Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!tuvie!mike
From: mike@tuvie (Inst.f.Techn.Informatik)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re: purchasing the HP/Apollo 9000 series 400 workstations
Message-ID: <1792@tuvie>
Date: 4 Sep 90 14:40:20 GMT
References: <5918@uceng.UC.EDU>
Reply-To: mike@tuvie.UUCP (Inst.f.Techn.Informatik)
Organization: Technical University of Vienna, AUSTRIA
Lines: 46

I have some questions about HP/Apollo strategy, especially with
non US of A university customers.

In article <5918@uceng.UC.EDU> juber@uceng.UC.EDU (james uber) writes:
>Here are some simple tips for others, like me, who are thrust into the 
>world of HP/Apollo workstation sales with little guidance or preparation.
>Some of these comments apply only to University purchases.
>
>4. You can upgrade the 68030-based 400t and 400s to a 68040 chip for $2000 
>list.  Your sales rep may want to sell you Domain 10.3 (10.2 is shipped with the
>68030 machines) with the chip for an added $595 list.  After querying my
>sales rep, however, he conceded that the updated operating system cost
>should be included in the 1 yr. software maintenance contract that comes
>with all new purchases.
What does this software maintenance contract normally include. IN Austria, 
they claim, it's only telephone help. On updates, no patches, no anything.
>
>6. University purchasers should be aware of a new HP/Apollo software/hardware
>maintenance program that is supposedly being proposed for educational sites.
>The proposed program would, for something like $10,000/year, provide software
>and hardware support and maintenance for all HP products University-wide.
>The University would need to identify a central site for software
>distribution and board return, and would provide its own technicians
>(trained by HP/Apollo) to service the machines.  This would likely be a
>bargain for many educational sites and, in my view, we should encourage this
>or a similar program from HP.
Gee, sounds great! But our sales rep claims this does not exist in Europe!
Looks like they want us to be the full price for maintenance. Which 
would be more than $10000/year for 6 workstations !!!!! Does anybody 
have experience with these kind of programs? How is this in other European 
countries? Canada? Australia? Japan? 
I doubt that the local HPollo people here are malicious, but their incompetence 
is sickening at times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS: After a good day's fight (actaully, it was two days, but this phrase sounds
better :-), we will get the ATR controller. Our sales rep once again did not
know.... Thanx to all the people who answered my posting. 

				bye,
					mike
       ____  ____
      /   / / / /   Michael K. Gschwind             mike@vlsivie.at
     /   / / / /    Technical University, Vienna    mike@vlsivie.uucp
     ---/           Voice: (++43).1.58801 8144      e182202@awituw01.bitnet
       /            Fax:   (++43).1.569697
   ___/