so that the cost to 
mailorder houses would be very high.  I assumed his nasty attitude
was due to all the hate mail/phone calls he and others had received.

I asked how the mailorder places got word of the 5.0 version and he
said he didn't know, that somehow they got wind of it and placed ads 
for it in anticipation of the announcement.

I asked if he had a list of the new features that 5.0 would have and
he said he didn't know...that he had not been told yet.  Only the
R & D group knew.  I asked to talk to them and he said they were at
a different location (another part of the state) and that he didn't
know the phone number.

So there you go, a nasty customer service man making a very poor
impression to me (I was polite to him and said nothing to him that
should make him upset) and who knew nothing about D&$ 5.0.

If you have heard otherwise, or have had similar experiences let
the rest of us hear about it.  If you know the 5.0 feature set,
let us know.

If you were wanting to order v5.0 from mailorder houses, DON'T
because it is not released yet.

--Bruce

-- 
** These are my opinions, & not necessarily those of Mentor Graphics Corp. **
Bruce Holm, Design/Analysis Div. /  (503) 626-7000
Mentor Graphics Corp.          /  USENET: bruceh@pdx.MENTOR.COM   
Beaverton, OR 97005-7191     /  UUCP: ...!{sequent,tessi,apollo}!mntgfx!bruceh